The 11th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards celebrated the best in contemporary Christian music, showcasing heartfelt performances and uplifting messages at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Fans voted on top honors to award to artists who made significant contributions to the genre of faith-based music including Brandon Lake, for KING + COUNTRY, TobyMac and Anne Wilson. Go Live Productions partnered with Bandit Lites to provide a stunning lighting system that would dazzle the in-person audience in addition to those watching from home. The awards aired exclusively on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on Friday, May 31, and is available on the TBN app.
Lighting Designer Mark Carver drew inspiration from the angles of the side LED walls and the forced perspective of the LED header close down. “Our goal was to create a contemporary linear and forced perspective look utilizing both wash, strip/strobe fixtures and beam fixtures framing the performance stage,” he said. “We are always tasked with keeping the look upbeat and fresh while meeting the specifications, allowing it to all translate well for the television audience and the live audience.”
Bandit Lites provided more than 300 lighting fixtures including Chauvet Maverick Mk 3 spots, Chauvet Maverick Storm 2 Beamwash IP 65, Chauvet Rogue R2X Washes, Chauvet Colorado PXL Bar 8, Elation Smarty Hybrids, Elation ACL 360i, GLP JDC1 LED Strobes, ACME Geminis, Robe iForte FS, Robo Spot System and a GrandMA3 Full and GrandMA3 Light console for control.
The MK3 Spots back lit the band and artists as well as providing broad gobo looks. Smarty Hybrids and Chauvet Storm Beam Washes supplied air beam effects, eye candy as well as overall color toning. ACME Geminis offered both eye candy and dynamic strobe effects thanks to their dual sides, while the PXL 8 Bars washed the stage in color toning and additional effects. “I was very impressed with the ACME Gemini,” said Carver. “With their speed, flexibility and ability to create unique lighting effects on different planes.”
A unique challenge the production faced was due to accommodating The Grand Ole Opry’s regular show in the midst of the K-LOVE Fan Awards. This required the entire K-LOV production to load in and load out three times over the course of six days. Bandit Lites played a crucial role in ensuring the complex process ran smoothly, thanks to the well-trained technicians whose expertise and attention to detail minimized downtime and disruptions, guaranteeing both events could take place without compromising the quality of either production.
“I’m always grateful to be a part of this awesome lighting team,” finished Carver. “Special thanks to Scott Moore, Luke Carver, Matt Guice with GoLive, and Craig Richter, Chris Noll and the Bandit team for an excellent cable prep and truss prep plan that makes a very ambitious change over possible. The system was well prepped and performed flawlessly during the show at 100% capacity.”
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Mark Carver and the Go Live team on another successful K-Love Fan Awards,” said Bandit Lites Client Representative Mark Scherer. “Working as a tech on previous K-Love Awards in my years as touring personnel at Bandit it was an exciting experience getting to work with Mark as the Client Rep this time around. Mark came to me with a clear vision on what he was trying to achieve, and we worked together to pick fixtures that would accomplish his goals. Happy to play a small part in a spectacular production!
Go Live Productions Production Team
Production Design: Scott Moore
Lighting Design: Mark Carver
Lighting Programmer: André Petrus
Lighting Gaffer: Luke Carver
Media Programmer: Tony Fransen
Bandit Lites Team
Client Representative: Mark Scherer
Project Manager: Craig Richter
Lighting Crew Chief: Chris Noll
Lighting Technicians: Tala Bell, Hayley Elliott, Carter Hopkins
Photo: Josiah Weiss
Further information from Bandit Lites, Inc.: www.BanditLites.com
