Entec Lighting supplied lighting
equipment and crew for the 2004
National Television Awards at
the Royal Albert Hall.
The eventful and high profile
evening is now in its 10th year.
It was broadcast live on ITV,
was produced by Indigo Television
and featured a fabulous, elegant
set designed by Bill Lazlett
and lighting design by Mike
"Sooty" Sutcliffe. It was presented
by Sir Trevor McDonald and the
production manager was Ruth
Tester-Brown.
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As well as it being the 10th event
to celebrate the very best of the
UK's TV talent, it was also the 10th
time that Entec has lit the Awards.
Entec's Adam Stevenson working on
his 10th NTA co-ordinated and project
managed the event for them.
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Entec supplied Simon Tutchener
as crew Chief and a team of
12, split into two shifts of
6, and boosted by 6 additional
crew for the overnight shift.
To meet the tight scheduling,
they worked non-stop from the
get in at 2 a.m. on Monday before
the Tuesday night show; through
to the end of the load out at
4 a.m., Wednesday morning after
the show.
The majority of lighting fixtures
were flown off two high trimmed
trusses - at 50 ft above the
stage. The rear one was also
over 100 ft wide and curved
to match the lines of the set.
It was constructed from MaxiBeam.,
and also used for anchoring
various set elements in position,
while the other lighting truss
was 9 metre diameter circle
rigged over-stage. All trussing
and rigging was supplied by
Outback.
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Additional lighting fixtures were
dotted discreetly on the stage floor,
ensconced into the set, or positioned
in the house galleries.
Stairway To The Stars
One of the set's special
features was a large 2-part curved
staircase, conceived jointly between
Lazlett and Sutcliffe, made form Perspex
material and filled with 72 James
Thomas Pixelline 1044 battens. This
was used as a stage entrance that
came alive with colour and sparkle
and very effectively glammed up the
proceedings at appropriate moments
for intros, exits and awards winner
announcements.
A further thin strip of 12 Pixellines
'underlined' the set wall from the
edge of stage right to the start of
the staircase on stage left.
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Lighting
Sutcliffe specified
Vari*Lite moving fixtures for
the show, and Entec supplied
eighteen VL3000s, thirteen VL2202's,
nineteen VL 2402s, sixteen VL5s
and five VL 2416s. Four Studio
Due City Colors were positioned
up in the top gallery to blast
the audience with big blocks
of colour.
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All
of this was programmed, operated and
controlled by Svend Pedersen using a
WholeHog II and PixelDrive for running
the Pixellines. Pedersen has worked
with Sutcliffe and Entec on many past
National TV Awards shows. Sutcliffe
had control over some of the house conventional
fixtures via a Jands Event 416, allowing
him to tweak levels to match the stage
lighting and camera requirements, and
the famous RAH 'mushroom' sound baffles
up in the ceiling were lit with the
house Stage Zooms.
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Entec also supplied three Pani
follow spots, one on the rear
truss and two in FOH boxes,
and utilised three house Robert
Juliat followspots in the gallery.
The show also made use of Entec's
own distro racks and Avolites
Art 2000 dimmers.
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Crew Chief Simon Tutchener
explains that he, his team and
Entec's warehouse staff all
worked exhaustively to ensure
the prep was as thorough and
meticulous as possible, so when
they actually came into the
venue, everything ran like clockwork.
"It was the only way to achieve
an ambitious project like this
in the given timescale" he says,
"That, and the continuous rigging
shifts". He adds "I've found
it a real joy to work with Entec
and their crew - it's a really
pleasant, friendly and efficient
environment".
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Highlights
of the evening included Ant & Dec winning
the Most Popular Entertainment Show
category for the third year running,
and also picking up the gong for the
Most Popular Entertainment Presenter;
11 year old Sam Aston winning the Most
Popular Newcomer category, and a streaker
dashing onstage as Sharon and Ozzy Ozborne
were about to present the award for
Most Popular Entertainment Presenter!
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