Bandit Lites Brings the Lighting to the 10th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards

	"I focused on minimizing the overall stage space so that we could crowd up the camera shots a bit and give the production team a bit more room offstage to accommodate the complicated set changes," Moore says. Photo: Erin Moore

The 2023 K-LOVE Fan Awards marked their tenth year with a moving showcase of the biggest names in Christian music, films, sports, books, and more. The fan voted awards were held May 28 at the Grand Ole Opry House and aired on TBN on June 2. Bandit Lites supplied the lighting system where Brandon Lake, for King & Country, Lauren Daigle, and Mercy Me were among the evening's big winners.

The challenge for the production design meant creating a system that will accommodate the Grand Ole Opry's existing rig, work in a space with set changes that take place in five minutes or less, include minimal fabrication, load in and out twice in a six-day period, look great on television and accommodate 15 unique performances over a two-hour event.

To that end, production designer Scott Moore and lighting designer Mark Carver worked to incorporate both the video and lighting elements into a forced perspective aesthetic utilizing the angle of the side truss towers and upstage video display to their advantage. Whenever possible, the team worked to incorporate forced perspective video content to extend the look of the performance space.

"I focused on minimizing the overall stage space so that we could crowd up the camera shots a bit and give the production team a bit more room offstage to accommodate the complicated set changes," Moore says. "The idea of creating an angular space visually with an eye toward pulling the foreground and backgrounds together in a cohesive sense was paramount."

"We also tried to use the media content as a scenic element, setting the stage for the various lighting looks," Carver explains. "We try to engage the live audience in the house while making sure the audience watching from home can get the feel of being there live."

Bandit Lites supplied more than 300 fixtures including Ayrton Khamsin S, Chauvet Rogue R2X Washes, Elation Smarty Hybrids, Elation 36 Bars, GLP JDC1 LED Strobes, HES SolaPix 36, HES SolaPix 19, ROBE Spikie LEDs, and a grandMA3 console for control.

Ayrton Khamsins S provided key and backlight as well as gobo texture for the talent while Elation Smartys were used for beam, gobo air effects and camera eye candy. Chauvet R2X Washes supplied audience lighting, Elation ACL 360 Bars provided movement and color toning for both scene and air effects and JDC 1 were used for strobe and eye candy.

HES SolaPix 37 and SolaPix 19 were Carver's stage wash fixtures, stage eye, and beam effect fixtures.

"I was very pleased with the output and control of the SolaPix 37 and 19," he says. "We were able to utilize a most of the lights functions in creating different looks."

Bandit proved to be an essential choice, as the awards place around the Grand Ole Opry's schedule. Bandit's system arrived completely prepped and ready to set, then strike and reset in a tight time frame.

"Being able to accomplish this in timely manner on schedule allows us to get the most out of a limited lighting and video programming schedule," says Carver.

"Our production team, headed by Matt Guice, Dustin Reynolds, Morgan Burton, and Clay Christian do a great job getting the production installed in a timely manner leaving Mark and his team 18 hours total (including meal breaks) to pull their palettes, programming and video looks together," adds Moore. "It is, quite frankly, a monumental task, but this is a fantastic team that is up for the challenge. The programming team did a marvelous job of bringing that to life, creating distinctive looks for each of the 15 artists. The amount of detail they work into each performance in that short period of time and just a single real-time rehearsal pass is astonishing."

"As always, Bandit has done a fantastic job of serving the project, regardless of complexity," finishes Moore. "I cannot say enough great things about them and I very much appreciate their support."

Scott Moore: Production designer / show director
Matthew Guice: Production manager
Morgan Burton: Production manager
Dustin Reynolds: Technical director
Jennifer Dillingham: Logistics director
Mark Carver: Lighting designer
André Petrus: Lighting director / Lighting programmer
Tony Fransen: Media programmer
Luke Carver: Lighting gaffer
Michael Golden: Bandit Lites Client Representative
Matt King: Bandit Lites Project manager
Craig Richter: Bandit Lites crew chief
Hayley Elliot: Bandit Lites lighting tech
Cheyan DeBrower: Bandit Lites lighting tech
Kris Naylor: Bandit Lites lighting tech