NEW YORK – New Year’s Eve performances in New York’s Times Square – seen on ABC, FNC, NBC, and Univision – all featured lighting from 4Wall New York. LD Paul Miller and his team, including programmer Paul Sonnleitner, were brought in to light the two main performance stages by Paladin Entertainment and the event organizers. Limited power, traffic, weather and other elements were factors in the design challenges.
More details from 4Wall (http://www.4wall.com):
NEW YORK- Each year as the ball drops in Times Square, the new year is welcomed in by a parade of live television musical performances held in the middle of one of the America’s busiest cities. This year, those performances – seen on ABC, FNC, NBC, and Univision – all featured lighting from 4Wall New York.
LD Paul Miller and his team, including programmer Paul Sonnleitner, were brought in to light the two main performance stages by Paladin Entertainment and the event organizers.
Challenges abound for a designer tasked with lighting a live event in Times Square. Inclement weather during the prep for the big night can be a factor for both personnel and equipment; and traffic can only be shut down on the day of the event. The stages must also be lit perfectly for the double-digit number of TV cameras broadcasting throughout the night.
Miller spoke of the additional predicaments faced. “Our power is limited to one 400 amp generator per stage, and as Times Square is a very visually stimulating area already, there is a lot of competition to make our stages stand out. Many of the performances are rehearsed only between other ‘live-to-air’ performances.”
In selecting equipment this year, Miller decided to change up a gear list that had remained fairly consistent for the past 10 years.
“I had nightmares about making all these changes and no one noticing anything different!”
4Wall provided Miller with the fixtures needed to make the performances stand out while dealing with power limitations and the backdrop of Times Square, including Martin MAC Auras and Clay Paky Sharpys.
“By switching to the gear we did this year, we were able to get more variety across the performances and have a little more flash. Everyone was really happy with the new look” Miller said.
Also on the lighting team were artist/stage management liaison Anthony Pearson, gaffer Joe Cangelosi and electrician Meg Flanagan.
