Astera Adds Festive Sparkle for Helene Fischer Christmas Special TV Show Nearly 500 Astera AX3 LightDrop wireless battery-powered LED fixtures were utilized for a show-stopping Weihnachtsshow (Christmas Show) special broadcast by popular German singer, dancer and entertainer, Helene Fischer. Essential elements of the show broadcast on Christmas Day -- December 25, 2020 -- were recorded at the vast Halle 6 of Dusseldorf Messe, complete with a stunning production lighting designed by award-winning LD, Tim Routledge. Due to coronavirus restrictions and the relatively short lead-time in which these segments of the show had to be produced, neither Routledge nor acclaimed camera director Paul Dugdale -- also based in the UK -- could physically be there in person. So, to ensure that the lighting design was installed and ran smoothly, Routledge brought German LD Michael Kuehbandner onboard as lighting director to oversee the project in Dusseldorf. It was Routledge's first design for the artist; however, he has worked on numerous Dugdale projects before and the two enjoy a great creative synergy. Normally Fischer's annual Weihnachtsshow, one of German TV's most popular festive events, would be an impressively glittery and glamourous extravaganza with guests and an enthusiastic live audience, but this year that wasn't possible. To reflect this and the dramatic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the entertainment industry, the creative team wanted to do something radically different. They placed the artist in the huge empty Messehalle in Dusseldorf and filmed a series of intros and segues connecting a collage of "best of" clips from previous Weihnachtsshows which have been broadcast since 2011. This staging concept emphasized the isolation and solitude of lockdowns and social distancing that have been experienced by all during this time, and also gave it a warmth, some sparkle and plenty of positive energy for Christmas. As soon as Routledge knew that these intro sequences would be shot by three cameras -- a drone and two Steadicams, he wanted to fill the room with dynamic light to look magical and interesting specifically from those camera angles. He also wanted to replicate an atmosphere -- in the absence of an audience -- and decided to do this with the help of the 496 x Astera AX3 fixtures, all fitted with their frosted semi-sphere domes. These and the other lights were supplied by Augsburg-based Kaiser Showtechnik GmbH which also happens to be the Astera German distributor. The AX3s were arranged in eight radials or "spokes" reaching out from center position where Helene Fischer stood, lit from above simply and elegantly with eight profile moving lights. Finding a wireless solution was fundamental to achieving the clean and stark lighting aesthetic that Routledge envisioned. He wanted the fixtures to emphasize the vastness of the space for the wide shots and sweeps, to create quality bokeh for close-ups and look ephemeral and intriguing in the general back of camera shots. So, for this telecast, the little Astera AX3s were well suited to the task. On top of that, the AX3s were extremely quick and hassle-free to install. This was a major bonus as Kuehbandner and the crew had only one day in which to set up and program the show on-site. The room was also lit by LED wash lights around the periphery to show its architecture and not just place the artist in a black box. Applying different colors across the space made it different from a standard studio, but it also didn't look like a cold, dark place, and the glow of the city outside could be glimpsed through the windows. The whole design idea "developed very quickly" explains Routledge who has become a big Astera fan in recent years. He's used various Astera products -- including AX3s, Titan Tubes and Hyperion Tubes -- on several other recent shows, including a livestream for Gary Barlow at the Natural History Museum in London -- and especially during lockdowns where streams and recordings often using "pop up" or site-specific environments have proliferated. From the outset of this project, Routledge and Dugdale were always going to be working remotely, so when Kuehbandner was recommended for the job, he and Routledge gelled and immediately started work on this show. The design was ready, so Routledge sent over the CAD plots and visualizations, then he and Kuehbandner communicated by phone and various VOIP platforms. Kuehbandner developed a grandMA showfile with the layout, groupings, some effects and presets. Routledge, Kuehbandner, and Dugdale all Zoomed the night before the recording and stepped through the recording to develop all the cues, with Kuehbandner programming on site and ensuring that the integrity of the design was implemented. Subtle color chases running through the AX3s created a series of eye-catching kinetic effects flowing to and from the epicentre of the space where Fischer was positioned providing the requisite atmosphere and looks. A major challenge in Halle 6 was ensuring the Wi-Fi signal transmission networks remained strong and consistent. Kuehbandner observed that the Kaiser Showtechnik crew did a "brilliant job" of setting up all the AX3s which he controlled via a grandMA2 console with the other lights. During the recording, Routledge joined and oversaw the broadcast via a comms panel App on his iPad which enabled him to see all the camera shots, which was great, although doing this via Zoom which compresses images meant that the lighting director's role on site was "even more critical in terms of finessing," states Routledge. Kuehbandner, well known for his attention to detail, excelled at this. His gaffer was Timo Graf and the project's technical director was Johannes Laugwitz. Kuehbandner relished the challenge of delivering the show lighting and enjoyed working with Routledge. He generally likes working with English crews for their "straightforwardness, friendliness and good manners which makes work both efficient and a pleasure!" Routledge was also delighted with the results considering the many challenges and the idiosyncrasies of remote working, especially on such a high-profile production broadcast at prime time on Christmas Day. 
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