United States. The millions of viewers around the world who tuned in to ABC's broadcast of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, enjoyed all the family views of this iconic Times Square event. But for the team responsible for illuminating talent on the standing platforms during the show, sounding 2022 represented a huge departure from tradition.
"This was the first time in the show's 50-year history that the hosts' positions were not lit up with HMI devices," said Mike Grabowski, lead designer at The Lighting Design Group, responsible for lighting the platforms on Military Island, and the Bertelsman building, as well as setting up Powerball for the broadcast.
Instead of these accessories, Grabowski and his team lit up host Ryan Seacrest and other talents with 12 CHAUVET Professional onAir IP Panel2 soft light accessories that, like the rest of the team, were supplied by 4Wall Entertainment.
"We need something very bright to take us to a level that can withstand the thunderous intensity of Times Square's LED displays, but we also needed something soft, flattering and agile," Grabowski said. "Thanks to the onAir panels, this was the first time we were able to edit the color temperature, without having to run and change the gel, which was huge. Apart from this, we were also able to run a little less heavy power, which was also great. We also added the intensifiers with the onAir panels to reduce the beam a bit, which worked very well."
In addition to their improved performance, the onAir IP Panel 2 units met the criteria set to cope with the demands of their outdoor location. "Any accessory we chose had to be bulletproof, given the weather conditions," Grabowski said. "The onAir units were the right answer as they are IP rated; besides, they are good up to around 0 degrees Fahrenheit, if I remember correctly. Back in Times Square, we were cold and got wet, so this was crucial. I've always believed in insurance, so we had HMIs in reserve, just in case, but we never need to break them."
Also playing a crucial role in the lighting of the transmission were the platform's Color STRIKE M accessories. Among the contributions these strobe/wash units made was to light the more than 3,000-pound confetti that flew through the air over Broadway when the ball atop One Times Square completed its descent at midnight.
"This was an interesting part of our project, because people don't really see the lights for themselves, but the effect is impressive," Grabowski said. "We have a ton of Strike M around our military island platform that lit up all the confetti. Those things are so brilliant that they helped fill the air. Also, since they are so dynamic, they did it without pointing upwards. In this way, when viewers saw them in aerial shots, they saw an interesting, moving and dynamic accessory."
Before the dramatic moment of confetti, Grabowski and his team had to face a variety of other challenges, in addition to challenging the weather, to make the broadcast a success. "Other designers were responsible for other parts of the transmission. Lee Rose did the LA Party and the performances, while Paul Miller did all the wonderful performances on the Bid Stage," he said. "Part of the challenge in a project like this is to fuse a variety of different looks while maintaining a sense of cohesion in all of them. In this way, it doesn't look like multiple hands are making a singular transmission."
Other challenges at the NYE 2021 show included working under strict COVID safety protocols (an "exercise in moderation," according to Grabowski) and managing funds by lighting outdoor platforms. Although they wanted to keep the atmosphere of Times Square in their shots, the design team also had to frame the platform's stage to minimize distractions and avoid dead spaces in cordoned off areas that didn't have crowds.
"Our Military Island setup was a good example of how we had to manage the fund," Grabowski said. "We had about 15 Colorado Solo Batten luminaires installed along the railings of the platform to use as a visual appeal. Part of the trick with our teams is to allow what the director wants to show, but also to provide some masking. There are all sorts of emergency lanes and exits in Times Square on the night of this event, and they can look dead, as there are no crowds. Colorados have a different image that I like, so having them go through color gradients and dynamic effects helps maintain and translate the energy of Times Square, while also functionally masking."
