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PRG Provides 12 Truckloads of Lights at Super Bowl XXXIX
Production Resource Group (PRG) supplied 12 truckloads of lights for the pre-game and half-time shows at Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, Florida.
Anticipation was high over how this year's half-time entertainment would be handled after last year's notorious "wardrobe malfunction". Viewers were not disappointed when Paul McCartney gave a spectacular performance suitable for all audiences. McCartney's performance took place on a video screen stage made resplendent with PRG's moving lights.
Roy Bennett, the show's production designer and lighting designer, and Anne Brahic, the show's art director, began designing the show last July. As they formed their ideas, they had to keep McCartney's performance style in mind. As Bennett explained: "Paul is very much a stationary performer. To help create a sense of movement and give the audience a better view of him, we came up with the idea of building a stage out of video screens that would jut out toward the audience in four directions. No matter where you sat in the stadium, this would enable you to see his performance."
Bennett knew that lighting the stage would be difficult because the stadium lacked overhanging structures from which to hang the more than 400 moving lights in his design. "I commend Robert Cooper, PRG's lighting system supervisor," Bennett stated, "for understanding what we wanted to accomplish and finding a solution."
"It was definitely a challenge figuring out how to rig the lights," said Cooper, "but working within stadium and NFL rules, we were able to drill points into the stadium's concrete structure from which more than 1000 feet of truss could be hung. The fact it rained for three days straight prior to the game didn't make our work easy, but I had a couple of amazingly tireless crews working on the project. One crew hung brackets, pipes and truss towers from which to rig the lights while the other crew worked on the wiring and hung the fixtures."
PRG was given only six minutes each way for the load-in and load-out of the set. Over 600 volunteers helped PRG's crew transport the truss towers, cable, and 54-piece set into place. "The hard work was definitely worth it," proclaimed John Lobel, PRG's vice president of entertainment services. "During McCartney's performance, we could all feel the enormous energy and excitement of the audience!"
"I've worked with PRG for awhile and have always had great service from them," commented Bennett. "It's a busy time for them with all of the auto shows and award shows they support at this time of year but they were awesome in delivering all of the gear I needed when I needed it."
During the pre-game show, PRG provided lighting on three separate performance stages that featured Alicia Keys, Charlie Daniels and the Black Eyed Peas. PRG also lit the players' entrances onto the field and the coin toss.
Televised live to an average of 86 million viewers in the United States and millions more around the world, the Super Bowls are the highest-rated TV programs and most-watched single-day sporting events in the U.S.
24th March 2005
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