MILAN, Italy — The Italian news parody, Striscia la Notizia, or The News Slithers, has become popular enough for the talent search for the two female performers who accompany the show to become a hit on its own, with a full complement of Clay Paky gear used to light the final performances and the interviews with the winning pair of female contestants. Called Veline, the 2008 talent search was hosted by Ezio Greggio, one of the regulars on Striscia la Notizia, which is produced by Antonio Ricci. This past summer, the talent search traveled through 12 Italian cities, shooting several episodes in each. The aspiring “Veline” who won each episode moved on to the final competition, which was held at the Mediaset studios in Cologno Monzese in Milan.
Although Clay Paky moving beams aren’t commonly associated with TV lighting — Massimiliano Cavenaghi is one of the first photography directors to use them — the lighting rig for the finals included Alpha Spot HPE 1200s, Stage Color 1200s and Alpha Beam 300s — 50 instruments in all.
“I mainly used effects and spot lights on the public and backlighting for the girls’ performances,” Cavenaghi said. “The nature of the show favored close-ups on the ‘Veline,’ so we had few wide angles. Consequently, stage lighting needed to be white and restricted.”
On the Clay Paky gear, Cavenaghi added, “they are special projectors and must be used sparingly but they always give the show a unique feel. I find them great for backlighting and side lighting. They give added value and are incomparable with other products.”
The stage design included a series of angular forms, using the same color-changing concentric rhomboidal structures which appeared on the tour. The Clay Paky color-changers colored them from the base, with hues alternating between yellow, blue and purple.
The Alpha Beam 300s were placed along the edge of the runway that led from the stage to the audience and served to signal the times between the various performances. “They are the new millennium ACLs,” Cavenaghi said, “and I think they will soon become irreplaceable, especially for both studio and open air music shows.”
In contrast to the lighting used for the performances, Cavenaghi used softer lighting with a friendlier, intimate tone for the interviews with the two women chosen as the new “Veline,” with dimmed stage lighting and colorful background settings.
Eletekno supplied the lighting system for the Veline final performances and the interview sessions with the winners. Lorenzo Bassani was the LD and console operator, and Mauro Rigoni served as head electrician.
For more information, please visit www.claypaky.it.
