Lighting

Details
USA - The Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay continued its 46,800-mile journey recently in Manhattan, as 140 people chosen by New York City and corporate sponsors will transport the flame across its five boroughs. Lighting designer Bob Dickinson called upon VLPS Lighting Services to provide a full lighting package, including VL3000 Spot Luminaires, VL5 Wash Luminaires, VL1000 Arc ERS, MAC 2OOO Wash and ETC Source Four Pars, for the special events to be held at Times Square and the United Nations.

For the first time ever, the Olympic Torch Relay will travel around the world as it makes its way to the Athens Olympic Stadium on 13 August to commence the 2004 Olympic Games.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
Portugal - Avolites Diamond 4 consoles were in action at the recent massive Rock In Rio festival in Lisbon - the first time the world-famous music extravaganza has been staged outside South America. Two Diamond 4 consoles were made available by Avolites' Portuguese distributor, BackLight, for the occasion. One was used by LDs choosing the Avo option on the main stage, and the other was installed in the on site WYSIWYG suite, set up to allow incoming bands LDs and programmers the time and a calm environment in which to pre-programme their shows.

This showed once again that Avolites new generation of power consoles - the D4 range - is the best hands-on option for festivals and large multi-user events. The 'Rock City' site for the event, was built in the 220,000sq.m Bela Vista Park area of central Lisbon. This previously derelict wasteland has now been turned into a beautiful perma

Details
UK - Ashley Lewis has joined the ever-growing James Thomas Engineering Pixel range team as new business development manager. He will be responsible for developing the television, studio, film and touring and entertainment markets for the high profile Pixel brand.

Ashley has nearly 20 years' experience and a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience in the professional lighting industry, and his enthusiasm and energy is well known and loved by many. He has previously worked with leading brands such as Martin Professional and Coemar.

Pixel Range's Chris Ewington comments: "Getting the right people onboard is central to our philosophy and Ashley's tremendous zeal and passion for the job makes him ideal for our team. Lewis comments: "The Pixel product is a market leader in many fields, and I'm looking forward to taking it to new and more diverse heights."

(Lee B

Details
USA - Production Resource Group (PRG) provided a record number of lighting solutions to exhibitors at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Exhibition (E3) which took place in Los Angeles in May. "We saw a strong increase in the number of support requests from both exhibit houses and independent lighting designers," said company president Michael Tomkin. "We believe this is the result of greater awareness within the tradeshow community of the extensive equipment, ideas, and expertise offered by PRG."

PRG provided lighting solutions for a total of 13 exhibits at the show, compared with just four exhibits at the 2003 event. "We expect our presence at the 2005 show to be even greater as a result of new technologies we've recently introduced," said Carl Davidson, vice-president of corporate business development for PRG. The company's new technologies inclu

Details
UK - A.C. Lighting has been appointed as a dealer for Vari*Lite products in the UK. The US manufacturer has been at the forefront of automated moving lights since developing the technology in the early 80s, and produces an innovative line-up of intelligent spot and wash models.

Under the agreement, Vari*Lite will benefit from A.C. Lighting's position as a leading 'one-stop-shop' for entertainment technology products and services. The deal sees A.C. act as reseller for Vari*Lite's full range of luminaires, including Series 1000 Arc ERS and Tungsten ERS models, Series 2000 spot and wash models and Series 3000 Q models.

Philip Norfolk, regional sales manager for Vari*Lite European distributor VLPS, commented: "VLPS are delighted to have A.C. Lighting as an approved dealer for the Vari*Lite range of moving lights. Their unique client base and excellent service levels make the

Details
UK - Stardraw has now announced that all of its subscription-based applications have been upgraded to support Autodesk's AutoCAD 2005. Support is bi-directional, which means that users can read and edit any DWG version and save to any DWG version. This enhancement represents a total rewrite of Stardraw's DWG engine, say the company. Indeed, improvements may be noticed in earlier versions of DWG files, and among the advances is the addition of support for TrueType fonts.

According to marketing director Rob Robinson, it was crucial that Stardraw implement support for AutoCAD's latest release as quickly as possible. "Full compatibility with AutoCAD in both directions is an important part of the value we offer systems integrators. It allows them to communicate and exchange information with architects and planners quickly and easily, because nothing is more frustrating than find

Details
The Netherlands - Lagotronics, the Dutch manufacturer of LED lighting effects and fixtures has announced its move to a new address, with effect from 5 July 2004. The company will have new opening hours: Monday - Friday 8:00-12:30 - 13:00-17:00. Phone, fax and e-mail, meanwhile, remain unchanged, as will the address for postal deliveries (P.O. Box 171, 5900 AD, Venlo).

The company's new home is at Noorderpoort 28, 5916 PJ Venlo, The Netherlands. Due to the move, the company will not be contactable on Friday 2 July.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
USA - Following the announcement of its forthcoming initial public offering in April, Color Kinetics Inc (CKI), the US manufacturer of LED lighting systems, has confirmed the pricing of its IPO of 4,000,000 shares of its common stock at $10 per share. All of the shares are being offered by CKI. The common stock was expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq National Market from 22 June under the symbol 'CLRK'.

The managing underwriters of the offering are CIBC World Markets Corp, and Needham & Company Inc, acting as joint lead managers, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co Inc and ThinkEquity Partners LLC. CKI has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 600,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
UK - Amid the celebrations of the annual ABTT dinner on Wednesday 16 June, the Source Four Revolution - ETC's first moving light - won the prestigious Lighting Product of the Year award. The awards are staged to bring exceptional products to the attention of a wider audience, and the judges felt the Revolution was a worthy recipient primarily because it is the first moving light developed and designed specifically for theatrical use. They added that ETC had listened to lighting people around the world to create a luminaire that truly met the lighting designer's ideal.

For 20 years, the ABTT has provided industry-wide recognition for exceptional products that serve the entertainment industry. The committee of judges, whose identities are a closely guarded secret, consists of a mixture of end users chosen from across the industry to achieve a well-rounded and balanced decision.

Details
Spain - LT Light, the Spanish manufacturer of lighting consoles and dimmers, has recently appointed Tongsuh Technologies & Trading Co as its sole distributor for South Korea. The well-known Korean company will provide servicing, consulting and technical assistance for all LT Light products.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Details
USA - Wilmington, Delaware-based Main Light Industries Inc, inventor of the patented Lightscape fibre optic curtain, has announced the release of its new Soft-LED dynamic drapery. To create Soft-LED, the company has incorporated a full colour LED array to its Lightscape curtain. The Soft-LED dynamic drapery allows audiences to enjoy a familiar fibre optic star field background, and then be blown away by full-colour graphics and low-res video images that seem to appear from nowhere, say Main Light.

Soft-LED takes advantage of Color Kinetics' next-generation Chromasic LED control technology, which allows precise control of the individual RGB LED sources. The Soft-LED dynamic drapery is compact, lightweight and easy to pack at the end of the show - especially when compared to other LED display technologies, say the company. Soft-LED systems are available specifically packaged for t

Details
Belgium - Martin Professional has committed further resources to the Maxxyz lighting console by adding programmers to the Maxxyz software development team. The move is in response to the console's increased demand as a professional lighting console for stage, studio and events, as well as the further incorporation of networking and integration functions.

The new programmers, located at R&D International in Belgium, are experienced in hardware control through real-time application software. Essentially, this permits the team to produce software updates more quickly while concentrating on other key areas such as networking between consoles and other devices like the Maxxyz Tablet Remote, integration between the Maxxyz and Martin's new media server Maxedia, multi-user environments and more.

(Jane Cockburn)

Details
UK - The annual Clotheshow Live at Birmingham's NEC, organized by Haymarket Exhibitions, is billed as 'The Style Event of the Year'. This year's show featured an impressive fashion show, staged in a 5,500-seat theatre, and for which Pulsar's LED ChromaRange was utilized to answer many of the shows design criteria.

The initial creative idea was sparked from the production team's lighting director Ben Fox, who suggested the need for light from within the stage and catwalk runway. The Light inside the runway would follow the models as they made their way down the catwalk and the light inside the stage area would be used to fill a space imaginatively.

Freelance lighting designer Paul Devine, who has worked with the lighting and set design on the Clothes Show for the past 12 years, was called in, and his wealth of experience contributed greatly to the practical side of the design c

Details
UK - White Light is to host James Thomas Engineering's Pixel Roadshow, following its appointment as distributor. Celebrating the announcement at ABTT 2004 that White Light is now a distributor for its revolutionary Pixel range of solid-state LED fixtures, James Thomas Engineering's Pixel Roadshow is organizing a special event.

This takes place at White Light's Wimbledon premises on Tuesday 29 June. The James Thomas Pixel Range team is in town during June with its roadshow, highlighting the capabilities of the Pixel product range. Pixel Range's Tony Cameron heads the roadshow, alongside Andy Sugars and Emma Long from IRAD, who demonstrates the PixelDrive software control system. Cameron says: "We're all very excited to be working alongside White Light, one of the most respected entertainment lighting companies in the UK with a wide range of interesting and challenging lighti

Details
Denmark - Kupé is a trendy new lounge recently opened in Aarhus and attached to Train, the live/event discotheque located next door. It is a place to warm up before a concert or cool down afterwards, with a style rather more London or New York than Aarhus, guests can venture back and forth between Train's upbeat atmosphere and Kupé's more intimate setting.

The 350 capacity lounge maintains a sociable, comfortable atmosphere - the architectural design and lighting scheme is by Henrik Bønnelycke, who has been visibly inspired by contemporary big city club trends, including the venue's bar, chairs and tables.

However, the lighting is what makes the venue unique, with large ceiling and wall-mounted projection canopies awash in rich colors, courtesy of Martin color changing luminaires. Conventional tubes and halogen downlights provide additional lighting.

Behind six wall-mo

Details
USA - According to the manufacturers the new CA-8F Easy Foot controller gives hands free control of lighting by providing DMX-512 control via three (stand by, function, mode) pedals. The CA-8F is designed for all lights that work with Chauvet CA-8 or CA-6 Easy controllers including the LegendTM moving yokes and scanners Trackscan TM, IntimidatorTM and InsigniaTM. The controller features a five-pin output to a 1/4-inch jack and is sold with a cable.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Details
USA - Rental and Staging Systems selected Wybron's new Nexera fixture line as an award recipient during InfoComm 2004 in Atlanta. Deemed the Best Lighting Product in the category of Staging Market/Standard Luminaires, the Nexera Wash and Profile luminaires offer designers a quiet solution to their lighting challenges.

Using a 575 W tungsten source and a CMY dichroic color-mixing module, ease of use and consistent, smooth performance, make the units ideal for venues from Broadway to rural churches. Fanless operation means less noise, keeping the patrons' eyes to the stage instead of the rigging.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Details
USA - CITC, creator of the Award-winning SnoBiz biodegradable snow and the original soundproofed snow machine, the Little Blizzard SP, has announced two new members of the Little Blizzard family, the Little Blizzard Junior and the Little Blizzard Basic.

The Junior measures just 13" x 8" x 6", weighs 10lbs, and has an on/off remote control. Stephany Crawford, the VP of CITC, says that the unit is an ideal snow effect for parties, school proms, and company celebrations. The Little Blizzard Basic is 20" x 11" x 9" and weighs 24lbs. It includes a bracket for hanging, has a two speed motor, and variable output. Both machines come in either 110V 60Hz or 230V 50Hz.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
USA - High End Systems is now shipping Wysiwyg dongles to all current owners of Wholehog III lighting consoles. Current owners must register for their Wysiwyg upgrade kit at the websites below. Each upgrade kit consists of the most current Wholehog III operating software, Wysiwyg Console Edition software and a Wysiwyg dongle.

Since the release of Wholehog III operating software version 1.3.6 in May, all new consoles been bundled with Wysiwyg Console Edition software and dongles. This new version of Wysiwyg connects directly to the Wholehog III system via Ethernet. It provides 512 channels of visualization and auto-focus functionality. In future versions of Wholehog III software, additional functions such as patch transfer and blind preview will be possible.

Wysiwyg Console Edition is a feature-rich version of the well-known visualization tool, which includes CAD, data manageme

Details
UK - Richard Martin Lighting has a well-established reputation for bringing its customers new and innovative products, and its latest purchase is no exception, says the company, whose search for a control system that could respond to the ever-growing complexities of television lighting has ended with the new Compulite Vector. In fact, so impressed was the company, that it invested in three new Vector Blue consoles from Stagetec Distribution, which have now been delivered and are ready for hire.

With its intuitive Windows-based operating system, two TFT touchscreens, multi-use encoder wheels, backlit trackball and motorized faders, users can quickly select, modify and update information using an interface which is familiar to them. The ability to group faders to provide a 'super playback' means operators can have absolute control over all playback parameters.

Vector's dual proc

Details
USA - Following the live broadcast of the National Hockey League's post-season awards show, CBC lighting designer Brad Dickson praised the 24 Vari*Lite VL3000 Spot luminaries he used in the rig: "The VL3000 Spot was the main light," Dickson said, "mainly because of its zoom range. In the set itself, we had a bunch of headers, so we were tight for real estate. We needed fixtures that would give us as much spread possible in a short space. That's why the VL3000 luminaires were chosen."

Although the trim was 27ft, the set height was just 20ft, and the point of focus was only 10 to 15 feet away in some places. The 10- 60° zoom range on the VL3000 Spot luminaires provided Dickson with the smooth beam spread he needed. Because the show was televised live on CBC, Dickson also needed fixtures that would provide good skin tone colours. The ability of the VL3000 Spot

Details
UK - Stand-up, sausages, a shindig and the support of Stage Electrics, marked the first ever fund-raising event at Battersea Art Centre. Stage Electrics donated the use of sound and lighting equipment to support BAC's contribution to developing theatre arts on a local, national and international level. BAC's programme structure helps new work to grow by showing it at unfinished stages to an audience. The collaborative approach this fosters means that BAC is a creative breeding ground for the next generation of theatre makers, not just actors and directors but for lighting designers, sound artists and technical staff.

Stewart Lee, comedian and long-term fan of the trailblazing theatre, organized an extraordinary line up of comic talent in aid of BAC's fundraising campaign. Lee is also the co writer of Jerry Springer The Opera, the breakaway smash hit that began its life at BAC. H

Details
USA - ETC has announced the release of version 1.8.0 software for its Emphasis lighting control system. The release is part of the ETCNet2 Version 4 Suite, compatible and interoperable with other Net2 products. Emphasis v1.8.0 includes many new features, including added support for moving lights like ETC's Source Four Revolution.

This release boasts Dynamic Effects, allowing the user to quickly create complex effects such as ballyhoos, figure eights, colour and iris chases for moving lights, using a combination of fixture lists, dynamic templates and editable parameters. The new Source Four Revolution library files and dedicated encoder setup option will make Revolution set-up even easier, say ETC.

The new Emphasis Offline Editor (EOE) v.1.8.0 runs on a PC and provides the ability to edit show files offline. EOE does not require a Wysiwyg dongle, so anyone can use it. Wysiwyg

Details
UK - Lighting Technology Projects has supplied and commissioned architectural lighting for the Ten Pin Megabowl complex in Cambridge. Color Kinetics' ColorBlast 12 LED wash units were specified by the Nottingham-based lighting design practice Into Lighting, for the eye-catching installation in the venue's main hall. LTP's Terry Reeves worked closely on the project with designer Jonathan Rycroft. The wall-washing, colour changing fixtures were chosen for their design and uniform colour range.

Other factors were cost effectiveness and build quality, and also Lighting Technology's recommendation after using them on numerous other projects. Terry Reeves explains, "The ColorBlast 12 gave the right quality of light output and is also easily controllable." From the initial design brief, LTP worked with Into Lighting, creating several different solutions in a mock-up scenario.

  1. A.C. Lighting Inc. formed
  2. Light Stream Controls rebrands as Elation
  3. Logistik Events stage Athens 2004 Ball
  4. Super Bright Surelight
  5. Major Source Four CDM
  6. Pearce party power for Louis Vuitton
Page 599 of 1201

Latest Issue. . .