Robe on Czech/Slovak Got Talent Series

The Czech and Slovak Republics pooled their resources in the rollout of the Got Talent TV series which was staged in Exhibition Hall Z of the Brno Exhibition Centre, Czechoslovakis, and by the Slovakian lighting designer Martin Kubanka.

Robe fixtures were again at the core of Kubanka's lighting rig -- they are his moving light of choice for all types of show, and they were supplied by the leading Slovakian rental company Q-99.

The Robe elements of the rig were 34 ColorSpot 1200E ATs, 26 ColorWash 1200E ATs, 20 ColorSpot 250 ATs, 12 ColorBeam 2500E ATs, 12 REDWash 3-192s, 18 ColorMix 575 ATs, ten LEDBlinder 196 LTs, and, for the first time, 14 ROBIN 600E Beams and 12 ColorBeam 2500E ATs.

These were positioned around the upstage LED wall and scenic LED elements at the rear and to the side of the stage, overhead on the trusses and on podiums underneath the transparent floor. The Robin 600 Beams and ColorBeam 2500s were used for bright, punchy narrow beam effects, and proved perfect for cutting through the intensity of the myriad of LED surfaces onstage. They were also used for strobing and gobo effects.

Kubanka thinks they are "amazing" and was particularly impressed with the high output of both types of beam unit "So many moving lights get lost when there are bright LED sources onstage, but that has never been the case with any of the Robe products," he says, adding that he finds the Robin 600 Beam and the ColorBeam 2500 truly "versatile" units with precise zoom and focus features.

The other units were used for lighting the stage and performers, as well as producing effects on camera and for the live audience. As always, one of the challenges with a show like this was to have a lighting rig flexible enough to offer each of the competitors a unique and different look for their section of the show. Another key requirement was to ensure that each week the lighting looked different and constantly evolving and changing.

The REDWashes came in useful for bathing the stage and set with rich and dense colors. The company says the units provide accurate reproduction across the spectrum and for being able to produce genuine pastels as well as a "real" white.

The ColorBeam 2500s provided powerful beams traversing all areas of the performance space, including the judges' panel at the front of the stage, and were clearly visible cutting through the LED.

Commenting generally on the Robe brand, Kubanka says he thinks it's "the best" range of moving lights currently available, and also that the service and support is excellent. He likes Robe's engineering quality and their attention to detail in developing functions like smooth color mixing and dimming.

In addition to the Robes, there was also a substantial quantity of generics, white lights and LED fixtures on the rig, along with LED panels used for video, all of which was controlled by two grandMA full size consoles, one running two VPUs feeding video content to the LED surfaces. The desks were operated by Michal Schmidt and Tomas Lecky, both regulars of Kubanka's front-of-house visuals team.

The CZ-SK Got Talent series was broadcast live on primetime Sunday night TV in both countries -- on TV Prima (CZ) and TV JOJ (SK), drawing impressive ratings.

Kubanka thinks that international cooperation on major television productions like this will continue to grow in popularity, saying it's a very dynamic way to work. His next big TV project will be the 2011 Miss Universe Slovak Republic and the next series of Czech and Slovakia's Got Talent for which he will again be using large Robe rigs.