Vari-Lite Europe provided a complete lighting system to The BRIT Awards 2001, which honor accomplishment in the music industry, and to the After Show Party. The event was recorded live at Earl's Court 2 in London on February 26th and consisted of more than 500 Vari*Lite® luminaires.
Al Gurdon was the lighting designer, MJK Productions of London was the production company, and Mick Kluczynski was production manager.
The lighting design encompassed the entire space both on and around the huge stage and the specially constructed auditorium. The lighting rig included both automated and conventional lighting, and the show was controlled from two Virtuoso control consoles. The Vari*Lite® automated system consisted of 40 x VL2416™, 54 x VL5 Arcs, 81 x VL5B™, 76 x VL5™, 24 x VL6™ wash luminaires and 38 x VL6C™, 6 x VL7™, and 130 x VL2C™ spot luminaires.
The company also supplied a conventional rig with 16 x 4K Xenon Sky Art Searchlights, two 70K Lightning Strikes, four 40K Lightning Strikes, 160 x Par 36s, 400 x Par 64s and 44 x Diversitronic Strobes. The rig was completed by mains, cable, 420 meters of truss, two 12-meter-diameter semi-circles of truss and 14 one-tonne hoist motors complete with cable, control and rigging accessories.
The After Show Party's lighting was designed by Theo Cox, who lit four rooms--the Air Lounge, Water Bar, Earth Garden and Fire Club--using a rig that featured 56 VL5 wash luminaires, 16 VL6B spot luminaires, and VLM™ Moving Mirror Ball units and conventionals. The units were run from two Wholehog 2s and an Avolites Pearl desk.
Said Cox, "The brief was to incorporate the lighting more within the set and to make it feel more theatrical than rock-and-roll compared with previous years. Vari-Lite did a great job in helping me to achieve the final result--the event looked fantastic, and there was positive feedback from numerous sources."
This event marked the fifth time Vari-Lite provided the lighting rig for The BRIT Awards.