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UK - The award-winning Chroma-Q Space Force LED space/soft light has been proving its versatility for Big Shed on several major TV and photographic projects.
Manchester-based Big Shed's 4,000sq.ft of professional studio facilities is the ideal space to shoot large sets, automotive photography, TV commercials and videos.
After being impressed by a demo, Big Shed's Justin Windle has sub-hired in the Space Force for several big-brand clients' shoots, including utilising six units to top-light a 5sq.m, 360-degree revolving stage used to shoot stop-frame imagery of revolving cars. The Space Force's shallow profile allowed him to gain nearly a metre in elevation compared to the studio's old, conventional space light fixture.
Another project required emulating the even

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USA - Country singer Miranda Lambert captures the heartfelt openness of the summer of love in her aptly named Livin’ Like Hippies tour. Opening with a cover of the John Prine classic, That’s The Way The World Goes Round, her 20-song set takes audiences on a lively, freewheeling road trip that offers an unruffled look at life, love and happiness.
Lambert’s lighting designer, Paul ‘Arlo’ Guthrie, strengthens the connection between the artist and her audience in this deeply personal show with help from the warm white glow of Chauvet Professional STRIKE 4 fixtures, supplied by Upstaging of Chicago.
Guthrie is using 40 of the multi-formatted fixtures on the 23-city arena tour, which kicked off on 23 January. Flying an equal number of STRIKE 4s on downstage and mid-stage truss, he relies on the warm white luminaires (each of which has four 100W COB L

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The Netherlands - Held in the prestigious Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam, the third annual Amateur Musical Awards featured lighting design by Coen van der Hoeven, who specified a large High End Systems rig for the show, including 16 SolaSpot 2000s, 40 SolaSpot 1000s, six Shapeshifter C1s, 20 UNO and Hog 4 control.
The team’s production time was only one day, so Coen’s challenge was to get a show with 250 performers, 16-piece orchestra and 17 show numbers up and running in just a few hours.
The LD also had to reckon with a live television broadcast. He explains, “We put together a group of the best specialists in theatre. V-Productions took care of delivering the equipment, together with AED Group Holland. Their board operator Kaj van Dijk programmed the Hog 4, and we ran the show on WYSIWYG during the dress rehearsal in a sports hall. Our crew chief Tijs Winte
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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Belgium - The popular Walibi theme park in Wavre near Brussels is renowned for its Halloween spectacular, when its rides are ghoulishly transformed. Awarded best Halloween attraction in Europe for three consecutive years - 2014, 2015 and 2016 - in the Diamond Theme Park Awards, expectations were very high for Walibi at the end of last year, and with the help of AV Stumpfl’s Wings IObox hardware module platforms, they were surpassed with the creation of Asylum.
The brief for Asylum was to transform a ride into a haunted house while making use of the latest automated AV technology to create an immersive and unforgettable experience for the public. DW Production was engaged to build from scratch all rooms and aesthetic decoration for the attraction as well as the music and effects and animatronics, with GSF Events taking the lead on the technical aspects of the ride with th

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Germany - Green Hippo’s scheduled activities for Prolight + Sound 2018 include exclusive presentations, plus demos with its show partner Notch, maker of the real-time visual creation tool.
The Green Hippo stand will be fully equipped with the latest Hippotizer+ Media Servers, enabling guests to experience solutions for real-time media playback and 3D mapping.
A key feature of the Green Hippo stand is the opportunity for visitors to gain hands-on experience of Hippotizer’s seamless integration with Notch. Designed from the creative process up, and supercharged by powerful real-time rendering and visualisation, Notch helps creators rediscover the joy of problem solving, experimenting and improvising on the fly.
Further demonstrating Hippotizer’s ways with Notch, Green Hippo has commissioned a short dance piece with the London based Tavaziva dance company sh

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Germany - ETC is set to present picks from its extensive collection of lighting and rigging products across three stands in Hall 3.0 - E51, F51 and E47. The event will mark the European debut of a number of products from the company’s portfolio of lighting control consoles, LED luminaires and architectural control solutions. Trainers and product experts will be on hand to offer demos and advice on all the products on display.
Visitors can get a first look at the soon-to-be-launched Element 2 console – a revamp of the original Element desk – which offers the award-winning Eos software with an interface and price point that is accessible to a broad range of users and venues. Also making its regional premiere will be the ETCpad, a tablet accessory providing dedicated, touchscreen-based wireless or wired remote control for all Eos family consoles and controllers.
Se

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Germany - The new grandMA3 lighting console series will be shown to the public for the first time at Prolight + Sound 2018.
Founded on the legacy of the previous grandMA consoles, the grandMA3 represents a radical re-think of what’s possible from a lighting control platform, says the company. The elegant new system-architecture incorporates new fixture, feature and effects-handling at its very heart.
The system features “ground-breaking concepts from top industry visionaries, presented within a refined user interface, and is designed to make practical tasks more intuitive”.
Interest is expected to be high, therefore in addition to 13 fully staffed grandMA3 demo stations, MA’s booth, C61 in hall 3.0, will feature a dedicated grandMA3 demonstration auditorium. Up to 70 seated visitors can enjoy a live presentation of the new grandMA3 console series from MA

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South Africa - Twenty riggers in South Africa kicked off the year with the 2018 Prolyte Rigging Course in conjunction with DWR Distribution, Prolyte and Rhino Rigs. Rinus Bakker from Rhino Rigs hosted the course from 29 January to 2 February 2018, and on the sixth day, DWR’s Robert Izzett and Keith Pugin presented practical training.
“It was a good one,” says Rinus. “The delegates responded well and had good questions - they were spot on. The course ran according to schedule which was a great indication of their understanding.”
The training covered important aspects of safety, maintenance, lifting materials and force calculations.
Rinus’ next stop will be in Rotterdam where he will assist a circus and their performers to better understand rigging particularly with concepts like dynamic motion. His schedule so far includes training in Dubai, Holland

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France - LED lighting manufacturer, Ayrton, celebrated the winds of change last week with new headquarters and a growing product line.
The LED lighting specialist moved its headquarters to a new, independent 1350sq.m space in Villebon-Sur-Yvette in south-west Paris. The new premises include a new lobby, more office space, a warehouse, meeting rooms and a permanent 220sq,m showroom.
A distributor day inducting Ayrton’s broad international dealership preceded the official inauguration, which took place on Thursday 8 March 2018. Over 200 guests attended the Grand Opening event and were treated to a tour of the new premises, a cocktail dinner, and previews of Ayrton’s new light show which will be revealed to the public in its full glory at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt next month.
Star of the evening’s celebrations was the new showroom, available to all distribut

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Summer Sounds - Fairport's Cropredy Convention music festival has confirmed that Brian Wilson will perform the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds at Cropredy on Thursday 9 August 2018. Acclaimed for its ambition and sophistication, Pet Sounds is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential albums of all time. Released in 1966, Wilson's masterpiece is number 2 in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, only beaten to the top spot by The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper. The festival will be held over three days (Thursday 9, Friday 10 and Saturday 11 August 2018) at Cropredy near Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Money Matters - Regional theatre workers have voted to accept pay increases ranging from 3% to 4.7%. The agreement will see a 4.7% increase for workers covered in grades four and five of UK Theatre’s agreement with union BECTU – bringing

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Switzerland - Atlona has strengthened its Central European sales team with the appointment of industry veteran Kai Ellingsen as senior sales manager, DACH. Reporting to Thorsten Goecke, Atlona’s director of business development EMEA, commercial, Kai will leverage his broad industry expertise to support sales initiatives and increase visibility for Atlona across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Kai’s career path over the past 15 years includes key sales and business development roles with distributors and systems integrators serving the commercial AV industry, including Kindermann, an AV systems distributor and manufacturer of mounts and lift systems based in Germany.
“Atlona’s strengths in balancing price and performance, along with their very recent innovations in networked control and AV over IP, have arrived for our industry at exactly the right time,” sa

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Europe - ArKaos has released MediaMaster 5.2, the latest software version for its powerful and flexible real-time video control software platform.
The key new features that 5.2 brings to MediaMaster users are: DMX Merge: To combine parameters like Pan and Tilt from a lighting console and video sources from MediaMaster; Pixel Blending: Utilising the Blend function, the colour output of a lighting console can be blended - via DMX from the lighting console with the video output of MediaMaster; Kling-Net Draft Devices: Allow a show to be prepared remotely – disconnected from the physical devices; Extended Fixture Creation: Supports complete DMX Devices like moving heads with Pan / Tilt; 64 Bit Support: for all applications – enabling quicker and more responsive operation.
The Art-Net DMX merge facility implemented in MediaMaster 5.2 unlocks the system’s true potentia

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UK - Martin Audio has further boosted its impressive subwoofer line-up with the introduction of SXF115 – a passive subwoofer featuring a powerful, long-excursion 15” (380mm)/4” (100mm) voice coil driver in an ultra-compact bass reflex enclosure, capable of 136dB at 1 metre.
Billed as “the ideal companion” for Martin Audio’s new Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) optimised line array, it can extend the performance down to 42Hz and can be flown as part of an array, or ground-stacked separately. Cardioid operation can be achieved by arranging the SXF115 in forward and rear-facing pairs.
The design of the 15” driver maximises output while minimising power compression and distortion, and four reflex ports reduce air noise at very high output levels. The SXF115 enclosure is constructed from multi-laminate birch ply, finished with a durable polyurethane coating an

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USA - Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam has seen many different iterations over four decades, but none have been as distinct as Volunteer Jam XX: A Tribute to Charlie.
Produced by Blackbird Events, Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s twentieth instalment of Volunteer Jam which featured a setlist of over 30 songs from a diverse and talented line-up including Travis Tritt, Chris Young, Alison Krauss, Lee Brice, Chris Janson, Justin Moore, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
"Volunteer Jam XX had a kind of “specialness” about it,” said Charlie Daniels in a release. “The calibre, quantity and variety of talent who took the stage crossed lines, demographics, genres and styles that, while truly diverse, blended together to make for what was most likely the most entertaining

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UK - We all know how tough it can be as a freelance in the entertainment technology industry. The hours are long, you’re away from your family and you only earn money when you’re working. What happens if you can’t work because you’re ill, you have an accident, or someone in your family needs your help and support? You probably do not have a stash of cash put away to see you through. What then?
That’s where Backup – The Technical Entertainment Charity can help and that’s why it is putting on Comfest – an evening of outstanding comedy with the legend that is Al Murray The Pub Landlord and a great supporting line-up at The Dorfman Theatre on 25 March 2018.
In case you don’t know, Backup provides financial support to industry technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film. It offers support and help to get you back on your feet.

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USA - Established in 1977, the Big Apple Circus has been a mainstay outside Manhattan's Lincoln Centre for decades and has also travelled to countless cities on tour.
In 2017, the circus was purchased by BigTop Works, who decided to update Big Apple’s traditional circus presentation to a Broadway-like spectacle. Management hired veteran Broadway lighting designer Jeff Croiter to create a bold and modern lighting design for the revamped show. Partnering with lighting vendor Christie Lites, Croiter designed a powerful and versatile lighting rig that features a range of Martin lighting solutions, including Martin MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures, MAC Aura washes, and MAC Viper Profile fixtures.
"We wanted the show to look incredibly stylized and sleek, like a modern circus - but not dark or uninviting," said Croiter. "Martin fixtures were a key part of the lighting design, an

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USA - More than 150 lighting designers, students, educators and other USITT visitors boarded special buses at the Broward County Convention Centre for a visit to Chauvet Professional’s global headquarters.
While at the spacious facility, they got to meet with the company’s product development team for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the latest fixtures in the Ovation line of ellipsoidals, Fresnels, battens and followspots, as well as the widely- honoured Maverick and Rogue series of moving fixtures.
Guests had the opportunity to take part in interactive demos of popular lighting fixtures. There were also demos of the latest ChamSys consoles. At the conclusion of their visit, guests participated in a question-and-answer session with company CEO Albert Chauvet, who was “energised and encouraged” by the idea exchange.
“For me, it was rewarding to talk

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Namibia - Production and rental company Mikel-Jes Productions has invested in new Robe Spiider LED wash beams which have been added to its ever-growing rental stock of moving lights.
The company’s co-founder and owner Michael Vermeulen likes to keep up with the latest lighting trends. The Spiiders are the latest in a steadily expanding stock of Robe products which started in 2008 when Mikel-Jes was founded.
Both Mikel-Jes and the other major entertainment and production technology supplier in Windhoek, dB Audio, have taken a Robe path for their moving light inventories. This means that as well as servicing their own shows, there is a healthy cross rental business during the busy periods.
Mikel-Jes currently has around 90 Robe moving lights in rental stock including the Spiiders which they initially saw previewed at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.
The Spiide

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UK - Adlib is delighted to be back on the road again with Irish rockers The Script, supplying a CODA audio system for FOH engineer Steve ‘Pato’ Pattison.
He and monitor guru Marc Peers are also both well-known Adlib regulars who have worked on previous Script tours and are both assuming engineering roles for the first time.
Adlib has provided audio for The Script’s four previous album campaigns which has included three arena tours and some stadium shows. Long term FOH engineer Richy Nicholson has actually flipped roles on this one, after many years of mixing FOH, he’s representing Adlib as the account handler, co-ordinating everything from the office and warehouse perspectives.
A top touring crew join Pato and Marc on the road including systems engineer Alan Harrison, George Puttock, Jay Petch and Laurie Binns.
It’s the first time The Script have

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USA - Early March saw the third incarnation of the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, a four-day multi-genre music experience filled with art and entertainment held at Sunshine Grove in the heart of the Florida wilderness.
The festival’s recipe of offering a range of diverse talent – this year saw Arcade Fire, Bassnectar, Halsey, Travis Scott, The Flaming Lips, Snoop Dog, and Khalid among many others – attracts a wide range of music fans.
Rob Ross, site lighting designer for the festival and president of Rob Ross Design, Inc., designs and oversees the installation of the site lighting at the festival and chose to highlight one of the most important symbols of the festival in dynamic lighting, a can’t miss 90-foot tall fire tower. The fire tower, which displays prominently in the festival’s branding, including website, posters, pamphlets and site map, can b

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Poland - The noted Śląski Stadium (Silesian Stadium) in Chorzów, has undergone a complete rebuild to become one of the most modern football and sporting facilities in Europe.
The original stadium, opened in 1956, was a symbol of Poland's post-war rebirth. It has held some of football’s most important and memorable matches, played by legends of the sport including Johan Cruyff, George Best and Cristiano Ronaldo. It has also hosted massive concerts by bands like U2, AC/DC, Iron Maiden and The Rolling Stones. In 1993 the stadium became the official home of the Polish national football team.
The rebuild of Śląski Stadium has been a long and sometimes difficult project. Started in 2009, the new 43,000sq.m roof proved the biggest hurdle and its partial collapse during construction lead to long delays and a re-design. Despite the problems and additional costs, the na
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