We are incredibly proud that the Lightswitch team, including Co-Lighting Designers Hailey Featherstone and John Featherstone, Lighting Programmer Chris Herman, and FOH/Robospot Caller Zachary Borovay, relied on Depence to pre-visualize the epic Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level tour.
In our latest interview, Hailey shared how Depence became an essential part of the creative process behind one of the most ambitious touring productions currently on the road.
Unlike previous Hans Zimmer productions, which placed a stronger focus on orchestral arrangements, The Next Level dives deep into the electronic side of Zimmer’s legendary catalog. The show explores the origins of his career and creates a more intimate connection between the music, the performers, and the symbolism woven throughout his work.
With production schedules becoming increasingly compressed, the team spent three weeks pre-programming the entire show in Depence before ever stepping into a venue. This allowed them to refine creative ideas, develop cues, and build confidence in the production long before load-in.
The scale of the production is reflected in an impressive lighting system featuring 10 ROBE iForte, 52 ROBE iForte LTX, 14 ROBE iForte LTX FS, 176 ROBE Esprite LTL, 29 ROBE MegaPointe, 88 Martin MAC One, 144 ACME Tornado IP, 43 ROBE Tetra2, 62 GLP JDC1, 32 Martin VDO Sceptron XB 1000 mm, and 64 Martin VDO Sceptron ABS 320 mm fixtures. Atmospheric effects are provided by four MDG The One Touring and four MDG Me2 hazers, while control is handled via two MA Lighting grandMA3 full-size consoles and one grandMA3 lite.
One of the key reasons the team relied so heavily on Depence was the confidence provided by its realism. Accurate beams, colors, gobos, and fixture behavior allowed the virtual environment to closely reflect what would ultimately happen on stage. The level of realism gave the team the confidence to make design decisions long before load-in and treat the visualization as a trusted extension of the real production.
The renders became such an integral part of the design process that Lightswitch was even able to share Depence renders directly with Hans Zimmer himself, gathering detailed feedback while the show was still being developed.
Hailey also highlighted how seamlessly Depence integrates into their workflow:
"It makes it incredibly efficient to translate real-life, on-site changes back into the 3D model in a reasonable amount of time, seamlessly bridging the gap when you need to execute a high-caliber show but have limited time in the actual room."
When asked to summarize Depence in just three words, the answer was simple:
Accurate. Efficient. Indispensable.
