Brazilian rental company LPL supplied over 150 Robe moving lights, including BMFL
WashBeams, to the 2017 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitationals (MSI)
competition, staged in the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janiero (formally the Rio Olympic
Arena).
Produced by LoL developers, Riot Games professional regional champions from Asia,
North America and Europe met in Brazil and battled “live’ to win large numbers of
points counting towards the 2017 World Championship title, for this hugely popular e-
sport phenomena.
The 15-day group/knockout games and their finals in Rio was one of two LoL MSI
events hosted in Brazil. The tournament featured five team players per game and an
eye-catching production including giant LED screens, dramatic lighting and a lot of
audience interaction. The event was opened and closed with colourful and vibrant
ceremonies explained LPL’s Caio Bertti, who project managed the lighting elements for
Riot Games.
The production lighting was designed by Arnold Serame of LA-based Serame Design
and directed on site by Mathew Stovall.
LPL is one of the top rental companies in Brazil. Their relationship with LoL includes
previous national events for which they were initially hired by a local agency. Erich
Bertti (Caio’s brother) coordinated all the lighting requirements for these, and suitably
impressed the Riot Games team, resulting in LPL handling much of their subsequent
work in the region.
LPL has invested steadily in Robe over the past ten years, and now has a stock of
nearly 600 fixtures – some of which were supplied for the event to meet Arnold’s
specification for a strong light source with shuttering.
The event was staged in the round, so high-powered long-throw fixtures were needed
all around the space for impact, and Robe’s BMFL WashBeams proved a perfect
solution.
A whole network of trusses was installed in the venue’s roof and used to provide near,
mid and far lighting positions for stage and audience areas.
Sixty-two were deployed along four perimeter trusses – 34 fixtures along the two long
sides and 28 along the two short sides of the arena. These provided general audience
lighting as well as hitting the stage from up to 44 metres distance.
Another ten BMFL WashBeams were rigged on two trusses approximately 38 metres
away from the stage.
The other 24 x BMFL WashBeams were deployed on the floor and used for hi-impact,
aerial effects all ramping up the energy and excitement in the room.
The BMFLs were augmented by 54 x Robe ColourSpot 2500, Robe’s first generation
high-powered moving lights, which are still going strong. Here they provided excellent
support illumination rigged on all the surrounding trusses.
In addition to the BMFLs and the ColorWash 2500E ATs, the rig contained a number of
other lighting fixtures including LED washes, beam moving lights, LED strobes and
generics, all controlled by a grandMA2 full-size console operated by Matt Duvall.
“The BMFL WashBeam was once again a perfect tool’ stated Caio, adding that he
really “loves’ these fixtures. Based on his extensive experience with them, he knew
they would be a reliable core choice for this lighting rig, which was used for seven full-
on LoL competition sessions, over a 15 day period.
Caio, an LD in his own right, thinks that Robe is “a manufacturer at the top of its
game right now,’ and is very excited to see what new products the company will
reveal in the coming months.
