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Astera fixtures selected for Helene Fischer Christmas special TV show

Nearly 500 Astera AX3 LightDrop wireless battery-powered LED fixtures were utilised for a Weihnachtsshow (Christmas Show) special broadcast by German singer Helene Fischer. Essential elements of the show broadcast on Christmas Day - 25th of December 2020 - were recorded at the Halle 6 of Düsseldorf Messe, complete with a production lighting designed by LD Tim Routledge.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions and the relatively short lead-time in which these segments of the show had to be produced, neither Routledge nor camera director Paul Dugdale - also based in the UK - could physically be there in person. Routledge brought German LD Michael Kuehbandner onboard as lighting director to oversee the project in Düsseldorf. Kuehbandner and the crew had only one day in which to set up and programme the show on-site.

Normally Fischer’s annual Weihnachtsshow would be a glittery and glamourous extravaganza with guests and a live audience, but this year that wasn’t possible. To reflect this and the dramatic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the entertainment industry, the creative team wanted to do something radically different.

They placed the artist in the empty Messehalle in Düsseldorf and filmed a series of intros and segues connecting a collage of “best of” clips from previous Weihnachtsshows which have been broadcast since 2011. This staging concept emphasised the isolation and solitude of lockdowns and social distancing that have been experienced by all during this time, and also gave it a warmth, some sparkle and plenty of positive energy for Christmas.

As soon as Tim Routledge knew that these intro sequences would be shot by three cameras - a drone and two Steadicams - he wanted to fill the room with dynamic light. He also wanted to replicate an atmosphere - in the absence of an audience - and decided to do this with the help of the 496 x Astera AX3 fixtures, all fitted with their frosted semi-sphere domes. These and the other lights were supplied by Augsburg-based Kaiser Showtechnik GmbH which also happens to be the Astera German distributor.

The AX3s were arranged in eight radials or ‘spokes’ reaching out from centre position where Helene Fischer stood, lit from above with eight profile moving lights. Finding a wireless solution was fundamental to achieving the clean and stark lighting aesthetic that Routledge envisioned.

The room was also lit by LED wash lights around the periphery to show its architecture and not just place the artist in a black box. Applying different colours across the space made it different from a standard studio, but it also didn’t look like a cold, dark place, and the glow of the city outside could be glimpsed through the windows.

From the outset of this project, Routledge and Dugdale were always going to be working remotely. When the design was ready, Routledge sent over the CAD plots and visualizations, then he and Kuehbandner communicated by phone and various VOIP platforms. Kuehbandner developed a GrandMA showfile with the layout, groupings, some effects and presets. Routledge, Kuehbandner and Dugdale all Zoomed the night before the recording and stepped through the recording to develop all the cues, with Kuehbandner programming on site and ensuring that the integrity of the design was implemented.

A major challenge in Halle 6 was ensuring the WIFI signal transmission networks remained strong and consistent. Kaiser Showtechnik set up all the AX3s which Kuehbandner controlled via a GrandMA2 console with the other lights. During the recording, Routledge joined and oversaw the broadcast via a comms panel App on his iPad which enabled him to see all the camera shots. Kuehbandner’s gaffer was Timo Graf and the project’s technical director was Johannes Laugwitz.

(Photos: Michael Kuehbandner)

www.astera-led.com

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