Red and green may be the traditional holiday colors, but the true story and meaning of Christmas can often be better reflected with a broader and more varied palette. This was beautifully evident at the 90-minute “Christmas at Hillcrest” concert, which took place at the church’s Nine Mile Campus, as purples and blues, along with a host of other inspiring hues transformed the stage.
“As we listened to the songs that were to be featured in the production, we asked ourselves does this feel like a certain color?” said the church’s production director Gavin Crane. “Different colors also have different biblical significance, so we tried to keep this in mind as well. For example, blues convey the calmness that comes with the hope and peace of Christmas. They also represent the clear moonlit night of the first Christmas. Throughout each song we varied our palette to reflect the different thoughts and feelings. So, we might start a song with the deep blue or purple, then as it built, we changed the colors to fit that moment. One song had 28 different color changes.”
Helping Crane weave these changes through his show, all while maintaining impeccable key lighting during a production that featured roughly 200 performers on stage was a recently upgraded lighting rig that featured over 65 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Relevant AV Solutions.
“When I came on staff a few years ago, Hillcrest was in the middle of planning some renovations,” recalled Crane. “Lighting upgrades were part of that discussion as the church wanted to become more energy efficient. We did not have a catwalk at that point, so every time we had to replace a lamp, or move a fixture for any reason, we had to get a lift. There was also talk about updating the video cameras, but as with everything there were budgets to consider. I mentioned that with the correct update to the lighting, we could make our video look much better with the existing cameras. That original plan was two years old when I stepped in, so I reworked it with updated options. For example, we had four trusses installed all with motors for ease of maintenance. Two upstage and two out over the house.”
The capabilities of the new lighting system were very much in evidence during the Christmas production, not just through the rich array of vivid colors it produced, but also in the way it covered the stage and choir loft in smooth even fields of light. Crane discussed how the different fixtures in his rig contributed to the overall quality of his lighting.
‘For most of our key lighting we are using the Rogue R2X VW Wash,” he said. “I love those lights! Having a variable white moving fixture really has changed things for us. One thing I heard during the planning phase was about the need for ‘flexibility.’ This fixture gives us that, allowing us to get correct key lighting anywhere on our stage. Being able to zoom tight, for solos, then wide for a group to come in, is just great! It is also crazy bright. For video, I go between low and bright light. For the concert the key lighting on orchestra stayed around seven-percent intensity. They often were not the feature, so this made them stand out, without making them the focal point.”
During the Christmas Concert, the Rogue R2X Wash helped Crane maintain proper key lighting throughout a crowded stage. “Our stage got pretty full at times, so creating a space that gave us some dimension by using different lighting angles, intensities, and color temperatures was critical,” he said “l went with a zone wash style to keep the stage even. In each zone we have a light that is slightly direct, and another that is cross washing from the opposite side at a much sharper angle.
“The more direct light gives us our main ‘spot/wash,’ this causes some shadows, especially from the microphones,” continued Crane. “This is where the cross wash comes in. Think of the 40/30 degree rule, but sometimes I took a more drastic option to create a more dramatic look. I am not trying to get rid of the shadow, because that helps create the space and dimension, but I do want to soften it a little. This makes things feel more natural. For a few songs during the Christmas show, we had a single Ovation Reve E3 for a tight spot, and used the R2X for color back wash.”
Crane has 12 Rogue R2X Wash fixtures in his rig, eight of which are positioned upstage and four flown over the house. Other fixtures in the rig include 16 Maverick Force S Spots, 10 of which are positioned upstage, two on the floor, and four flown over the houses; eight Rogue R3X Washes upstage; four Rogue R3 Spots and four Rogue R3 washes, both on the floor; five Ovation Reve E3 multi-colored ellipsoidals flown over the house; and three Ovation E-915 FC Fresnels used as a choir wash.
“In addition to praising all the things the Rogue R2X Wash did for our Christmas concert, I have to single out the Maverick Spots,” said Crane. “They really gave us some nice visuals to create more of a “concert look .’ Those fixtures having CMY rather that a Color Wheel was an absolute game changer. The Ovation 915 FC also needs to be mentioned. Our Christmas concert features our wonderful Choir and we were able to light them very well with this fixture. Being able to go from 4000k to a Full Color option really gave us some dynamic looks and variance in the performance.’
Running his rig with a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 M console, Crane created one great visual after another during the Christmas show, but what stands out for him also involves people, not looks. “One of the biggest highlights for me was seeing how well the production team performed. These guys and gals are all volunteers and several had no experience before joining the team. Watching their growth throughout the year has been great, and the level of quality they were able to bring to this production was excellent. There was about 20 that volunteered for our A/V/L needs. Although he doesn’t want to take any credit, it doesn’t feel right not to mention Wes Fulgham. He has been volunteering at the church for years now and he had a huge part in the concert and helping the plan come to life. Their work brought joy to everyone this Christmas.”