Robe helps Deutschland find a superstar
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Manuel has been involved with the top TV series since the very start in 2002. It was again recorded in studios 30 and 31 of the Coloneum complex in Cologne and broadcast on RTL’s Saturday night prime time. Now the 15th series, DSDS has become one of the most successful shows on German TV.
The set was designed by Florian Wieder of Wieder Design who also has a long-standing relationship with the series. He always produces a spectacular, multi-layered environment fusing interesting structural and geometric elements with innovative video and digital aspects.
This year Manuel worked alongside his associate and chief technical lighting supervisor Christoph Dahm. It is important to have a close-knit team on hand, familiar with the format and specific demands of the show, where the challenges are always to transform the stage and setting for each competitor, covering a wide range of musical genres.
For this they need the rig to be as flexible as possible, hence the choice to have a large contingent of Pointes on the rig.
The fixtures were distributed in the mid-stage area, around the second of two large circular trusses and along the back of the set in high positions on what they called ‘the matrix’ as well as left and right beside the LED wall. Another 12 were positioned on top of different height LED columns onstage.
They were used for various big, epic looks – from sweeping mulit-beams and aerial effects to funky and fast-moving sequences which looked fantastic on camera and for the enthusiastic live audience who packed into the studio each week to enjoy being part of the live telecast.
For this 2018 series they used a Robe RoboSpot system for the first time, with a BaseStation controlling a BMFL Follow Spot upstage centre, working as an essential back lighting position for creating silhouettes and other moody looks.
Also for the first show in this series eight MegaPointes were utilised as a floor specials package for artist Lucas.
Lighting was controlled via a grandMA2 console, with another one at FOH running the playback video.
Manuel, Jonas - operating the moving lights – and Christoph were joined at FOH by Tim Franken, a busy person with three roles – as gaffer, key lighting operator and spot caller and Oliver Heuer was also a key lighting operator. Bjoerge Block was the video operator, working alongside server farmer, Tilman Schultz.
(Jim Evans)
