LOS ANGELES—“America’s Got Talent,” the acclaimed nationwide talent show that has become a mainstay on NBC, is set to premier its 12th season this year. Cineo Lighting has been with us since the beginning, helping ensure judges, hosts and performers always look their best for the camera.
Featuring unique performers from across the country, the series is a true celebration of creativity and talent, offering a colorful array of singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists and other hopefuls. These acts rely not only on their abilities, but also on the aesthetics of their acts. For this, I need a lighting solution that I know will give me the color temperature I want right out of the box. I can’t have any degradation of field or uneven color output, otherwise I’ll lose precious time adjusting each light during setup. Also, if the lighting isn’t properly adjusted, the post-production team will have to spend time touching up the brightness and evenness of the shot for the viewers at home.
PUTTING THE LIGHT’S TALENT TO USE
To achieve this, we feature 25 Cineo HS and several HSX fixtures, supplemented by 10 Maverick fixtures with battery attachments, and Cineo Matchstix kits and Matchboxes, which light all the ancillary action not on the stage, including the holding room, interview positions and the Judges Gold Room.
Darran Webb uses Cineo lights for all areas of production for “America’s Got Talent.” We’ve used the Cineo HS since it debuted back in 2012, during what I call the “wild west” of LED lights. The 3200–5600K HS has the even field I expect from Cineo. Cineo’s Remote Phosphor Technology (RPT), eliminates the color-accuracy limitations that can be an issue in LED fixtures over time. From the holding room, to the talent on stage, to the judges, the HS lights have a hand in lighting several aspects of “America’s Got Talent.”
I use Matchstix as a low fill fixture to enhance the lighting effect of the judge’s interviews. The Mavericks with Matchboxes are used for smaller areas due to the irs small dimensions.
TIME-SAVER
Compared to other lighting options, I’d pick Cineo every time. The products are designed for what we want to accomplish with our lighting. Not only can Cineo lights handle the rigors of our intense travel schedule, but the features make my job easier when time is of the essence.
For example, the HSX features an output control that automatically increases lighting output one full stop (from 20 percent, to 40 percent, to 60 percent, etc.), with a userfriendly interface that allows our team to read the exact light measurement. This helps keep the camera and light totally coordinated and saves us a lot of time not only on the set, but in post-production as well.
The amount of time we have saved in setup and post-production due to the color-accuracy and dependability of Cineo products is second-to-none. They are an integral part of how “America’s Got Talent” is lit and filmed.
Darran Webb is a realty television lighting designer. He has been working with “America’s Got Talent” in 2006. He can be contacted atdarranwebb@mac.com.
For more information, please visitwww.cineolighting.comor call 310-425-3425.
