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Nights of Passion In SPECTACLE Copyright: Lighting&Sound America May 2006 www.lightingandsoundamerica.com NIGHTS OF PASSIONTU IN PHOTO ©THIERRY NAVA - GROUPE F URINTHE OLYMPIC OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES SET NEW RECORDS FOR TECHNICAL COMPLEXITY BY MIKE CLARK SPECTACLE The Opening Ceremonies began with “Sparks of Passion,” in which speed skaters bearing flames on their backs made a stunning entrance into the PHOTO ©FILMMASTER stadium. REQUIREMENTS: Turin’s 2006 Winter Olympic Games set struck at the very beginning of the several records even before the ceremonies by the “Sparks of Passion” 6,100 VOLUNTEERS, contests began. sequence, in which speed skaters The Olympic Games was the largest bearing flames on their backs made temporary energy infrastructure project their stunning entrance into the stadium. 240 PROFESSIONALS, in the world, the Turin games were the The overall designer for the production first all-digital broadcast, and the was Mark Fisher, the well-known 15,000 WORK DAYS, ceremonies used the largest intercom specialist in spectacle, having designed system ever in a Winter Olympics, as many tours for Pink Floyd, The Rolling 100,000 MEALS, well as the largest-ever XTA electronic Stones, and U2 as well as such Cirque crossover network. The ceremonies also du Soleil productions as KÀ. Fisher 6,100 COSTUMES, featured the largest curtain in the world, designed the overall space, as well as which revealed the stage for Luciano three key visual aspects: the five-circle Pavarotti’s performance. truss structure, with pyro representing 4,000 SQ. M. Pavarotti was only one of a list of the traditional Olympic rings symbol; the celebrities who took part. Others giant stage and curtain for Pavarotti’s OF STAGING, included Giorgio Armani, model Carla performance of “Nessun Dorma” from Bruni, Sophia Loren, novelist Isabel Turandot; and the Dove of Peace 10,000 SQ. M. OF Allende, Susan Sarandon, Yoko Ono, symbol, created by an arrangement of and Peter Gabriel at the Opening acrobats in white uniforms. BACKSTAGE AREA Ceremonies and opera singer Ben Having worked on the ceremonies Heppner, Avril Lavigne, Ricky Martin, of three previous Olympic Games (Los and members of the Cirque du Soleil at Angeles, Barcelona, and Sydney) and --NOT TO MENTION the Closing Ceremonies. It also featured producing the flag handover at the a number of innovations; for once, the 1996 Atlanta Closing Ceremony, Ric YOKO ONO, LUCIANO athletes were seen in a more informal Birch (the Turin ceremonies’ associate context, inside a mosh pit. producer) has rightly earned the title of PAVAROTTI, AND A The two billion viewers watching the “master of ceremonies.” He explains, FilmMaster/K2006-produced “The Turin Organizing Committee GIANT HUMAN DOVE ceremonies will have had a hard job invited me to address a workshop for picking out their favorite show potential ceremony producers in 2002. segments, but the lighting of the Subsequently, [executive producer] OF PEACE Olympic cauldron, the dancer/acrobats Marco Balich asked me to join suspended under Studio Festi’s huge FilmMaster's bid in the competition to floating sun and moon, or ballet star select a producer for the ceremonies, Roberto Bolle’s apparent ability to defy so I worked on the bid—providing gravity must have been among the top creative input, as well as establishing choices—not to mention the dove of guidelines and formats for the peace formed by acrobatic climbers, structure of the production unit—and the motorized pyrotechnic Olympic FilmMaster was announced as the rings, and the fireworks display. producer in July 2003. I was part of “Passion Lives Here” was the motto the company from then on, ensuring of the Olympics and that note was creative continuity between show May 2006 • Lighting&Sound America segments and maintaining a creative McKintosh [lighting], Gino Lazzaroni The sound system designer for the overview. Marco Balich proved to be [pyro/fx] and Andrea Taglia ceremonies was Los Angeles-based an exceptionally talented Olympic [communications], a group of key Gary Hardesty, who has a long career in Ceremony executive producer. players in the last 15 years of Italian the sound industry. He began work as a “After FilmMaster had been selected show production history.” systems engineer in 1968 before by TOROC [the organizing committee] All the structural work was entrusted forming his own company. With several the creative process became more to Stageco, with whom Mark Fisher has successful commercial products and intensive and Mark Fisher refined the worked for many years, and the stage three patents, he sold the company in stage design to incorporate new ideas,” itself was by LimeLite. The main lighting 1991 to Harman/JBL Professional. He explains Birch, adding, “With the contractor was Space Cannon, worked there for five years—then, he Olympic Ceremonies, teamwork means supported by Agorà of L’Aquila. As far explains, “I then moved to EAW for a it's almost impossible to allocate as audio was concerned, Astarita few years and made some very creative credits to one person, because brought together Olympic Partner interesting experiments there, working everything contributes to the final Panasonic as main contractor, top closely with Kenton Forsythe and Dave impact. From music, lighting, staging Italian sound designer Daniele Gunness. In 1999, I was appointed vice design, costumes, choreography, and Tramontani, and Agorà, one of Italy’s president for worldwide events and props, it's a combination of them all largest rental firms, who supplied technologies for the PRG Audio Group, that makes for the big magical specific hardware, rigging, and which I eventually left, going back to moments. The most important factor of technicians. doing my own work.” the Turin Ceremonies was the Hardesty has worked with Panasonic incredible spirit of the volunteer Setting up the sound system since 2001 and has 3,000 shows to his performers, their commitment to the As an Olympic Partner for the Winter credit, including major events such as Olympics and their willingness to Games, Panasonic’s sponsorship the Atlanta Olympics, the 1994 World endure difficulties and discomforts to extended beyond audio and video to Cup Opening and Closing Ceremonies, represent their country in the Opening include car navigation systems and several NFL Super Bowls, and the and Closing Ceremonies. The people of related multi-media equipment, as well Pope’s visit to Toronto in 2002. He Turin were a pleasure to work with and as the supply of security equipment. As began work on the Turin system a year every day they gave us more reasons this was also the first year for an all- before the games and, in addition to to celebrate their city with them!” digital broadcast set-up, Panasonic also deciding which speakers to use and Marco Astarita, the Ceremonies’ provided 75 Ramsa audio systems, where to place them, he also designed technical organizational producer, featuring line-array speakers developed the Ramsa WS-LA1 and WS-LA2 line stresses the fact that the Italian to cope with extreme conditions and arrays used to cover the stand seating company beat other organizations with minimize sound leakage. in Turin (and also in major competition a high international profile, thanks to its technical and organization ability. He adds, “The starting point was the venue and the set designed by Mark Fisher, an extraordinary but very demanding guide for any technical team. The final set design featured a stage with a huge proscenium and large very ‘fluid’ apron platform, on which we started working on the four key technical aspect of the ceremonies—lighting, sound reinforcement, special effects, and communications.” FilmMaster formed an in-house technical management staff for K2006, the company founded ad hoc for the ceremonies, and a production team led by operations director Maurizio De Lazzari to follow the events’ awe- inspiring logistics. Astarita says, “The technical management team was led by some great folk, such as technical supervisor Richard Hartman and our technical director Mario Ruffa. K2006’s technicians were led by Willy Gubellini and Angelo Camporese [audio], Eneas In a climactic moment, Luciano Pavarotti appeared on the large stage (right) to sing “Nessun Dorma.” According to Mark Fisher, the curtain was about 160' wide and nearly 80' high. PHOTO AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • May 2006 SPECTACLE venues). These units were used for the frequency range. The WS-LA3 is Two WS-LA2 clusters (four systems first time at the Athens Olympics, and intended to compete more with normal and two subs) were flown above and in Turin, a third system—the WS-LA3— compression driver products, so it has behind the stage and two more currently at prototype stage, was used more conventional technology, but external WS-LA2 clusters (six systems) and will be integrated more extensively sounds extremely good—the intention were level with the side of the set. The in the Beijing 2008 summer Olympics. was in fact to create a ‘family sound’ impressive, roof-flown Panasonic rig Hardesty explains the arrays’ for the range.” was completed by two more WS-LA2 distinguishing features: “The three-way Although Panasonic also clusters (ten systems and two subs) bass-reflex systems use planar manufactures a WS-LASUB, Hardesty on the curve at the opposite end of magnetic rather than ribbon didn’t have enough of the units, so it the stadium. technology—they have conventional was decided to use L-Acoustic SB Spot and ground coverage was low frequency drivers and proprietary 218 subs along with the Ramsa arrays ensured by a combination of systems large flat-leaf-type, mid-range, and HF in Turin. Twelve clusters, each with by Ramsa, Meyer Sound, L-Acoustics, drivers. This has resulted in the first eight WS-LA1 systems and two subs and Outline. Four WS-LA3s were really high-definition products—sound flown from the stadium roof, were ground-stacked at the base of the rear quality is extremely high, phase deployed along either side of the Olympic ring towers.
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