LEYLAND, UK – How do you create vibrant stage lighting during daylight hours? This is an issue that every designer working an outdoor festival has had to grapple with. When Ollie Wilkinson was putting together the lighting package for Music in the Park, his response to this challenge was simple: rely on an abundance of washes (forty fixtures to be precise) to cover the stage with colors that stood out even in the light of day.

But as American author Arthur Bloch, creator of the famous Murphy’s Law, once quipped, “every solution creates a new problem.” In Wilkinson’s case, it wasn’t exactly a “problem,” per se, but he did face the issue of how to create punchy breakthrough looks for the night’s headliner acts, Bananarama and The Beautiful South, with all those washes taking up space on the stage. To address this, he turned to the CHAUVET Professional Maverick MK2 Spot.

“Due to the sheer amount of moving washes, I really wanted spots to punch things up at night,” said Wilkinson, who added 12 of the Maverick fixtures, supplied by Arranpaul LTD, to his kit. “I knew the Mavericks had the power to punch through the washes for aerials, specials, and crowed lighting. Beyond that however, I have always been a huge fan of backlighting artists; so, I positioned two of the Mavericks so they could be used as back/follow-spot type effects. This really made an impact on the show.”

As dusk approached, the MK2 spots “really became their own animal after a long sunny day of moving wash effects,” said Wilkinson. Particularly striking were the beautiful break ups they created over the performers on stage and the audience.

However, the impact of the Maverick fixtures wasn’t limited to the night. “A little trick I like to use with these fixtures it to take their zoom to its largest extent and then point them into the crowd during the day,” said Wilkinson. “This way you can see them visibly in the bright sun – along with CMY chases and prism effects.”

The Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures also helped Wilkinson address another issue designers often have to contest with at outdoor festivals: weight restrictions. “When you create a design at larger theatres and arenas, you don’t have to be very concerned with weight, but that changes when you’re working on a mobile stage,” he said. “Fortunately, with a great supplier we were able to pack a potent mix of fixtures on stage, while still staying well within weight restrictions. I should also add that Danny Bee from UK Media & Events was fantastic.”

Although Beautiful South, brought their own LD to the festival, Wilkinson ran the console for the other acts at the one-day event. “It was fun for me to create some theatrical looks for Bananarama with some fantastic gobos and mid-air effects,” he said. “It was then that I was really glad I added the spots to my kit.”