Ahead of WrestleMania 37, which takes place next month, WWE\u2019s veteran set designer Jason Robinson gives a\u00a0unique insight into his creative process and the influences that have inspired some of\u00a0\u00a0the most stunning live event productions in the world. He also reveals his favourite WrestleMania sets and what makes them so special.
\nHOW\u00a0I\u00a0STARTED\u00a0IN WWE\u00a0AND\u00a0WRESTLEMANIA:
\nMy WWE career began in 1995. WWE had changed lighting vendors and I was asked to\u00a0come and be the gaffer for the television show and run the lighting console. In 1997, I\u00a0was\u00a0asked\u00a0to take over\u00a0as\u00a0lighting\u00a0designer\u00a0of\u00a0the show.
\nFrom there I started designing and creating sets, my first WrestleMania design was\u00a0WrestleMania\u00a014\u00a0in 1998\u00a0[at the FleetCenter,\u00a0Boston].
\nAt WrestleMania 15 [at the First Union Center, Philadelphia], our sets started getting a\u00a0little bigger. And the next thing you know, we’re at WrestleMania 17 [April 1, 2001] and\u00a0we’re in a stadium again for the first time in a long time [the Reliant Astrodome,\u00a0Houston]. I was excited for the stadium show and spoke to our Executive Producer,\u00a0Kevin Dunn and said: \u201cLet’s do something different\u201d. Until then, WrestleMania had\u00a0featured fans 360-degrees around the ring and the sets had to be really small. After\u00a0that, the sets\u00a0grew\u00a0with\u00a0the venues.
\nMY\u00a0CREATIVE\u00a0INFLUENCES:
\nFor me, there are a range of creative influences going back to the early 90s. Obviously I\u00a0watch other TV shows that have large sets and designs. The MTV Music Awards was\u00a0always something that we looked at in the 90s era. Those shows were fantastic, Allen\u00a0Branton\u00a0was\u00a0the guy\u00a0behind\u00a0those\u00a0MTV shows.
\nBefore coming to WWE, I worked in concerts and music tours myself but the great\u00a0concerts and tours of Metallica in the 90s was another big, early influence. John\u00a0Broderick was the great Metallica designer, and I did get to work with him but not for\u00a0Metallica\u00a0unfortunately.
\nThe explosive WrestleMania 33 set
\nStar Wars was a big influence for me, the unique shapes and the bright lights and the\u00a0colors. I wanted my lighting to look like that. One of my favorite color schemes that I use\u00a0was\u00a0inspired\u00a0by\u00a0Empire\u00a0Strikes\u00a0Back,\u00a0the\u00a0deep\u00a0blues,\u00a0purples,\u00a0and\u00a0orange\u00a0back\u00a0grounds during the lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth. That’s one of my favorite\u00a0color combinations. I bet we get fans looking out for the color combination in WWE now\u00a0that they know!
\nEven\u00a0now,\u00a0sci-fi is an\u00a0influence.\u00a0The curves\u00a0on\u00a0the SmackDown\u00a0set\u00a0that create\u00a0the\u00a0forced perspective were inspired by a sci-fi spaceship drawing found during some\u00a0creative\u00a0research.
\nMY\u00a0CREATIVE\u00a0PROCESS:
\nThe creative process for designing a WrestleMania set starts in September or October\u00a0around six months before the event. We go to the stadium for a site survey to sit and\u00a0simply look around and go: \u201cOk, what’s different? What’s creative about this stadium?\u00a0What\u00a0assets\u00a0can\u00a0we use?\u00a0How\u00a0do\u00a0we want\u00a0this show\u00a0to look?\u201d
\nIt\u2019s important to see the size and space though we might not even know the theme at\u00a0that point. But we are already looking at the architecture of the building and thinking\u00a0how\u00a0to bring\u00a0it to life.
\nMy favorite thing is carrying Post-It notes around with me and sketching ideas. And\u00a0those ideas sometimes come at three in the morning or in the shower. There\u2019s a lot of\u00a0these\u00a0notes\u00a0lying\u00a0around\u00a0or\u00a0stuck against\u00a0the wall\u00a0that have\u00a0ideas\u00a0on\u00a0them.
\nEven up in the rafters, WrestleMania 32’s design looked spectacular
\nThen\u00a0if I like\u00a0an\u00a0idea,\u00a0I’ll actually start drawing\u00a0it\u00a0in more\u00a0detail\u00a0on\u00a0the computer\u00a0but\u00a0there\u00a0are a lot\u00a0that get\u00a0rolled\u00a0up\u00a0and\u00a0thrown\u00a0away\u00a0as\u00a0I\u2019m looking\u00a0for that big\u00a0\u2018aha\u2019 moment.
\nWhen I get that \u2018aha\u2019 moment, it is time to go pitch it and say: \u201cHey, I’ve got a cool idea.\u201d\u00a0If Kevin Dunn says: \u201cYep, that’s a cool idea, go for it,\u201d then I’m off. As soon as I know\u00a0that I’m in the right direction, that’s where the work becomes really fun. My lighting team\u00a0&\u00a0I all\u00a0dig\u00a0in and\u00a0start asking\u00a0\u201cWhat if we\u00a0do\u00a0this?\u00a0Or what\u00a0if we add\u00a0this over\u00a0here?
\nWhat if I put lights over there?\u201d We\u2019re always thinking of new ways of delivering once\u00a0we have\u00a0that focus.
\nMy favorite part of the whole design process is the night before WrestleMania, when it’s\u00a0all quiet, we’ve taken months and months to design & fabricate the set. I’ve done many\u00a0site surveys and hours of planning. It’s 1AM in the morning, all the rehearsals are\u00a0complete, the stadium is quiet. The lighting guys still have all the lights on and the\u00a0programming is finished, and we get to quietly look around at the final design before\u00a0going\u00a0on\u00a0air\u00a0the next\u00a0day.
\nThat’s my favorite\u00a0moment.\u00a0I get\u00a0a second\u00a0just\u00a0to look\u00a0at\u00a0it\u00a0before\u00a0it all\u00a0turns\u00a0crazy.
\nMY\u00a0WRESTLEMANIA\u00a0WEEK:
\nFor WrestleMania week itself, I\u2019m on the floor for rehearsals, literally running up and\u00a0down\u00a0the ramp.\u00a0I clocked\u00a0a record\u00a0of\u00a0over\u00a030,000\u00a0steps on\u00a0a rehearsal\u00a0day\u00a0one\u00a0time.
\nWrestleMania 30 had a big set for a big occasion.
\nDuring WrestleMania, there are a lot of hats to wear. I’m still the Production Designer &\u00a0Lighting Director and my show position is underneath the TV camera position with the\u00a0lighting\u00a0programming\u00a0staff.
\nCoordinating the props and carpenter department is part of my job as well, so I oversee\u00a0the set moves. During the show, we sit right in the middle of the stadium and I get chill\u00a0bumps just like the fans. When we are at front of house, I think it’s the best seat in the\u00a0building.
\nMY\u00a0TOP\u00a0WRESTLEMANIA\u00a0SETS
\nI’ve got four that just stand out in my mind. From top to bottom, the design, all the way\u00a0to the end\u00a0of\u00a0the show.
\nNumber four for me would be WrestleMania 34. It was the second time we were in New\u00a0Orleans and man, that big Mardi Gras mask on stage, that was the \u201caha!\u201d moment when\u00a0it\u00a0came\u00a0together\u00a0as\u00a0the\u00a0flavor\u00a0of\u00a0New\u00a0Orleans.\u00a0Seeing\u00a0that\u00a0and\u00a0having\u00a0the\u00a0fans\u00a0go\u00a0wild\u00a0is fantastic.
\nNumber three for me would be WrestleMania 24. The South Beach hotel set. There was\u00a0literally nothing in that stadium space, it was completely open at that end, so we built a\u00a010-story\u00a0art deco\u00a0hotel\u00a0set.
\nNumber two is WrestleMania 33. We were back in Orlando, but with totally different\u00a0flavors this time with the roller coasters. Again, there was that moment when I said:\u00a0\u201cWe’re going to make a theme park,\u201d and everybody went: \u201cyou’re going to do what??\u201d\u00a0And\u00a0we did.
\nThe stunning New York theme of WrestleMania 29.
\nMy number one, and I think is a lot of people’s number one, has to be WrestleMania 29\u00a0in\u00a0New\u00a0York,\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0Brooklyn\u00a0Bridge,\u00a0Statue of\u00a0Liberty,\u00a0and\u00a0the Empire\u00a0State Building.
\nWhen we first walked into MetLife Stadium I said: \u201cI’ve got a great idea. Let’s put the\u00a0Brooklyn Bridge right here.\u201d I think everybody went \u201cyou’re nuts.\u201d And then we did the\u00a0design, everybody saw it and went: \u201cThat’s it. You’ve got it. We\u2019ve gotta build our own\u00a0Brooklyn\u00a0Bridge!\u201d
\nWhat fans can expect at WrestleMania 37\u00a0
\nWell, a lot of sports fans around the world have just seen the stadium host the\u00a0SuperBowl\u00a0on\u00a0TV. So they know\u00a0what\u00a0it\u00a0looks\u00a0like.
\nNow it’s our turn. We’re going in there to do something different. I don\u2019t think it matters\u00a0whether fans are seeing it again after the SuperBowl or for the first time with WWE, they\u00a0are going\u00a0to love\u00a0what\u00a0they see.
\nWrestleMania 37 is available to watch via WWE Network in the MENA region \u2013\u00a0www.wwenetwork.com
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ahead of WrestleMania 37, which takes place next month, WWE\u2019s veteran set designer Jason Robinson gives a\u00a0unique insight into his creative process and the influences that have inspired some of\u00a0\u00a0the most stunning live event productions in the world. He also reveals his favourite WrestleMania sets and what makes them so special.
\nHOW\u00a0I\u00a0STARTED\u00a0IN WWE\u00a0AND\u00a0WRESTLEMANIA:
\nMy WWE career began in 1995. WWE had changed lighting vendors and I was asked to\u00a0come and be the gaffer for the television show and run the lighting console. In 1997, I\u00a0was\u00a0asked\u00a0to take over\u00a0as\u00a0lighting\u00a0designer\u00a0of\u00a0the show.
\nFrom there I started designing and creating sets, my first WrestleMania design was\u00a0WrestleMania\u00a014\u00a0in 1998\u00a0[at the FleetCenter,\u00a0Boston].
\nAt WrestleMania 15 [at the First Union Center, Philadelphia], our sets started getting a\u00a0little bigger. And the next thing you know, we\u2019re at WrestleMania 17 [April 1, 2001] and\u00a0we\u2019re in a stadium again for the first time in a long time [the Reliant Astrodome,\u00a0Houston]. I was excited for the stadium show and spoke to our Executive Producer,\u00a0Kevin Dunn and said: \u201cLet\u2019s do something different\u201d. Until then, WrestleMania had\u00a0featured fans 360-degrees around the ring and the sets had to be really small. After\u00a0that, the sets\u00a0grew\u00a0with\u00a0the venues.
\nMY\u00a0CREATIVE\u00a0INFLUENCES:
\nFor me, there are a range of creative influences going back to the early 90s. Obviously I\u00a0watch other TV shows that have large sets and designs. The MTV Music Awards was\u00a0always something that we looked at in the 90s era. Those shows were fantastic, Allen\u00a0Branton\u00a0was\u00a0the guy\u00a0behind\u00a0those\u00a0MTV shows.
\nBefore coming to WWE, I worked in concerts and music tours myself but the great\u00a0concerts and tours of Metallica in the 90s was another big, early influence. John\u00a0Broderick was the great Metallica designer, and I did get to work with him but not for\u00a0Metallica\u00a0unfortunately.
\nThe explosive WrestleMania 33 set
\nStar Wars was a big influence for me, the unique shapes and the bright lights and the\u00a0colors. I wanted my lighting to look like that. One of my favorite color schemes that I use\u00a0was\u00a0inspired\u00a0by\u00a0Empire\u00a0Strikes\u00a0Back,\u00a0the\u00a0deep\u00a0blues,\u00a0purples,\u00a0and\u00a0orange\u00a0back\u00a0grounds during the lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth. That\u2019s one of my favorite\u00a0color combinations. I bet we get fans looking out for the color combination in WWE now\u00a0that they know!
\nEven\u00a0now,\u00a0sci-fi is an\u00a0influence.\u00a0The curves\u00a0on\u00a0the SmackDown\u00a0set\u00a0that create\u00a0the\u00a0forced perspective were inspired by a sci-fi spaceship drawing found during some\u00a0creative\u00a0research.
\nMY\u00a0CREATIVE\u00a0PROCESS:
\nThe creative process for designing a WrestleMania set starts in September or October\u00a0around six months before the event. We go to the stadium for a site survey to sit and\u00a0simply look around and go: \u201cOk, what\u2019s different? What\u2019s creative about this stadium?\u00a0What\u00a0assets\u00a0can\u00a0we use?\u00a0How\u00a0do\u00a0we want\u00a0this show\u00a0to look?\u201d
\nIt\u2019s important to see the size and space though we might not even know the theme at\u00a0that point. But we are already looking at the architecture of the building and thinking\u00a0how\u00a0to bring\u00a0it to life.
\nMy favorite thing is carrying Post-It notes around with me and sketching ideas. And\u00a0those ideas sometimes come at three in the morning or in the shower. There\u2019s a lot of\u00a0these\u00a0notes\u00a0lying\u00a0around\u00a0or\u00a0stuck against\u00a0the wall\u00a0that have\u00a0ideas\u00a0on\u00a0them.
\nEven up in the rafters, WrestleMania 32\u2019s design looked spectacular
\nThen\u00a0if I like\u00a0an\u00a0idea,\u00a0I\u2019ll actually start drawing\u00a0it\u00a0in more\u00a0detail\u00a0on\u00a0the computer\u00a0but\u00a0there\u00a0are a lot\u00a0that get\u00a0rolled\u00a0up\u00a0and\u00a0thrown\u00a0away\u00a0as\u00a0I\u2019m looking\u00a0for that big\u00a0\u2018aha\u2019 moment.
\nWhen I get that \u2018aha\u2019 moment, it is time to go pitch it and say: \u201cHey, I\u2019ve got a cool idea.\u201d\u00a0If Kevin Dunn says: \u201cYep, that\u2019s a cool idea, go for it,\u201d then I\u2019m off. As soon as I know\u00a0that I\u2019m in the right direction, that\u2019s where the work becomes really fun. My lighting team\u00a0&\u00a0I all\u00a0dig\u00a0in and\u00a0start asking\u00a0\u201cWhat if we\u00a0do\u00a0this?\u00a0Or what\u00a0if we add\u00a0this over\u00a0here?
\nWhat if I put lights over there?\u201d We\u2019re always thinking of new ways of delivering once\u00a0we have\u00a0that focus.
\nMy favorite part of the whole design process is the night before WrestleMania, when it\u2019s\u00a0all quiet, we\u2019ve taken months and months to design & fabricate the set. I\u2019ve done many\u00a0site surveys and hours of planning. It\u2019s 1AM in the morning, all the rehearsals are\u00a0complete, the stadium is quiet. The lighting guys still have all the lights on and the\u00a0programming is finished, and we get to quietly look around at the final design before\u00a0going\u00a0on\u00a0air\u00a0the next\u00a0day.
\nThat\u2019s my favorite\u00a0moment.\u00a0I get\u00a0a second\u00a0just\u00a0to look\u00a0at\u00a0it\u00a0before\u00a0it all\u00a0turns\u00a0crazy.
\nMY\u00a0WRESTLEMANIA\u00a0WEEK:
\nFor WrestleMania week itself, I\u2019m on the floor for rehearsals, literally running up and\u00a0down\u00a0the ramp.\u00a0I clocked\u00a0a record\u00a0of\u00a0over\u00a030,000\u00a0steps on\u00a0a rehearsal\u00a0day\u00a0one\u00a0time.
\nWrestleMania 30 had a big set for a big occasion.
\nDuring WrestleMania, there are a lot of hats to wear. I\u2019m still the Production Designer &\u00a0Lighting Director and my show position is underneath the TV camera position with the\u00a0lighting\u00a0programming\u00a0staff.
\nCoordinating the props and carpenter department is part of my job as well, so I oversee\u00a0the set moves. During the show, we sit right in the middle of the stadium and I get chill\u00a0bumps just like the fans. When we are at front of house, I think it\u2019s the best seat in the\u00a0building.
\nMY\u00a0TOP\u00a0WRESTLEMANIA\u00a0SETS
\nI\u2019ve got four that just stand out in my mind. From top to bottom, the design, all the way\u00a0to the end\u00a0of\u00a0the show.
\nNumber four for me would be WrestleMania 34. It was the second time we were in New\u00a0Orleans and man, that big Mardi Gras mask on stage, that was the \u201caha!\u201d moment when\u00a0it\u00a0came\u00a0together\u00a0as\u00a0the\u00a0flavor\u00a0of\u00a0New\u00a0Orleans.\u00a0Seeing\u00a0that\u00a0and\u00a0having\u00a0the\u00a0fans\u00a0go\u00a0wild\u00a0is fantastic.
\nNumber three for me would be WrestleMania 24. The South Beach hotel set. There was\u00a0literally nothing in that stadium space, it was completely open at that end, so we built a\u00a010-story\u00a0art deco\u00a0hotel\u00a0set.
\nNumber two is WrestleMania 33. We were back in Orlando, but with totally different\u00a0flavors this time with the roller coasters. Again, there was that moment when I said:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re going to make a theme park,\u201d and everybody went: \u201cyou\u2019re going to do what??\u201d\u00a0And\u00a0we did.
\nThe stunning New York theme of WrestleMania 29.
\nMy number one, and I think is a lot of people\u2019s number one, has to be WrestleMania 29\u00a0in\u00a0New\u00a0York,\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0Brooklyn\u00a0Bridge,\u00a0Statue of\u00a0Liberty,\u00a0and\u00a0the Empire\u00a0State Building.
\nWhen we first walked into MetLife Stadium I said: \u201cI\u2019ve got a great idea. Let\u2019s put the\u00a0Brooklyn Bridge right here.\u201d I think everybody went \u201cyou\u2019re nuts.\u201d And then we did the\u00a0design, everybody saw it and went: \u201cThat\u2019s it. You\u2019ve got it. We\u2019ve gotta build our own\u00a0Brooklyn\u00a0Bridge!\u201d
\nWhat fans can expect at WrestleMania 37\u00a0
\nWell, a lot of sports fans around the world have just seen the stadium host the\u00a0SuperBowl\u00a0on\u00a0TV. So they know\u00a0what\u00a0it\u00a0looks\u00a0like.
\nNow it\u2019s our turn. We\u2019re going in there to do something different. I don\u2019t think it matters\u00a0whether fans are seeing it again after the SuperBowl or for the first time with WWE, they\u00a0are going\u00a0to love\u00a0what\u00a0they see.
\nWrestleMania 37 is available to watch via WWE Network in the MENA region \u2013\u00a0www.wwenetwork.com
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46275"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46277,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46275\/revisions\/46277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}