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Brand experience consultancy Hotcakes has made two new appointments to its rapidly expanding team. Tracey Poulton, founder of sponsorship and production company The Staging House, has joined as associate producer. Working closely with Matt Briggs (producer and client services) and Sean Canning (creative director), Tracey will manage the implementation of projects, co-ordinating and overseeing all elements of production, bringing additional creative input to the conceptual stages of each job, liaising closely with clients and assisting in new business development.

Jason Ward moves from his post at global conference and exhibition company Mice International to join as production manager. Ward, who moves from London to the company’s headquarters in Skipton, will manage technical desig

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John ‘Brad’ Bradshaw, formerly of Triflite Cases (Trifibre Containers), has started a new Flightcase business called Dragon Cases based in Cwmbran, South Wales. Brad - a well-known face in the industry - started his career in flightcases at Autopia some 15 years ago. After being made redundant after five years from Trifibre in December of last year, he returned to Autopia (then renamed as Encaseit) for a couple of weeks until again being made redundant after the receivers were called in on 16 January.

Brad will be working in partnership with Nomad Cases, a manufacturer of custom-built flightcases, polypropylene cases and padded bags, based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

(Lee Baldock)

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XL Video supplied a full digital SDI video package for the just-completed S Club 7 UK arena tour. Video director Blue Leach mixed the show using a Grass Valley GVG4000 desk, complete with a Magic DaVE digital video effects unit, amalgamating live camera feeds from five Sony D35 sources plus pre-recorded material. Slick live video editing was the dominant feature of the high energy show, and Leach worked collaboratively with LD Pete Barnes to ensure the band’s enthusiastic fans had a memorable night.

A massive 70sq.m LED screen dominated centre stage, made up of Generale Location 25 mm modules. This spit in two, with each half moving sideways to form a dramatic upstage entrance. The stage was flanked each side by two 20 x 15 metre ‘soft’ screens, with projected sources from Barco ELMs. Each of the 18 songs in the set featured video. Some involved abstract footage, much

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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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Sony Broadcast and Professional UK has announced a significant enhancement to the triple award-winning DMX-R100 digital console, with the introduction of its DMBK-R109 MADI (Multichannel Audio Digital Interface) card. The interface expands to 108 the number of audio inputs that can be configured in a single DMX-R100 and supports the dual console cascade mode, providing an integrated 168-input, 112-channel, 48 fader digital mix system. Uniquely, the internal 32-bit fixed point Bus resolution is maintained between cascaded consoles, ensuring no compromise to the DMX-R100’s sound quality.

The powerful new DMBK-R109 utilizes the established AES 10 24-bit MADI I/O ‘bit-slip’ free standard and provides 48-channel digital I/O expansion compatible with other MADI devices such as the Sony PCM-3348HR DASH recorder. Compatibility with the expanding array of MADI stageboxes, audi

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The city tram station in Grenoble, France, has been outfitted with two Martin Exterior 600 colour changing washlights in a unique example of the creative possibilities inherent in intelligent lighting. Mounted in the tram station’s ceiling, strobe and colour change effects are used to signal the arrival and departure of trams.

When a tram is not present at the station, the Exterior 600s project white light. But as a tram nears, a sensor sends a signal to a Martin ProScenium DMX512 lighting controller, signalling the Exteriors to strobe. As the tram enters the station, the light then turns blue. Upon arrival, the strobing stops and the light remains blue. When the tram is ready to depart and pulls out from the station, the light turns progressively whiter. The lighting designer for the installation was Pierre Negre.

(Lee Baldock)

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Carlsbro has launched what it claims to be one of the first efficient mobile or static monster speaker systems available in Europe. Following extensive trials in venues across the UK, at a recent rave in London, a sound check revealed that the system delivered a record 165db with no audible distortion. A pneumatic drill delivers 110db. This prompted one of the driver manufacturers to fly two engineers over from America to determine how this was achieved. Radio one DJ Dave Pearce listened to the system last week and is quoted as saying: "It is the best speaker system I have ever heard. It makes the Dance music I play come to life and the bass thump is wicked."

Meanwhile, a group of gospel singers from America flew into West Yorkshire to sing at Huddersfield Christian Fellowship where a multiple system delivered 22,000W of music to the 1,000 strong congregation. The choir, whic

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UK PA company Big Sound was recently involved in the production of The Trench, a BBC documentary series following the 10th Battalion of the East Yorkshire regiment and the role they played in the First World War.

Filming began in October 2001 and involved 24 volunteers from Hull and East Yorkshire, all of whom were of similar ages to the original soldiers. The volunteers spent two weeks in an authentically constructed trench system in Northern France. Big Sound, based in Wales, was asked to provide speaker and 5.1 surround systems that would deliver the sound effects in the most realistic form. Another requirement Big Sound had to consider was the need for the systems to deliver high-end sound effects while remaining as far away from the actual set as possible so that they didn't interfere with camera sight. Big Sound opted for a mixture of powered speakers and mini stacks of powered c

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With Health and Safety considerations becoming more and more important throughout the industry thanks to increased regulatory control, the PLASA standards office has introduced a new Health and Safety Forum on the PLASA website.

Ron Bonner, PLASA’s new Health and Safety Standards Officer hopes that members will make use of the Forum to debate and offer comment on all aspects of Health and Safety issues that are having, or may have an impact, on the way in which they conduct their business. The Forum will also serve as a useful reference on how other members are approaching their duty to this very important and necessary area.

The Forum is open to members only and can be accessed via password by logging on to the PLASA website at

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The march of constant change in employment law and regulations carries on unabated! Key issues affecting all employers seem to arise almost every day. There have been a number of key changes in recent months which members should be aware of.

8 From 1st February 2002, the new maximum award for unfair dismissal increased to £60,100 made up of a maximum compensatory award of £52,600 and £7,500 basic award. Compensation for unlawful sex, race and disability discrimination remains unlimited.

8 In October 2001 the requirement in the Working Time Regulations that a worker must be employed for 13 weeks before becoming entitled to the statutory four weeks paid annual leave became illegal. Workers are now entitled to paid leave from day one of their employment, although in the first year it can be taken by accruing it at the rate of one twelfth of their full entitlement every month.

The M

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The new Colour-Fresnel CFN-60, which will find many applications in architectural mood lighting, is the latest addition to the Artistic Licence range of digital lighting solutions. The product is based on additive colour mixing of red, green and blue high power light emitting diodes with the resultant light providing in excess of 16 million colour combinations.

Colour-Fresnel is housed in a Reggiani recessed fixture that provides rotation in two axes and a variable focus fresnel lens. The product, which is available in both a white and a silver finish, operates on a 24V, four wire control signal. It can be controlled and powered by either Power-Pipe or LVD-12, and can also be mixed with other Digital Lighting fixtures, providing further flexibility.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Edwards is a newly opened bar in Cardiff - part of a major roll out from Six Continents. The audio installation was carried out by Orritt Electronics and owes much to the award-winning sound system installed at Loaf in Manchester.

Dave Orritt explains: "The spark of Edwards originally came from Loaf in Manchester. We were able to take the best of the Loaf design features and incorporate them into this venue. The difficult issue at Edwards was the venue’s acoustics. A hotel is situated above the venue so we had to pass NR 45 in order to get planning consent. What we have in Edwards is basically a box within a box within a box. To get the sound pressure levels with the quality of dispersion needed, we used multiple clusters of Mackie Monitors 5s and MSW8 subs, which were flown from the ceiling."

Edwards has a harsh industrial quality to it - with cable trays exposed aro

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When Channel 5 asked its lighting director, Martin Foster, to design the lighting for Channel 5's new-look 5 News, ETC's Source Four profiles were high on his list for key lights. Originally designed for theatre lighting, the Source Four has become a regular feature of lighting rigs worldwide and is currently in use in most of London's West End Shows. Perhaps less well-known is that the Source Four is now becoming a common feature in many television studios in the UK.

Having worked for 5 News since the start, Foster has had Source Fours in his lighting rig all along, but this is the first time he has used them as key lights. Previously, they have been back lighting the set and used to project the Channel 5 logo. For the revamped rig, Foster specified a total of eight Source Fours - four of which are used as key lights on the news presenter and for the guest positions. The rest are back

Details
The Association’s annual 2002 AGM and Industry Dinner will take place on Friday 14 June at Down Hall Country House Hotel, situated in Hatfield Heath, Hertfordshire. As in previous years, the AGM will provide members with an opportunity to learn more about the work of the Association and give them time to network with other members.

Information about the event and booking details will be sent to the membership shortly, but if you have any queries in the meantime, feel free to contact Helen Willis on.

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Rolec has launched its new PHD-1 Music Store. The product is ideal for pubs, bars and cafes looking for a dynamic choice of music and a quick, simple and fuss-free device from which to play it. The unit can store up to 2500 tracks and the latest chart hits can be added thanks to a monthly update CD supplied by Rolec. Pre-programmed timed announcements, adverts, tag lines and promotional offers can also be stored. The machine’s internal clock is date-sensitive, offering the facility to recognize specific seasons and programme appropriate music up to a year in advance. It can also play standard audio CDs.

The Music Store offers all the flexibility of a computer-based system, operated through just four buttons on the front, but because it’s a dedicated player, it doesn’t hang up, like computer-based music systems can do, when the power is switched on and off. For playbac

Details
A new sound installation at the famous Globe Arena in Stockholm, scene of the 2000 European Song Contest, will feature clusters of Martin Audio Wavefront 8 Compacts. The audio rental and contractor company DM Audio AB - Martin Audio’s Swedish distributor - has finalized the design to update and expand the installation which they undertook 12 years ago - when the arena was originally built.

"The reason for the expansion," explained DM Audio’s Lars Wern,"is that when the arena has hosted touring artists their sound engineers have often received complaints from the audience seated in the highest seats. Most tours do not bring enough equipment, or simply could not tilt the speakers upwards enough (the catwalk is situated 36 metres above the floor). To help the visiting sound engineers, it was decided to install a delay speaker system that could be added to the ma

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ANC Sports Enterprises of Purchase, New York, has completed the installation of Lighthouse video banners at four major US sports stadiums, along with the latest version of its proprietary FasciaSoft 2001 control software. It takes the total of Lighthouse video banner installations by ANC Sports to over 4,300 linear feet.

The installations are also the first of their kind to employ 24-channel input video switchers, allowing wipe and fade transitions between displays, rather than simple cuts. Lighthouse LVP25 (25mm pixel pitch) LED video panels make up the video banners at each of the stadiums.

ANC installed 924 linear feet of Lighthouse LED signage in Philips Arena in Atlanta, which is home to the NBA’s Hawks and the NHL’s Thrashers. The system became operational at the start of the 2001-2002 NHL season. 340 linear feet (two locations of 170-feet) of Lighthouse LED signage

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Fourth Phase is accustomed to working in strange and interesting locations, but using an open-top double-decker bus as a drive-by projection platform is a first! Contracted by Simon Garrett, managing director of event organisation specialist Pandemonium, Fourth Phase London was asked to project the Audi logo onto the exterior walls of the Audi showrooms on Piccadilly to mark a press launch. The projection, seen by thousands, took place between 6-9pm on the evening of Friday, 22 February.

The search for the ideal projection platform was initially narrowed down to a particular room at The Ritz, which stands opposite the Audi showroom, but unfortunately it was unavailable. In a moment of inspiration, the Fourth Phase team noticed an almost suitably positioned Big Bus Company bus stop! Fourth Phase hired a bus for the evening, which was parked at the bus stop quite legally for the duration

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Stars from the British and American film industries braved the atrocious London weather, crossing the rain-soaked red carpet into the Odeon, Leicester Square for this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).

With the event now acting as a curtain raiser for the Oscars, and transferring to BBC television for the first time, the event’s profile was higher than ever this year. Helping to keep it sky high were Creative Technology, who flew 84 modules of the new Barco i10 high brightness LED display - its most prestigious outing to date. The screen was configured as a 12 x 7 display (in 16:9 aspect ratio), and attached to four CM Lodestar motors. "Having done the Orange British Academy Film Awards for the last two years we were again asked to provide image magnification based on our successful track record," said CT’s director of sales, Guy Mapley. &

Details
Digital Projection International has released the Lightning 25sx projector. At 14000 ANSI lumens and SXGA resolution, the Lightning 25sx is one the world’s brightest projectors. It is complemented by a palette of more than 1 billion colours, absolute greyscale tracking and luminance uniformity greater than 90%. It is suited to a wide range of applications and the on-screen results are engaging video, HDTV and computer imagery with an inherent ‘Film Look’ appeal.

(Ruth Rossington)

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The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers’ first combined seminar/exhibition event exceeded all expectations when it took place on Wednesday 27 February at Birmingham's recently upgraded Alexandra Stadium.

The full day's seminar programme covered a wide variety of subjects including Video Conferencing, Audio Measurements, VA Standards and a 'behind the scenes' look at the acoustic problems of Paddington station. There was also a sneak preview and demonstration of the World's first disposal loudspeaker! But the undoubted highlight of the day was the inaugural Warren-Barnett Memorial Lecture in memory of two respected figures in the industry which was delivered by Peter Mapp.

Twelve specialist PA/VA manufacturers supported the event with stylish 'table top' displays, and all reported a high level of interest from the nearly 100 ISCE members and others who braved a squal

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The SIEL show certainly had a buzz to it this year: most exhibitors were pretty upbeat about business in general and attendance seemed good, but the organisers’ claim of just under 25,000 visitors (unaudited) over the four days is still a little hard to swallow when compared with the audited, de-duped attendance figures of other shows. Percentages are more reliable in the circumstances, and in terms of international attendance, the published figure of just under 5% indicates that this is still a predominantly French show, but a highly successful one at that.

LIGHTING

Impact Diffusion distributes lighting brands such as Clay Paky, MA Lighting, Pulsar, ELC, Color Kinetics and Rainbow. News from the stand at SIEL included the very latest addition to Clay Paky’s Stage Line of moving head fixtures - the Stage Profile Plus SV. This HMI 1200 fixture features an impressive

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