SolaPix Perform with Rapper Wale on The Daily Show
Date Posted: 3/5/2020
Photos courtesy of The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah doesn’t ordinarily bring in special lighting. “We have a substantial rig here,” Programmer Ryan Phillips says, “but when we find something enticing, that looks fun...”
LD George Gountas and Phillips specified two versions of SolaPix for a Feb. 11 taping at the Comedy Central’s New York City studio for rapper Wale’s recent performance. They alternated the SolaPix 19 with the smaller SolaPix 7 at center stage for eye candy and backlight. The fixtures were positioned behind the band on a reverse goal post truss, which is a pipe that extends down from the ceiling instead of being ground supported.
“The SolaPix beams were fantastic. The color is phenomenal, and the saturation is really nice at any intensity,” Phillips notes.
He particularly liked the SolaPix’s Halographic Pixel Definition, described as an outline of light around each LED. Seen on its face display or in aerial wash effects, this highlighting feature distinguishes the SolaPix from other pixel fixtures.
“They are incredibly bright,” Phillips says, talking about both versions of SolaPix. “We were able to see the halos of each LED and still get the beams without getting blown out on camera, which we liked.”
Phillips describes using the SolaPix as “a nice change from other wash fixtures. Their light weight was amazing - they were half the weight of other fixtures. My electricians were happy at how light they were.”
LD George Gountas says, “I was very pleased with the SolaPix fixtures. The color and output was great, and they looked fantastic on camera. High End has a very nice fixture here.”
Rapper Wale performed two songs from his new Wow... That’s Crazy album. The first song was more mellow, but when the artist picked up the pace the second half, the SolaPix gained more broadcast time, Phillips notes.
“We expected to use them a lot more, but it depends on the songs the artist picks,” the programmer says. “We got some really nice color out of them for some big wash effects. It was a nice change to see it in the air. We weren’t able to use the built-in macro effects as much because the song didn’t call for it. I wish we had more time to play throughout the songs.”
Phillips’ 16-year programming stint at The Daily Show allows him a week off per month to work with other TV and live music gigs, including the U.S. Army’s West Point band. “I would love to do some pixel mapping through the SolaPix for their shows this summer,” he says. “The shape of the [hexagon] head would lend itself to using an array of them. We would love to use them again.”