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Corona: Robe fixtures chosen for RTVS Christmas show

“Usmev ako dar” (Smile As A Gift) is a gala evening and charity concert broadcast on Christmas Eve on Slovakia’s national RTVS Channel 1. The show features the participation of children from orphanages and foster care facilities across Slovakia, together with some of the country’s best known singers, bands, and dancers.

Slovakian technical production and rental company Q-99, headed by Martin Kubanka, has been involved with the Smile As A Gift foundation since 1994, and this year’s festival special was recorded - without audience due to COVID restrictions - in a pop-up streaming studio created at their warehouse facility in Bratislava-Cunovo. The studio was built earlier in the year to provide some revenue during the pandemic.

The company has invested in Robe products right from when the brand launched, and the studio is full of Robe moving lights - including BMFL WashBeams, Pointes, LEDWash 600s and 600+s, Spiiders, Spikies and LEDBeam 100s, 136 of which in total which were used for this show in a lighting design by Stefan Culen.

The “Usmev ako dar” studio comprised five different stages, each with columns of LED screen at the back and the various performers and presenters all working together. Each stage was built so they could benefit from the general studio lighting rig and also have their own ‘specials’ and floor packages. A combination of all the above-mentioned fixtures plus Robe MMX Spots and Patt2013s were utilised for this show.

The BMFL WashBeams provided the front white light, while the LEDWash 600s and 600+s were mainly used at the back of the stages, creating ‘anchor’ lights for the different performers, cutting through the ambience of the LED screens. The Spikies and the LEDBeam 100s were used for colouring and defining the different stage areas and for effects. The Robe fixtures plus some other lights were all controlled via a GrandMA2 console. Q-99 also provided their 3.9 pitch video screen run via Resolume Arena.

The most challenging aspect of staging the event was co-ordinating the action between the different stages in a COVID-safe and socially distanced environment. In addition to the technical space, they also built make-up areas, dressing rooms, green room facilities, production offices, additional parking, and full loading access. All the camera systems and OB unit were supplied by Slovakian Television. “Usmev ako dar” 2020’s camera director was Richard Raiman, the DOP was Ivan Plesník from RTVS and the overall production design was created by Daniel Sichmal together with Q-99’s studio creator, Michal Brna.

(Photos: Usmev ako dar/Q-99)

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