“Creativity takes courage”, said Matisse. And although the artist was right, today bringing a creative vision to life depends not only on talent: in a technology-driven environment, it also requires a strong capacity for collaboration.
The almost mysterious space where creative collaborators come together is at the heart of La CoLAB, a popular live-format program on France 3 TV in which different musicians collaborate and reinterpret songs together on a stage resembling a recording studio. The interactions between artists are both insightful and immersive, becoming even more dramatic thanks to a lighting design that adds greater depth and texture to the set.
Cyrille Dupont, also known as “6sou”, responsible for the lighting and scenography of La CoLAB, runs the program using a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console.
I work on the project alongside Groupe B Live, where I am project manager. We are responsible for providing and operating the lighting, sound and media servers. We have been involved since the first season, so this is our fourth year working with the program’s creator, Couac Productions, he explains.
Dupont and his team build the lighting design around the idea of defining the space through the lighting fixtures themselves. One of the key visual elements on the set is the large X in the background and the diamond-shaped outline framing the area.
“We use MagicHD software in this design”, he says. “It is available free of charge and runs very efficiently. I send media content with multiple layers, usually up to eight. For some fixtures I use the console’s Pixel Mapper. I have fewer than 1,000 pixels to control, so the integrated pixel mapper in my ChamSys is more than enough. It also means I do not need to add another media server”.
A ChamSys user since 2014, Dupont values the console’s fast reprogramming capabilities and its pixel mapper.
Even when I first started working with ChamSys, those features already stood out for their power. Since 2014, all my tours have been carried out using this platform, which continues to attract new and younger users thanks to its clear and intuitive interface. In addition, since the software is free, it allows you to prepare a large part of the work without investing in a lot of hardware. For example, to test my patch, I only need to connect an Ethernet cable from my computer to the network. Everything is very well organised and the interface fits onto a single screen, he says.
While working on La CoLAB, Dupont believes his MQ500 provides significant time savings.
“What I appreciate about the logic of the MQ500, and the MagicQ consoles since they share the same core, is the way Cues and Cue Lists are managed”, he notes. “With limited programming time, the ability to work quickly when updating Cues, inserting or removing them and adjusting their settings is very useful in a project like ‘La CoLAB’. I have an hour and a half, maybe two, during soundchecks and rehearsals, and that is the only time I have to program the show. Independent Timings are one of my favourite tools for creating layered transitions without needing multiple cues. I also enjoy using BPM for effects and when busking”.
In addition to highlighting the efficiency of his console, Dupont believes La CoLAB runs so smoothly thanks to the work of his dedicated and talented colleagues: Hugo Bachelet (Operations Manager/Set Design and Director of Photography); Clément Pelzer (Director); Matthieu Yakovleff (Music Programming and Director); Nastasia Paccagnini (Host); Toky Rakotoson (Sound Technician); Alvin Hédin (Lighting Assistant); Benjamin Fleury (Sound Assistant); and Yann Bramoullé (Stage Management).
Collaboration is undoubtedly the key at La CoLAB, not only for the artists on stage, but also for the entire team behind the scenes.
