An integration of set, lighting and video technologies created a flashy, pulsating design worthy of the Las Vegas Strip.
The 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards got a dose of Vegas pizzazz. Not that the live award show needed any spicing up, as it is arguably the hottest night in Latin music, attracting audiences with its passionate, pulsating performances from today’s top artists, including Ricky Martin, Regaetón recording artist Daddy Yankee and Dominican singer/songwriter Juan Luis Guerra — the night’s showstopper, winning a record five awards, including Album of the Year. This year’s show reached a record 12.6 million viewers nationwide; in several major markets, it was the number one program in its time slot. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” need not apply here.
To outshine previous years at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the Univision network, which acquired the Latin Grammys three years ago from CBS, chose the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s 12,000-seat Events Center in Las Vegas. With the show making its debut in Sin City for the first time, Set Designer Jorge Dominguez says the flashy lights and vibrant, over-the-top culture on the Strip was the inspiration behind his set design. “The direction I went on this was to recapture some of that Vegas glitz,” he says. “I think the show is really all about mixing the new with the old. We’re going to bring 2000 technology into it with the LED color-changing and high-energy video content.”
This theme — classic Vegas meets modern day — was also evident in the night’s performances, which brought together surprising collaborations with well-known Vegas acts, such as the showgirls from the Folies Bergere, Stomp, HavanaNightShow and the exuberant opening number, which combined the gyrating hips of Ricky Martin with the wild antics of Blue Man Group.
With 13 performances in a three-hour time frame intermixed with host banter, award presentations and commercial breaks, Dominguez says an im-portant element of his set design is multiple performance areas, which ensure seamless segues between, for example, a dynamic number complete with the artist, band and dancers taking up half the stage — and a sudden switch to only one presenter. The set has three performance stages — stage left, stage right and an elevated center stage that creates a tunnel for presenters who exit and enter from underneath. Dominguez created two host positions at the far extremes. “That way, when the show jumps into the upcoming number, [the hosts] can actually be on the opposite side for fluid transitions,” he says.
In addition, each stage is encircled with close-downs — what Dominguez describes as partitions that conceal a particular stage if an artist is setting up at the same time another artist is performing live — a common issue to address in a live award show environment. The closedowns are a white, translucent material, which act as a projection surface for various colors and images, adding more dimension and visual excitement to the stage. Some performers even used them as part of their performance, playing up the silhouette effect.
“I have to always be thinking of how the scene changes and band carts are going to be rolling in, as well as the entrances and exits for presenters and performers,” Dominguez says. His set concept was presented to Univision four months before the Latin Grammys. With the network’s approval, he created a 3-D CAD drawing of the set and its individual elements via VectorWorks and gave this information to Global Entertainment in Burbank, Calif., where the set pieces were constructed. Time is not a luxury, admits Dominguez, adding that the production crew had five days of load-in, fours days of rehearsals and one run-through the morning the show aired live.
The stage is designed for an entire wide-shot stage spectacle, but it is also designed with discreet staging elements within it that provide different looks for the array of acts. Video technology allows the set backdrop to instantly change both subtly or dramatically — without the hassle of moving large props — and keeps the three-hour show looking fresh for the audience. “Virtually the entire set is embedded with video technology for endless scene change possibilities to keep it fresh and exciting,” says Production Manager Joe Sarchet and president of Roca Video, who describes the Latin Grammys as a “very ambitious project.” Roca Video has been the award show’s exclusive video provider for three years, and the video elements have increased incrementally each year.
The set contains 750 Element Labs VersaTubes, 600 Barco MiStrips, 106 Barco I-Lite 10 and 628 Barco MiTrix LED panels for an eye-catching display of colors that evokes the neon lights of Vegas. “The Latin Grammys are very passionate, very colorful — but we certainly make sure not to go overboard,” Dominguez says. “Our audience loves color, so we try to touch on that.” Additionally, 10 Christie S20 projectors, four Barco projectors and 10 Panasonic 50-inch plasma screens are used to display imagery, including the Latin Grammy logo as well as video of the nominees and close-ups of the artists performing on stage or in the audience.
The Latin Grammys is a prime example of the merging of lighting and video technologies, as well as the lighting, video and set design disciplines, Sarchet says. “Jorge designed an electronic set that is, in effect, a giant video screen that is also employed as a giant lighting element within the show.” Perhaps the most challenging aspect for Sarchet was mapping video elements to create one succinct image. “This is a very intricate mapping display, in that we are treating every element of the stage as a distinct palette that can simultaneously become one entire image,” he says, adding that the set is a juxtaposition of resolutions. On stage left, for example, are layers of low-res MiStrips in front of a hi-res projection screen.
Art Director Christian Choi created most of the video content for the show’s 14 performances, award presentations and reoccurring Latin Grammy theme (with award show logo), which contained several color variations to keep the design fresh. Other video elements came from Univision or the artist’s record labels, such as music video clips. “Sometimes we have a creative pow-wow and start thinking or discussing images that would work for a specific number. Then Christian will start doing his homework to locate images for that,” Dominguez says.
Most of the video content emulated the flashy Las Vegas theme with overhead shots of the Strip and spinning slot machines, but the design did include more serious content, such as faces of migrant workers and beautiful landscapes to accompany a message in one performance. Dominguez says most of the visual design took place during rehearsals. “It’s generally a joint effort between keeping the artist in mind, because it is their showcase, and finding some variety in a show that’s on air for three hours.” Some artists are managed very tightly, Dominguez admits, and their management, record label, or quite often the artists themselves, may have strong opinions. “They have certain things they want portrayed, and we will listen to their songs or watch the music video and work on a concept to dress it up.”
From a lighting standpoint, Lighting Director John Daniels says a particular challenge, unique to award shows, is the transition between two distinct looks on stage. “You can have this high-energy performance with all the lights moving, chasing and strobing, and then it transitions to a nomination with one person at a podium — those transitions between the musicals and presentations are dramatic,” he says. The cues go from one extreme to another, and unlike a concert tour, the crew isn’t afforded the luxury of weeks to practice. Two Flying Pig System Wholehog 3 consoles with a playback wing controls the lighting, which includes 136 Vari*Lite VL5s used behind the camera, 99 VL 3500s and 3000 Spots providing aerial beam projection, Martin Atomic 3K strobes, and MAC 2000s working the set and musical acts. Because the set is so linear, curved trussing toned with Coemar Parlite LEDs is used for contrast.
“We have the lighting controlled to not contaminate the set,” he says. “One of the things that makes the performances look so nice is the control that we get with the spots. A MAC 2K Wash might hit two or three band members when we just want that light on the guitar player.” Another challenge is ensuring the spots are dead on target because, if a spotlight focused on the host or artist wanders off, he or she disappears into darkness for the viewers watching from home. To illuminate the VIP floor, Daniels uses ETC Source Four Lekos, PAR LEDs and back spots with correction to bring award winners up to the stage — an important element of the show because the audience is a focal point during award presentations. “Making that VIP, first 20 rows look really nice is key,” Daniels explains. “We have to be able to pick up whoever wins.”
Also key to the show’s success is ensuring the most anticipated performance of the night — the opening act — looks flawless. Not only is the opening act a sneak peek of what is to come for the next three hours, it is also the hottest star and the most energetic performance of the night. And this year was no exception with Ricky Martin and Blue Man Group sharing the stage for an electrifying collaboration. Lighting both acts together was a challenge particularly because of Blue Man Group’s blue grease-painted bodies and black clothing, which needed more light than Ricky Martin. The lighting crew worked with the group’s lighting director, who provided tips on how to light their unusual costumes. “Of course, since they’re blue and they’ve got dark suits, we have to give a little more level to them,” says Lighting Designer Carlos Colina. “The band needs to be ultraviolet blue. I have MAC 2Ks that are a beautiful Congo blue to make them glow.” For most of the six-minute performance, the Blue Man Group and an eight-piece band perform on stage right, while Ricky performs on center stage, to keep the lighting isolated. “Since Blue Man Group has a lot of black florescent costuming and need black lighting, we needed a controlled environment,” Dominguez says. Both groups alternate performances until the finale where Ricky joins Blue Man Group on stage right to feverishly play their PVC pipes, which shoot neon bursts of water into the air, soaking both acts for a rhythmic, fiery culmination.
With such a dynamic array of performers and presenters, not to mention the audience and 12.6 million viewers watching from home, the set, lighting and video design must take into consideration each unique element of the show. This means constant give and takes to achieve a flexible, yet practical concept that satisfies all parties involved. No pressure or anything. “When I designed the set, there’s obviously the aesthetic part of it, but I also designed it like a house that has to be used by different owners — each one has their particular needs,” Dominguez says. “I have to come up with something that’s both practical and pretty on camera.”
