Details
UK - Hall Stage has acquired the specialist TV and film studio rigging, service and maintenance provider, Studio Engineering Services, with all associated staff and assets. Charles Haines, Hall Stage MD, told us: "Halls have been working in TV and film studio engineering for decades and it's a sector we are very keen to develop further. Our appointment as UK distributor for the ASM ranges of hoists mean we can now offer a far wider range of products into the sector and this acquisition is aimed squarely at it. Our two companies have been working closely together for the past few years on a number of service-related projects and we all get on very well together, which is always a good sign!"

Simon Caldwell from SES adds: "The growing company will be moving to large

Details
UK - Legendary rock'n'roll trucking company Stage Truck is making good use of the entertainment industry's fastest-growing resource - StageAccess.com. "Although I still drive trucks," explains Stage Truck's Will Johns, "I'm spending more and more time talking to potential clients and finding out information about venues. Traditionally, this means a big pile of industry directories, the trusty Filofax and a long memory, all of which is a time-consuming process, and of course all those pieces of paper are constantly going out of date. By going into StageAccess.com I can email tour managers to see what's coming up, or get straight into venues' details, all in a few mouse clicks - fantastic - knowing that all the information is completely up-to-date because everyone can update their own information on the site as often as they like."

All of which is a welcome tim

Details
USA - The UK's Simon Baker, of London-based theatre sound specialist Autograph Sound Recording, won the Sound Designer of the Year award at the recent 2003 LDI show in Orlando, Florida. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Baker spent three years as sound supervisor at the Royal National Theatre before joining Autograph in 1999. Since arriving at London's leading sound design and equipment supply company, Simon has quickly risen to become one of the world's most highly respected sound designers. Among other productions, he recently co-designed the West End smash Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Autograph chairman Andrew Bruce and is currently co-designer on Raymond Gubbay's productions of Peter Pan and Pirates of Penzance at the Savoy Theatre, along with Autograph's managing director and fellow sound designer, Terry Jardine.

(Lee Baldock)

featured content

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

Details
UK / USA - Bandit Lites has been nominated for Lighting Company of the Year on both sides of the Atlantic: in the US, the nominations come from both Pollstar and the Parnelli Award from Pro Lights and Staging News, while in the UK, the company has been nominated by Total Production magazine.

This marks the third year in a row for the TP nomination, Bandit having won the award for the past two years. The Pollstar nomination is the company's seventh. The winners of the awards will be announced early in 2004. "It is always an honour to be recognized with nominations like this," said Richard Willis, Bandit Lites' vice-president. "This is a reflection on the quality and dedication of all the employees of Bandit Lites worldwide."

In related news, Bandit Lites is also pleased to sponsor the Lighting Designer of the Year Award to be given out at the Parnelli Awards

Details
USA - The Pocket Console, from Texas-based DSP&L, is an inexpensive, small and portable DMX-512 theatrical lighting console, designed to be hand-held. Levels are set using eight faders - each with an associated bump button. 512 dimmer addresses are patchable to any of the eight faders, and the unit is powered by a 9V battery or by a 120V AC power supply. DMX output is through a 12" cable to a 5-pin female XLR connector.

Each of the eight 'bump buttons' have two functions: in the Normal mode, the bump button takes the associated fader to 100%. In the Patch mode, the bump button patches the DMX dimmer address shown in the dimmer window to the associated fader, while an additional bump button, labeled Unpatch, is for unpatching DMX addresses. Unpatched, the level sent to these dimmers is zero. Last and Next buttons are located below the dimmer display, for selecting the next o

Details
Australia -The popularity of LSC Lighting Systems' maXim lighting control desks continues with further prestigious sales announced by the company. Rohan Thornton, Head of Lighting at GTV9 Television in Melbourne, commented: "I was just blown away . . . we needed a console that was not only easy to use for our many freelancers, but had to have enough features and power to do some real complex shows. The maXim filled the bill superbly - plenty of faders, the ability to record so many looks and grab them on the fly, the quick access to create effects with moving lights, the access to palettes and presets and the ease to overlay them on scenes is really incredible! It's as simple or as complex as it needs to be. The console novice can work one fader one light, through to a few moving lights and a lot of dimmer channels. Its' extreme versatility is one of it's great features."

Details
USA - Loud Technologies Inc (formerly Mackie Designs Inc) has announced the divestiture, as of 10 December, 2003, of Mackie Designs (Italy) S.p.A. (formerly RCF S.p.A.) for a nominal amount. The move involved the sale of all shares of Mackie Italy by Mackie Designs (Netherlands) B.V. It has included the sale of the former RCF factory and administrative office in Reggio Emilia, the RCF brand name, and all Italian-based assets, and also results in the immediate removal of over $23 million (USD) in related bank debt from Loud's consolidated financial statements.

CEO Jamie Engen told us: "This is the next step in the modernization and streamlining of our worldwide manufacturing and product development resources. In the last year, we've established a network of worldwide manufacturing resources and have added significantly to our product development and engineering teams for bot

Details
USA - DiGiCo USA has appointed Ivan C. Schwartz as US national sales manager to further organize the company's rep/dealer structure within the US and provide high quality service to the regional markets.

Having been involved with sound reinforcement since the late 1970s, Schwartz brings to DiGiCo a wealth of real-world product knowledge as well as an extensive management background in the pro audio industry. Previous positions included corporate director of product and market development at Mackie Designs, director of marketing at EAW, and general manager of Mark IV Pro Audio Group. Schwartz holds a BS Industrial Technology from WWU and is a member of the AES, IEEE, and NSCA.

"We're delighted to welcome Ivan aboard," says Eric Wade, CEO of DiGiCo USA. "We've known him for many years and his experience with dealer networks, as well as his vast industry knowledge

Details
UK - Martin Professional has announced the return of Chris Hale to the company, where he will provide technical support for the stage, studio and event segment. Hale, who has 12 years of lighting industry experience, returned to the company in September, from Coemar UK, after a year and a half absence.

Hale started his lighting industry career as a freelance programmer, operator and service engineer, working mainly in clubs, and worked freelance for a short time in the US. His previous employment at Martin UK included work as a service engineer/programmer and product manager for lighting and control. He also worked in Martin's educational program, Martin University, and was involved in planning and setting up of exhibitions for Martin UK and worldwide for the company's headquarters. Hale has extensive programming experience having programmed numerous large shows and several larg

Details
France - The SIEL exhibition, France's leading entertainment technology trade show, will once again combine the worlds of live entertainment, events, nightlife and music when it returns to Paris from 1-4 February 2004.

In order to reflect the fast pace of technological development and innovation in the entertainment and events markets, the Trophée Louis Jouvet will be awarded at the show, honouring the most original innovation of the year, in a ceremony at the Espace Label des Prestataires on Tuesday 3 February at 6.00p.m.

Specialized audio technologies will be presented in the Espace Audio. This year, SIEL is highlighting line array systems, and a number of brands will be taking advantage of the exhibition to show their systems. For the live entertainment and events sectors, SIEL is offering four high-level conferences in partnership with the SYNPASE (Syndicat des Prestatair

Details
USA - Located just outside of Dallas in Grapevine, Texas, the Fellowship Church has grown from a few hundred followers in an office complex 13 years ago, to a spacious new facility that hosts up to 19,000 people each weekend. The Church features the very latest in audio and video technology for services that offer the musical and visual impact of a contemporary concert event.

Senior audio engineer Matt Wheeler comments: "We try to stay on the cutting edge, to do what we do creatively, so it's not the older, more traditional 'just sing the hymn' kind of service. We want to keep things interesting and relevant, so, in doing that, technology plays a large role in what we do."

Because Fellowship Church has to both provide the full-range audio for musical performances and clear vocal and speech reproduction for sermons and prayers, finding the right microphone has proved

Details
UK / Eire - Acclaimed at its launch at this year's PLASA Show and most recently enjoying success at LDI 2003 in Orlando, the Hippotizer digital media server range is acquiring fans around the world, with a number of new installations having taken place around the UK and Eire in recent weeks.

In Northern Ireland, The Lounge@Cellar Bar in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, has installed a Hippotizer system to provide visuals to a video projector and to plasma displays throughout the bar. The Hippotizer complements the lighting and sound in the bar, and is kept fresh by the club's owner, who creates his own images and uploads them to the Hippotizer through its easy-to-use Media Manager.

The Lounge's system was installed by RG Design, who also installed a Hippotizer system in Holborn St - a live venue and club spread over three floors in Sligo, Eire. At the venue's centre is a stage used by band

Details
UK - The date for the trial of Simon Brophy - the former head of lighting at the Millennium Dome charged with conspiracy to defraud the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) - has been set for 4 October 2004.

In total, nine individuals have been charged as a result of the investigation, including David Gordon, a former company director of Prodesign, and Brophy's wife Margaret Bragg. Of the other six individuals, we understand that three represented a well-known lighting company in its involvement with the Millennium Dome.

The Fraud Squad arrested Brophy, Gordon and Bragg in October 2000, following scrutiny into the awarding of contracts at the Millennium Dome.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
South Korea - Cadac's recently-appointed Korean distributor, Dream Sound, has had an unusual start to its representation - doing battle with the elements on the current production of the musical Cats! The show's home in Seoul is a 1,700-seat tent in the Big Top Theater at the Jamsil Sports Complex, where it returns in December after a three-month sell-out tour of the country.

September's devastating typhoon caused substantial damage to the tent while on tour, and the Cadac F-Type console - the first console supplied by Dream Sound as the local Cadac distributor - was shipped back to the UK for a thorough check as a result. It has subsequently been given a clean bill of health despite the battering it received, and is due to return to Korea ready for the show's new season back at the Big Top Theater in December.

Dream Sound's Jin Yoon Cho commented: "We are very pro

Details
Hong Kong - In August 2002, The Hong Kong Tourism Commission engaged Laservision to develop the idea of creating a permanent light show based on the illumination of significant buildings in Hong Kong and Kowloon, which overlook Victoria Harbour.

Laservision's objectives included the selection of suitable buildings and key viewing areas. A draft design for each chosen structure was completed, taking account of energy efficiency and light pollution issues. A series of reports was then sent to the Hong Kong Government and Laservision was invited to showcase techniques incorporated into the Harbour Lighting Plan during Chinese New Year of 2003. The demonstration consisted of illumination of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the creation of a multi-media show, attracting a public audience of up to 45,000 per night.

The Hong Kong Government engaged Laservision to prepare a launch e

Details
USA - Production Resource Group (PRG) has announced that Steven Cullipher has joined the company's Systems Integration team as a business development executive, based at PRG's Orlando office.

Cullipher has been involved in numerous high-profile projects during his career, including the installation of area lighting systems at Universal's Citywalk in Orlando; the construction of the MSNBC Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey; dimming and control systems for a wide range of sites including for four theatres at the State University of New York (SUNY), The Phil Donahue Show at Manhattan Center Studios in New York, NBC affiliate WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., The Golden Moon Casino in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC.

Bill Groener, head of PRG's System Integration Group, has known Cullipher for many years and previously worked with him at Bar

Details
UK - The largest curve projection screen ever assembled in the UK will be unveiled at a conference held at the Park Lane Hilton in January, claim audio-visual specialist Quadrant Visual Solutions. The rear projection screen, which will be used to show PowerPoint presentations and sales literature, will be assembled by Quadrant for an event that is being held in the Grand Ballroom of the London's Hilton Hotel on Park Lane.

Three projection units will display images onto the 12m by 3m screen. Quadrant estimate that it will take up to 18 hours to install the equipment. "We had been providing AV support for this particular client's events for about six years and each year we try to make our sets bigger and better than the last," says Quadrant's events manager, Mark Oakland: "The decision to use what we believe to be the largest ever curved projection screen in the cou

Details
France - Large format projection specialists E//T//C Audiovisuel supplied 16 PIGI 6kW DDRA Xenon projectors and two Pigi'S 700 projectors to the 2003 Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights) from 5-8 December in Lyons. Equipment from Paris-based E//T//C, pioneers of large format scrolling projection equipment and techniques, was used in three sites across the city during its famous four-day lighting festival.

The popular Fête des Lumières - a rich fusion of light, colour and architecture - has been taking place for over 150 years, and this year's theme was 'Light in motion: dynamic light, interactive light'. Staged in Lyon's imposing central square, the Place des Terreaux, Skertzò (renowned for their work with light and projections) created the 'Zone d'ombres' (Theatre of shadows) show. This centrepiece show of the festival used 16 PIGI DDRA (automatic rotating double scrolle

Details
UK / USA - Trantec Systems' revolutionary S6000 miniature radio microphone system has scooped an EDDY Award for Best Sound Product of 2004. The EDDY Awards, now in its 12th year, recognizes new products for their technical excellence in entertainment design and represents one of the most prestigious industry awards in the US.

This is the S6000's second accolade since its launch earlier in 2003, having been awarded Best Sound Product at this year's ABTT show in London. BBM Trantec's managing director Sho Kudo commented: "We are thrilled to have won an Eddy - it means that the S6000 has been recognized on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. We're looking forward to seeing the product on Broadway and to it being received as positively as it has already been in London's West End."

The S6000 was among five new products released in 2003, which have applications in the theatr

Details
UK - Lighting designer Bryan Leitch and video designer Nick Whitehouse have created an innovative visual mix for Feeder's latest European tour, utilizing six RADlite digital media server systems - the most RADlites toured together to date. The RADlites were supplied by rental company Siyan - the first UK company to invest in this then new technology, back in 2001. Siyan now owns eight RADlites and Leitch and Whitehouse pioneered its use on the epic Coldplay tour that ended earlier this year.

The Coldplay tour was instrumental in boosting general interest in the technology: Whitehouse wanted to use RADlite again on Feeder, and was brimming with ideas about what could be achieved by running the video in this configuration. The Feeder show was heavily video-based - a medium they have always enthusiastically embraced. Whitehouse operated the RADlite servers using a Avolites Diamond

Details
USA - In response to customer demand, Prelite has opened an office in Los Angeles, adding to its existing offices in New York and San Francisco. Prelite's Tom Thompson explains: "A number of our clients have homes and offices in the LA area, so it seemed logical that we add another level of service by making our studio more conveniently accessible. David Hunkins will be running our new studio, located in the heart of Hollywood. David is a 10 year industry veteran, growing from the club scene to working as a touring lighting designer and programmer. As an early adopter of visualization software and with his field experience, he brings a broad scope of expertise to Prelite and our clients."

Prelite LA can be contacted at 1680 North Vine Street, Suite 709, Hollywood, CA 90028, USA. Tel: +1 323.462.0043, fax +1 323.462.0047.

(Lee Baldock)

Page 1607 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .