Jacob VanVlymen has created the Easter lighting display for the 7,000-member Fairhaven Church in Centerville, Ohio with Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures, purchased from Mankin Media.
Deeply saturated reds, blues, and purples from Jacob’s nine Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures have dominated the palette. To lend depth and a sense of solemnity to his design, he has added texture to the colourised stage through gobos and by overlaying different hues.
Jacob enhanced the impact of this intense palette by departing from it at key points during the Maundy service. “Sometimes the best way to accentuate an effect is to take it away for brief period,” he said. “As choruses and bridges of songs built during the Maundy service, I went with the flow and reduced the saturation level to create really powerful moments. I even went white on occasion, which was impactful. I think it’s important to feel out the room in the moment and vary the colour scheme.”
Jacob had seven Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures on a grid 27’ above the stage deck. “They have the output and wide zoom to cover the stage without making it look small, so they gave me beautiful saturated washes on Thursday. Then on Sunday, I was able to have the Rogues whip around with their zoom all the way in, so I could create some nice beams.”
The wide zoom range of the Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures was especially important to Jacob, given the dimensions of this church’s stage. “Fairhaven Church has two satellite campuses that receive broadcasts from the main location,” he said.
“However, the main location wasn’t built with large-scale productions in mind. It has an extremely wide 75-inch stage deck, which, along with the 35-inch shallow curved depth of the deck, creates some unique design challenges. The deck is deepest in the centre, then it tapers off on the sides. We have some tight restrictions when it comes to getting light in the eyes of the audience. This is one reason why I love the Rogues and their zooming capabilities.”
