The awards are held at The O2 in London and broadcast live on ITV (photo: Getty Images)
UK - Each year, the very best in television is recognised at the National Television Awards. Taking place in late January, the awards, which are voted for by the British public, honour television shows, actors and presenters in a range of categories. Producers Indigo TV bring together a variety of technical suppliers to support both the glamorous red carpet arrival space and the awards at The O2 in London, which are broadcast live on ITV.
Continuing a long-running relationship, PRG XL Video supplied both video and lighting technology for this year’s event. Video account manager Paul Wood has worked with Indigo TV’s Andy Bates for a number of years, and this year supplied the production team with the main LED backdrop made up of ROE Visual 7mm LED. The screen is used for all the main title logos, category information and video clips in the hall.
Playback footage was driven by two of PRG XL’s Catalyst media servers, with a PPU forming the link between the live camera footage and the four large IMAG screens located around the O2. These screens used 30k and 14k Barco projectors, and ensured the audience in the arena got a close-up view of the presenters and performers reactions as the awards were announced.
Paul Wood commented, “It’s great to work on the NTAs once again. Andy and the whole Indigo TV team put together a fantastic looking show each year, which runs very smoothly. It’s a pleasure to support them.”
On the lighting side, TV account director, Kelly Cornfield worked with designer Dave Davey to provide a wide variety of fixtures for both the glamorous red carpet arrivals area, and the main lighting rig inside the O2. Sam Healey was the crew chief for the red-carpet area, whilst PRG XL’s live event specialist Richard Gorrod oversaw the lighting inside the venue.
The lighting rig used many of PRG’s proprietary fixtures including 70 Icon Beams, plus an array of Best Boy spots and washes, alongside GLP X4 and SGM P5 LED lights. Alex Mildenhall and John Ford ran the desks for the show.
PRG’s award-winning GroundControl Followspot System was also used on the show. The system features specially customised followspots flown as part of the lighting rig, whilst the controllers and operators can be located anywhere in the building within 600m of the fixture. This enables the lighting designer to locate the followspot in the best possible position without blocking out seats, or obstructing any views from the audience.
Kelly Cornfield commented: “We’re happy to work with Dave Davey to realise his lighting design which looked spectacular on TV. Our onsite crews led by Rich and Sam worked brilliantly to ensure everything looked good and worked well for the live broadcast.”
(Jim Evans)

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