Noche de Poker (Telemundo)

Telemundo decided to get in on the celebrity poker craze that has become so popular, by creating Noche De Poker for the Spanish-speaking audience. The show was shot on location at the Silk Nightclub in the Pechanga Casino and Resort in Temecula, CA. Although the club is equipped with a lighting system, those lights are meant for atmosphere and dancing accompaniment, not for the complex needs of a television shoot such as this.

A poker broadcast has many requirements. The poker table surface, cards, and players’ hands must be visible and look good, with careful shadow control. The talent must appear their very best. And the environment must be enhanced: it must be in the proper balance to the foreground, and it needs to evoke the vibe and mood of the poker game aesthetic that is being established for any particular show, as decided by the producers. There is also a live audience which requires proper lighting attention.

In addition, this show had hosts commentating from their vantage point on a second floor balcony, as well as an interview lounge to which players would retire after leaving the game.

Finally, for this show, there was live entertainment performed by two of the celebrity players. This segment, which took place in an area of the club that showed the game table and audience in the background, required modern concert lighting techniques.