Tag Archive: Pamela Raith Photography

1. White Light Goes Riverside with Persona

   30 January 2020 15:03 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied the lighting for Persona, which has reopened the newly-renovated Riverside Studios.

   Based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 iconic Swedish psychological movie, Persona tells the story of a renowned stage actress who relapses into total silence and is sent to a remote summer house where a nurse must break her silent spell. This production is the first to be performed in the venue’s Studio 3 and features a lighting design by Jack Weir. Jack comments: “This is an extremely visual piece of theatre. Footage from the ground-breaking film has been re-created and re-shot on location on an island off the coast of Sweden which has then been integrated with the BAFTA Award-winning Fotini Dimu’s incredible grey set and projection by PJ McEvoy. It’s an extraordinary backdrop for the actors to perform on and for me to work with”.

   

   Jack’s main brief for his lighting design was to help create atmosphere throughout the piece; particularly for the sunrise and sunset moments. He explains: “As we were working with the theatre’s brand-new LED and moving light rig, I realised that I actually needed tungsten light sources to achieve the feel required. As such, it was a case of drawing on some classic generic fixtures to supplement the modern ones in order to generate that immutable tungsten warmth”.

   Jack approached WL and selected the ETC Source Four Profile, ETC Source Four PAR and Par Can 64. He explains: “Whilst it’s fantastic for companies like WL to continue investing in the latest equipment, it’s actually important for them to have a selection of classic fixtures which designers may need to draw on; as I did in this situation”.

   

   Alongside the visually demanding set, Jack also had to tailor his design to work with William Close’s Earth Harp. Jack explains: “Musician William Close is part of the production as is his iconic Earth Harp. Due to the size of the instrument, it actually runs through up into the rig. As such, the rig had to work in tandem with this, both in terms of the fixture placement overhead as well as the focusing of front of house fixtures. Also, with projection playing such a huge role, it was important to ensure that the show is lit from angles that prevent any shadows on the back wall”.

   As this was the first production at the newly-refurbished Riverside Studios, this meant that Jack was the first lighting designer to light in the space: “It’s so exciting being part of the first show in a new space as you become part of that building’s footprint. On a very obvious level, playing with the new control systems, equipment and infrastructure makes the job a lot of fun!”.

   The show, along with the building, has now opened and will run until 22^nd February 2020.

   Jack concludes: “It’s been an absolute pleasure working on Persona. I’d like to say a big thanks to General Managers Clive Chennery and Joanne Benjamin, Pamela Raith Photography, Technical Manager Ian Dickson Wilkinson and my Production Manager James Anderton”.

   Photos courtesy of Pamela Raith Photography.
   
   

2. White Light Goes On Tour with Amélie

   7 August 2019 11:36 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied the lighting equipment for the UK premiere of the Broadway musical Amélie, which recently embarked on a UK tour.

   Originally performed on Broadway, Amélie is based on the 2001 romantic comedy film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and tells the story of an astonishing young woman who lives quietly in the real world but loudly in her mind. This UK premiere is directed by Michael Fentiman, stars Audrey Brisson and Danny Mac and features a lighting design by Elliot Griggs. Elliot explains: “Amélie is unlike anything I’ve ever worked on before. The film itself actually broke a lot of traditional concepts, with the central character being largely passive and the story being told through short vignettes, which together create a rich tapestry of 90s Paris, but also highlight its loneliness and isolation. Trying to encompass this successfully into a stage musical is no small feat! That said, the show manages to stay very true to the film. There are no big toe tapping numbers and the score, which was re-orchestrated by the fantastic Barney Race, steers the piece back towards its Parisian, folk-like roots; away from the Broadway-esque version of the Original Cast Recording”.

   Alongside capturing the themes of the film, the creative team was also eager to catch its unique aesthetic. Elliot explains: “Anyone who knows the film will instantly recognise the image of Amélie in her red outfit surrounded by a muted green backdrop. Set designer Madeleine Girling’s beautiful dark green art-deco Métro station set holds the entire play, with changes of location achieved only by simple props or upright pianos which spring open into a market stall, tobacconist and, later, a sex shop.

   

   He adds: “It was key we kept the colour palettes neutral, echoing the tones used in the original film. There’s a lot of warmth to the lighting, with the tungsten sidelight bathing the cast in sepia-like tones and bringing out the green of the set. With so many cast members on stage, all playing instruments, a lot of specials were used to highlight tiny tableaux throughout and draw the eye around the bustling stage”.

   To create the specific feel he required, Elliot approached WL to supply his lighting equipment. He comments: “Considering Amélie is not a ‘big, loud’ musical, I purposefully avoided using a ’big, loud’ rig. Not only does the show have several minutes of complete silence, but I also needed to create high-speed train effects without a massive noisy moving light on the circle front. The units needed to be quiet, but also offer super-fast shuttering and a variable animation wheel. After some demonstrations, we discovered that the ROBE T1 Profile was the only unit that ticked all the boxes. I was really impressed by their optics and output, even over exceptionally long throw distances from some circle rails which are sometimes in excess of 15m.

   He continues: “On stage, the booms are simple 6-way par can towers which create a beautiful tungsten glow across the whole playing area. Overhead there’s a variety of LED washes including Martin MAC Quantums and some ETC Source 4 LED Lustr Series 2s. I also used GLP X4 Batten 20s to create a solid, even backlight which looks particularly stunning shining through Madeleine Girling’s set”.

   

   With Amélie being a touring production, this was something that Elliot also had to incorporate into his design. He comments: “I knew that my LX team had to be able to get the show in and up in just one day at most of the venues we visited. As a result, the booms were kept deliberately simple, and nothing overhead needed physically focusing. There are only 26 units overhead, 8 par can tower booms, 12 Lustrs in the slips, a standard house front wash for the curtain call and 3 ROBE T1 Profiles on the circle front. As I said before, this show is about its simplicity with the main focus on its characters hence I created a design which reflected that.”

   The show has recently finished its UK tour to critical acclaim. It will soon receive its London transfer and will open at The Other Palace this November.

   Photos courtesy of Pamela Raith Photography.