Jamtastic3 Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 OK I don't know about anyone else but ever since I was small, Top Of The Pops has been firmly embedded into my regular Friday night viewing (Ha I say small even though I'm 18). It's a world wide institution. But my reasons for watching TOTP would be slightly different to other people I know - of course, they aren't technicians. I was just wondering what people thought of the lighting on the show, or the show itself. I happened to watch it last Friday - 28/01 - and honestly, I was kind of taken away by the 'awsomeness' that was the lighting. E.g Girls Aloud performance, amaizing giant cloth was pulled away to reveal the girls on bikes together with pyros, smoke and strobing. The amount of moving heads together with chromabanks, 3 huge bright beamed moving heads (directed over the audience because they were too bright for the audience and cameras) and 2 huge moonflower lights - the brightest I've ever seen, was quite spectacular too and the design work was better than what I could do (I havent had the chance to work with a rig only made up of intelligents and chromas just yet!!) All the cues were tight and to me it seemed as though it was more a lighting display show I was watching rather than a girl group belting out another cheesy pop tune. But it was professionally spectacular. I think as an entertainment show, it clearly pulls out all the stops for lighting against any other show like it and they certainly have a really good lighting team behind it all though looking at it now, I do kinda miss the banks of PAR's and the neon sets that they had in the 80's (yeah I watch TOTP2 for the 'classic-ness' of it all). But it just shows you the progression of technology and design I suppose. Share any good or bad opinions - if you watch it or not - any past lighting on the show - if you've seen better on any regular entertainment shows etc - Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinny baby Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Yes the lighting plays a large part in TOTP, and it does look fab most of the time. I havent watched TOTP for a while now, but from what I can remember they have a different LD every couple of shows, and he decides what fixtures he wants. TOTP dont have there own stock of fixtures I think they hire them in for every show. Personally I like the lighting design used on CDUK its good, but its not over good to take the attention of the performer, I think CDUK have a smaller budget than TOTP, so this is why they only have small rigs mainly made up of MAC500's, I must admit the projection system they use to project the 3D gobos is great, I havent been able to suss out if its a D1 cat head or a Matrix screen behind the gauze, think its a D1? The other thing I like is that the stage is set against a brick wall, I think this looks mega as a back cloth. They also use the chromas very well. back to TOTP I like how they alternate the the stage layout every week, to make it more interesting, I can remember watching Gwen Steffani on there a couple of weeks back, who performed on a cat walk, with MAC500s down the length of floor, and flown, they also put potted trees down the length, looked very well. The LED arcs and circles are good also vince Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 (I havent had the chance to work with a rig only made up of intelligents and chromas just yet!!) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> TOTP is not done entirely without conventional lanterns, just beccause you can't see them doesn't mean they are not being used. Yes the lighting plays a large part in TOTP, and it does look fab most of the time. I havent watched TOTP for a while now, but from what I can remember they have a different LD every couple of shows, and he decides what fixtures he wants. TOTP dont have there own stock of fixtures I think they hire them in for every show.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> TOTP's production team choose to record TOTP normaly in BBC Resources' TC3. TC3 has a fully saturated lighting rig. It also has access to all of the considerable lighting facilities of BBC Resources Studios. You are right that all of the robotic lighting etc is hired in on a day by day basis. This allows the LD to have total artistic freedom. Studio ThreeIt’s no coincidence that the best music programmes are produced in Studio Three. When it comes to sound production facilities, they don’t get much better than this. It is a large multi-purpose studio which has extended and enhanced facilities for sound production. This multi-purpose space, complete with fully digital audio, vision systems and superb studio-floor interconnectivity offers programme-makers first choice when it comes to flexibility and speed for music productions. The studio has played host to a number of prestigious productions and is currently home to music productions Later with Jools, Top of the Pops and Saturday Top of the Pops – which are all premier class programmes that set the standards by which other music shows are judged. Studio Three SpecificationsArea 745 sq m (8,000 sq ft) Retractable audience seating for up to 292 people Additional seating if required Saturated lighting grid Motorised scenery hoists Integral make up and wardrobes areas Audience monitors and PA available Gallery DetailsFully digital widescreen vision system Full digital audio systems DVE and still facilities Start of the art vision mixing equipment Superb connectivity between studio control, studio floor and outside world Range of remote controlled VTRs available Studio CAD plansYou will need AutoCad14 or AutoCad 2000 to view these pages. Studio 3 Design LayoutStudio 3 Lighting Plan This is an A3 PDF version Studio 3 Design Layout Not wanting to be too commercial, I should admit I work for a branch of BBC Resources but not the studios department. If you want to contact BBC Resources (to hire anything from a darlek suit to the TC3 studio itself. click here or click here for an aplication for work experience in TV Lighting At TV Centre. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 It's a bit sad that they have to go to such lengths to pep up the performance of some pretty talentless wanabees who even have trouble miming to their own voice! I'd love to see the brief for the LD. 1. Do everything in your power to take the audiences mind off the artiste2. Make sure any movement from the lighting is always in camera shot, even if the fixtures don't contribute any actual brightness to the scene.3. Under no circumstances must any fixture that is able to move, not move.4. Make sure the key, fill and back lighting doesn't get noticed at all.5. Use lots of bottom lighting to create shadows above the mouth from the over large microphones (dfa's) used to disguise the lack of lip sync Mind you, I don't remember TOTPs ever being reluctant to use whatever the latest technology was at the time to do this - remember the 'fuzz lites' and mirror balls of the '70s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkySteve Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Snip... Start of the art vision mixing equipment Snip... Don't think I've heard of this one! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P. Funk Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 5. Use lots of bottom lighting to create shadows above the mouth from the over large microphones (dfa's) used to disguise the lack of lip sync<{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was told when I did the BBC tour a while back that TOTP now forces all its performers to sing live ;) Certainly when I watched it a few months back it seemed that way (although I havent seen it since). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwell2004 Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 I watched this week and the number one was deffiently wasent singing live, everyone on totp usally does but she wasent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinny baby Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 To be fair she was performing a very tight routine at the time. You ever tried singing whislt dancing?? Do they still use the the SM58 lead mic, with the lead chopped off, so you just get an XLR stuck in the end. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaryrobot Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 To be fair she was performing a very tight routine at the time. Do they still use the the SM58 lead mic, with the lead chopped off, so you just get an XLR stuck in the end. :)<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not necessarily, they could well be wireless tx'ers? The more expensive ones aren't the bulky things you'd expect, or so I've been told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 As Far As I Know, The fake radio mics were not SM58s and it was a sawn off tuchel lead not an XLR lead but I haven't seen that since the 70's. (but a lot of people did ask where such tiny radio mics came from) The only example I can see online at the moment is here James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinny baby Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I defiantely recall an SM58 being used with the XLR just stuck in the end, and it was recent, ive seen it a few times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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