BigTen Studio Updates

Chicago Scenic continues its work with the Big Ten Network to update their studio and, most
recently, to create a set exclusively for their new show, "Big Ten Pulse", which began airing this fall.
On the Big Ten's side set, where Chicago Scenic originally installed a 103-inch plasma screen, CSSI's Design Manager Tom Ryan re-designed the series of side walls, adding iconic brick arches that frame lit graphics. During the fall football season, the graphics are stadium seats; they'll likely change as the sports seasons do. These updates opened up the overall set's look and added more depth and dimensionality, Ryan said.

This look also extended the sandstone brick on the lower part of the walls – painted by CSSI scenic artists – which carries over to the main set.

In another phase of work, Chicago Scenic relocated the 11 team banners (and created a Big Ten banner) to hang above the plasma screen, where they provide an updated look and enhance camera angles. Chicago Scenic also created cosmetic cable covers for the platforms that the side set desk rests on. Prior to this update, when the desk was removed for alternate set configurations, camera angles caught electrical, video and cord floor cut-outs. The new floor plugs now facilitate an apparently seamless platform, said Jean Burch, Chicago Scenic's project manager overseeing all the recent Big Ten work.

New Show, New Set
In preparation for the launch of its latest show, "Big Ten Pulse", Big Ten presented a new design/build opportunity for Chicago Scenic as well. "The team wanted an exclusive look for this brand-new show even though we were using the same side set location," Ryan explained. And, Ryan added, it needed to be versatile and accommodate from two to four people.

The studio in which "Big Ten Pulse" is videotaped is heavily scheduled during the week, so its set had to be built for quick and easy set-up and strike. The various components are kept in remote storage outside the studio, so Ryan designed the pieces with ease of portability in mind.

The newly completed "Big Ten Pulse" set features two walls that slide in on either side of a new desk and create a contemporary, industrial look, Ryan said. The desk - a free-form trefoil shape - and the surrounding walls are made from brushed aluminum and Plexiglas®, materials that contribute to the set's contemporary feel.