At the Gran Turismo World Series, the demands of an international broadcast production must be combined with those of a live event. For the Milan stop of this esports competition, APL selected 25 Paragon S fixtures and four Paragon M fixtures from Elation as key components of the lighting system.
The Paragon S fixtures illuminated the individual racing simulators and additional camera positions, while the Paragon M units provided even front lighting for the stage and awards ceremony. btl next GmbH, through its sports brand btl-xsports, handled the technical implementation and support.
Broadcast lighting without distracting the drivers
The Gran Turismo World Series comprises four live events held in different locations around the world throughout the year. Gran Turismo aims to simulate real-world motorsport as accurately as possible. To achieve this, drivers compete in simulators equipped with racing seats, steering wheels, pedals, displays and physical steering feedback systems that provide a realistic driving experience.
This presents two distinct tasks for the lighting design: on the one hand, the drivers, racing seats, presenters, commentators and audience must be reliably illuminated to meet the requirements of the international broadcast; on the other, the live audience requires a dedicated show presentation. The event begins with an opening show and continues with a broadcast production featuring races, interviews and hosting segments from different locations within the venue.
The simulators themselves presented a demanding lighting challenge. The drivers had to be visible to the cameras without being dazzled or distracted by moving lights during the race. The key light therefore had to be precisely controlled while simultaneously providing sufficient output for the camera image.
Paragon illuminates each driver with precision
The Paragon S fixtures were positioned above the simulators and at other key locations to illuminate each racing position individually. This ensured that the drivers and simulators were clearly defined in the camera shot while allowing the fixtures to be integrated into the show’s lighting looks.
The Paragon M units provided even front lighting and key light for the stage and awards ceremony. Thanks to their higher output, they were able to illuminate these areas uniformly, even from a greater distance.
I was genuinely surprised by the light output. Even with the Paragon S, it is substantial, not to mention the Paragon M and LT. Another very practical aspect is that the colour spectrum behaves identically across the different models. This makes colour matching easier, says Julian Siewertsen, designer and production operator at btl next.
Another advantage of the Paragon platform is its proprietary TruTone technology, which enables it to be precisely tailored to specific applications. The CRI can be adjusted up to 93, making it possible to balance maximum light output with the exceptional colour rendering quality required for camera work and illuminating people. Even greater precision is achieved through a fully indexing framing system with complete blackout capability, allowing the light beam to be shaped accurately.
KL Fresnel 8 FC and KL Panel complete the system
For other lighting tasks, APL used KL Fresnel 8 FC units and Elation’s KL Panel full-colour-spectrum LED soft lights. The KL Fresnel 8 FC fixtures were used as front lighting for the audience, ensuring that faces were visible during shots directed towards attendees. Thanks to their full-colour system, they could also be seamlessly integrated into the show’s colour schemes. The KL Panel fixtures were positioned at the central presenter location, producing a soft and even light.
For a production that moves between venues, the international availability of Elation equipment proved essential, as APL prefers to use fixtures that are readily available in the respective markets. The KL Fresnel 8 FC and KL Panel had already proven their effectiveness at events produced in Europe and North America.
APL, btl.xsports, LMP and Elation
APL was responsible for the production’s technical concept and coordinated the disciplines involved, including broadcast, infrastructure and racing simulators. The company also handled the set, lighting and sound design, as well as the operation and programming of the media servers. In addition, APL was responsible for selecting and operating the fixtures.
btl-xsports handled the technical implementation and support during the Milan stop. The sports brand of btl next GmbH has been working successfully for several years as one of the production’s technical partners in Europe. As the contracting agency, Austrian company Juli GmbH is responsible for the overall execution of the Gran Turismo World Series.
With the Paragon S and Paragon M, APL had two complementary fixture options within a scalable system capable of covering a wide variety of key-lighting distances. The high output, precision features and consistent colour spectrum across the different models enabled the drivers and stage to be effectively illuminated for the cameras while integrating the fixtures into the live production.
Photography: © Julian Siewertsen
