ELP, a trading division of WhiteLight, supplied the lighting production for the BBC’s recent broadcast of the annual Festival of Remembrance. Taking place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on November 7th, the socially-distanced event featured readings, musical performances and special tributes from HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in order to honour Her Majesty’s armed forces as well as the nursing profession. ELP had previously worked on the BBC’s coverage of the Proms, VE and VJ Days.
While the Royal Albert Hall already has its own in-house rig, was supplied by WhiteLight, ELP was tasked with bringing in additional fixtures. ELP supplied 46x Martin MAC Aura XBs, 16x Martin MAC Quantam Washes, 14x Martin MAC Viper Performances, 12x Martin MAC Viper Profiles, 90x ETC Source Four Profiles – 42 of which were 5 degree lenses – 4x 6 Lamp Bars, 4x MDG ATMe Haze Generators, 2x ASTRA 6x Panels, 3x Avolites 48 Way AVO Dimmers, as well as mains distribution.
“We have worked on this event for several years now although it’s fair to say that this year [with Covid-19] was like no other,” said ELP Project Manager Robert ‘Sinbad’ Dunne. “As you can see from the equipment list, as well as with the final broadcast, this was an incredibly extensive rig. Having to move from live music performances by Sophie Ellis Bextor and Mica Paris to war-time testimonies read by Samantha Morton to addresses by HRH the Prince of Wales is no easy feat, but thankfully the equipment supplied was able to seamlessly capture the exact feels that [lighting designer] Nigel Catmur required”.
