Internationally recognized lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, principal of Visual Terrain Inc, has received a Prime Time Emmy Award nomination for his lighting design on the recent Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band special on HBO. Marking the first time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been presented in concert on television, the special was shot last summer in high-definition format during Springsteen's record-setting, 10-show sell-out at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The concert was the finale of their 1999-2000 world tour. Ravitz had designed the show lighting for the tour and was called in to adapt the design for the needs of television. To that end, he added a subtle amount of audience lighting to enhance that already used in the live show. The live performance uses colour liberally for the artists’ key lighting to reflect emotion and enhance the live show contrast. In discussions between Ravitz, Springsteen and director Chris Hilson, it was agreed that this would render close-ups, which comprised the bulk of the show's final shots, unflattering. To address this issue, colour was adjusted for the camera. Keylight was balanced to 3200°K to allow the many shades of blue Ravitz uses, to read accurately. In addition, intensities for the main performance lighting were reset to balance the contrast ratios for the camera. This is Ravitz's second Emmy nomination, having previously been named for his design for Cher Live at the Mirage on CBS.
