Lighting

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Rainmaker, lighting design specialists for the corporate event market, recently designed, supplied and installed a complete lighting system for the launch of the new Gillette 226a/Venus razor. The event took place at the London Tower Thistle Hotel at St Katherine’s Dock. Lighting design was by Paul O’Brien, set design by Adrian Smith and the production company was Line Up Communications North. The brief involved the lighting of two areas and a connecting tunnel. The biggest challenge was squeezing the ambitious set and design into the space which created a fully immersive environment, enveloping the audience.

The first room was a White Room with plain, simple and effective lighting. It was given a ‘chill-out’ area feel, complete with cool water feature, highlighted with MR16s above and below, and by lightboxes containing graphics of the product. The interlinking

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In an effort to increase his students exposure to moving light technology - the future of lighting - Steve Huttley, the chief electrician at the Guildhall School of Music in London, has decided to expand the range of automated lighting equipment included in School’s stock. This already includes Strand Pirouettes, and Steve turned to White Light and The Moving Light Company to look at other products in the market to see what would both broaden the range of equipment experienced by his students and be of value to lighting designers working on productions in the theatre. The Moving Light Company’s extensive experience with automated lighting covers a huge range of products from a variety of manufacturers used on a diverse selection of shows - and their advice therefore tends to be impartial and based on ‘real world’ experience. After many discussions, Steve opted to

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Continuing an impressive rate of international expansion, DHA Lighting has announced the appointment of five new stockists in the Far East and Scandinavia. In the Asia Pacific Region, DHA has long worked with Ken Production Services, Japan, but now adds Singapore-based De Sisti Asia, distributors of quality motion picture and television lighting equipment, to its list of resellers. In Israel, Danor Theatre Systems Ltd, a leading company in design, production, stage and studio lighting and control, becomes a re-seller of the DHA Digital Light Curtain and moving effects. In order to serve Scandinavia, AVAB Sweden now stocks DHA gobos, whilst Svensk Film & Ljusteknik Sweden (SFL) and West Lighting, Finland, stock DHA gobos, moving effects and the Gecko.

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This month marks the beginning of a new agreement between Rosco and Lighting Technology for the sales, technical support and back-up in the UK and Eire for Horizon, Rosco’s computer software that converts a PC into a powerful lighting control system. Lighting Technology have been an established Rosco dealer for over 10 years, distributing the full range of Rosco colour, paint, and gobos, so the distribution of Horizon and its associate products is viewed as a strengthening of the relationship between the two companies.

Lighting Technology has strong links with many working lighting designers at all levels of the entertainment industry. Lighting Technology Projects - LT’s Systems Division is a specialist installation company working closely with designers in the architectural, retail and corporate lighting and technology markets. Sarah Davis of Lighting Technology Projects

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Point Promotions have announced a 72% increase in attendance at last week’s ABTT Theatre Show. The show this year expanded into both of the Royal Horticultural Halls, and had widened its remit to attract 30 new exhibitors. The initial un-audited visitor attendance figures show an increase of 72% over last year’s registered numbers. Point Promotions was appointed by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) to administer the change from the ABTT Trade Show to the bigger and improved ABTT Theatre Show. The expanded show featured on-stage technology such as lighting, rigging, drapes and sound and also many exhibitors with front-of-house technology including seating and staging.

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Show Presentation Services (SPS) has launched a new department dedicated to support the use of all types of information technology in the live events market. SPS Event IT will cater for the now commonplace use of IT within conferences and exhibitions, but its approach will differ from ‘traditional’ IT ideas. "What matters to us," said SPS managing director Robin Coles, "is the event as a whole. Stand-alone computers, flat screens, local networking, Internet access, webcasting and all the associated peripherals are becoming as fundamental as video, sound and lights at many events, and should be delivered with the same professional attitude, with all the technology that comes together to service an event being intrinsically linked. We have staffed SPS Event IT with people who approach anything computerish from the live show perspective. Our crew are not ‘ne

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InspHire Ltd, providers of hire management systems for hire companies, has signed a Partnership Agreement with Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions. inspHire will offer Great Plains Dynamics and e-Enterprise solutions as the fully integrated Back Office solution for inspHire’s SQL Edition. With a long history of working together to deliver new business technologies, the two companies are joining forces to provide a package for small and medium companies. Andy Beal, inspHire MD told PLASA Media: "The signing of the Partnership Agreement between the two companies was the culmination of a two-year search for a suitable Back Office partner to integrate into inspHire SQL Edition. Great Plains' purchase by Microsoft, together with the VBA tools available to us in the end, made it an easy choice. Not only will we be able to offer the same level of two-way integration with our h

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In the world of lighting, there is much talk about lighting style and whether a designer’s particular characteristics are visible in the designs that he or she creates. There is much less talk about personality - perhaps unsurprisingly, given that a lighting designer often ends up subservient to the show and the other members of its creative team.Personality, though, is exactly what lighting designer Anne Militello has given to the New 42nd Street Studios building in New York - and, given her background of work in the City and beyond, her close involvement with the project and the way in which the lighting was created, one can’t help feeling that the building’s lighting personality closely reflects its designer’s own.

Created as a calm, non-commercial oasis for the creation of the theatre arts that are the heart of Broadway in an ocean of commercial development,

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Rosco ColorWaves offer a combination of one of five strong, vibrant colours with the unique textures of Rosco’s Image Glass. Four of the most versatile of Rosco’s Image Glass gobos - Waves, Strands, Ripple and Mosaic - have been coated with brilliant dichroic colour. The result, when projected in an ellipsoidal spotlight or a moving light, is a unique combination of colour, texture, shading and blending. 20 ColorWaves are available in Standard B size (86mm) and in moving light sizes and are supplied in a mounting ring. Maximum wattage for an ellipsoidal spotlight is 575/600 watts; for a moving light, 1200 watts.

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AC Lighting, in conjunction, with consultants Minds Eye, have completed an installation in London’s world famous Oxford Street. The project on behalf of House of Fraser, was a key part of the opening of a uniquely branded department created in the basement area of the store. The department, named ‘therapy’, was specifically designed to promote a broad line of designer fashion and beauty ranges to a younger clientele within an environment that complemented the modern image of the goods. The concept is based around videowalls, glass walkways, a catwalk, a resident DJ, new mannequins and revolutionary changing rooms. For the entrance, the initial creative idea was to use a scheme of back lighting, however, detailed technical evaluation of the site indicated the potential for structural problems and high associated costs. The concept of constantly changing colour washes, dr

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Cereco International, the on-line equipment auction facility run by John Lethbridge, believes it has found a way to protect both buyers and sellers from fraud, without the need to use a credit card. The solution, the company believes, is to be found on their two new sites.

Cereco Used Trade Auctions is again for goods supplied by manufacturers and distributors but will now include VAT registered rental companies, installers and VAT registered sole traders. All of the equipment will be ex-rental, ex-installation or part-exchanged audio, lighting, video or special effects. All of the sellers on this site are known to Cereco International, and have to enter into a written agreement to fulfil certain conditions including replacing any goods not received in the condition described. Buyers deal directly with the seller. This service is completely free to sellers if no sale is achieved.

Gea

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Long-running West End musical Witches of Eastwick, starring Ian McShane, has transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre - with a respecified lighting rig from Vari-Lite that now includes the new VL2416 wash luminaire. The show’s original rig at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, included four VL7B zooming spot luminaires, 29 VL6B and six VL5B luminaires. The new system at the Prince of Wales is expanded to a total of 51 Vari-Lite automated luminaires, consisting of 33 VL6B and 12 VL2416s. The new VL2416 were added to the rig by lighting designer Howard Harrison, following a demonstration of the lights while on site at the Prince Edward Theatre. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Eric Scaeffer, the musical is based on the original book by John Updike with music by Dana P Rowe and lyrics by John Dempsey. Production design is by Bob Crowley.

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Nu-Light Systems has announced the release of its Laser Animator software package. The first customer to receive the system was Somerset-based Event Horizon, a specialist in laser and pyrotechnic displays for the corporate market. Managing director of Event Horizon Charlie Adcock says: "The Animator has given us the ability to modulate and animate a company logo and add other spatial and graphic elements. It’s quick and easy to get to grips with and we wish we’d had it ages ago." The Laser Animator runs on a PC-based system and includes 250 graphical images and 20 animations, all of which can be customised by the operator. Debbie Clayton, managing director of Nu-Light says: "This new animation system has taken us two years to develop and it fits perfectly within our product range. With laser heads available from 20mW to 3W we can cover most eventualities and fu

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Rosco has appointed Adam Smith as sales manager for the UK and Scandinavia, continuing its growth and expansion within Europe. Smith’s career in technical theatre and electronics spans 25 years. His experience in sales, and in-depth knowledge of production, lighting design and the theatre industry will add considerably to the Rosco sales force and strengthen the team. He was most recently employed as Olympic program director for the Sydney Opera House. During this time, he was also responsible for major project work including the opening of the newest theatre in the complex, The Studio, and as event manager for the major function on New Year’s Eve 2000. Prior to accepting his position at the Opera House, Adam was employed as sales manager for Bytecraft and the John Barry Group, both major suppliers to the entertainment industry in Australia.

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The Arena Club in Exeter has recently undergone a major refurbishment, which included the installation of completely new audio and lighting systems. Installation company PSD specified and installed two Mach M128 and eight M126 top box units, along with sub bass units from Martin Audio. Two BSS Omnidrives provide processing while amplification is provided by Ecler PAM 2600, PAM 2000 and PAM 560 with mixing from an Ecler Mac 901. On the lighting side, PSD specified a large amount of Martin Professional gear including MAC 500s and 600s, Pro 518 and 918 scanners, MX-4 scanners RoboColor IIIs and Destroyers. Two Martin Pro 2000 foggers provide atmospheric smoke effects. Control is from a Martin Windows-based LightJockey DMX controller.

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White Light has launched a new website dedicated to the company’s popular Training Initiative education programme. Launched at the ABTT Trade Show in 1999, The Training Initiative aims to make the wealth of knowledge and experience held by the White Light Group available to the widest possible audience. The new website gathers information about all of The Training Initiatives projects together in one place. The site includes details of all of the courses offered, details of workshops that have been held, news about recent Training Initiative events, and information about the White Light Resource Pack. Talking to PLASA Media about the new website, White Light’s training co-ordinator, Jason Larcombe, said: "We are very excited about the new website, but it is also just the start. The site will shortly include information about other elements of training in the industry wit

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The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) booked Laser Grafix’ services for a series of important monumental screen projections all over the country. This work has been in celebration of the Race Relations Act passed 25 years ago - and the amended law on race equality, commencing 2 April 2001. To illustrate the year when the Act was launched, Laser Grafix sourced images of a range of seventies icons, including Charlie’s Angels. To create the effects, Laser Grafix used a self-contained 7000W xenon projector mobile unit with generator, to move around the country to each site. In each city, however, one main site was used followed by additional smaller sites, to spread the message. Thus, the first projections, on 27 February, were giant images with a football theme, projected across the Manchester skyline with sites including China Town, the CIS building, the Sunley Tower and the

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Zero 88 Lighting has appointed Chris Clayton as R&D manager. Chris joins the company from Penny & Giles, the manufacturer of industrial joystick controllers and faders, where he designed and managed projects in aerospace and industrial applications. He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institute of Engineering Designers and at Zero 88 will be responsible for a large team of people working on new fast-track developments for the iLight Group.

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MTFX has just completed a series of large fire effects in Dubai. The company was asked to design and operate large columns of fire, varying in height from eight metres up to 14 metres. Each head had to be DMX-controlled and able to reignite itself should the pilot light be lost. The materials used for the effects were purchased locally whilst all other hardware equipment was transported from England and set up within two days, followed by three days of rehearsals and then eight show days. In that time, MTFX completed more than 1,000 ‘burns’ of various sizes, without incident and with the material igniting every time. Each head was also able to be operated at an angle, enabling eight metre jets of flame to be shot across the stage horizontally. The production was so successful that MTFX has been asked to tour with the show to other parts of the Middle East and the North Africa

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Clay Paky has launched a new series of colour changers. The CP Color 150 and CP Color 250 are designed for use in professional settings such as theatres and television studios, as well as being ideal for retail and conference environments. Each differs in lamp power, but both have revolving barndoors for beam shaping. The CP Color 150-E is a special model for outdoor use and is equipped with a special structure that guarantees protection against dust and moisture. All three models adopt a colour mixing system with CMY three-filter colour mixing for creating any colour tone, and all have dimming capability. Both of these functions can be controlled via DMX and all have optional diffusion filters for different beam apertures.

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Creating a thunder and lightning special effect was just one of the tasks facing D J Willrich Ltd (DJW), the AV and multi media specialist, at X-treme World in Doha, Qatar this month. Situated on the third floor of a large shopping mall in the centre of Doha, X-treme World incorporates a go-kart track, rock climbing, a real snow ski slope, fairground rides and other extreme sporting activities. DJWs 10-day remit included sound, video and the rumbling special effects. DJW’s 16-screen videowall placed at the entrance offers both film footage of professional and extreme sports as well as links with the complex’s eight CCTV cameras set up to capture all the action at the attractions. The wall, which features16 Pioneer 40" rear-projection video cubes, has a 4-channel MPEG2 server plus control and switching hardware.

DJW, through Simon Rice-Oxley, supplied four video films f

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The 2001 PLASA AGM, along with the popular AGM Dinner, will take place on Thursday 14 June in the historic setting of Coombe Abbey, near Coventry. Set in 500 acres of parkland and dating back to 1150, this former Cistercian Abbey is now a thriving hotel and conference centre. In a slightly revised format for 2001, the day will include an opportunity for members to meet with key representatives of PLASA’s various operations in a number of small, hour-long ‘break-out sessions’. These will be organised as follows:

- PLASA Show - members of the Clarion Events show management team and members of the PLASA Exhibitor Forum will be on hand to discuss PLASA Show-related issues.
- Membership Services - PLASA’s head office staff dealing with membership services will be joined by consultants from certain of our service providers and members of the PLASA Executive Commi

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Following the successful launch of the Frog range of desks earlier this year, Zero 88 recently held a competition, the prize for which was a brand new Fat Frog lighting console. The competition generated a great deal of interest, both online and at the tradeshows with people entering from across the world. The eventual winner was Dave Godin, technical manager for the Royal Opera House. In addition to his work at the ROH, Dave is heavily involved with activities in the education sector, providing training in lighting and staging. On 3 May, the Royal Opera House is relaying ‘Othello’ via an LCD screen to a free outdoor audience on the Piazza, Covent Garden, and Dave anticipates using the Fat Frog for curtain calls on the stage in front of the screen. Our photograph shows Dave Godin receiving the Fat Frog from Cheryl Ryan (Zero 88) at the recent ABTT show.

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SeeLite A/S has taken over the Rental Division from Martin Group's Danish subsidiary Martin Denmark. The take-over is retroactively effective as of 1 April 2001. SeeLite states that the move is concordant with Martin Denmark's strategy to concentrate solely on its sales activities, and also with SeeLite's aim to unite the best resources for lighting design, production and product in Denmark. The company adds that the take-over is, moreover, a consolidation of the informal cooperation established between the two companies over the past months, an example of which is their collaboration for The European Song Contest which takes place in Copenhagen on 12 May. Under the terms of the agreement, Martin Group's President/CEO Kristian Kolding will join the board of directors in SeeLite.

The move means that SeeLite has cemented its leading market position in Denmark within lighting rental, desi

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