The set for Zelig, a variety show on Italian TV, is being lit once again by an Clay Paky-dominated rig supplied by Renato Neri's Xenon. The fixture lineup includes Alpha Spot HPE 1200s, Alpha Spot 575s, Alpha Wash 575s, Stage Color 1200s, Stage Profile Pluses, CP Color 400s and Alpha Beam 300 motorized ACL lights. "I have worked a lot with a photographic approach," said Daniele Savi, photography director. "I have dimmed all the lights so that I can open the TV camera apertures more. This means I have less depth of field, and therefore a blurred background, which results in a double advantage: it concentrates attention on the star on the stage by isolating him/her from the backcloth and, at the same time, it creates a more uniform background giving a greater feeling of space.
"A more general advantage of dimming is that I can work with greater margins in both directions," Savi continued. "For instance, I can turn the lights up full during the breaks and musical interludes, thus creating an intentionally overexposed effect that differentiates them from the more ‘sketch-like' parts. The powerful Alpha Beam 300 lights are fundamental during this stage. Despite their 300 Watt power rating, they have incredible luminous efficiency and are able to create scene changes all on their own."
One fundamental aspect when working simultaneously with several lights is color adjustment. "Regarding colors, I fitted one-half blue conversion gels to the incandescent lamps already found in the theatre in order to raise the color temperature up to about 3700 K," Savi said. "Then, I set the camera value to 4500 K, which is exactly half way between the color temperatures of the incandescent lamps and the discharge lamps. This gave the faces picked out by the lights a nice rosy complexion. At the same time, allowed me to illuminate the scene screens with some dimmed discharge wash lights without any further color temperature correction."
The set, designed by Enrico Dusi, uses different materials: iron and wood on the screens and panels that formed the outline of a city and a backdrop consisting of a black cloth covered with sparkling glitter to increase the depth of field. The designers and crew carefully tested the effects of colored light on the scenery colors.
Savi noted the intention of Marco Beltrami, the director, to achieve a "marginally invasive set to concentrate attention on the stars. Most of the scene changes were to be achieved by light and color changes, and this was the precise guideline I followed when I designed the lighting."
Clay Paky lights account for about 90 percent of all the lights used. Savi credited the gear for being "very good, especially for image definition and light quality, which is perfect both with the latest generation lights and the ‘old' gallant Stage Colors. The most recent additions, the ‘beams', are truly innovative. They are able to ‘trace out' voids with light, and do spectacular high-low ray crosses like no other lights. They are highly suitable for live shows, and for television too, where they are a precious additional show or contrast element that aids scene changes."
Compulite operator Gaetano Rando and chief technician of Xenon, Doriano Romboni, assisted Savi with the lighting design.
