Click here to play the commercial

Director: Ralf Scherenberg
Producer: Melissa Murphy
Producer: Ben Schneider
Lighting Designer: Matt Ardine
Best Boy Electric: Harold Lacuesta
LED Tech: Michael Beckman

Lighting gear provided by: Volt Lites

Desperados created a commercial in zero gravity to find the ultimate Bass Drop. This commercial featured a light show on the Zero G airplane that had to withstand the G forces associated with this famous plane. The plane does maneuvers that allow the passengers to have 24 seconds of no gravity.  Each flight has 15 of these moments.

A design using pixel tape was chosen for it’s low power, low weight, and small size.  Everything had to be safe for the dancers to bounce into. We scouted the plane 4 months before the shoot day because every plan of equipment selection, equipment securing, cabling, and power had to be approved in advance by the FAA. Previz videos were created using GrandMA2 3D so that everyone could approve the programming before we in flight.  The load in to the plane had to be done in 6 hours with a small crew. We did 4 flights over the course of 2 days and the results of a lighting show in a space that had no up or down was transcending.

All 48 strands of pixel tape in the ceiling were pixel mapped in the v4 of PRG Mbox.  The Mbox was controlled by GrandMA2.  The DJ booth had 8 strands of pixel tape that were controlled directly by GrandMA2 using fixture control and the new bitmap engine.  Also in the booth were a white light strip to light the logo and a RGB pad to light the DJ’s face. The console was operated live to the music by Matt Ardine with the console and Matt strapped to bolts in the floor.

Equipment

Lights

48 – GLP Pixel Tape 60/meter (in ceiling)
8 – GLP Pixel Tape 60/meter (in DJ booth)
1 – Litegear RGB x6 pad
1 – Litegear Literibbon x1 3200
1 – Litepanel 1×1 Bicolor

Control

1 – GrandMA2 Command Wing
1 – PRG Mbox V4
4 – GLP Scenex PP16
2 – Ratpac Cinetenna RX
1 – LumenRadio Transmitter
1 – 24 port gigabit switch