Costa Rica. Teletica Canal 7 is a private Costa Rican television channel that was the first television station in Costa Rica in 1958. Although the station produces a variety of popular programs for the Costa Rican market, they have been operating for years using a mix of lighting fixtures and rented equipment. To improve, the Elation Professional automatic luminaires were chosen as part of an ongoing lighting renovation.
With four or five different productions a year to attend, most of which last a period of three months, Channel 7 lighting manager Alejandro Alvarez has many roles to play. During the recent lighting installation, Alvarez and his team handled the stage assembly, including the design and assembly of the lighting and smart moving heads, as well as the configuration and mapping of videos, LED screens, and projectors. It's also behind the lighting console when many of the station's most popular shows are on the air.
With the budgets to face, lighting renovation is occurring in stages. "The idea is to change all the equipment little by little," Alvarez said of the lighting system upgrade. "First, we were looking for a company that could support us during this update, a company that could help us with technical information and support, such as spare parts, for example. I'm an electronic technician, so for me support is the most important thing. Secondly, I needed a light with a great mix of colors and a large aperture that could be used at a short distance because the sets are 6.3 meters high. I found this in Platinum Seven and Platinum FLX."
New additions to the equipment include 10 Platinum Seven LED-based moving heads used for backlight wash with its 19x 25W LED face also providing excellent effect light on stage. According to Alvarez, powerful wash lights with its 7-color multi-chip LED motor have eliminated the need for Fresnel backlighting.
Six multifunctional Platinum FLX moving heads provide a stage look and graphical effects on the floor. Its large aperture is especially useful because of the game's low cutting height, says Alvarez, who uses the hybrid lights in spot and beam mode. Elation Flex Pixel Tape is incorporated into the set for a scenographic effect and is even used to simulate an LED display at times. For an easier way to create images, Alvarez uses Elation EZ Kling interfaces for pixel mapping control.
Currently in its third production of the year, the new Elation lighting equipment was installed over a two-week period last spring and is used in popular shows such as "Tu Cara Me Suena" and "Dancing with the Stars Costa Rica."
Carlos Vargas Segura of Grupo Iliaco, Elation's partner in Costa Rica, was the one who gave the station all the support they need, as well as John Lopez at Elation. He also acknowledges that his team consists of John Gutiérrez (first lighting technician), Hugo Calderón (second lighting technician), Benito Méndez (third lighting technician), Rafael Guzmán (video technician) and Julio Cerdas (lighting assistant).
