LIGHTING A GAMING LIVE STREAM AT A HOLLYWOOD STUDIO

OVERVIEW

Category:

Lighting

Client:

Pinnacle Exhibits

Event:

Twitch Rivals Presents Verizon 5G League of Legends: Wild Rift Invitational (Live Stream)

Location:

Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, CA

Objective

Design and set up the lighting for Twitch Rivals’ League of Legends: Wild Rift, showcasing Verizon’s rollout of 5G as attendees would play the game on their phone. Twitch Rivals has a following of 2.43MM

Since the event was being live-streamed, the stage had to be camera-ready. Celebrity gamers, like actor Joe Manganiello, music producer/DJ Zedd, and former basketball player turned actor Rick Fox, were moderators and had to be lit on a main stage, outside, on the lot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

Though sound was not in our domain for this project, we did handle, in addition to the lighting, all of the power distribution and hazers (similar to fog machines, but with longer lasting, finer, and less intense haze).

Challenges & Approaches

The initial task of projection mapping (using video projectors) evolved into gobos projection (stenciled discs placed inside lights to project scenery and designs).

Programmed pixel tape (flexible circuit boards with LED lights and adhesive backing) were placed in towers, demo sections, gaming areas, and giant robot monsters and timed to change different colors, mirroring the switching of individual gamer colors during gameplay.

To make the stage camera-ready, we washed the main stage in lighting using Ballyhoo lights, which helped excite and energize the audience due to the lights’ speed and intensity.

As the event took place on October 22, 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we adhered to all safety protocols, including daily testing, masking, temperature checks, standing at least 3 feet apart from anybody, and eating lunch in groups.

In addition, the event included a lot of drone shots, so there were additional safety measures in place so we didn’t get in the way of the drone spotters and their eye lines.

Outcome

Per TwitchTracker, the live stream lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes, with an average number of views at 56,295, a peak of 121,816 views, and a gain of almost 1,500 followers.

We collaborated seamlessly with all of the stakeholders and worked easily with a crew of three dozen, including our team of a dozen.