Robe on Reazione A Catena, Italian TV Game Show

Over 90 Robe moving lights including the new ROBIN 600 LEDWash, are the core lighting fixtures being used on the new series of Reazione A Catena (Chain Reaction), a popular Italian game show based on contestants finding hidden words, which is being recorded at C Cinecittà Studios in Rome for RAI TV. Lighting is designed by Massimo Castrichella, who has a 33-year track record with the country's top TV channel.

The set is based around a completely spherical auditorium with a small stage and curved seating. The studio walls are white and therefore ideal for coloration and gobo projections from the lighting, and a series of curved ribbon like LED surfaces are threaded around the space. The lighting is rigged on three circular overhead trusses measuring 16.5', 33', and 49' respectively, and on about 295' of linear truss also in the roof.

The rig includes 40 LEDWash 600s -- a first-time use for Castrichella along with 18 ROBIN 600 Beams, which are positioned on the floor onstage behind the contestants, and utilized for very intense beam looks and wide-angle camera candy.

For general and task lighting, 36 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs are hung at the back and around the sides of the studio. Also used are four Robe Haze 400 FT machines for atmospheric enhancement. In addition, the designer employs moving lights from other manufacturers and large areas of GLUX 10 and 6mm pitch LED screens at his disposal.

Castrichella has been using Robe products for about seven years; he calls the ROBIN 600 Beam is "the best beam luminaire" on the market at the moment. He is equally as enthusiastic about the LEDWash 600. "There is absolutely nothing like it," he says, praising the intensity, quality of light, color range, and smooth color mixing as well as the zoom.

On last year's series, he used ColorWash 1200E ATs, which this year have been replaced by the LEDWashes "They draw about half the power, but give me almost the same light output," he says.

The LEDWashes are stationed on the rear trusses and point forward towards the stage, washing the back and side walls. He's also making the most of the units' range of true whites to replace some of the conventional studio white lights.

It's the sixth series of Reazione A Catena that he has lit, and he comments that it's been easy to keep the lighting aesthetics looking different and interesting each time using Robes.

On the 2011 series, he's working with two lighting operators -- Quintino Caci (moving lights) and Maurizio Ranaldi (catalyst media servers playing out content to all the LED surfaces) -- who are both running Compulite Vector Blue consoles.

The Robe units have been supplied by Rome-based rental house PR Electronic, one of the biggest Robe stockholders in Italy, which has been supplied through Robe's Italian distributor, Robe Multimedia.

PR's Roberto Presutti has over 80 LEDWash 600 at the moment, which, he says, are constantly out working, and will soon be adding more. "Already they are a hugely popular rental item and an ideal one -- we don't want them sitting in the warehouse," he says, adding that there is a great interest from TV LDs, especially those working in the light entertainment sector.