Veteran lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, principal of Visual Terrain, Incorporated, has received his first Prime Time Emmy Award for his work on the HBO special, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, marking the first time a Springsteen concert was on TV. The award, for Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-camera, for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special) was presented at the 2001 Emmy Awards Presentation for the Creative Arts on Sept. 8 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
The Springsteen special was shot in high-definition format during his 10 record-setting, sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York last summer. The concert wrapped up Springsteen1s 1999-2000 world tour, and first aired on HBO in April 2001.
"The Springsteen show was one of the most exciting to work on," Ravitz said. "Bruce sets the tone with a performance full of strength, emotion, personal reflection and incredible showmanship. My mission was to reflect all of that in the lighting, to be true to Bruce's expression, and yet guarantee a show that maintained the best television broadcast standards."
Ravitz is also known for his broadcast and show lighting for ice show specials featuring stars such as Kristi Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski, studio telecasts such as The Christopher Lowell Show on Discovery Channel, and many other concert television specials, including The Go-Go1s Live From Central Park on VH1, and the Godsmack concert on MTV's All Access and MTV2. Recent shoots for DVD release and future broadcasts include Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band and The Monkees.
