The scale of the set requires a truly flexible lighting package
UK Aurora Lighting is collaborating once again with lighting designer Gurdip Mahal plus gaffers James Tinsley and Adam Mitchell on Channel 4’s hit reboot of TV cult classic The Crystal Maze.
Following the production’s hugely successful format, Maze Master Richard Ayoade is back in the driving seat, guiding teams of intrepid adventurers through various themed ‘zones’ to take on a variety of dastardly challenges.
Filmed on an expansive set created by original series designer James Dillon at The Bottle Yard, Bristol, the show captures the charisma of the 90’s maze whilst incorporating a number of contemporary twists to update and enhance the look of the individual zones.
The sheer scale of the set requires a truly flexible lighting package that can both maintain ambient levels and shift easily between the moods created to accompany each specific area.
Combining creativity and versatility, the crew have installed a variety of automated fixtures including Martin MAC Viper Profile, Claypaky Sharpy and GLP X4s which allow swift alterations between moods or the addition of colour and movement to assist in highlighting action. The crew have also incorporated a number of Fresnels into the design, used to cleverly mirror the tungsten warmth of the original show.
Aurora have made key investment in products specifically for the show, in particular to build further on the growing inventory of LED products they are able to offer. Aurora has furnished the Crystal maze with a variety of low energy solutions. Of note are the numbers of Chroma-Q Space Force, Rosco Silk 210s and Mole Richardson 400W Vari-Soft heads supplied by the company to deliver highly controllable, even illumination. Along with SGM P5’s, Phillips SL Strip and Chroma-Q Colorforce, which are used to add texture and effects throughout the set.
Project manager Ben Taylor observes, “We’re delighted to be back in the Crystal Maze for this latest series. The various lighting designs created for the show are fantastic. Gurdip and the whole production crew have been wonderfully creative in building custom looks for each challenge zone that manage to reflect the feel of the original series but with a clever modern touch.”
(Jim Evans)

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