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IT’S ELEMENT-ARY: SCHARFF WEISBERG, MICHAEL LEE ARE EVERY BIT-ON-THE-MAP LIGHTING THRICE TOUR ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
November 20, 2007 — New York
What really makes this show are the lighting bitmap effects,” beams California-based Terminal Design Group lighting designer Michael Lee, who worked with Scharff Weisberg on the 2007 Fall Tour of post-hardcore quartet Thrice. Rigging, lighting and video on the 41-date tour had to reflect the personality and integrity of the band.
“Thrice has a very strong personality. They’re very anti-rock star and quite well-mannered,” reflects Lee. “Rather than be spotlighted as people, they want their music to shine.” Therefore, members of the outfit are always side-lit or back-lit – in shadows, not in the spotlight. Not as a means to a practical end, the lighting was to be a graphic version of what the music is “trying to portray”. With a limited budget, it was time to get really creative.
Lee goes on to say that Scharff Weisberg “was awesome. They really worked with me to build a rig that was worthy of the band.” The setup features a video wall comprised of 144 Philips Color Kinetics iColor Cove. The centerpiece was built onto 6’ pipes and put on triple riser stands. Martin TWL’s are used as side lights. A compliment of Clay Paky Alpha HP 1200’s were brought in for use as audience candy – all aerial graphics—gobos and colors for flash and excitement. “The Clay Paky Alpha’s are great,” claims Lee. “They’re so bright and fast, I have to back up on intensity. And I haven’t had to tweak or service them.”
And of course, the bitmap effects emanate out of a grandMA console. States Lee: “grandMA is the only console I use. It’s the only one,” he says, “that is advanced enough to handle any application of any size and any type of event. I did everything on the Visualizer off line. I did three days of programming and things were spot-on when I was on the rig the last day. We were 90% on the way to having a show out-of-the-box before sitting down at the console!”
Lee has had complete and utter confidence in working with Scharff Weisberg. He maintains that his relationship with Scharff Weisberg over the last couple of years has been “amazing…and balanced. As a lighting provider, their gear is unrivaled. No other company can provide their distinct quality of service. They always supply the best equipment. There’s no comparison. And I always know,” adds Lee, “that it’s going to show up pristine. Support is always there, and Scharff Weisberg can build for any size of show.”
Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications, firms with extensive histories in the presentation and staging markets, recently announced a co-ownership agreement. While continuing to operate independently the two companies work together to provide clients with state of the art audio, video and lighting equipment and services. With a strong presence on both coasts Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications are able to deliver a large array of cost-effective services on a national level. For more information, call 718-610-1660. For more information on Video Applications, visit www.videoapps.com.