UK - Stage Electrics is now supplying ice rinks as well as more traditional lighting and sound kit they are known for providing. The company has become the sole UK distributor for the Dutch company Ice World, providing rinks and boots throughout the UK.

Stage Electrics is providing the ice and infrastructure, including lighting and PA equipment for venues ranging from shopping malls to parks across the UK. A more unusual location for one of the rinks is on the first floor of a shopping centre in London's Victoria.

Stage Electrics' production manager Andy Loveday last week led the team which tested the first rink to be delivered from Holland. Working in partnership with Aggreko who provide the chilling equipment, a 30m x 10m rink was constructed in an empty warehouse close to the company's branch in Avonmouth, Bristol. "It's been a new experience for us," he said, &qu

UK- Trafalgar Square 200 'The Spirit of Nelson' show was authored and created by production company Innovision and staged in London's most famous Square in front of 10,000 people. The hour-long live show celebrated the Royal Navy's role at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and at other crucial points in the history of Britain.

Innovision called in the services of leading production industry companies, including large format projection specialist E/T/C UK and rigging specialist Summit Steel. Durham Marenghi came on board as lighting designer.Projection was beamed onto a special retractable 'sail' made from Sunbaba's Austronet 204FR fabric, and rigged onto the centre of three masts depicting a symbolic version of Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory.

The PIGI 6kW projector (complete with 'hot' backup) was located in a specially built hide, with a 17m throw distance, and fitted with a Ba

UK - A.C. Lighting's Special Projects Division has supplied and programmed fixtures for the new Portsmouth Spinnaker Tower, which opened this Autumn.

The 170m tower is the UK's tallest publicly accessible building outside of London and offers visitors a unique 'window on the sea' from its three observation decks. Forming the focal point of the Portsmouth Harbour Renaissance Project, the tower is expected to attract thousands of visitors to the area every year.

Main construction contractor Mowlem plc engaged Mark Hensman of Equation Lighting to create the exterior lighting design, which features two distinct elements: the white light projected onto the rear concrete legs andthe lower shaft below the cruciform to the front, and the dynamic coloured light projected within the arcs and to the front of the main spire.

Following a competitive tender, A.C.'s Special Projects Divisi

UK - Lumidrives has launched Colourdriver RF, a new low cost, simple to use, remote control lighting controller for LEDs. Colourdriver RF makes the creation of dynamic lighting effects, dimming and colour changing for example, as simple as installing ordinary light fixtures, claims the manufacturer.

Colourdriver RF is an intelligent driver system which is controlled by a radio remote control. It can be simply plugged into the mains, making the selection and control of light effects as easy as operating a CD player. Its entry level cost also means it has potential for use where current control systems would not be practical.

Radio remote control removes the need for control cables and means Colourdriver RF can be retrofitted to existing lighting installation or even integrated with track lighting systems.

Gordon Routledge managing director at Lumidrives says, "Colourdriv

UK - The Stage Electrics Plymouth production team rose to the challenge of lighting the historic Royal Albert Bridge which runs across the River Tamar near Saltash for a high profile photo shoot.

The structure was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) and designed to carry the Cornwall Railway at a height of 100 feet across the water. It was opened in May 1859 and measures 2,187ft in length.

The bridge was lit using 24 Arena Visions and 16 Opti Visions, the resulting picture will be used as a background shot in the new ITV1 West Country Regional Newsroom during the early evening broadcast.

Stage Electrics also supplied equipment to light the studio set including Pulsar Chromaflood Pars and Strand Bambinos. During the studio refurbishment works the company helped to keep the show on the road by building a temporary set and providing studio lighting.

(Jim Evans)

USA- A recent US patent application by Color Kinetics (20050036300 - Methods and systems for illuminating household products) covers the incorporation of a processor-driven lighting apparatus for lighting, well, all kinds of household products. Or as many as they could think of, anyway.

According to Claim 6, the 'household product' might be a fluid, such as "water, ammonia, bleach, window cleaner, insect repellant, insect killer, lotion, soap, liquid soap, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, shaving gel, cleaning fluid, lighter fluid, furniture polish, wood treatment, paint, primer, drain cleaner, disinfectant, room deodorizer, carpet deodorizer, room scent, perfume, cologne, shaving foam, toilet cleaner, aerosol, skin care fluid, suntan lotion, shampoo, surface cleaner, and liquid wax."

The household product might also be an object, says Claim 8, such as "

UK - HRH Princess Alexandra officially opened the a new £1.75m Sports Hall and Performing Arts Centre at Coombe Girls School in New Malden last month, featuring separate dedicated spaces for sports, music technology, drama and recital.

Stuart Graham's fast-expanding company, Clarity in Sound, Light & Vision, has done much in the past year to bring high production values into the educational sector; their £70,000 sound, lighting and projection design and fit for Coombe Girls School was based on industry standard devices.

With a roll of 1,500 students (including 500 attending Sixth Form College) Coombe is one of the largest facilities of this kind in the country, with an excellent reputation for drama and music. Graham realized that the facilities would be heavily used, so durability and reliability were major considerations. Wherever possible, he turned to Denon's s

UK - Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset, UK, have a history spanning 50,000 years and are home to many mysteries including the legendary Witch of Wookey, who is said to have lived during King Arthur's reign and to still haunt the caves to this day.

To add mystique to these suggestive surrounds, the in-house technical team decided to add atmospheric lighting in some of the underground chambers. This would have to withstand unique conditions, as the caves have a high humidity factor and are at a constant temperature of 11ºC. Gordon Smith, Wookey Hole Caves' head of technical operations, explains: "Previous lighting systems had perished in such an environment, so we needed to be certain we were installing something that lasted."

Smith decided Tryka L.E.D luminaires were the answer. A total of 14 Strip Modules IP68 in different lengths, 9 Module 36s IP68 with 25º optics and

UK - PRG Europe was contracted by Michael Hurll TV (MHTV), part of the Unique Communications Group, to provide lighting and projection solutions for ITV's 50th birthday celebrations.

With four London sites to service over a three day period, which included an outside broadcast location on HMS President, ITV's South Bank Studio 1 and Covent Garden's Avenue of the Stars, MHTV felt it needed a one stop shop to successfully coordinate the large format projection, lighting and power distribution, plus rigging and staging the entire event. Croydon-based project manager Loz Wilcox took responsibility for the projection needs, while John McEvoy from PRG Europe's Greenford branch looked after lighting for each of the locations.

As part of the celebrations, ITV unveiled its spectacular Avenue of the Stars in London's Covent Garden. A host of press and celebrity guests looked on as 100 s

USA - Look Solutions unveiled the prototype of its new Low Fogger on the Look Solutions Booth at this year's ETS-LDI trade show in Orlando.

The Low Fogger consists of a 2,000W fog machine and chilling chamber in a single, compact, roadworthy housing. The unit housing measures just 20 inches x 20 inches x 12 inches. An external dewar of liquid carbon dioxide is required to cool the fog from the Low Fogger.

"This is a great new addition to the Look Solutions range," remarked Nathan Kahn of Look Solutions USA. "Low fog is so much more convenient to use than dry ice - even after factoring in the dewar of CO2. This is an exciting new arena for us and we are looking forward to seeing what people think of the Low Fogger."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Chauvet has released the Q-Series, a range of competitively priced yet advanced intelligent fixtures designed primarily for nightclubs of all sizes and elite DJs.

"The Q-Series™ strives to bring together cutting-edge features and the value, innovation and performance you have come to expect from Chauvet," said product development manager Barry Abrams.

Featuring a consistent design and library of gobos and colors, Q-Series allows users to mix and match units across the line and still maintain a consistent look using a variety of fixtures and effects.

The initial product launch encompasses four moving yoke spot fixtures, one moving yoke wash fixture and four scanners. All nine feature a dimmer/shutter/strobe channel, speed control of pan and tilt, bi-directional colour scroll, reset via DMX, quality built in programmes, and efficient fan cooling.

(Jim Ev

UK - Avolites and dAFTdATA have supplied Huddersfield-based KD Decoratives with a bespoke wireless solution based on the Avolites eDMX system, to control the Festive Lights installation at Manchester's Trafford Centre.

The million pound installation, which includes festive reindeers and lights, spans the entire 600 metre length of the Centre. The wireless control system allows individual control of over 200 DFX's LED fixtures.A series of 30 "drop poles" are suspended from the centre's glass roof void, each pole mounted with between 5 and 15 LED fixtures.

A dAFTdATA HILDA opencase card with external antenna is mounted at the top of each pole. This handles the network selection, monitoring and data processing wirelessly to over 200 LED controllers, so the complete LED system is thus controlled - wirelessly - from one central location.

Based on WiFi technology the cus

Australia - Melbourne's lighting fraternity flocked to the opening of Show Technology's Melbourne based office last week. Show Technology is Martin Professional's sole distributor in Australia. The new location, which follows a successful Perth office opening in early 2004, will strategically place Show Technology closer to one of Australia's most important growth markets.

Show Technology managing director, Emmanuel Ziino, comments, "The market is as dynamic as ever, and as the market leader we strive to meet its needs. After years of being solely based in Sydney, the opening of our new regional offices give us several benefits - a greater reach, a greater degree of flexibility and speed, and better market feedback for example. But most importantly it gives us an improved level of market contact and allows us to better serve our customers."

The new Melbourne office w

UK - Wrap & Roll is a new sandwich shop with a difference in Cardiff city centre. Owner Dylan Reardon-Smith wanted it to stand out from the crowd in other ways apart from its reputation for serving quality food, and so he asked Chepstow-based architectural and feature lighting specialists I-Vision to design an eye-catching lighting scheme.

I-Vision's Dave Mackay undertook the task enthusiastically, "It was a great concept in a great location" he says. The venue also features the work of local and international artists, notably some specially commissioned pieces by Robert David, currently famous for his distinctive 'bar code' style.

The seated area has a wall and floor finished in polished concrete which was "just asking" to be lit explains Mackay. To add atmosphere in here, he has employed seven Lumos 3 LED down-lighters complete with 6 degree lenses, ensco

UK - This summer the Chemical Brothers toured the European Festival Circuit and for the second year running LM Productions supplied laser effects to enhance their performance. LM supplied three 5 watt DPSS green lasers which were all controlled via DMX through a lighting desk. One laser was fixed under the bands set and the remaining two lasers positioned either side of the stage all creating atmospheric beam effects co-ordinated with the music. The band will be performing at a host of UK venues this December before they take a year out in 2006 to record the next album.

Wild Fruit took its legendary club night to Preston Park in Brighton for the annual Pride celebrations. LM provided two DPSS green laser systems producing high impact beams effects became the focal point for 5,000 clubbers inside the Wild Fruit Big Top tent.

For the Top Shop & Dorothy Perkins Fashion Show, Lond

UK - Large format projection specialists E//T//C UK covered the 323 ft high Shell Centre on London's South Bank with giant projected poppies for Remembrance Day 2005.

E//T//C was working for media and production company The Bank, who produced the event for Shell UK. It's the fourth year running that E//T//C UK has illuminated this prime site with high impact projections for the event.

The 26 storey building - once the tallest in the UK - was covered by eight 6 kW PIGI projectors that were sited 100 metres away on the edge of Queen's Walkway (the corresponding riverside path), housed in a curtain-sider truck. Six of the projectors, complete with double scrollers running vertically, produced the poppies, three targeted at the top half of the tower and three at the bottom.

The stunning red on turquoise background images were overlaid to maximise brightness, and were scrolled to

USA - American DJ is offering a spread of new possibilities to the world of stage lighting by applying LED technology to par cans. The company's new DMX-compatible P36 LED and P64 LED Par Cans are equipped with light emitting diodes, allowing users to create virtually any colour via RGB colour mixing, says the manufacturer.

Unlike conventional par cans, which produce a limited number of colours using gel filters, the P36 LED and P64 LED's RGB colour mixing process combines red, green and blue LEDs to create any desired shade. The P64 LED is equipped with 151 LEDs (51 red, 49 green, 51 blue), and the P36 LED with 61 LEDs (21 red, 19 green, 21 blue).

With RGB mixing, the P36 LED and P64 LED give users complete control over the colour scheme of their lighting presentation, right from their DMX controller. "This is great for stage productions, concerts, churches, presentation

Europe - Bandit Lites UK supplied LD Bruce Spillman with full lighting production, rigging and crew for the European leg of Michael Bolton's Til The End of Forever tour.

Bandit Inc has serviced Bolton for the last three years, since he resumed active gigging in the US. However this is the first European tour for some time and also Spillman's first experience working with Bandit UK. The tour was project managed for Bandit by Lester Cobrin.

Spillman, based in Anaheim, California, had to create a big show with an expedient amount of lighting fixtures. There were a few set pieces extracted from previous tours and carried forward to this one, notably three fast fold projection screens, upstage of the risers, used for gobo projections and other lighting effects, and to give the stage a shape and a sense of form.

The rig consisted of 142 PARs spread across three 40ft pre-rig

USA - Altman Lighting was awarded the Lighting/Architecture Product of the Year award at the recent LDI in Orlando for its Smart Track lighting system.

Altman Architectural's Smart Track enables digital control signals to be brought to addressable architectural luminaires without the need for dimmer packs and bulky cable runs. Smart Track consists of a three-circuit track with DMX control built right in. This allows the user to control Altman's Smart IQseries luminaires without the need for cabling and remote dimmers.

"We are pleased and honoured that the LDI judges recognised our Smart Track system with the Product of the Year Award," says Robert Altman, CEO/president of Altman Lighting. "At the show, we met with many designers, consultants, and specifiers who were really intrigued with the Smart Track and discussed the many exciting applications that they have

UK - PRG Europe has supplied the lighting for what is believed to be the biggest moving light rig for a British television series, Stars in their Eyes on ITV, which is filming now for transmission next year. PRG Europe supplied some 90 VariLite luminaires and 80 PixelLine battens, along with mains distribution, cabling and distribution racks, all controlled by a Virtuoso VX desk and an EX1 media server.

"Stars in their Eyes has been going for about fourteen years," explained lighting director Neil Yates, "and we've used PRG Europe for about ten of those. We like the fact that we get a total package from PRG - they have a great deal of expertise, and all problems and changes are quickly sorted out. They're always very amenable with changes and redesigns."

The brief included the stipulation that the lighting rig should not be seen, difficult when you'r

USA - Look Solutions' Unique hazers, Viper NT fog generators and a Power-Tiny battery-powered fog generator have reprised their role from the London production for the new Broadway version of The Woman in White.

Paul Pyant lit the original London production of The Woman in White, with associate lighting designer David Howe tasked with recreating Pyant's design for Broadway. "The lighting and atmosphere of the show has to be precisely controlled because of the projections," remarked Howe on why Look Solutions' machines were chosen for the production. "Previous experience told us the Look Solutions machines were quiet, compact and had no fluid compatibility issues."

The Woman in White features four Unique hazers, which are placed in the proscenium area of the Marquis Theatre. A Power-Tiny battery-powered fog generator is used for a spot

USA - Strand Lighting's C21 Dimmer range was recognised as the Product of the Year for LDI 2005. Before a standing room only crowd Tim Burnham, President of Strand Lighting, accepted the award on Saturday evening at the LDI Awards ceremony. Tim added, "All of us at Strand are pleased to receive this recognition. I am very proud of the technical achievements of the entire C21/EC21 design team led by Michael Lay and Steve Carlson."

C21 and EC21 dimmer racks are designed for global operation and provide a number of advances in technology. In addition to providing support for conventional SCR dimmers including Quad, Dual and single modules with ratings up to 12kW; sophisticated Sinewave dimmers are also available. Dual Sinewave modules may be freely mixed and matched with standard dimmers in the same rack for complete flexibility.

No special wiring or separate racks are

UK - Following the launch at the end of June of Belgacom TV, a digital TV package offering a range of channels including film and sports, Belgacom, the leading telecommunications company in Belgium, has recently installed a full digital I/O Sy80 mixing console from InnovaSON in a new control room dedicated to the European Soccer Championships at its Net Center in Brussels.

The move comes as a result of Belgacom Skynet's acquisition of the TV broadcasting rights to the Belgian Jupiler League and the Italian A Series, enabling Belgacom TV to offer viewers the nine Jupiler League matches every weekend, as well as the three best Calcio matches from the Italian A Series. Belgacom also broadcasts to other cable TV and pay-per-view channels.

The installation was handled by Unitecnic, a Spanish audio visual systems integrator specialising in broadcast applications who won the bid issu

Very little formal recognition exists for the creative designs produced by those working in the entertainment industry, so PLASA (the Professional Lighting and Sound Association) and the PLASA Show have become joint sponsors of a new category in the 2006 Lighting Design Awards.

The award for Entertainment Lighting is open to theatrical productions, concerts, festivals, corporate events, exhibitions, temporary and one-off lighting installations, and will see a lighting team in the event sector recognized for outstanding achievement.

Judged by leading industry professionals, the finalists and winners stand to earn the plaudits of their peers, industry respect and publicity across a wide range of media, including national press and TV. The deadline for entries is Thursday 12 January 2006 and an application form can be found on the LDA website at the address below.

The event nominated

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