Benoit Richard
Lighting Designer
Influenced by the British progressive scene and inspired by working with some of the top LDs in our industry, Benoit Richard’s journey has been multifaceted from lighting classic acts like George Michael, YES, Metallica and Matchbox Twenty to serving on the set lighting crew for major motion pictures.
Meet Benoit
What have you filled your summer with so far?
After designing a tour for Rob Thomas (the singer for Matchbox Twenty), I have been quite blessed to work on the sequel to the original Ghostbusters movie franchise.
You’re a member of IATSE Local 728 in Hollywood and have worked on several motion pictures – Captain Marvel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Iron Man 3 and Tomorrowland to name a few. What’s been your role on these films?
On a motion picture, the Cinematographer (aka the Director Of Photography) is the Lighting Designer and the Chief Lighting Technician (aka the Gaffer) is essentially the Lighting Director. So my place on the proverbial totem pole is quite different because I am the set lighting programmer. That said, most DP's and Gaffer's rely on my years of experience in the live concert industry to help them choose the right products for any given scene in a movie that might require specialized lighting.
They also trust my timing when we have interactive lighting cues that will be captured on camera and embellished by the visual effects masters in post production. It's a totally different experience for me but it has also improved my knowledge of how to light for the camera and for live shows. The set lighting programmer’s role on a motion picture has become extremely important over the past 15 years. All of our sets are networked with sACN and it’s quite common to use between 16 and 100 universes to feed hundreds, if not thousands of fixtures, all under my control.
You grew up in Canada and started your lighting career there. Have your Canadian roots shaped your approach to lighting in any way?
Not necessarily. My love of progressive music has shaped many theories on how to light a live show so I would say that the British progressive scene had more influences on me than what I experienced in Canada, except of course for RUSH who will always be the best 3 piece band that ever existed!
I read that you started in this industry as a musician (I read ‘magician’ in one article as well). Is that still an interest?
Even though I have perfect pitch, I could never master a musical instrument and that was very frustrating until I discovered that I could play lights! The magician background from my childhood has also helped me in the creative phase of my live designs when it comes to finding cool ways to surprise and mystify the audience during a show.
Did you have that seminal moment when you knew lighting was for you?
I went to see KISS at the Montreal Forum on January 13th, 1983. I was 14 years old. Then a few years later I watched the Genesis Mama Tour on VHS. I was hooked!
I imagine being a fan of a band’s music helps when designing lighting for the act. Has that been a prerequisite for the acts you’ve designed for?
I have been very lucky in terms of how many different styles of music I came across during my touring career. I started working with a Genesis tribute band in Toronto and then with Canadian classic rock icons April Wine. Then it was Metallica, which exposed me to the best metal band in the world. Becoming the Lighting Director and Designer for YES brought me back to my progressive music roots. Then it was a match made in heaven for me to design and play with Dream Theater. I also couldn't have asked for a better pop band by joining the Matchbox Twenty camp in 2000 which eventually led to the best touring experience of my life with George Michael from 2006 to 2012.
Is there an experience or two that you’ve been a part of that sticks out most in your mind?
I really miss George Michael. He was an amazing artist with a golden voice and he was so awesome to work with on his 25Live & Symphonica tours. Watching him command the stage every night was so incredibly rewarding. He left us too soon and the world is a lot smaller without his presence.
A successful lighting designer needs to have both a technical and artistic side. What percentage would you place on each?
I think in this day and age, it has to be 50/50. I am part of the generation of lighting designers who can program for themselves so I have always kept up to speed on emerging technologies. I cherish my time at High End Systems in the mid-nineties when I was part of the programming team and had a chance to work with their R&D Department. Seeing how moving lights and consoles were developed and tested through the Alpha & Beta phases was a great learning experience. As for the artistic side, I feel that it comes naturally when I tap into the creative universal flow of a band's musical repertoire.
Do you have your own lighting design style? What LDs have influenced you?
I have definitely been inspired by top lighting designers that I admired early in my career and also had the chance to work with at some point over the years. My style is a tribute to some of the great LD's like Tom Littrell & Alan Owen (Genesis), Howard Ungerleider (Rush), John Broderick (Metallica), Chas Herington (Dire Straits, Steve Miller Band), Marc Brickman (Pink Floyd, Genesis, Kitaro, Matchbox Twenty). I would hope that all of them would smile if they saw one of my shows because they taught me so much when I was coming up through the ranks and I will never forget their tips and tricks.
Video and lighting are two complementary aspects of a design. How do you know when you have the right balance?
I was there in the mid to late 90's when the convergence between lighting and video happened.
On a Dream Theater tour in 2002, I was triggering lighting, video playback & cameras from a Hog 2! The biggest hurdle, of course, is the budget. You spend too much on one and the other suffers and vice versa. Some bands like to have both elements and some Artists know that it's better to invest in a killer light show without any video screens on stage. The advent of multi cell and/or fixture array pixel mapping has opened up a totally new world to deliver stunning imagery during a live concert. The power of a lighting console, like the Whole Hog 4, helps that process come together and that's very exciting for me to know that all the timing and cueing can come from the same source.
What’s the hardest part for you of the lighting design process? How do you deal with that?
Convincing everyone that my crazy ideas will work is always a fun challenge but I think the hardest part of designing in this decade is related to how certain tours are booked in different venue sizes. The disparity is shocking! I guess it's related to the overall economy but I'm not impressed that some artists have to play in arenas, outdoor amphitheaters, indoor theaters and clubs on the same tour! You end up with a B, C, D, E and Z version of the original design, which sometimes leaves a lot of gear on the trucks. On one of my recent tours, we came up with the “Y” rig which meant “Why Are We Playing Here???”.
You often use some of the newest lighting technologies in your designs. Why is that and is that a conscious decision?
I am pretty sure that all lighting designers look at their calendar every year and circle the Frankfurt, London and Las Vegas trade shows to see what will come out next. My goal has always been to make sure that my artists are not cornered into using 10-year-old technology on their next tour so I was quite proud to design Rob Thomas' “Chip Tooth Tour” with brand new fixtures from Elation Professional this year.
You use the new Proteus Rayzor 760™ on that tour. Why did you choose to use it and what opportunities did it open up?
When I saw the demo for this new fixture, it immediately inspired me because of a particular song in Rob's repertoire called “Her Diamonds”. It's not easy to program a 2-hour show with the self-imposed mission to never repeat the same gags more than once. The Rayzor 760 was the perfect type of moving light to use on that design because it is so versatile and you can make the same light look quite different during the whole show.
Is there another Elation light that you’d like to get your hands on?
I really wish that the Proteus Maximus would have been ready for Rob's tour but that was just a case of the timings not lining up. Perhaps I will have a chance to play with it in 2020!
You’re not out on tour as much as you were earlier in your career.
Is there anything about the on-the-road life that you miss?
Calling house lights and hearing the crowd roar!
If your daughter was interested in following in your footsteps, would you encourage her?
Of course I would definitely support her. My profession has enabled me to travel around the world and discover many different cultures and it would be awesome for her to experience that too.
What’s something about Benoit Richard that people might find surprising?
I have a Boeing 757 Flight Simulator in our home studio! And I have also saved 6 cats in the past 10 years.
