The Italian Clay Paky has been present at one of the most anticipated events of the year. Lighting designer Durham Marenghi was commissioned to create magic at the Opening Ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and for this he had equipment from Claypaky such as: Sharpy X Frame, Tambora Linear 100, Xtylos and Sharpy throughout. Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
“The ceremony had many symbolic indications that expressed welcome, generosity and hospitality in Arab culture, as well as contemporary musical, cultural and visual performances that were used for the first time in the tournament”Marenghi explains. One of the great challenges faced by Marenghi and her team was to illuminate the artists during the transmission without damaging the “screen” environment in which they developed their show, since this ceremony took place in a projected world devised by the director. creative Anghela Alo and the content artists at Luke Halls Studio.
“We operated with light intensity around 400 lumens and sports lighting for games was around 2000 lumens, so it took a very careful approach to create the magic to entertain billions of fans around the world. world"Marenghi says.
The selection of Clay Paky fixtures was based on their light weight, brightness, superior optics, and low power consumption.
“For this event, the key factor was the weight on the roof and high trusses at heights of more than 50 meters to keep the equipment above the technical systems and cameras, required by the football authorities”, points out Marenghi. “Each source deployed needed to have a very high light output and a very narrow beam angle. We usually have lights around the field of play, but this was not possible with the first game of the competition scheduled just an hour after the opening ceremony."
More than 200 Clay Paky equipment
The Opening Ceremony featured 60 Sharpy X Frames, 40 Xtylos y 80 Sharpys on 20 ceiling beams; 16 Sharpy X Frame more on the goal posts in two west projection positions; Y 18 Drum Linear 100, plus neutral density filters on the side stages and nine more on the central stage. They also unfolded 52 Sharpy additional.
“Sharpy X Frame was by far our favorite rig on the platform, a true hybrid”declares Marenghi. The Sharpy X Frame is a compact and versatile hybrid fixture that meets the needs of a bright spot, aerial effects unit, framing fixture, and everything in between in one compact, affordable package.
“The Xtylos laser source device is a full-grown Sharpy, if you will, but with the benefit of additive colors to make RGB and CMY much brighter”, indicates the illuminator. "It is a very safe device and its IP66 version, the Xtylos Aqua, is perfect for long-range outdoor applications."
In addition, “Tambora Linear is a large, flexible bar with three distinct layers: a conventional solid color wash, which can be layered as a mappable pixelated matrix, and finally the white strobe layer that runs through the center. The equipment is brilliant, so we use the ND filter provided on the units in front of our broadcast cameras.”
Marenghi says: "We were also pleased with the great support and instant response we received from Claypaky in Bergamo, Italy when needed."
The producer of the event was Balich Wonder Studio.