Kernwer Set Technology Gets Super Revamp in New Orleans

Patrick Santini, president of Kernwer

Patrick Santini, president of Kernwer

Three years ago Patrick Santini’s Northern Lights Productions helped CBS Sports get its pre-game set down on the field at the Super Bowl in Miami and, more importantly, quickly lower and raise its stage to prevent unnecessary seat kills. Since then Northern Lights Production has been renamed Kernwer but it is still delivering the goods for those on the hunt for innovative set constuction and tools.

This year, for example, Kernwer has been involved with nine sets, including the CBS Sports set within the Superdome and NFL Networks sets within the Superdome, at the NFL Experience, and at the gazebo. Both play an important part in game day activities and the hype leading up to the big

A newly designed knuckle for the CBS Sports stage will help the stage roof get lowered in 10 seconds.

A newly designed knuckle for the CBS Sports stage will help the stage roof get lowered in 10 seconds.

game. And both will also take advantage of a new truss system that allows for even greater flexibility in set design.

“The new truss has a three-inch hole pattern so that the pieces can be moved forward or back every three inches instead of every 12 inches,” says Santini.

The CBS set also makes use of a new modular stage lift technology that can be bolted anywhere, including on golf carts or camera baskets. Controlled by hydraulics or servos an operator can program moves and have the stage operate in specific ways. For example, a camera lift can be raised or lowered or, in the case of the CBS set at the Superdome, the roof can be lowered and raised. The roof can be raised in 90 seconds and lowered in 10 seconds.

“This is a bigger version of the lift arm we provided CBS in Miami,” adds Santini. “It has been in our back pocket for the past two years and CBS committed to using it.

Other clients at the Super Bowl include Rogers Sportsnet of Canada and Comcast/NBC.

 

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