Lighting Designer Sooner
Routhier selects VDO Sceptron 10 LED video fixtures to create an innovative
lighting design that blends video projection with a futuristic and highly
customized outline
NORTHRIDGE,
Calif.—In just a few short years, The Weeknd has become one of
the most dominating artists in pop music, winning multiple GRAMMY Awards,
topping the Billboard charts and earning millions of fans worldwide. Recently, Lighting
Designer Sooner Routhier was hired to design the stage lighting for The
Weeknd’s 2017 “Starboy: Legend of the Fall” world tour. The performance features
numerous projectors that display video content on custom surfaces, including a large
spaceship shaped structure suspended above the stage.
Routhier wanted to add LED fixtures to the set that would
enhance the visual experience, without competing with the projected video
content. In order to achieve this goal, Routhier deployed more than 650 Martin
VDO Sceptron 10 LED video fixtures to create a unique blend of lighting effects,
video projection and vibrant imagery.
“Rather than put a flashy light show over the top of
everything, our goal was to work with the video design and ensure that any
lighting we added to the set didn’t take away from the projection,” said Routhier.
“When we attempted to match every single note to
lighting, it got messy and the overall vision wasn’t adhered to properly. By
outlining the set with the VDO Sceptrons, we were able to create a “Tron like”
edge to the video content. It provided more depth to the structure as a whole.”
The Sceptrons are controlled by Martin P3 System
Controllers, which receive content from the same video server as the
projectors. The Sceptrons alternate between neon lighting effects and video
content, which creates a dynamic visual presentation that changes with the music.
During the initial design phase, Routhier knew she wanted to line the set with
thin LED video fixtures that were available in different lengths, since the
projection surfaces varied in size. Routhier has worked with Sceptron fixtures
on numerous other tours, and she knew their robust build quality, versatility
and flexible sizing options would be perfect for the “Starboy” tour.
“We’ve
worked with the Sceptrons many times in the past, and we love them,” said Routhier.
“We don’t use the
Sceptrons for just lighting effects—we run content through them that enhances
the projection and creates an even larger content map. We also run a separate
clip of content with different movements that match the beat, which creates creates
an interesting contrast and furthers the texture.”
ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN
(harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for
automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car
systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and
services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including
AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®,
HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where
they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road
today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software
services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected,
integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and
mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the
Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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