Hog 4 in control at Battiti Live

Founded in 2013, Battiti Live features a selection of leading Italian and international music artists. The annual event consists of a series of concerts held in various locations throughout the region of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot. Since 2017, lighting designer Massimo Pascucci, accompanied by programmer Davide Fusco, has created engaging and high impact shows, using the Hog family of lighting desks. Hog 4-18, was the primary console of choice for the 2021 edition, together with a Road Hog console for additional special effects.

From a technical point of view, there has always been a desire for Battiti Live to maintain a strong live impact. This remained the case even after leading Italian television channel Italia 1 first started transmitting the event in 2017, and broadcast needs became an important consideration.

Since he began working on Battiti Live in 2017, Davide Fusco has relied on Hog consoles to program and control the shows. "Battiti Live’s DoP and lighting designer, Massimo Pascucci, asked me to help achieve the aim of recreating a very ‘live’ reality that would appear less like a television broadcast, at least in some respects,” says Fusco.

“Every year, Massimo has added new technologies, increasing exponentially the quality of the live shows and – above all – the broadcast visuals,” adds Fusco. “Something made possible thanks to a production team that’s focused on innovation and always very collaborative."

This year's main show was characterized by projections of graphics and images on the walls of the Castello Aragonese in the coastal town of Otranto. “Based on Massimo’s concept, the intention was to present a stage where dynamism was king and where the usual beams were only a side dish, without being invasive or annoying,” says Fusco.

During the pre-production phase, Fusco worked closely with the ETC team in Rome. With their support, he was able to create an accurate virtual representation of the show in advance of rehearsals.

"Thanks to the availability of the ETC Italia team, who hosted me at their Rome office, I was able to recreate my set up,” says Fusco. “Pre-programming via the visualizer gave me a good basis before arriving on site.”

He adds, “This year, having dynamic LEDs for the entire stage, I used the pixel mapping capabilities of the Hog 4 massively. I must say that, despite the demands of the fixtures, the console performed very well – I had no problems at all."

Fusco, who has used various iterations of the Hog console over the years, is always keen to get his hands on the newest additions to the family. “I can’t wait to try whatever’s coming next. No doubt future advancements will mean Hog remains more than capable of handling increasingly complex demands with the ease and efficiency I’ve come to expect.”