Lighting is designed by Massimo Castrichella, one of Italy's leading TV LDs, who has an impressive 33 year track record with the country's top TV channel, also making him one of the most knowledgeable and experienced practitioners in the art of TV lighting.
The set is based around a completely spherical auditorium with a small stage and curved seating. The studio walls are white and therefore ideal for colouration and gobo projections from the lighting, and a series of curved ribbon like LED surfaces are threaded around the space. The lighting is rigged on three circular overhead trusses measuring and on about 90m of linear truss also in the roof, which makes a versatile hanging framework.
Everything in Studio 15 is rounded to help build the dramatic moments and also bring on a lively entertaining ambience, based on a concept originated by scenographer Marco Calzavara. Castrichella has mimicked the shapes and curves with his trussing design
The rig includes 40 LEDWash 600s - a first time use for Castrichella - along with 18 Robin 600 Beams which are positioned on the floor onstage behind the contestants, and utilised for very intense beam looks.
For general and task lighting, 36 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs are hung at the back and around the sides of the studio. They are also using four Robe Haze 400 FT machines for atmospheric enhancement. In addition to that, he has some other moving lights and large areas of GLUX 10 and 6 mm pitch LED screens at his disposal.
(Jim Evans)
