Lighting

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The owners of AJS Theatre Lighting & Stage Supplies Ltd have acquired the business of Cerebrum Lighting (formerly part of the Lighting Technology Group which last month went into administration) from the administrators PriceWaterhouseCooper.

The company has been renamed Cerebrum Ltd, and although in time it will be integrated into the AJS group structure, it will continue to operate and trade as Cerebrum Lighting, based in south London. Cerebrum Lighting has of course been a respected supplier of lighting equipment in the industry, having traded for many years.

The move comes just two years after key changes at AJS itself: the company was brought by Decibel Ltd in January 2000, as a management buyout from the previous owner Adrian Sant. Led by Christopher Coates, the last two years has seen the company undergo a major restructuring programme, and a continued investment programme has

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12 September will mark the first anniversary of White Light taking possession of its new HQ building in Wimbledon, south-west London. Since 12 September is also the day after the PLASA Show, White Light has decided to hold a post-PLASA, one-year celebration Open Day - and everyone is invited!

For most of its 30-year history, White Light was based in a quirky but much-loved building tucked away in the back-streets of Fulham, taking over other space nearby as it expanded into the White Light Group during the nineties. As the number and scale of the White Light Group’s projects continued to expand, finding a new home which would allow all of the Group’s activities to be brought back together under one roof became a top priority; after a long search, the White Light Group - including White Light Hire, White Light Sales, The Moving Light Company, The Service Company, Colourhouse

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ACDC Lighting Systems of Barrowford, Lancashire has introduced the new generation of Colorise Cold Cathode Lighting by completing a £40,000 installation of Colorise DMX at Crow Wood Farm, Lancashire. The DMX system has been designed specifically to fade smoothly between colours with fade times varying from seconds to days. The transition between colours is exceptionally smooth and can be activated at the push of a button or alternatively an automatic system can be used.

The driver technology at the heart of the unit is derived from ACDC’s low voltage Coldstar ll ballast and uses highly efficient electronics. Low energy consumption and long life make Colorise an attractive option, especially when installing in ‘hard to reach’ areas such as swimming pools and gyms. This increased flexibility has proven to be a great success in a variety of projects including Crow Wood

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Monacor plan to launch numerous new products at PLASA 2002. LE-510DMX is one of many new lighting effects available under the img StageLine brand, which includes a total of 10 new effects plus two new controllers. STA-162 - one of the range of nine new and re-designed amplifiers which will be available for the first time at PLASA. The range of stereo power amps starts at 60W per channel and goes up to 1000W per channel.

The DJP-400/SI is a new turntable in silver with all of the following features at a very competitive price: quartz controlled direct drive heavy diecast turntable quick start with brake adjust three-speed switchable pitch bend digital display for BPM and pitch backward function digital output analogue output switch line/phono remote start stylus illumination. PAB-515/SW - This new 300W ABS moulded plastic speaker enclosure contains a heavy du

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Quentor introduced its System Q Cases in 1996. Strong, good looking, weight saving products designed specifically for the demanding environment of Formula One motor racing, their benefits have been readily embraced by other industries.

Now the company has introduced its Quentor Q-Fix flightcases, which feature a new level of accuracy of manufacture almost unknown in the flightcase industry. The cases utilize a new, patented construction system offering unique, high strength and quality assembly. Quentor Q-Fix Cases are available in standard sizes or custom-built in almost any size, style, and colour. They are ideal for many applications within the AV, broadcasting and entertainment industries. The range includes trunks and racks, together with more specialized cases for lighting, cameras, and other AV equipment. The cases are available ready-assembled or as a flat-pack system, making t

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Richard Mead has been named Flying Pig Systems product manager "for all things Pig," announced John Wiseman, vice-president of worldwide sales for High End Systems. Mead, who has a physics degree from Oxford University, has been with UK-based Flying Pig Systems for four years. During that time he was instrumental in the design and development of the Wholehog III lighting console, which is currently shipping in the marketplace. He was also a key code writer for the product.

Says Wiseman: "Richard brings with him a lot of unique knowledge. We are happy that he will be the point of contact for all Flying Pig products. His appointment to this position is a key part of the further integration of HES and FPS from product development to product support and all aspects in between. Richard's depth of knowledge from Wholehog II as well as up to and beyond Wholehog III gives our cl

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Lighting industry veteran Todd Hucul has joined the staff at VLPS Los Angeles as shop manager. As a native of Winnipeg, Canada, Hucul began working for Westsun 13 years ago. When the company opened its first US office in Seattle, Hucul was there to serve as the operations manager. Later, he moved to Las Vegas, again to help set up the operation. "I specialize in streamlined, well-organized shops so technicians and clients can come in from anywhere and start functioning quickly and efficiently. I plan to apply that same technique to my new lighting shop, VLPS Los Angeles."

Unlike many lighting professionals who fall into the business, Hucul has always wanted to be where he is now. "Lighting is the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to do," he says. "It’s been my life-long dream to be part of the lighting industry and I take it very seriously."

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The much-anticipated new Bond film, the 20th film in the series, is currently in production at Pinewood, near London. Die Another Day, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and directed by Lee Tamahori, will see Pierce Brosnan return in his fourth outing as James Bond, and will be released in the UK on November 22nd 2002.

As usual, the film set is closely guarded and few details of the plot or its characters are available, but significant quantities of custom and pre-made Van Damme VGA cable have been ordered by Chris McBride, the film's computer and video supervisor. "We're using Van Damme cabling both for on-screen and off-screen applications," explains Chris. "Our department provides all the on-set video and computer requirements, working with the shooting crew. And we also supervise the on-screen screens, those seen in the film."

As in many

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The American National Standards Institute approved E1.16 as an American National Standard on 8 August 2002. The new standard, ANSI E1.16-2002, Entertainment Technology - Configuration Standard for Metal-Halide Ballast Power Cables, is available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file at the ESTA website (address below).

ANSI E1.16 may be an inexpensive standard, but it's designed to eliminate expensive accidents. Manufacturers of ballasts for HMI-type lamps rated 6kW and above often use a common circular, three-pin connector for connecting the detachable power cable to the ballast. Most manufacturers use one particular pin of the three for the protective grounding connection, but until the publication of ANSI E1.16, there was no standard specifying which pin. Without such a standard, a manufacturer could easily decide to use a different pin for ground and the usual grounding pin for an ung

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Sunday 8 September - 7.30pm till late . . .

This year the PLASA Show is celebrating its 25th year, and it’s something we’d like to share with as many exhibitors and visitors as possible. So, we’re hosting a PLASA Party on the evening of Sunday 8th September at 'The Bridge' (underneath London Bridge) - one of London’s newest venues, to which everyone is welcome. The all-inclusive tickets are just £50.00 (plus VAT) and include a champagne reception, buffet supper and all you can drink. Not to mention the chance to dance until late.

For further information call Mikaela Fenton-Jones on +44 (0)207 370 8207.

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Having been appointed as one of a number of UK Derksen dealers in November last year, DHA Lighting is delighted to have now become its exclusive UK distributor, stocking an extensive range of the German company’s interior and exterior lanterns. Louise Tester, sales manager for the UK and the Derksen contact at DHA, said: "This is an exciting development for DHA - the stock of Derksen lanterns will complement our own range of image projectors and gobos whilst opening new possibilities in architectural lighting, corporate events and retail."

In addition to a full range of Derksen interior and exterior lanterns, DHA will also stock GoboTop, the smallest low voltage gobo projector currently on the market. A minute piece of equipment, GoboTop turns commercial low voltage multi-mirror lanterns into projectors and can be used in conjunction with both glass and metal gobos. By

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Dave Bryant lighting designer and director of Spirit Design Ltd has designed a spectacular illuminated night-time walk for Lightquest Southwest on Saturday 24th August 2002 in aid of local charities and organizations, and supporting North Devon Hospice. Lightquest is a 4.5 mile illuminated walk following a trail of 10,000 lights, five huge illuminated figures built with fire and light on surrounding hills. The largest of these hill figures, The Angel of the South' combines over 700 flaming torches with state-of-the-art lighting technology, including control from the new Avolites Diamond 4 lighting desk, and will be the most elaborate illuminated hill figure created to date. Combined with an accompanying soundscape, this promises to be one of the highlights along the route.

For further information, visit the Lightquest website at the address below:

(Lee Baldock)

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The PAI Group has announced that it has acquired the rights and assets of Lighting Technology Projects (LTP). The new company will trade as before, under the name of LTP, and will be headed up by Terry Reeves, who managed the company prior to the appointment of the administrators PriceWaterhouseCoopers in early July this year.

The acquisition is a logical step for the PAI Group, which specializes in the creative design, supply, and installation of bespoke audio-video, lighting and sound for the leisure, retail, education, heritage, and sports industries, and consists of PA Installations (PAI), VS Installations (VSI) and PA Technologies (PAT). LTP is a respected name within the industry and its markets will complement those of the PAI Group, allowing it to continue to broaden its interests and market penetration whilst providing continuity of service to LTP’s existing customers.

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E:Cue have announced the release of a new PC based lighting control software. Debuting at PLASA 2002, the system comprises free software which is capable of up to 4096 DMX channel operation. In an effort to bridge the gap between PC-only control and the flexibility and 'feel' of a traditional lighting desk, the manufacturers have a plug-in controller which allows programming via faders and encoder wheels, with the processing carried out in the PC. The software is comprehensive with the functionality of high-end desks easily accessible, such as LTP/HTP assignment, fade times and timecode/MIDI interaction, as well as having a number of sub-masters and extensive cue lists.

There are several plug-in hardware units available. The Nano, being the smallest, is about the size of a cigarette box and plugs into the USB port, giving the user up to 256 channels of control and once unplugged from

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With the successful release of the Wholehog III console, Tom Thorne is leaving High End Systems/Flying Pig Systems to pursue other challenges and opportunities. He leaves behind a staff of committed and knowledgeable employees to continue with the FPS legacy.

Thorne was one of the original founders of Flying Pig Systems in 1991, who launched the Wholehog I in a tiny space on the top floor of a warehouse in London. The Wholehog won its share of awards over the years for its first version and the its advancement, the Wholehog II. And now the next generation of lighting control systems has been released with Wholehog III, which just began shipping this summer. Flying Pig Systems still occupies the top attic in that same building, but has now expanded to all three floors to house FPS and High End Systems offices. Since its partnership with HES in 1998, Flying Pig Systems has become one of

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The Flying Pig Systems MiniWings for the Wholehog III console and Wholehog II PC are due to be shown at PLASA and will ship soon after, the company has announced. Two versions of the wings will be available - Programming and Playback. Each features the same high quality controls as found on the Wholehog III console, and with an anodised blue aluminium finish, the wings are not only stylish, but also rugged and reliable.

The units draw power directly from the USB port on a console or laptop, and so can be used anywhere, even if there isn't a power socket nearby. Alternatively, connecting the units to the included power supply adds support for an external Wholehog III desklight and two external USB devices, thanks to a built-in USB hub. This allows the connection of devices such as keyboards, mice and DMX Widgets to laptops or PCs with a limited number of USB ports, without having to res

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After long discussions between Dave Hickford of Laser Innovations Rob Fisher and Paul Tibbert of Audiolight, Laser Innovations has appointed the company as UK distributor for its laser display products. Audiolight will be able to supply, install and setup Laser Innovations Cyclone series and the more professional multicolour systems, along with its existing sound and light products. Hickford told PLASA Media: "Having concentrated on the export markets over the past 12 years, it is now time to focus on the UK market."

Laser Innovations will be supporting Audiolight at the PLASA Show this year, where new products will be shown including the Cyclone DMX Laser projection system and the SA series of laser controllers. To be launched at PLASA 2002, the Genesis DPSS high-power 40W Yag, which runs off a 13 amp supply, and requires no external water supply.

Laser Innovation can b

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Martin Professional’s highly advanced professional lighting console, Maxxyz, is set to hit the market in a matter of weeks, and the company is laying the groundwork by training and certifying Maxxyz instructors worldwide. As part of a comprehensive introduction strategy for what is the most advanced stage lighting console on the market, Martin began conducting dedicated Maxxyz training classes at its Danish headquarters for instructors. The first round of participants completed a two-day certificated training programme at Martin’s headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark in early August.

Martin’s international education manager, Gerald Heise, led the classes aimed at educating Martin’s Preferred Partners throughout the globe. He commented: "With Maxxyz, Martin has made a significant move into the controller business for concert touring, theatre and television. The M

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PLASA 2002 will be the showcase for four new products from Australian lighting control equipment designer and manufacturer, LSC Lighting Systems. Taking centre stage will be the maXim range of lighting control consoles with the recently-released PaTPad moving lighting module - see PLASA Awards Nominations for more information..

In conjunction with the release of the PaTPad option will be the addition to the maXim range of the maXim-MP console. Sporting 48 faders each with Flash button and status LED; 24 Playback masters with nine pages of memory; 216 memories for scenes, chases and stacks; fully proportional softpatch out to 512 DMX channels; SVGA output port and 3.5" disk drive unit as standard; electronic labelling of memories; two sound to light triggers; universal power supply with ‘brown-out’ protection; an

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Jem smoke is adding to its extensive line of fog and haze machines with the launch of three Magnum series machines, the Magnum 550, Magnum 950 and Magnum Hazer Pro, at the PLASA Show. Magnum is a complete range of high quality, high value fog and haze effects generators for today's DJ and late night venue operator. The Magnum range offers users the latest in safe and high quality fog generation at affordable prices.

The Magnum 550 provides the DJ with a light-enhancing atmosphere. Housing a 600W ECO-Mass Vaporizing System for economical and even distribution of haze, a fast heat-up time and extended operation make the Magnum 550 the clear leader in its class. Supplied with remote control and fitted with the same high quality overheat protection as models from our professional range, the 550 will give many years of maintenance-free operation. The Magnum 550 should be used with either Je

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Following official introductions in Rimini and Frankfurt earlier in the year, production of Studio Due's top of the range spotlight - ‘XS’ - has entered full scale production, in both the XS600EZ version (with HMI 575 lamp) and the XS700 version (with HTI700 lamp).

The fully-featured units include numerous combinations of metal gobos, standard and grey scale dichroics, glass, and the innovative use of artistic glass. The XS also includes five different wheels of colours and prisms, providing a wide range of possibilities for lighting designers. At the centre of this equipment is the very efficient optical system which consists of a lens system, condenser and dichroic mirror reflector. Combined with zoom and focus capability, these produce an intense and uniform light beam. Two cooling fans are internally mounted to reduce running noise and are computer-controlled to adjust

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When Urbis opened to the public on 27 June it was set to become not only one of the most innovative visitor attractions in Manchester, but also an impressive facility for corporate functions. Urbis has been marketed as a 'new kind of museum' and the philosophy behind the city's newest addition is to challenge visitors to 'see their world differently'. Using cutting-edge technology, coupled to hands-on interactive sections, audio-visual displays and moving video footage, Urbis tells the 'people's story' of cities from Sao Paulo to Los Angeles - the histories and experiences of the individuals who have shaped the urban spaces in which the majority of the world's population now lives.

Urbis has its roots firmly planted in urban soil in every way, from the Latin origins of the word urbis, meaning 'of the city' to its location in Cathedral Gardens, a new green space in Manchester's Millenni

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Currently enjoying a resurgence of popularity, summer music festivals are alive and well in both Europe and North America. Six days of sunshine and a great atmosphere in one of Europe’s most beautiful countries is just the ‘cure’ for those summertime blues. On 25 July, British rock legends The Cure played before a vast audience at Switzerland’s largest open-air festival, the Paléo Festival Nyon. Gaining in popularity, the Paléo Festival is attracting some of the biggest names in music.

Lighting rental company Cameleon supplied a full Martin rig consisting of eight MAC 2000 Performances, 16 MAC 2000s, 14 MAC 600s and 18 RoboColor Pro 400s for the performance with a lighting and stage design completed by company Sérafin Lampion. As one of the headlining acts, The Cure’s performance on The Grande Scene was a much-anticipated event with a large part of the

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Gary Fails, City Theatrical’s founder and President, has earned his Masters of Business Administration degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York City, and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honour society for academic excellence. Fails took a leave of absence from Columbia in 1971 and went out on the road with touring shows for 10 years, then continued working on Broadway before founding City Theatrical in 1986. "For the last 30 years, I said I would go back and finish school; this is the completion of a lifetime goal. I look forward to using my MBA skills to grow and improve City Theatrical and to make it a larger and more vital part of our industry."

(Lee Baldock)

  1. Latest developments from OptiMusic at PLASA
  2. Clay Paky relocates to new premises
  3. Martin @ PLASA 2002
  4. First Wholehog III training seminars held
  5. Ryger moves to Wales
  6. ESTA publications now sold by ANSI
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