Summit Integrated Systems Calls on Over 100 Chauvet Professional Fixtures for Life.Church Broadcast Campus

	Photo: Tyson Wiens

In January 1996, what is now Life.Church was founded as Life Covenant Church in a two car garage equipped with an overhead projector and two construction lights purchased at Lowes for under $40. The church and its technological prowess have both come a long way since then.

Ranked among the largest houses of worship in the US, Life.Church has 34 different campuses stretched out 2,078 miles, from Rio Ranch, New Mexico to Albany, New York. Live stream video has been key to helping the church reach worshippers throughout this far-flung network of satellites. Since July of this year, these videos have emanated from a sprawling new broadcast campus, engineered by Summit Integrated Systems, that features state-of-the-art equipment, including a lighting rig anchored by a collection of over 100 Chauvet Professional Maverick, Ovation, and Rogue fixtures.

The product of a two-year process, overseen by project manager Jared Wells, technical director Greg Baucus, and lighting designer Daniel Connnel, the new broadcast campus is capable of capturing and distributing 4k video content. Featuring a fully robotic camera and dolly system as well as AR- equipped technology, the campus is a model of precise engineering.

Given the sophistication of its video equipment, the campus needed a lighting system that could deliver optimal color temperatures and smooth, even fields of light with no distractive shadows or flickers. The lighting rig also had to operate silently. These considerations led to the specification of the Chauvet Professional gear, such as the 48 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures that are flown over the stage and used for down washing audience lighting and specials, as well as the ten Maverick MK3 Washes that are positioned upstage on the floor for low back lighting and visual effects.

The CTO color mixing of the Maverick MK3 Wash is resulting in realistic hues on camera, while their pixel mapping effects and gobo features give the church's designers a wide range of creative options.

Providing spot lighting and camera-friendly effects in the room are the rig's 12 Maverick MK3 Profile fixtures. The 820W LED moving fixtures have the output to create dramatic effects that translate well to video. This capability is enhanced by the advanced four-blade shutter system, and the fixture's 120 degree rotation. The static, rotating, and animation effects from the two gobo wheels (rotating and static), along with the fixture's two independent and overlapping prisms, are used to create myriad looks during services and special events.

The design team front lit the stage with 39 Ovation E-930VW ellipsoidal units, relying on the fixture's 2,800K to 8,000K color temperature with high CRI and CQS to ensure proper key lighting. For times when an extra hue is called for, the church's designers can also draw the fixture's color mixing capabilities.

For back lighting, the area behind speakers is lit with the nine Ovation F-915VW Fresnel units. The high output, wide beam angle, and 16-bit dimming of this fixture give the church a range of options for enhancing backdrops, while its 2,800K to 8,000K color temperature with high CRI and CQS ensures camera-friendly light.

Run from front-of-house, the lights, along with the rest of the equipment at the Life.Church's new broadcast center, create an immersive environment for worshippers, whether they're sitting in one of the center's specially designed acoustic-friendly seats, worshipping at home, or at one of the satellite campuses hundreds and hundreds of miles away.