The pressure was on. The event, known as “Gospel Music’s Biggest Night,” was to be broadcast on the UP TV (‘Uplifting Entertainment’) Network which highlights Gospel Music and 150 stations around the U.S.

To dazzle the live audience as well as the TV cameras, the Hendersonville, Tennessee-based production designer needed a fast, high powered, multipurpose fixture.

“I needed a dependable fixture for hard-edge graphic effects in the audience shots,” Carver explained, and the Pointes fitted the spec! This was the first time Carver had used Robe’s Pointes in one of his designs – and it was a great success.

He positioned the 14 x Pointes on two center FOH trusses, which allowed him to direct the beams and gobos out over the audience.

Describing favorite features, he said, “I really like the Pointes’ gobo selection and its ability to zoom both tight and wide.”

Programmers Susan Rose and Carter Fulghum helped Carver achieve the colors, beam looks and effects he envisioned for the design.

Rose elaborated a bit more, saying, “The Pointes were used as eye candy. I made various visual positions with them to fill the arena and they looked good on camera.”

Rose was familiar with the Pointes, having used them previously with LD Victor Fable on a Keith Urban TV shoot - again as eye candy for the camera and audience.

“I liked using them for the extreme parallel beam look,” she said, pointing out her favorite features. “I also liked putting the prism in to give it even more depth and dimension and different looks.”

The prism can create multiple wide-reaching effects - just what was required of the audience lighting - in multiple dimensions. There are several prism options: an eight-facet circular prism or a six-facet linear prism, both of which also rotate in both directions at different speeds.

“The zoom feature was nice and allowed me to also vary the different size beams,” Rose added.

Carver thanks programmers Susan Rose and Carter Fulghum, LD/Gaffer Jeff Gregson, Project Manager Don Lockridge, and techs Adam McIntosh and Andy French for a “well planned and well executed” show.

Daytime Emmy Award-winner Sherri Shepherd and comedian/ radio show personality Rickey Smiley hosted the show for producer Central City Productions of Chicago. Performances included Hezekiah Walker, Donald Lawrence, Shirley Ceasar, Erica Campbell, Anthony Brown & Group Therapy, Isaac Carree, The Winans Brothers, and Tasha Cobbs, among others.