Lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, principal of Visual Terrain, Inc., has received a Prime Time Emmy Award nomination for his lighting design on the recent Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band special on HBO. This is Ravitz’s second Emmy nomination, having previously been named for his design for Cher Live at the Mirage on CBS.
The special was shot last summer in high-definition format during Springsteen’s record-setting, 10 show sell-out at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It marked the first time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been shown in concert on television and was the finale of their 1999-2000 world tour.
The broadcast was a live performance of Springsteen’s touring show. Ravitz designed the show lighting for the tour and was asked to adapt the design for television. Careful attention was given to Springsteen’s desire that the show not appear to have been given any special treatment for TV.
Ravitz added a subtle amount of audience lighting to enhance the lighting already used in the show, and color was adjusted for the camera. Keylight was balanced to 3200°K to allow the many shades of blue Ravitz uses to read accurately. Intensities for the main performance were also reset to balance the contrast ratios for the camera.
Ravitz is also known for his broadcast and show lighting for ice show specials featuring stars, such as Kristi Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski; studio telecasts, such as The Christopher Lowell Show on the Discovery Channel; and many other concert television specials.