David Lee Lights Up Madison Square Garden For One Direction

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Expectations for One Direction’s December 2012 concert in New York City ran high since it was the group’s first big foray into the U.S. market. The British company Production North hired Lee to tackle the lighting design. Tapping into his dance music history, he envisioned multiple ways to invigorate the show. It was just a matter of making it a reality. Along the way, Lee faced two challenges. First, the production team tasked Lee with designing the light set around an 80’x30’ video screen that could be installed into Madison Square Garden in just one day, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Second, the timeline of the entire project was quick. Lee had only three weeks until show time to execute a plan. Undaunted, Lee knew how to face these challenges, beginning with his flexible approach to clients. “You need to be fluid because elements in entertainment design change all the time—from schedules and artists’ requests, to spatial constraints, and to the equipment that needs to be featured,” says Lee. Consequently, designers need to think far beyond the proverbial box, keeping in mind that there is always a solution. “Nothing is impossible, and everything is achievable in some way, shape, or form,” says Lee. “I hear so many times people with negative views about why a show producer can’t have this or that.” But rather than choosing to focus on why a show producer can’t have certain things, he works to find that solution. “There is always a way—even if it entails meeting halfway or making slight compromises,” he says.

David Lee is a British-born lighting designer who has made a significant impact in the entertainment industry. His journey began in Liverpool, England, where he first learned about CAD software for a technical drawing class at New Heys Comprehensive School in the late 1980s. Lee's career path took a turn during his college years when he became fascinated with the lighting in nightclubs. He taught himself how to create lighting sets for various nightclub shows, eventually founding his own firm, Lightscape Design, Ltd., in the early 1990s. Lee's contemporary designs are influenced by his early days amid pulsating dance music, and he has worked with notable artists such as Westlife, Olly Murs, JLS, Lemar, and Swedish House Mafia. His work for One Direction's first headlining show at New York's Madison Square Garden is a testament to his expertise and creativity in lighting design.

Lee relied on Vectorworks® Spotlight software, the industry standard for entertainment design, to tackle the challenges of the One Direction concert. The platform enabled Lee and all stakeholders—the clients and production team—to get an accurate visual of his overall plan. Lee also wanted to reassure the production team that everything would fit well by providing highly accurate measurements. Then, he solved the challenging time constraint, giving the production team the necessary paperwork, generated right inside the Vectorworks program, so they could schedule out proper installation times. According to Lee, the stage dimensions of many shows can grow large quickly. At Madison Square Gardens, the top of the screen was several stories high. Lee, therefore, carefully reviewed all measurements on his CAD design’s front views to make sure that the items on the stage didn’t look disproportional or too far removed from each other and that the audience’s sight lines wouldn’t be compromised. Lee adds that the screen dominated much of the canvas he wished to design a lighting system around. This fact, coupled with the time constraints for setup, forced a design that was simple to put together, quick to install, and, most importantly, provided the best look for the show. Consequently, Lee’s fixture selection became critical. “I chose fixtures that were compact, yet powerful, so that you didn’t see a big junkyard of moving lights hanging from the roof, but instead saw light beams against the backdrop of the big screen.”

• Lee's flexible approach to clients and his ability to adapt to changing elements in entertainment design were crucial in overcoming the challenges faced during the One Direction concert.
• The use of Vectorworks® Spotlight software allowed for accurate visual planning and highly precise measurements, ensuring that everything fit well and the audience's sight lines were not compromised.
• Lee's careful fixture selection ensured that the lighting design was simple to put together, quick to install, and provided the best look for the show.

• The lighting set around an 80’x30’ video screen was installed in just one day, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• Lee had only three weeks to execute the entire lighting design plan for the One Direction concert.