
NBC hosted a socially distanced Town Hall for presidential candidate Donald Trump in Miami, Florida on October 15, 2020. Senior Designer Niel Galen led the design team, which included Lighting Designer Dan Rousseau, Gaffer Eric Kasprisin, and Best Boy Sean Linehan. LDG’s lighting design illuminated the east patio of the Perez Art Museum Miami with scenic Miami Bay and MacArthur Causeway serving as a soft backdrop. The stunning outdoor patio with its asymmetrical concrete pillars was accented with decorative hanging planters creating a handsome stage on which to focus on President Trump and Savanah Guthrie.
The dynamics of the outdoor space presented a challenge for all departments. Southern Florida has strong winds and sudden downpours and the majority of the lighting equipment was not weather rated. The asymmetrical concrete pillars and 30ft high planters suspended from the roof of the east patio presented obstacles for lighting the stage. Instead, they were incorporated into the design and became a canvas on which to introduce color. Commendations to our design team for working through the unusual design challenges to create a beautiful production.