UK – The new blockbuster super-hero movie from Marvel, Black Panther held its European première at London’s Hammersmith Apollo earlier this year with a star-studded guest list including celebrity cast members Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o. The event was lit by lighting designer Luke Edwards of Cue Design who specified a range of Claypaky fixtures to help deliver his Marvel-ous concept.
Working alongside James Barnfarther, managing director of Limited Edition Design, Edwards crafted the event’s 15-minute opening light show, as well as lighting the media line and auditorium. Discussing his design, Edwards alludes to the ‘Afrofuturistic’ vibrancy of the film’s main aesthetic, as well as its high drama content as inspiration.
“The design of the film is very different from other Marvel films,” he says. “We had to create a light show that supported and complemented that. The black, yellow and blue colour branding of the film’s marketing helped us in creating dramatic colour palettes. We only had 10-15 minutes to make an impact before the film started, so we wanted the show to be as dramatic as possible to get everyone in the mood.”
Edwards rigged the fixtures onstage at the base of the large projection screen displaying the movie and trailer content, as well as out in the auditorium, the lighting covering both the stage and audience area. He and his team selected the Claypaky Mythos2, Claypaky Sharpy and Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330, supplied by IPS Impact Productions, to deliver the rapid beam looks and wide ‘superhero’ sweeps.
“We used the Sharpys to create high-impact and extreme drama,” says Edwards. “Sharpys easily create that dynamic, high-energy look. To complement these, I wanted a similar top-standard washlight. I have always liked the Sharpy Wash 330 so I spec’ed these alongside the beam fixtures. We then zoomed the Sharpy Wash 330s right out to get a narrow beam which made it look like we suddenly had double the amount of Sharpy fixtures on stage.”
Edwards also rigged 16 Mythos2 above the stage. “We needed a spot fixture to gobo wash the audience, but also to work alongside the Sharpy and Sharpy Wash 330s as beam light for the high impact part of the show,” explains Edwards.
Black Panther is produced Marvel Studios and can now be seen in cinemas across the globe. The film has been nominated for 13 Saturn Awards including Best Director, Best Writing and Best Special Effects, and recently topped $1.2 billion in Box Office revenue.
Ambersphere Solutions is Claypaky’s official UK distributor.