Lighting Design for the Red Bull BC One World Final 2018

The Red Bull BC One World Final took place at Zurich’s Hallenstadion on 29 September 2018. Around 5,500 spectators attended the live event, turning the arena into a major gathering place for the international breaking scene.

Commissioned by the Swiss agency Jeff, I developed the Lighting Design for the 360 degree arena stage, which was realised in this configuration at the Hallenstadion for the first time.

For me, the central challenge was to support the arena’s 360-degree character while creating reliable camera images from every direction. As the audience formed the background in many of the shots, it had to become an essential part of the lighting design.

A continuous outer truss ring supported LED wash lights that provided powerful backlight for the audience. Additional spotlights positioned on the ring could be used as effects extending across the space, making the full arena visible within the lighting design.

Twelve PRG GroundControl remote follow systems enabled precise tracking of the dancers during the battles, the jury and the different presenter positions among the audience. Wherever the building conditions allowed, I also incorporated Portman P1 and Portman P2 fixtures as camera-visible accents within the design.

On site, I worked as DoP and managed the Lighting Operating together with my team.

The international live broadcast was recorded with 13 cameras in 4K. This included a Phantom Flex 4K for slow motion footage at up to 500 frames per second.