Bandit Lites once again delivered an unforgettable experience at the 55th Annual Dove Awards, a night showcasing the power of live performance with a visually stunning lighting design. This year’s production, led by Lighting Designer Mark Carver, featured a carefully crafted system from Bandit Lites that combined technical precision with artistic creativity to elevate every moment of the show.
Hosted by Tauren Wells, the Dove Awards featured moving performances from Anike, Anne Wilson, CAIN, CeCe Winans, Crowder, Forrest Frank, Joseph Habedank, Maverick City Music with Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore, Natalie Grant, Tauren Wells, Tye Tribbett, and a special multilingual performance of “Holy Forever” from Brian and Jenn Johnson, Miel San Marcos, and Gabriel Guedes. Scott Moore of Go Live Productions, Production Manager for the Dove Awards, worked closely with Bandit Lites and the design team to create a dynamic yet flexible design that could accommodate the diversity of performances across the evening.
“We really wanted to push the limits this year while also making sure we met all the necessary technical standards,” Carver explained. “We focused on color temperature, intensity, and depth of field to create a layered, immersive lighting environment that brought out the best in every artist.” Bandit Lites provided the lighting for this high-profile event, employing a variety of advanced lighting fixtures that contributed to the clean, sharp visuals viewers saw on-screen. The gear provided included Ayrton Magic Dot-R, Chauvet Rogue R2X Washes, Chauvet COLORado Solo Batten IP 65, Elation SixPar 100, ACME Pixel Line IP, ACME Gemini, ROBE iForte FS, Robo Spot System and four grandMA3 Full consoles for control.
The event was designed to look visually dynamic from every angle, with a focus on creating looks that worked both for the live audience and for the cameras. The challenge with a televised event like this is making sure the lighting looks as great on camera as it does live. Carver and his team did an incredible job making sure every shot felt polished and creative, with a mix of dramatic lighting and subtle color toning that brought the performances to life. This year’s Dove Awards presented its usual challenges — compressed timelines, a smaller performance space, and very high expectations. But as always, Bandit Lites rose to the occasion and delivered a stellar production.
The Bandit Lites team, led by Project Managers John Lucksinger and Craig Richter, as well as Jemma Hutchens, worked tirelessly to bring the lighting design to life. Lighting Designer Mark Carver, Programmer André Petrus, and Media Programmer Tony Fransen played pivotal roles in creating the television-quality looks that defined the show.
“As has been the case for the past several years, Lighting Designer Mark Carver, Programmer André Petrus and Media Programmer Tony Fransen did a remarkable job creating a wide variety of television quality looks in a very short period of time. Big thanks to Project Managers John Lucksinger, Craig Richter, Jemma Hutchens and the outstanding Bandit crew for their tireless work and great attitudes,” said Moore. “I doubt most people realize that much of the overall success of the televised event is due to their immeasurable contributions, but I do. We are already starting conversation for the 2025 edition of this event and I look forward to seeing what the future has in store.”
“It is always a pleasure working with Mark Carver, Scott Moore, and the Go Live Team,” said Bandit Lites Client Representative Mark Scherer. “This year’s Dove Awards provided new challenges calling for specialty fixtures to accomplish Mark’s goals. The ACME Pixel Line and ACME Gemini did just that, allowing for the wash and beam looks desired out of a compact and light weight form factor. The Dove Awards has so many moving parts and aspects, a big thank you is in order to the entire lighting team for executing a brilliant design smoothly and efficiently.”
Production Team
Lighting Designer: Mark Carver
Production Designer: Scott Moore
Lighting Director /Programmer: Andre’ Petrus
Video Content Programmer: Tony Fransen
Gaffers: Luke Carver and Cole Kiracofe
Client Rep: Mark Scherer
Project Manager: John Lucksinger and Craig Richter
Bandit Techs: Jemma Hutchens, Bryan Place, Lane Gill, and Mahri Lunn
Further information from Bandit Lites, Inc.: www.BanditLites.com
