
Lighting the Louvre for David Guetta posted: 08/01/2021
It was the gig of show designer / director Romain Pissenem's dreams!
Global music superstar David Guetta, France's most iconic DJ and music producer playing a unique set live at one of the world's most visually, architecturally, and historically impressive site-specific locations, Musee du Louvre in central Paris Celebrating the monumentally symbolic roll-over from 2020 to 2021 in this breath-taking environment with style, cool, poise and some superlative dance beats, 116 x Robe iPointe moving lights on the rig helped make it THE New Year's Eve livestream to remember from the year THAT WAS.
It was also the third in David Guetta's United at Home concert series to raise money for those in need in what's been a universally tough year for everyone.
Romain and his UK and France based creative production company High Scream were also the stream's executive producers, working directly for the artist and collaborating closely with staff from The Louvre. The 15-camera stream was directed by Job Robbers.
Romain's team included lighting designer Ian Tomlinson and lighting programmer and operator James Betts Grey.
Guille GS
His starting point for the production design was the beautiful 21.6-metre-high glass and metal pyramid structure designed by architect I M Pei with its 603 rhombus shapes and 70 regular glass triangle segments, a timeless contemporary masterpiece that defines the Louvre's main courtyard.
While Romain and High Scream have been producing David Guetta's live shows for the last couple of years, working on a show of this stature and significance took everyone to new levels of show production.
For Romain, a truly international citizen, this show was also an emotional snapshot for an incredibly proud Frenchman.
Guille GS
The biggest challenge was to respect the wonderful aesthetics and integrity of this very special space and add in a complex, high-impact, show-stopping electronic music show capturing the sheer magic of this incredible moment, commented Romain.
The pressure was on for everyone involved to impress an audience of approximately 16 million who joined the stream from literally every corner of the globe!
Throughout 2020, High Scream has designed and produced a steady trickle of broadcast and streaming projects, all of which have enabled Romain to get savvy about how to bring the visual atmospherics and excitement that are a given with live audiences - to screens large and small anything from a smartphone to a massive LED wall - providing a cascade of goosebump moments for viewers.
Guille GS
After much consideration, Romain decided they would hit the right vibe with lighting and lasers as the media to create layers of optical excitement, however they also supplied camera director Job with a collection of custom playback video content to pepper his mix as needed!
With Guetta's DJ decks positioned centrally at the base of the main pyramid - a 34-metre-wide expanse - it was clear from the outset that the aesthetics precluded having any trussing or metal structures in view, so all lighting was positioned in a matrix arrangement on the floor radiating outwards from the decks.
The 116 x iPointes were the primary lights of the show.
They looked stunning as their intense beams sliced dramatically through the rain and night sky radiating the incredible energy and sounds being created by the artist.
iPointes were chosen for their brightness, features and durability. For the geometry and style of the production design to work, protective domes were out, so they needed to be robust water-resistant fixtures as no one had any illusions about the Parisian weather in December!
Sure enough apart from a brief pause for around 10 minutes at the start of Guetta's set, it rained persistently all evening, turning to sleet and ice-rain towards the end of his incendiary hour-long performance which was brutally cold but ensured the light beams looked even more awesome!
The iPointes were arranged in a series of carefully crafted linear lines creating a triangle shape mirroring the elevation and angles of the main pyramid. Effectively an ocean of lights in front of the DJ booth, which evoked the dynamic look that was fundamental to the design working from all the camera angles and was especially cool on the drone shots!
The courtyard also has two smaller glass pyramids and seven triangular-shaped water features flanking the main pyramid all providing additional surfaces to reflect and refract light, together with the rain that further amped up the overall moodiness with additional atmospheric twists.
Four hundred and thirty-two lights were utilised in total.
To these Romain added some subtle lasering on the pyramid itself, with 20 x 30-Watt lasers shooting up and across the structure producing subtle highlights, disturbance and glitch effects which looked great on camera.
Lighting and audio equipment were supplied by S Group, a regular High Scream show and event technical partner, with the lasers from Laser Fabrik.
The stream was broadcast live on various platforms including Facebook, Instagram TV, Twitch, YouTube, and numerous TV channels.
Romain, who has worked on many incredible shows worldwide, commented, This was just REALLY special, particularly after a year like 2020 it was something else. We were all very honoured to be involved and for David (Guetta) to entrust his production to us. The show brought an important message of hope during this very challenging time, and we were all grateful and immensely proud to be part of it.
Having already raised over $1.5 million for charities with the United At Home events from Miami and New York, United At Home Paris was dedicated to UNICEF and Les Restos du Coeur. Donations could also be made to the Louvre
More from Live Production
27/02/2021
Storytelling with Maximus at Qantas Founders Museum, Australia posted: 27/02/2021
Power LED luminaire's comprehensive design package used to help visu...
26/02/2021
ALLEN & HEATH DELIVERS DANTE I/O FOR ALL posted: 26/02/2021
Allen & Heaths acclaimed Dante I/O expanders can now be used within any Dante audio network, t...
26/02/2021
DiGiCo Plays a Major Role at the New Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Art...
26/02/2021
Elation key light solution for Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis posted: 26/02/2021
Force Tech works with church to upgrade to state-of-the-a...
26/02/2021
Live Company Invests in Robe ESPRITES posted: 26/02/2021
Peter Clausen with Mikkel Bedsted on the right
Danish rental operation Live Company made a massi...
26/02/2021
Online Reunion Concert by Legendary Russian Rock Band KINO Marks World Debut of ...
26/02/2021
Century Han Tang Leverages AJA Technology to Streamline 4K HDR Production posted: 26/02/2021
Based in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, China, Century Han...
26/02/2021
Chinese Video-sharing App Douyin Makes Clear-Com Its Most-Liked Intercom Solut...
26/02/2021
Riedel Realizes Custom 360-Degree Technology Concept for Groundbreaking Coverage...
25/02/2021
Sartorial Talks YouTube Channel Builds Streaming Studio with Blackmagic Design posted: 25/02/2021
Blackmagic Design today announced that bestselling mensw...
25/02/2021
St John Ambulance Relies on ATEM Mini During Pandemic posted: 25/02/2021
Blackmagic Design today announced first aid and health charity St John Ambulance ...
25/02/2021
Great British Bake Off Star Takes Classes Online with ATEM Mini Pro ISO posted: 25/02/2021
Blackmagic Design today announced that former Great British Bak...
25/02/2021
G&D receives TOP 100 Award posted: 25/02/2021
G&D CEOs Roland Ollek and Nils Strauch are excited about the TOP 100 Award. KVM manufacturer named as one of...
25/02/2021
Media Links Highlights Innovation in Remote/Distributed Production at Virtual Vi...
25/02/2021
Announcing the A-15PIN posted: 25/02/2021
A10-RX Cradle for Sony Wireless Slot
Sound Devices is pleased to announce the A-15PIN, an adapter for the A10-R...
25/02/2021
Epic Games Releases Free DMX Sample Project for Lighting Control with Unreal Eng...
25/02/2021
A Roadmap to Our Comeback? posted: 24/02/2021
First things first, the full detail of the roadmap out of lockdown can be found at the Link below
A couple ...
24/02/2021
Marshall Partners with CyanView to Expand its Camera Capabilities posted: 24/02/2021
Cy-Stem Universal Camera Control System Provides Solutions to Shade and...
24/02/2021
DPA 4006 MICROPHONE WITHSTANDS THE RIGORS OF SPACE TRAVEL TO CAPTURE AUDIO FROM ...
24/02/2021
Dejero Connects Subaru Creatives Virtually in Real Time for Commercial Shoot in ...
24/02/2021
infront - Learn about "Protect the Net: Confronting Cyber Threats in Sport" posted: 23/02/2021
Cybersecurity has become one of the most important discussi...
23/02/2021
Ross Unveils Ultrix Acuity - Greater Than the Sum of the Parts posted: 23/02/2021
The live production industry has made Ross Video's flagship Acuity s...
23/02/2021
Gwangju Esports Chooses Ross for Dedicated Arena Build posted: 23/02/2021
The esports industry may have its roots online, but its growth and increasing popu...
23/02/2021
Grass Valley and Gravity Media Partner for Major Sporting Events with Multi-Year...
23/02/2021
Genelec supports first ever She Knows Tech Summit posted: 23/02/2021
Genelec is proud to be supporting the female creative collective She Knows Tech (SKT)...
23/02/2021
Deutsches Theater Berlin Invests in Robe posted: 23/02/2021
in Linus Zahn, the lighting systems tech at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, and the person in ch...
23/02/2021
Euro Media Group and Sony partner to deliver live sports in HDR posted: 22/02/2021
Two-year collaboration in HDR workflows comes to fruition enabling Cana...
23/02/2021
Yangquan TV's New 4K Truck Rolls Out with Cobalt's 12G Solutions posted: 22/02/2021
Broadcaster simultaneously taps Cobalt to outfit OB Truck and ne...
23/02/2021
Brainstorm shows advanced AR workflows with Sony's BRC camera line-up posted: 22/02/2021
Brainstorm and Sony will showcase this integration in a webin...
22/02/2021
IMAGO helps to deliver Sonys COVID-19 Relief Funds to international cinematograp...
22/02/2021
STRATA Drives HOW AV Workflows into the Future with AJA Technology posted: 22/02/2021
Crowds of up to 35,000 have traditionally gathered weekly in houses ...
22/02/2021
Janowitz chooses Ayrton Mistral-S for Trey Anastasio's The Beacon Jams posted: 22/02/2021
Marc Janowitz, of e26 design, chose 30 Mistral-S - Ayrton...
22/02/2021
Genelec brings sound quality and sustainability to the Embassy of Finland in Tok...
21/02/2021
Martin Professional Welcomes Michael Straun and Nick Hansen as New EMEA Lighting...
21/02/2021
Germany's Iconic Landesfunkhaus Niedersachsen Invests In RIVAGE PM7 posted: 21/02/2021
Part of the German public broadcasting service, Norddeutscher R...
20/02/2021
Broadcast set-up used by Infront Productions and Euro Media Group posted: 20/02/2021
Media Group offers leaner production options for sports organisations
...
19/02/2021
Registration for AIMS TechFest 2021 Interactive Virtual Event is Now Open posted: 19/02/2021
Free Event on March 9-10 Will Focus on IPMX and Remote Audio ...
19/02/2021
Tokyo-Based ADK Creative One Upgrades Commercial Post Facility With AJA 4K/Ultra...
18/02/2021
Brompton Technology S8 processor supports Mvision's evolution in event pract...
18/02/2021
DLIVE GIVES POLISHED PERFORMANCE AT VERNISSA posted: 18/02/2021
dLive S7000 surface at Vernissa in Vantaa Finland, set up to mix a livestreamed performanc...
18/02/2021
Liberty University adds Ayrton Khamsin-S fixtures to new sports arena to enhance...
18/02/2021
IBC 2021 Set to Re-energise the Media, Entertainment and Technology Industry posted: 18/02/2021
Launches latest 2021 show floor plan with 30,000 sqm of sp...
18/02/2021
PLASA and ABTT join forces for 2021 event posted: 18/02/2021
PLASA, the association for the live entertainment technology industry, and the ABTT (Associat...
18/02/2021
Announcing Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, Web Presenter HD and ATEM Min...
18/02/2021
Hard hitting new campaign launched by #WeMakeEvents, as survey shows live event ...
18/02/2021
InSync Technology Ltd upgrades to PHABRIX QxL for ST 2110 signal generation and ...
18/02/2021
Today we will launch #ILoveLive 2, featuring more unique prizes from artists, pr...
17/02/2021
Cable-suspended camera systems in studio. Unique camera angles with impressive A...
17/02/2021
Lawo 's Iberia and LATAM Sales Director Nacho Gonzalez Takes Over Additional...
17/02/2021
Ross Announces Tria Express Duet - More Production Server for Less posted: 17/02/2021
Ross is pleased to announce the launch of the new Tria Express Duet pr...