LIGHTING DESIGNER JOEY SADLER lip sync tracks a few weeks in advance of the show and spent a week or two pre-programming it for the GrandMA 2 Lite desk .
“ Shawn was running everything manually last year , but this year we ’ re actually going to timecode all of our runway tracks , which is really exciting for us because we get to sort of take that next step and get a lot more detailed with our timing and our cueing and programming and what we can pull off . Shawn was great last year and he ’ ll be with us again this year ,” Sadler tells PL & P as load-in was beginning for season two . He also makes a point of praising his business partner at Light + Dark and master electrician James Plouffe , who plays a big role in all the technical aspects of the show .
When coming up with his looks for the Runway shows , Sadler says that the only directive he was given by Executive Producer and Showrunner Mike Bickerton was that it should “ look big .”
“ He wanted it to look expensive and he wanted a lot of production , a lot of money , to be spent on the runway so that the lip sync numbers look really , really big . It was really important to him that it looked like a big event . So , we did spend a fair share of the budget in the Runway to make sure that it did look that way ,” Sadler says . “ That was sort of the direction on the first season . For the second season , there were some things that we all wanted that we just couldn ’ t afford last year . So , this year , we are able to beef up the runway a little bit . Hopefully everyone will notice that it ’ s getting a bit more production value added this year .”
When building his sets , Faragher says he held on to an important lesson from the first season of Big Brother Canada that has informed his lighting positions ever since . “ I always like to integrate it . I mean , with the runway , of course , it ’ s a runway , so you do see fixtures and we plan on seeing fixtures because of the nature of that space . In the other two spaces , I always like to really integrate the lighting into the set . It was something I learned after the first season of Big Brother where we just hung the lights in the house and then every time I would see it and think , ‘ Oh , that really doesn ’ t work .’ So , season two and moving forward , and we ’ re just finishing season nine [ of Big Brother Canada ], I ’ ve worked with the lighting designers for that show to build soft boxes and put things in place ,” he says . “ That was the same approach with Drag Race , where we were trying to integrate lighting into the set so that at least we have a base level of what was happening without being too obvious and seeing fixtures .”
And while lighting design obviously goes hand-in-hand with set design on any show or film , Sadler attests that Faragher is very respectful of the separate creative territories .
“ Pete ’ s really good . He might suggest some fixtures , or he might include some fixtures in his drawings that are suggestive of what he might see as being part of the look or the aesthetic of the Runway . But he doesn ’ t dictate how we ’ re meant to light the talent , or how to lay out our truss or what kind of fixture types we want to use . He ’ ll sort of do it in broad strokes , like , ‘ This might work here and this might work there .’”
From that point , Sadler takes those suggestions into consideration , adds his own thoughts and preferences , and then works with the producer while creating the renderings . “ So , that way we can provide [ the producer ] with what we ’ re actually thinking of doing and what fits within the budget and see if they like it . But as far as Pete goes , once he sends the design out , he doesn ’ t really influence lighting at all and we don ’ t really discuss much beyond his initial drawings , and then we kind of go in more of the direction that the producers are looking for .”
And that ’ s how Faragher likes it , because as he says , “ Lightning designers at that level
are pretty cool people and they ’ ve got some great ideas .” He adds : “ In that Werk Room set , I actually did draw fixtures into the set so that he would have an idea . And I said , ‘ Here ’ s my reason for having these back here . You can place it within a certain amount of space within that , but I want to see this happening above the set ,’ for instance . But , for the most part , it ’ s totally hands-off because I just feel that these people need to have their creative input … I think Joey is talented and he brings so much to the party that there ’ s no reason for me to handcuff him .”
Though lighting is his specialty and passion , when Sadler thinks back to working on season one of Canada ’ s Drag Race and beginning shooting on season two , it ’ s not the lighting that stands out to him about his time on the show . Rather , it ’ s the appreciation he has gained for this artform and culture he didn ’ t know much about before . “ I didn ’ t realize how much goes into drag , you know ?” he says to PL & P . “ If we just want to talk about the content of the show , like , they ’ re being judged on a lot of things . And even though it ’ s quite camp and it is funny and they ’ re quite sassy with each other , it ’ s really a fun show ! There ’ s a lot of skill that goes into what they ’ re doing and what makes a good drag queen , overall . Like , they have to be good at comedy , they have to be good at makeup , they have to be good in wardrobe , and there ’ s a lot of skill involved in the show . So , I give a lot of credit to the girls who build themselves up and really do well as drag queens .”
And credit goes to Sadler , Faragher , and their teams for making sure the queens are seen in the best light . On to season two and may the best drag queen win !
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Lighting & Production .
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