To inaugurate the opening of the games in Toronto, event organizers enlisted the assistance of 45 Degrees who brought on Martin Labrecque to oversee the lighting design. Working with Solotech, Labrecque would be challenged to create a hybrid design between theatrical and rock-n-roll and he did so using 60 VL4000 Spot luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.
"This was actually my first time working with the Pan American Games and my first time lighting a stadium event," began Labrecque. "Knowing that the directors of the show wanted a cross between theatrical and rock-n-roll, I needed to bring in automated luminaires that could offer me a wide range of capabilities but also have the power to overcome the long throw distances. Using the VL4000 Spot luminaires was a great choice because their power is amazing and they had no problem carrying the full weight of their beam all the way onstage.
"Regardless of the size of the venue, my design process is always the same," continued Labrecque. "After my initial design meetings with the artistic and show directors, we did two months of wysiwyg to outline all the cues so that when we came into the venue we were very close to having a final product. With only a week to load-in and program the lighting, I relied heavily on the VL4000 Spots because they really can do it all.
"This was my first time using the VL4000 Spots and I think their development is a big step forward for Philips Vari-Lite," added Labrecque. "To overcome the throw distances, I placed the VL4000 Spots on the 500 level of the stadium and used them to cut into the artists onstage from approximately 200ft away."
(Jim Evans)
