Challenge

A major 2026 football event is currently taking place across North America, and British public broadcast network ITV is presenting the tournament live from a striking rooftop studio space in New York City. Lighting directors Chris Hollier and Andy Cottey, working alongside ITV Sport Executive Director and Producer Paul McNamara, have been working on the project with ITV Sport for two years. During scouting, one location immediately stood out for its perfect view overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline. The view won the team over, but the complications were imposing: Hollier knew they would need to build the studio three meters above the roof to capture those views. “We worked out exactly how high the floor needed to be to get the Statue of Liberty over the presenter’s shoulder, and then, the other way, get the headlights on the Brooklyn Bridge.”

The height of the studio meant a number of additional safety precautions were put in place. Truss-mounted fixtures could only be adjusted by physically building a scaffold up to them, and the studio couldn’t be sealed from the elements. Hollier says, "We're at the mercy of the sun, the wind, and the rain. Part of the studio is fully exposed, and we have to leave it open overnight because of the wind rating of the structure. That meant choosing the correct fixture for this project was paramount. It's broadcast-critical. If our lights fail, 15 million people see it. You have to trust that the fixtures are going to stand up to everything you throw at them."

Solution

Hollier used 25 Aputure NOVA II 2x1 panels to establish the ambient brightness in the studio. The weather-resistant build of the NOVA II was a necessity for the exposed studio, and its versatility allowed the same fixtures to fulfill multiple roles, depending on which space was being used. "The IP rating immediately ruled out a lot of other fixtures we'd previously used.” Hollier adds, "We needed a soft wrap of light around the presenters, enough punch to compete with direct sunlight, and the ability to evenly light the green screen without creating shadows on the cyc. At the other end of the day we needed to dim those lights right down while still maintaining colour and quality. [The NOVA II] was a godsend for us."

The QuickClip modifier system also helped alleviate the team’s difficulty accessing the fixtures in the light grid. “We’re on the 12th floor, and we have an open window, which requires people to be clipped on with harnesses if they go up to the grid,” Hollier says. "Once the [NOVA II] was set, we could change modifiers without having to refocus it. Working in a windy environment at that height, that proved invaluable.

INFINIBARs were used on camera to integrate the physical set into the broadcast composite. "We weren't getting enough punch out of the LED integrated into the scenic elements. The INFINIBARs gave us practical light that matched what had been designed in the virtual world, creating a much more believable blend between the real and virtual environments."

A second green room studio space was lit more traditionally with the Aputure LS 600x Pro, STORM 80cs, and movers. When weather made filming on the rooftop impractical, the green room became a reliable backup.

Results

As of the time of writing, the tournament is in the knockout round, with over 90 matches played so far. ITV’s first week of coverage brought in the highest UK TV audience of the year for England’s victory in Dallas, and ratings have been consistently high after.

For Hollier, he’s happy the team was able to pull off such a complex rig. "I think the fact that we can now achieve this level of output from an all LED rig is a big thing. And [the NOVA II 2x1s] gave us exactly what we wanted. They've lived up to our expectations in terms of brightness, quality of light, and reliability. We couldn't have asked for more from them."

As the tournament continues, the team continues to make adjustments and adapt to the unique space. "We were doing things that had never really been done before," says Hollier. "We had shots moving from a very bright outdoor environment into the shade whilst keying presenters on a greenscreen being hit by direct sunlit. They didn't know how the tracking sensors would react, whether rain would affect them, or how all these environmental elements would work together. We did as much testing as we could, but it wasn't a given that everything would simply work when we arrived. We will keep tweaking right up to the end, and there’s always things that we can learn.”