Lighting

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UK - Since February this year, Sound Division has been designing and supplying lighting effects to upmarket urban street and sportswear chain Diesel to light their display windows in their flagship stores in the King's Road and Covent Garden.

Sound Division's Chris Baxter who runs the company's hire and events division for whom Diesel is an extremely long-standing client, explained that this particular contract formed part of a campaign for a new style line for Diesel. Every three weeks Baxter is given a brief for the look and feel of the display, and he is required to design and implement the appropriate lighting scheme.

Baxter commented: "Our most recent design was definitely among my favourites and I have to say I'm particularly proud of what we achieved. We were asked to create an effect which gave the impression of being under water looking up to the surface and bein

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Belgium - A commercial centre located in Mons, approx 60Km south of Brussels, Les Grands Prés has had its façade lit. Whilst creative lighting of commercial structures is not a novelty in itself, the novelty of the Mons - Les Grands Prés project lies in the type of spotlights used: effects projectors that are able not only to diffuse the colour but also to project pictures and writings, or to draw precise and imaginative shapes with light.

According to the manufacturers Rain Spot 575 from Clay Paky is currently the only IP65 product on the market able to meet this requirement: it is provided with advanced optics, four interchangeable lenses with 18° to 46° beam angles, electronic focusing and an effects section consisting of four fixed gobos, four indexable rotating gobos, four rotating prisms, dimmer and immediate beam stop.

Koert Vermeulen, lighting and pr

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UK - Projected Image Digital will exhibit at ABTT for the first time, featuring Element Lab's Versa TILE and Versa Tube LED products and PixelMAD, a revolutionary matrix control system for playing back digital images as Quicktime movies via DMX-controlled lighting fixtures.

The newest Versa TILE product is Versa Tube, which can produce vibrant patterns to organic flows of coloured light. Versa TILE and VersaTube both use LED video display technology to produce a broad spectrum of rich, saturated colours.

Each Versa TILE is edge-lit by LEDs, giving a smooth light output. Like building blocks, tiles can be placed together in any configuration. Proven LED video display technology lets VersaTile produce a broad spectrum of rich, saturated colours - in addition to flesh tones, browns, greys and other colours normally unachievable with conventional lighting technology.

Each single

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USA - Production Resource Group LLC (PRG) and VLPS Lighting Services International Inc (VLPS) have jointly announced a merger agreement, under which a newly formed subsidiary of PRG will merge with and into VLPS, with VLPS becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of PRG. The new PRG will operate as PRG Lighting, PRG Audio and PRG Scenic Technologies. Upon closing, the transaction will result in a fully integrated equipment rental and services company for automated and conventional lighting and audio systems, as well as scenery fabrication and automation technologies to serve the entertainment industry from facilities in 13 cities, worldwide.

The transaction, approved by the boards of both companies, is subject to the conditions set forth in the merger agreement, including the approval of VLPS' stockholders and completion of regulatory review. The holders of more than 50 percent of the

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Spain - MACs formed the core element of a city illumination scheme for the Spanish Royal wedding - The event was billed as Spain's 'wedding of the century'. On Saturday 22 May Crown Prince Felipe, heir to the Spanish throne, and Letizia Ortiz were married in the country's first royal wedding in nearly a century. The Prince of Asturias and newly crowned Princess of Asturias exchanged vows at Almudena Cathedral in Madrid's old quarter.

As part of the cultural festivities, the city of Madrid instigated a celebration of its architecture through a temporary City Beautification project. The project consisted of lighting a number of culturally important buildings and monuments including the Puerta de Alcalá, the fountain in the Plaza de Cibeles, monuments to Neptune and Apollo, the Correos building (Post Office) and Museo Nacional Del Prado.

Cinelux, Ecler, Martin - The experienced

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USA / The Netherlands - Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) has announced the acquisition of Dutch dimming manufacturer IES - a leading pioneer of silent dimming. The purchase was completed on 26 May, 2004 and announced publicly at the debut of ETC's new corporate headquarters on Friday 11 June. With the IES agreement, ETC further broadens the scope of its European product offerings, which already includes products under the transtechnik Lichtsysteme and Avab brands.

According to Steve Terry, ETC's vice-president of R&D: "IES has developed unique products that complement our current product offerings and provide silent dimming for concert halls and theatres. IES has been a pioneer in sine wave dimming technologies. IES dimming will be an integral component in ETC's total lighting systems."

ETC plans to dramatically increase sales of IES products through ETC's comprehen

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USA - Robe America announced the appointment of Tim Edwards as Western US sales manager, to run the new West Coast office in Burbank. Edwards will take care of all territories east of the Mississippi, and will also be responsible for all West Coast office operations.

Tim Edwards spent 15 years as a working musician after leaving high school. He also has over 20 years experience in manufacturing sales to his credit, including 17 as an independent sales rep, with a special interest in lighting. This is where he first encountered Robe products, which were a great success for his business. Edwards says: "The Robe product is excellent, and I am looking forward to working with my friends and colleagues in Los Angeles and around the country!"

Michael Carattini commented: "We're very excited to have Tim Edwards aboard the Robe America team. His character, experience and

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UK/Europe - Bandit Lites UK is supplying the UK and European legs of George Benson's current Irreplaceable arena tour. Bandit was chosen by tour manager and lighting designer Billy Heaslip, who has been Benson's LD since 1978. Heaslip, a great believer in the culture of multi-tasking is also tour managing.

The lighting rig includes Martin Professional MAC moving lights, a Catalyst digital media server and two DL1 fixtures. Heaslip explains that he likes to imprint his own distinctive signature on the stage 'look' each time, and enjoys researching for the latest "technical bells and whistles" to use before the tour commences each time.

Bandit is supplying a large PAR rig with colour changers, supplemented by a package of colour changers, Martin MAC 2000s, a fibre optic star cloth, 8-lite Moles and four Lycian FOH follow spots. Heaslip is a great believer in no

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UK - "It's all about putting a face behind the brand," said Mark Miller, Selecon UK's new man in London and the South of England. He was talking about his role with the company which, from 1 June, will be to develop relationships with clients and discuss their lighting requirements.

"Mark will visit end users such as lighting designers, dealers, architects and theatres to find out what they need from our products, what we're getting right, and, importantly, what we might be getting wrong," said Mike Goldberg, Selecon's European sales director. "The information will be fed back to our designers and salespeople. It's all part of our continuous drive to maintain the high quality of Selecon products and ensure we develop products people want."

Miller will also play a key part in the upcoming UK Workshops that Selecon is holding around the country, det

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UK/France - Ian Kirby has added French company Ayrton to the growing roster of LED products handled solely by his company, Lighting Effects Distribution, in the UK. Ayrton joins a portfolio that already includes Intelliway, Mood Lighting, Alkalite and James Thomas Engineering. The Lighting Effects Distribution MD was attracted by the EasyColor 1, the very first professional LED moving-head fixture in the lighting industry, which made its debut on the company's stand at the Bar.04 Show at Earls Court.

Its 18 high-power LEDs have a 10-year life span (equivalent to over 100,000 hours' continuous use) and offer users an infinite palette of rich saturated colours. Maintenance of EasyColor fixtures is simple, as they have no lamps or colour mixing systems. Their very low IR emission and non-existent UV radiation enables them to be used close to the objects they illuminate witho

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UK - White Light will supply and install stand lighting for others before displaying new products on its own stand, stand 91! White Light will be supplying and/or installing lighting equipment for exhibitors including Rosco, Selecon, Hall Stage, ETC, Triple E, Doughty, Apollo, Zero88, Stage Technologies and the Association of Lighting Designers.

On a number of stands, White Light will be beta-testing samples of the new 240V CE version of the BakPak from Entertainment Technology: this is a new single DMX controlled dimmer unit designed to be attached to a lantern to give it 'on-board' dimming. "The 110V version has already attracted a great deal of attention in the USA since its launch at LDI last year," comments White Light's Bryan Raven. "We are delighted that Entertainment Technology has chosen us to road-test the 240V version for them."

With those stands

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USA - High End Systems' DL1 digital light fixture now features an optional Sony camera accessory that forms the basis of its patented Digital Eye technology. The Digital Eye offers practical as well as special effect functions for event professionals. The company showed the system at InfoComm at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta (9-11 June 2004).

The DL1 equipped with the Digital Eye technology features an infrared illuminator on one side of the DL1's lens, while the Digital Eye is positioned on the other side - both inside the fixture's shell. When the infrared illuminator is activated, the Digital Eye reads the infrared waves and responds to it, operating in the dark and without emitting any visible light itself. The Digital Eye is outfitted with a serial interface that connects internally to DL1, allowing it to be controlled through DMX. It uses nine channels of D

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UK - All expectations of visitor attendance were surpassed at a recent Lighting Logic Open Day, when almost 120 people passed through the portals of the Maidstone-based lighting and sound supply and installation company. The Lighting Product Awareness Day was held in conjunction with the STLD (Society of Television Lighting Directors) in Studio 1 at the Maidstone Studios, where Lighting Logic has it's office.

20 exhibitors were also present showcasing their products - all of which are available through Lighting Logic. This filled the studio and beyond, featuring a wide range of technology that was made available for demo and examination. This included hardware, grip and filter equipment, innovative LED fixtures and studio fluorescents, right through to generic and moving light heads.

Lighting control and dimming from Compulite and LSC Lighting Systems was highlighted, as both

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The Netherlands - Rotterdam's Ahoy arena has witnessed a 'virtual' LED stage set for the first time, created by conceptualiser Philip Pelgrom for the recent Fox Kids Planet Live event. Pelgrom juxtaposed the different screen resolutions of a conventional centre 32sq.m (8 x 4) 25mm Unitek display, flanked by a recessed Element Labs Versa TILE wall, and 'book-ended' by a 5.4m x 1.8m Barco MiPix display (provided by CT Germany), incorporating around 3,000 of the tiny pixelblocs. All the equipment was supplied by JVR Audiovisual.

Promoted by Palm Plus Events, the event featured an Anglo-Dutch cast of boy and girl bands, including Girls Aloud, Big Brovaz, Liz McClarnon and a host of Dutch artists. Mindful of the fact that the stage design had to resonate with an audience of 6-12-year-olds, Philip Pelgrom's team sent block slabs of colour to the Versa TILE flats, with recognizable, ra

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USA - Clay Paky America Inc, the exclusive US distributor for the Clay Paky range of intelligent lighting fixtures, has announced the launch of its new website (address below). With news on the latest Clay Paky products, Clay Paky America contacts, directions, and links to the extensive Clay Paky network of websites, the website is the online portal for all things Clay Paky, say the company. "The website is an essential tool for our business," says Clay Paky America's CEO, P.J. Turpin. "Whether you are a dealer, a technician in the field, or just someone who is interested in our great new products, our website is for you."

Based in Valencia, California, Clay Paky America is a subsidiary of the Italian moving light giant Clay Paky SpA. It was created to increase Clay Paky's US market share and raise the brand profile internationally. With a number of successfu

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Denmark - Martin Professional has announced a number of useful changes made to its ShowDesigner (MSD) lighting design simulation software package. New version 4.6.6.0 contains a new set of keyboard shortcuts and additional mouse functions that accelerate and facilitate the virtual lighting design process. Additionally, a number of Bugfixes have been implemented, say the company.

The latest updates, which can be downloaded from the Lighthouse website, address below:

(Lee Baldock)

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Italy - SGM has introduced the X-Line, a new range of products created to provide high quality performance with an exceptional quality/price ratio. The X-Line Idea is a new family of moving heads offering great reliability and a stylish and modern design. The Idea line is made of four models, fitted with 250W or 575W discharge lamps: the Idea Spot 250, Idea Wash 250, Idea Spot 575 and Idea Wash 575.

With special attention paid to both the styling and performance of these fixtures, the Idea line offers a high level of performance using a Philips MSD 250/2 lamp (luminous flux 18,000 lumens, colour temperature 8,500°K - Spot 250 and Wash 250) - or a Philips MSR 575/2 lamp (luminous flux 49,000 lumens, colour temperature 5,600°K - Spot 575 and Wash 575).

The Idea Spot 250 has a 13° beam angle (18° and 21° on request), while the Idea Spot 575 has three selectable beam angles

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Australia - Enttec has released a community-based DMX USB interface - a USB to DMX widget that can be used by any PC to generate DMX using the USB port. The project is composed of hardware and a software driver. Enttec has released full schematics of the hardware and full source code of the example application on the website under a GPL license. The requirement for users is that they must give back to the community any improvement or change made to the project.

At Enttec we believe that it's important to lower the entry barrier for students and enthusiasts wanting to get involved with Lighting control and DMX512. This project allows anyone to download the information from the website and build their own interface. From there they can write software based on our example. Enttec also offers very low cost prebuilt hardware.

The project was released two weeks ago, and in that shor

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USA - ETC has unveiled its new corporate headquarters building in Middleton, Wisconsin. Described as being "Like an old-time movie set waiting for its gangster extras, or a Broadway musical stage before the dancers appear", the $21m building has a unique character.

ETC CEO Fred Foster, who dreamed up the building's theatrical concept, believes it is not only the hub of his global company's productivity but an homage to its business - a building about theatre, about the sheer joy in the art of illusion and light. When the lights are bright in ETC's Town Square, towering expanded-metal mesh scrims create a virtual cityscape: when the lights are dimmed, the real office world of ETC appears magically 'behind the scenes.'

Based on the paintings of Edward Hopper, each 'storefront' and façade here has a story to tell, says Foster, who mocked up early models and has persona

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USA - Chauvet has introduced its ILS (integrated lighting system) technology which, the company says, pioneers total synchronization of different types of intelligent ILS fixtures (yokes, scanners, colour changers etc) via a custom-built, user-friendly DMX-512 controller and even on stand-alone mode. "This is a first for Chauvet, and a first in the USA. We are thrilled that we can now offer a technology that is not only innovative but gives much more options to DJs while making DMX lighting easier than ever," said Chauvet CEO Albert Chauvet.

ILS technology offers unprecedented flexibility and ease of operation, say Chauvet. Unlike other moving fixtures that can only be synchronized when they are the same type, ILS intelligent fixtures can be linked together and work in synchronization regardless of type. All ILS intelligent fixtures - i.e. ILS scanners, yokes and proje

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UK - ESL recently provided the effects lighting for the UK Round Table Annual Conference and Dance, which was held this year at the Cliffs Pavilion Theatre, Westcliff on Sea. The event, which lasted two days, was the Round Table's showpiece event of the year, attended by guests from all over Europe. ESL's brief was to provide mood lighting during the dinner and light shows for the evening's entertainment, which was to include live bands and tribute acts.

The show's design included both generic and intelligent lighting, which consisted of six Robe Spot 1200s, six Robe Spot 500s, eight Robe Spot 250s and four Robe Scan 250 XTs - as well as an assortment of miscellaneous generic lighting. All of the fixtures were controlled by an Avolites Pearl 2004 desk, and the smoke and haze effects were produced with a combination of Jem Stage Hazer and fog machines. A Le Maitre pyrotechnic sys

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UK - Bakersfield Entertainment's latest - and arguably most expansive - Mood concept in Liverpool's city centre, is dominated throughout the three-storey operation by moving beam effects from Coemar UK. The Preston-based company have spent in the region of £6 million developing a three-storey Victorian warehouse (off the regenerated Concert Square). In addition to Coemar ProSpot 150s, 250s, and Cyc 250 colour washes, Ian Kirby's company has supplied the first moving mirror fixtures under their new distribution arrangement with Geni, to system integrators TMC of Bradford.

Included in this were eight Geni Sharmas, housing HSD 200 lamps, and six Shiva 600s (with MSR 575 lamp source). The Sharma colour-changer produces nine sharp and bright dichroic colours plus white, 0 to 100% mechanical linear luminous output and smooth movement to produce a twin/split colour effect. The fully-f

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USA - Techni-Lux, the Florida-based distributor and manufacturer of pro lighting equipment, has added Ted May to its technical sales staff, specializing in motion picture and television studio lighting. May is a 30-year veteran in lighting and production, having worked on segments for MTV, CNN, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Entertainment Tonight from Phoenix and Los Angeles locations.

May, who arrived in Orlando at the beginning of the 'Hollywood East' movement in 1989, says: "I have always liked to keep abreast of new lighting technologies in order to pass this knowledge along to my customers." May has also taught lighting for motion picture and television courses for over 11 years and feels that education is a very important sales tool: "Techni-Lux has always been on the leading edge of innovative technologies and I am excited to help introduce the Dexe

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Italy - World-famous artists and sculptors meet on the sandy shore of Piazza Marconi in Jesolo each year for the Sandcastle Festival. Sand sculpture is a fascinating spectacle, which always draws a crowd. This year, the Municipality of Jesolo decided to add another dimension to the event, and make use of professional lighting projectors that would give the sculptures even more prominence. The first performance with these products was for the Sand Cribs, in December 2003, when the works of seven sculptors were lit by the same number of Clay Paky CP Colors, fitted with a CMY three-colour system. Another four CP Colors were used for stage-set lighting of the environment.

The lighting technology design was created by Pietro Tondello of Altair, who explained how he arrived at its definition: "The Sandcastle Festival is an event that identifies the City of Jesolo, helping to make

  1. VLPS lights its way to Athens
  2. Avolites Rocks in Rio Lisbon style
  3. Ashley Lewis joins Pixel Range team
  4. PRG solutions for E3
  5. A.C. Lighting appointed as a Vari*Lite UK dealer
  6. Stardraw supports AutoCAD 2004/2005
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