4Wall Transforms TD Garden for 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

	"Skaters told us directly how these enhancements boosted their focus and performance levels," notes Clyve.

The 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Boston, Massachusetts-based TD Garden marked a milestone in figure skating production, as lighting designer Scott Clyve partnered with 4Wall Boston to deliver a full suite of lighting, rigging, truss, FX, and comms solutions that redefined the event's visual atmosphere.

Clyve spearheaded the approach, contrasting sharply with traditional high-intensity figure skating lighting designs, which historically resembled operating-room style lighting. "The ISU wanted to move beyond the typical sterile feel," Clyve explains. "We reduced the ice-level brightness from the traditional 160 foot-candles to around 90 foot-candles, introducing a subtle blue wash over the audience. This created a much more intimate atmosphere while still meeting technical requirements for broadcast slow-motion cameras."

ROBE BMFL Blades and Robe MegaPointes ensured consistent illumination across the ice, while Arri SkyPanels, Chroma-Q Color Force IIs, Astera AX5 and AX7s and Astra Litemats were utilized in event and broadcast areas.

Fan interaction was enhanced through flexible and dynamic lighting arrangements, supporting unique event elements such as roaming audience games, trivia segments, and live athlete interviews. "The audience became an integral part of the event experience," says Clyve. "The hosts' interactions from the Kiss and Cry area fostered a deeper connection between the audience and the sport."

Athlete introductions were also elevated through the coordinated use of lighting, music, and video. "The upgraded production values energized the athletes significantly," notes Clyve. "Skaters told us directly how these enhancements boosted their focus and performance levels."

The intensive event schedule posed significant challenges, as Clyve explains: "In venue, we had about 12 hours to get competition, memorials, special moments, skater entrances, and the closing exhibition cued. With the venue in use from 6am to 11pm daily, there was minimal time for in-arena programming. We drafted a full-scale model of TD Garden and leveraged 4Wall's PreViz suite to pre-cue a substantial portion of the show. This approach saved immense amounts of time and allowed for a smoother transition once we were onsite."

Reflecting on the production process, Clyve shares, "Mike Barczys and Trevor Bates worked tirelessly to help get this show on its feet! Mike was a saint in helping us breakdown gear by different areas so that different producers could be billed. It was a tedious proposition. Trevor did an amazing job of getting the show put together from a hang and rigging position. The gear went in flawlessly and on the schedule we talked about, all while changes came at us from every angle. A special shout-out to my broadcast gaffer Andrew Oosterbroek for his tireless hard work and knowledge in getting the backstage broadcast areas set up and working with me to get the NBC broadcast platform looking great."

Mike Barczys from 4Wall remarks, "We have a long-standing collaboration with Scott Clyve across various projects. His detailed communication throughout every phase of production allows us to precisely meet his design needs and provide tailored solutions."