dB Audio light up Namibian Annual Music Awards

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Photos by David Benade, dB Audio

The Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMA, staged at the Swakopmund Indoor Sports Centre in the coastal town of Swakopmund, was lit up with 18 Robe BMFLs forming part of a large Robe rig. dB Audio Namibia were entrusted to supply the full technical support for the Industry Awards hosted on the 1st May and the main event, held on the 2nd May, both of which were broadcast live for NBC TV.

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Rockstar 4000 were the producers of this popular production, while MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Company and NBC (Namibian Broadcasting Corporation), were the main sponsors.

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The inspiration for the lighting design came from Jonathan Bandli from Bad Weather, who was commissioned by dB Audio Namibia. “We wanted to simplify the design and go back to basics,” said Jonathan. “While we wanted to have something elegant and grand, the lighting had to be versatile to accommodate the variety of music genres that Namibia has to offer. This meant designing an array of different tools in my arsenal from beautiful simplistic spot looks to big areal moments and of course immense beams for those high impact songs. I also decided to run the Robin 1000 LEDBeams and Robin 600 LEDWashes in mode 5, to give me unlimited zone control which made for some great eye candy on camera.”

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Lighting, video and set were designed as one. “We really feel this process adds a lot of value to ensure the execution of a very coherent production,” he explained. “Understanding when you should push forward and make lighting a feature and when to pull back and let another element shine is crucial to a dynamic show.”

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Bad Weather worked hard with local supplier dB Audio Namibia to make sure they were designing within the scope of local kit restrictions as far as possible, which meant keeping the production as homegrown as possible. “This really is a phenomenal achievement and we are so proud to be partners with dB Audio Namibia on such an amazing production,” said Jonathan.

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The rig incorporated 18 Robe BMFL, 12 Robe Robin 1000 LEDBeam, 24 Robe Robin 600 LEDWash, 8 Robe Robin 300 LEDWash, 24 Robe Robin Pointe, 12 Robe Robin 100 LEDBeams, 4 Nitro SL, 6 Robe ColourWash 700E AT, 8 Robe Robin 600E Spots, 24 2k Fresnels, 12 8-Way Moles, 60 Par64 and Slim Pars for light boxes. Control was with a High End Systems Road Hog 4 with a Nano Hog 4 as a tracking backup during the show and as a session console during the programming. The outputted DMX was handled by a High End Systems DP8000 with an Acme 8-Way Art-net Node attached.

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“I was really blown away by the brightness of the BMFLs, and especially the rich colours and how it maintained its intensity,” commented Jonathan. “ I think this was one of the first shows I was actually able to do something really usable with some deep reds and UV on the spots. It was great and the way it zooms down to a thick beam is something I particularly liked. I was also very impressed with the zoom of the Robin 100 LEDBeam, a great wash that can turn into a fantastic effect light in a second! It has some great tight beams from even just the outer zone. All in all I had fixtures which I look forward to using again soon.”

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The main challenge for a television broadcast is ensuring the lighting and entire image is captured correctly on camera as well as giving a great experience to the audience in the venue. As the broadcaster still is using a Standard Definition workflow this was a particular challenge. “As any LD knows, lighting for broadcast is no joke and is a serious skill, one that I am working very hard at and am still learning a great deal about. I admire the local LD’s who are nailing it!” said Jonathan.

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As a young lighting designer, Jonathan is always trying to gain as much knowledge on his role as a lighting designer as possible. He is curious to find out how racks work in the OB truck and talks to engineers and directors to understand his role in the process and how to improve it. “For me it’s very important to maintain a learning attitude and learn from those more experienced to understand how lighting interacts with the entire production workflow.

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“I would just like to thank dB Audio Namibia in particular for the continued support and amazing partnership,” Jonathan ended. “We are so very proud to be involved with this production and to be able to work with some amazing people. This is really the joy that makes our job a blast! We love what we do and we love doing it with like-minded people who enjoy their work and who push themselves to grow and push us to grow with them. This makes the journey exciting and keeps us moving forward. We look forward to the next one!”

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Johnny Scholtz from DWR Distribution, lighting and equipment distributors in South Africa, attended the Nama Awards in support of their client dB Audio. “It was amazing that dB Audio pulled off this event on their own. They did exceptionally well.”

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