Business

Details
USA - Last year, LiteGear designated their LiteMat+ fixture to participate in the Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Product Programme which resulted in a generous donation of $7,500. This year, owners Al DeMayo and Mike Bauman decided to take their support to the next level and designated sales of all LiteMat fixtures to benefit the charity.
Recently, they presented a cheque for $15,000 to members of the Behind the Scenes Board of Directors, representing an incredible commitment by the company, its employees and its customers to care for their colleagues who are seriously ill or injured.
On presenting the cheque, LiteGear CEO, Al DeMayo, states: “With decades of experience working in the business, my partner Mike and I have worked with lots of great filmmakers. We are happy to know the Behind the Scenes charity is behind-the-technicians should they need it.”
Lori R

Details
Olympia Plans - Plans have been submitted for a 1,500-seat theatre and 1,000-capacity performing arts venue in the Olympia London exhibition centre. The new venues are part of a £700m redevelopment of the West Kensington events space, which was first announced in July. Now the owners of Olympia London, Yoo Capital, have requested planning permission from Hammersmith and Fulham council.
The planning documents reveal further details of the proposed performing arts offering, with developers aiming to create a cultural hub in the area. As well as the previously announced 1,500-seat theatre, there will also be a flexible performing arts venue with a capacity of 1,000 seated or 3,000 standing, which will be used for music and potentially also for theatre and dance. There will also be 10,000sq.ft of performance rehearsal space, which will be primarily for use of local charities an

Details
UK - SpotTrack, the specialist entertainment software tool for making, modifying and maintaining followspot cue sheets, is now supporting Backup, the technical entertainment charity.
Since its creation eight years ago, SpotTrack has allowed lighting practitioners to give a little back while working on their latest show, with 15% of the purchase price - £6.75 - going to charity. Users have always been able to choose whether their purchase supported the lighting charity Light Relief in the UK, or Behind The Scenes in the USA.
In recent times, Light Relief has evolved into Backup, which has a wider remit, offering support to those in need across all fields of entertainment technical production rather than just those working in lighting.
SpotTrack now provides another way of supporting the charity, alongside the events ranging from comedy nights to kart-fests, allow

Details
USA - ESTA and USITT have announced the initial sponsors for the 2019 New World Rigging Symposium, taking place on 19-20 March 2019 in conjunction with the USITT Conference and Stage Expo 2019 in Louisville.
Returning as the Platinum Sponsor is Stage Rigging, a theatrical rigging company that provides rigging services for tours, corporate and special events. Chris Schmidt, vice-president and general manager of Stage Rigging, says: “Stage Rigging is thrilled to once again be part of the New World Rigging Symposium, a great place for riggers that want to achieve higher trims.”
Additional sponsors for the 2019 event are: Gold - J.R. Clancy; Silver - Kish Rigging; and Bronze - H&H Specialties, The Light Source, Motion Labs, Reed Rigging, Sapsis Rigging, and Stagemaker.
One Gold sponsorship, three Silver sponsorships, and two Bronze sponsorships are still ava

Details
Europe - Loudspeaker manufacturer KV2 Audio has appointed global systems integration company and distributor Salzbrenner Media as its product distributor in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with specific focus on the theatrical and maritime sectors.
KV2 Audio’s Swiss distributor Plusmusic AG will work alongside Salzbrenner Media in Switzerland. The remaining market sectors in the region will be served directly by KV2 Audio Deutschland.
Rainer Hettwer, head of project sales Germany and Ismet Bozkurt, sales manager Eastern Europe & Middle East, are the new contacts for handling KV2 Audio within the Salzbrenner Media organisation.
KV2 Audio MD, George Krampera Jr., comments: "We have seen a steady increase in interest in all areas in recent years, and we have been especially pleased with our growing traction in the theatre market. The fact that Salzbrenner M

Details
Brazil - Wireless Solution Sweden (W-DMX) has appointed Arte em Cena of São Paulo as its distributor in Brazil.
Arte em Cena imports and distributes entertainment lighting fixtures from the likes of ETC, High End Systems and Chauvet.
“We are extremely excited to be able to work with such a reputable company like Arte em Cena,” comments David Ferraz, international business development manager for Wireless Solution. “Brazil is an emerging market for entertainment lighting and wireless systems, and we’re excited to be working with a company with such an important market presence, and an outstanding reputation for their service and technical support.”
“Wireless Solution’s products make perfect sense in our expansion plans, as we like to provide a complete solution to our customers,” adds Everthon Rosas, CEO of Arte em Cena. “The brand is already re

Details
UK - Adamson’s UK distributor The Warehouse has announced the appointment of a network of certified resellers and rental partners across UK and Ireland.
The network will help meet the product demand within the touring and integration markets and provide in-the-field support. 
The resellers are Triplex (London and Southern England), Hawthorn (London and the Midlands), PSI (Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland) and Live Systems (Scotland and the North of England).
Derek Blair, director at The Warehouse, comments: “In these dynamic, forward-thinking companies, we clearly have a skill base and experience that can help Adamson growth across the UK and Ireland. We are supplying an ever-increasing number of systems for use in a diverse range of applications, including festivals, art installations, touring shows, high profile events, and church and theatre installat

Details
South Africa - DWR has announced details for its upcoming Robe roadshow, taking place in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg this month.
DWR will bring Robe’s new T1 Profile, iParfect, RoboSpot and SuperSpikie fixtures to each location and Robe CEO Josef Valchar and international sales director Harry von den Stemmen will introduce the products in person.
The roadshow will be hosted in Cape Town on 5 November at the Roxy Revue Bar at the GrandWest Casino from 10am to 5pm.
In Durban, the event will take place on 7 November at the Grace Family Church, Umgeni Park from 10 am to 4pm.
Meanwhile, those living in Johannesburg are invited to visit the DWR Distribution offices in Laser Park, Honeydew, on 9 November from 10am to 5pm.
For catering purposes, forward booking is requested on line at www.dwrdistribution.co.za/register/robe-roadshow-november-2018

Details
USA - Three teams of lighting programmers competed in High End Systems’ annual Hog Factor USA Collegiate Competition held during LDI on Friday 19 October in the Las Vegas Convention Centre.
With three Hog 4 lighting desks up for grabs, the finalists performed a lightshow to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody using the latest in HES LED technology on the stand rig. The performances were judged by a panel comprising Howard Ungerleider (LD, Rush, Rod Stewart and Van Halen), Seth Jackson (creative director and production designer for Barry Manilow, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood), Scott Barnes (film lighting programmer) and Patrick Hayes (LD/programmer with The Decemberists).
Team Sola Tartan (under the leadership of professor Todd Brown) claimed first prize - a Road Hog 4 console – for Carnegie Mellon University. Runners-up Brown Sugar of Southern Methodist University r

Details
Sweden - Around 50 Chroma-Q Inspire XT LED house lights have been fitted in the Västerås concert hall in Sweden.
The concert hall is home to an orchestra that requires a quiet environment to perform in, a key aspect that had to be considered during the upgrade of the existing house lights.
Stage technical manager Per Andersson comments: “I chose the Inspire XT because there are no fans, which is a must for us since we house a classical orchestra, The orchestra is really happy with the brighter lights when they are rehearsing, and from a technical point of view, it is very easy to change the colour when I am asked. The other benefit for me is that they are more energy efficient; we went from 47 fixtures at 575W to 47 at 120W, and most of the fixtures are just on around 60%.”
(Jim Evans)

Details
Japan - Rental company Super 4 has invested in a Martin Audio WPC PA to handle its many events and concerts. The company recently placed the order for 18 x WPC elements and six SX218 subwoofers with Martin Audio Japan.
Super 4 is based in Takamatsu, Kagawa. Its vice-president Higasa comments: “It has been 18 years since we established the company, and during that time we have expanded from our first purchase of a microphone, up to the level where we can handle major events by ourselves.
“All the while we have watched developments with Martin Audio, and having experienced MLA and MLA Compact, and understood the philosophy behind the consistency of sound as well as the capability to control noise spill.”
He adds that noise pollution had recently become and issue. which convinced the company to purchase a WPC rig in order to achieve the required controllab

Details
Australia - The KV2 Asia Pacific team recently gathered in Melbourne to demonstrate the new VHD5.0 Constant Power Point Source Array and the VHD2.0 Large Format Point Source System at the city’s best-known outdoor venue, the Sydney Myer Music Bowl.
Loading in at 7.00am, both systems were flown and ready for operation by 10.00am. Angus Davidson, technical director for Asia Pacific and North America was in charge of the set up. “It never ceases to amaze not just how quickly these systems go up but how little tweaking is required once they are in the air,” remarked Davidson. “Basically, once you get the height right it is simply a matter of adjusting the tilt angle, which on VHD5.0 can be done via remote control as the fly bar incorporates integrated tilt adjustment.”
A noise curfew was in place until midday, but everything was ready to roll as many of Australi

Details
Europe - Yamaha Music Europe has launched a YouTube channel to informally profile respected mix engineers, sound designers, technicians and other audio professionals.
Titled In The Spotlight, the first video features Terry ‘TJ’ Jackson (Earth Wind & Fire / Michael Jackson), who discusses how he became a leading mix engineer and offers crucial advice to fellow colleagues and up-and-coming engineers alike.
“We wanted to bring high production values to interviews with a range of audio professionals, highlighting not only the importance of their work, but also to draw the attention of the general public to how much work goes into the sound that they largely take completely for granted,” says Alex Warren, sales manager (UK and ROI) at Y

Details
USA - Three more ESTA standards have been posted for public review.
ANSI E1.34 - 2009, Entertainment Technology - Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues is being considered for reaffirmation again (i.e., no changes in requirements, only updating organization name, address, copyright date, etc.) The document describes a simple means of measuring and specifying the slipperiness of floor surfaces used by performers in live entertainment venues. The standard is not for normal walking and working surfaces, but only for those floor surfaces used by actors, dancers, and other similar artists when performing before an audience. Comments are due before the end of the day on 17 December; the review is over when 18 December starts.
BSR E1.37-5, Gene

Details
UK - Henley Theatre Services (HTS) is hosting two open days on 1-2 November at its premises in Henley-on-Thames.
Representatives from leading manufacturers, including Robe, Avolites, Electro Voice, Allen & Heath, Le Maitre and JTS Microphones, will demonstrate the companies' latest products, with a focus towards the theatre market.
The event will also feature a live demo of Avolites’ PLASA Award for Innovation-winning Synergy platform and also offer visitors the chance to be the first people in the UK to demo the new Robe T1, along with live pyro, console and PA demos and informal training sessions.
(Jim Evans)

Details
[Europe] European entertainment industry bodies have proposed ‘small but essential’ amendments to the Ecodesign regulations ahead of key talks in December.
The European Entertainment Ecodesign Coalition (EEEC) - comprising PLASA, PEARLE, the ALD, DTHG, the IALD, OETHG, SLF, STEPP and VPLT - and other national and international organisations have released a joint statement to highlight 'some serious concerns' about technical requirements that the bodies insist cannot be met by the industry.
Meanwhile, the regulatory committee is meeting with the European Commission on 17-20 December to decide on the draft.
The proposed amendments (

Details
Then Play On - Fleetwood Mac have announced they will perform at Wembley Stadium next summer as part of a European tour. The veteran rock band, who are currently touring the US, will play Wembley on 16 June after gigs in Berlin and Dublin. Fleetwood Mac have a new line-up after guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was fired back in April due to "scheduling conflicts". Guitarist Mike Campbell and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn have joined existing members Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and John McVie.
The group have said they are "thrilled" to welcome the new two musicians, adding: "With Mike and Neil, we'll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we'll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs. Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution. We look forward to honouring that spirit on this upcoming tour."

Details
USA - ESTA's Technical Standards Programme has published one revised standard, put another up for public review and a third one is available for public review for reaffirmation (no changes planned).
ANSI E1.1 - 2018, Entertainment Technology--Construction and Use of Wire Rope Ladders, was approved by ANSI's Board of Standards Review on 27 September. It is a revision of the 2012 standard, which was a revision of the 2006 standard with changed load ratings to accommodate heavier workers. Wire rope ladders are commonly used in concert touring for access to lighting trusses, but are rarely used in other industries.
ANSI E1.48 - 2014, A Recommended Luminous Efficiency Function for Stage and Studio Luminaire Photometry is being considered for reaffirmation. It is available for public review for free at

Details
UK - Shure UK has announced Aztec Event Services as its 2018 UK Rental Partner of the Year. The award was presented to Aztec's operations director, Steve Colesell in recognition of the company’s commitment to embracing new technologies that ensure the best results for their customers.
Most recently, Aztec technical staff were quick to realise the potential of Shure's new Axient Digital wireless system, and their early adoption was crucial in staying ahead of the game. "The entire team at Aztec are a pleasure to deal with," comments Stuart Moots, regional sales manager. "At Shure, we've always advocated that continued commitment to education in the latest techniques and tools are paramount in delivering solutions fit for the challenges faced by today's production teams, and there's no doubt we see this commitment from the team at Aztec.”
Steve Colesell comments: "Sh

Details
USA - The winners of the inaugural Knight of Illumination Awards USA (KOI-USA) have been revealed.
An independent jury picked 18 lighting and video designers who were ‘knighted’ for their creative talent across Theatre, Live for Broadcast, and Concert Touring & Events at a gala ceremony attended by 300 professionals in Las Vegas on 20 October.
The winners are as follows:
Theatre
The DTS Award for Projection Design: Finn Ross & Adam Young for Mean Girls
The ETC Award for Dance: Al Crawford for Victoria
The Altman Award for Plays: Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer for The Iceman Cometh
The Elation Professional Award for Opera: Joe Levasseur for Cellular Songs
The Robe Lighting Award for Musicals: Tyler Micoleau for The Band's Visit
Live for Broadcast
The Phil

Details
South Africa - Festival Sound has invested in additional L-Acoustics equipment to enable them to service more clients and offer flexibility to events.
Petru Palmer, owner of the company, comments: “I purchased my first L-Acoustics system about four years ago. I initially bought two ARCS Wide, two SB18m and an LA4X amplified controller. I remember choosing the ARCS WiFo because it was the only system of its kind and did everything I needed in a PA System. It has been a great investment and I have only had positive results.”
Festival Sound has now purchased ARCS Focus from DWR Distribution, the local L-Acoustics agents. “The ARCS are so versatile that you can use them, pretty much, for anything,” Palmer explains. “I wanted to expand on the system I already have and support the rest of the L-Acoustics network users with more equipment options. As for the L-Acous

Details
UK - High End Systems’ Hog Factor UK competition is poised to return on 7 November, when the Live Finals will be held during Production Futures in Wakefield.
The previous winner of the contest, Nina Mesitz and her team Status Cue, triumphed at Hog Factor at Prolight + Sound 2018. Six months on she looks back at her progress since and plans for the future.
The team are students from the Austrian vocational school BS Evita. Mesitz, who is a trainee of the Graz theatres, speaks highly of the competition, commenting on the ‘valuable experience and lifelong key contacts’ she made from it. “It’s a unique opportunity that aspiring lighting designers or technicians must take advantage of,” she states.
Mesitz and her team jumped at the chance to participate in the competition, recognising the importance of getting hands-on experience with industry professional

Details
USA - At LDI 2018, ETC presented entertainment technology charity Behind the Scenes with a cheque for $18,567.19.
The funds were collected from the most recent proceeds from ETC’s iRFR and aRFR Radio Focus Remote mobile applications that enable remote control of the Eos family consoles and controllers.
Fred Foster, ETC’s CEO, comments: “Over the years, it has become clear that this industry draws in great people that truly feel like family. We are honoured to be part of an industry where the whole spectrum of professionals, from technicians to designers to manufacturers, are so willing to contribute to BTS’s mission to support our colleagues in need.”
Rick Rudolph, chair of the BTS Board of Directors, adds: “ETC’s employees and customers should be enormously proud of what they are doing. At a time when feeding profits seems to be the motivating forc

Details
The Netherlands - Load and force monitoring systems company PROTOS has only been active since July but has already acquired partners in Holland, China, Canada, Australia and India.
Jasper van der Sluis, director and co-owner of PROTOS, comments: “The entertainment industry is constantly and quickly developing to keep up with the latest developments. While the audience's hunger for state of the art shows keeps growing. Concerts, plays and shows are constantly evolving and it seems like each iteration has to be more spectacular than the last."
"Through our work with Prolyte and Doughty Asia Pacific and Prolyte Doughty Japan, we have noticed a strongly growing demand for force measuring equipment on a global scale. A demand for a system that is easy to set up, understand and above all, a system that ensures a safe working environment."
“We are still expanding t
  1. Shure launches training initiatives
  2. ESTA’s to hold Happy Hour for Behind the Scenes
  3. AC-ET holds recruitment event
  4. DWR dot2 training delivered in Tshwana
  5. Pandoras Box pulls the strings on The Wider Earth
  6. DWR hosts Absen training sessions
Page 244 of 1813

Latest Issue. . .

PLASA Media Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 4111709 - VAT Number GB 762 5913 14
PLASA Media Ltd, Redoubt House, 1 Edward Road, Eastbourne, BN23 8AS, UK Tel: +44 (0)1323 524120

 

login