NASHVILLE, TN – Held annually at the Grand Ole Opry House, the K-LOVE Fan Awards creates a unique fan experience that celebrates the powerful impact of Christian entertainment. With a rich history of gathering together the most engaging Christian artists and speakers, the producers of the 2018 awards ceremony decided to broadcast the show for the first time on the Trinity Broadcast Network. Requiring a trusted partner to lead the team behind the scenes, Go Live Productions was brought on board to oversee the show direction and production design, including an automated LED video design from Elite Multimedia Productions.
More details from Elite (www.elitemultimedia.com):
“We had previously worked with the K-LOVE Fan Awards from 2013-2015, and they asked us to come back this year as it would be the first year that the production would be broadcast on TBN,” began production manager and show director Scott Moore. “The thing about this particular event is that it takes place at the Grand Ole Opry which is a fantastic venue, but it is extraordinarily challenging from both a space and time perspective. In this type of environment, we have to be able to deploy the video systems quickly, and the team from Elite Multimedia Productions did a fabulous job.”
While envisioning the LED video design for 2018 K-LOVE Fan Awards, Moore was very familiar with the obstacles that lay ahead. Having previously worked in the space, he knew they would be able to use the house fly system to develop an expansive video system that would not only look great, but also give them the time needed to complete set changes.
“The Opry stage is rather large however they have an upstage scenic piece which stays in place, and anything we design has to be able to disappear into the fly space so that the Grand Ole Opry can perform,” continued Moore. “What that said, there are still certain things we have to accomplish, such as being able to accommodate incredibly quick set changes. To do this, we wanted to create an automated LED video system using a downstage close-down wall to keep a background between hosts, presenters and award-winners until we are off-camera. This would then also allow us to set-up the next camera shot for the 15 different artist performances, but we only have an average set change time of about five minutes, so we have to make it work quickly.”
With the video design ready for deployment, the team would have to work around the busy production schedule of the Opryhouse during load-in. Working in an iconic venue that operates throughout the year, the technical team was challenged not only to get it ready, but to also get it right.
“We first came in on Tuesday morning for our pre-rig, but by 2pm we had to be gone so they could set up for the Tuesday night Opry performance,” explained Moore. “We came back on Wednesday to load-in our lighting and video package, and on Thursday and Friday the programmers and lighting designer Mark Carver have their chance to work, but we have to strike again by 2pm Friday for the weekend performances. We then load back in on Saturday night around 11pm, and on Sunday morning we start balancing and color-correcting. For the production team, we only get one opportunity to see the show all together before we go live, but everyone did an amazing job.”
As the load-in and programming drew to a close, it was now show time for the 2018 K-LOVE Fan Awards. Highlighted by performances featuring Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Chris Tomlin and Hillsong Worship, the three separate LED video systems would be a significant factor in the overall look and flow of the show.
“In the production design, we had a large wide-format LED display that was downstage made out of the 3.9mm product which showed all of our show content, the nominee packages, and the general ambiance imagery graphics,” added Moore. “We then had two smaller displays of the 3.9mm product that were stage left and right behind a unique scenic piece that formed the background for our host, presenter and award recipient backgrounds. The third element consisted of a large portrait screen placed upstage-center with six ribbon panels, three on each side, that cascaded from both top-to-bottom, and downstage-to-upstage. Running on three separate video outputs, all of the LED video worked flawless while being flown in-and-out during the set changes, and the end result was pretty stellar.”
Working in a live broadcast environment with many moving pieces, the intricacies of what happens behind the scenes is often unnoticed by those watching the show. Knowing how much effort goes into making the most challenging tasks seem simple, Moore was confident that he made the right choice with the team from Elite Multimedia Productions.
“From a technical perspective, the cable management on this job was one of the most complicated aspects and having a team that paid attention to the details was critical,” concluded Moore. “The success of this event really came down to planning, execution, and having the right people. At the end of the day, the crew from Elite Multimedia Productions, led by Chris Lighthall, did an exceptional job, and you can’t ask for anything more in a live television broadcast situation.”
(Photo Credit: Erin Moore)
