The Gospel Music Association’s 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards ceremony took place at Nashville’s sold-out Allen Arena on Oct. 18, and the taped show aired Oct. 21 on TBN. Along with the performances, the event named GRAMMY Award winner CeCe Winans Artist of the Year, and also honored Winans for Song of the Year for her No. 1 Billboard hit, “Believe for It.”
While the theme of the awards was “Sound of Heaven,” Production Designer Scott Moore worked hard to make sure the visuals were just as phenomenal, selecting a linear design that gave the set a contemporary take on a classic Art Deco look. “I attempted to incorporate that linear concept into everything from truss layout, scenic choices and the Edgelight installation while leaving (Lighting Designer) Mark Carver the ability to insert lighting fixtures in a variety of locations,” said Moore. “The end result was a clean and efficient design aesthetic that accommodated the various requirements of award shows including a large performance space, a location for hosts, a location for presenters/award recipients and the ability to get personnel, equipment and talent on and off stage safely and efficiently.”
The night featured performances from a host of genres, including rock, soul, rap, bluegrass, pop and country performers on the same stage. “It is our goal that each artist’s lighting look be totally unique in color and tone while ensuring the overall variety of lighting looks within the show,” said Carver.
Bandit Lites supplied more than 320 fixtures for the awards including Ayrton Khamsin S, CHAUVET Maverick MK Pyxis for beams, camera eye candy and color toning, CHAUVET Rogue R2X Washes as the audience light workhorse, CHAUVET Rogue R3 Washes for color toning and eye candy as well as setting the overall color feel for each artist. Carver also utilized CHAUVET COLORado Solo Batten IP for scenic color and artist footlights, Elation Smarty Hybrids as beam, gobo and effect lighting, which supplied a visual intensity and texture that was captured from various camera positions. Additional gear included Elation Chorus Line 8, Elation Chorus Line 16 to light scenic elements as well as overhead effects and color, GLP JDC1 Strobes, Robe BMFL Spots as backlights and hardedge gobos, producing depth and texture and Robe Spikie LEDs.
With a tight timeframe consisting of two days to install the entire production, one day to program and one day to sound check, Moore shared the success hinged on a well prepped system and great technicians. “As we have all come to expect, Bandit’s prep process was flawless and their technicians were absolutely fantastic,” he said. “I cannot say enough about the level of support we received from Michael Golden, Paul Holst, Chuck Hastings, Chaz Martin, Craig Richter and Ty Veneziano. Everyone went above and beyond to pull this event off and did so with a very high level of professionalism. That would be outstanding at any other time, but to get that level of support in 2022, where the world of production is stretched razor thin, is spectacular and I am extremely grateful for everything Bandit does to make this event a success.”
“Scott Moore and Mark Carver have once again taken a very challenging project and made it look like just another day in the office,” said Bandit Lites Vice President Mike Golden. “As with any job, there will be glitches, but the true mettle of any production is the resolve necessary to achieve the look and operation expected for an awards show of this magnitude. Paul Holst served as the Bandit Project Manager, and along with Dizzy Gosnell, they covered every angle of our participation flawlessly. Our tech staff very quietly and methodically got the show in on time and had everything well in hand throughout the event. Our thanks go out to everyone involved in this year’s Dove Awards and we look forward to working with everyone again next year.”
“One of the great joys in my professional life is hiring people with which I have great respect and giving them the freedom to do what they do,” finished Moore. “I never have to worry about the level of quality we will receive from the lighting package as it is always done so well and so quickly. To put together cueing with distinct looks for thirteen performances as well as cues for walk-in/out, hosts, presenters, recipients, video playback and doing so in approximately 12 hours is no small feat at all; a huge debt of gratitude is owed to Mark Carver and Programmers Trevor Ahlstrand and Tony Fransen with a lot of help from Luke Carver. This team is absolutely spectacular.”
Production Team
Production Designer: Scott Moore
Lighting Director/Designer: Mark Carver
Lighting Programmer: Trevor Ahlstrand
Gaffer: Luke Carver
Media programmer: Tony Fransen
Bandit Account Manager: Michael Golden
Bandit Project Manager: Paul Holst
Master Electrician: Chuck Hastings
Electricians: Chaz Martin, Craig Richter, Ty Veneziano
Further information from Bandit Lites, Inc.: www.BanditLites.com
