Lighting

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UK - Do you make a lighting control desk? Or a dimmer? Well, if you were worried about the effect that the upcoming Restriction of Hazardous Substances Regulations (RoHS) may have on your business then it'll be in your best interest to read on. As the current regulations stand, RoHS applies to eight broad categories of electrical equipment:
Large Household Appliances; Small Household Appliances; IT and telecommunication equipment; Consumer Equipment; Lighting Equipment; Electrical and Electronic Tools;Toys, leisure and sports equipment, and Automatic dispensers.

With two others being exempted:
Medical Devices and Monitoring and Control Equipment.

It was previously thought that lighting desks and dimmer racks came under the fifth category of 'lighting equipment' and the scope of the exempted 'Monitoring and Control Equipment' category has been unclear in the past. Howeve

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UK - Stage Electrics reports their first year as sole UK distributor for Dutch company Ice World went like clockwork. After supplying lighting, generators and PA systems for rinks for a number of years, the company had the knowledge to make the next step in this ever-increasing market.

The company provided the ice and infrastructure, including lighting and PA equipment for venues ranging from shopping malls to parks across the UK including Gloucester, Hampstead and Windsor. A more unusual location for one of the rinks was on the roof of a shopping centre in Victoria which posed some interesting challenges including pumping the cooling fluid up two storeys through a pipe run of 30m.

Stage Electrics worked closely with clients and partner company Aggreko and reports that there was no single day's skating lost due to equipment failure and all rinks opened on time. Using a highly

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USA - On 28 January one of the true architects of rock 'n' roll music, Chuck Berry, performed at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. Lighting design company ILIOS Lighting of Austin designed the show lighting using a Martin MAC 250 rig under Maxxyz control.

The rig consisted of 10 MAC 250 Wash, eight Mac 250 Entours and Source Four profiles and Pars with haze from a Jem ZR 24/7. The Mac 250 Wash were ground based and arranged in a straight line across a backdrop cyclorama. The Entours were located at the base of three triangular scrims on small risers. LD Bryan Azar of ILIOS Lighting commented on the choice of Entours: "Chuck Berry currently doesn't have a regular on-the-road band so we didn't know how to approach focus until the day of the show. We needed something quick and flexible that could still provide some good artistry and punch."

On the control side, sh

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USA - Three new faces join the Robe America team, as the company's buoyant sales trends continue. Craig Gaff joins Robe America's California offices as a senior sales associate. Craig's impressive resume includes many years of lighting production and design work, collaborating across the world with the industry's best known companies, designers, and performers. He's an accomplished lighting programmer with a flare for design. Craig will start by setting up shop in the CA office and then in the FL office for a week or two for training.

At the same time Wendy Medrano and Melissa Santiago join Robe America's California office as administrative assistants. Speaking fluent Spanish and with over 10 years' experience in office management and customer service, Medrano will support the west coast sales force and other Robe sales staff. She is responsible for maintaining customer records

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Sweden - Lab.gruppen will show its popular fP Series of touring amplifiers, plus the recently introduced C Series amplifiers designed specifically for permanent installation, at ProLight + Sound, Frankfurt (29 March - 1 April 2006). In addition, the compamny will hold its first ever International Distributor Awards ceremony live on its stand at the show.

.The event will take place at 15:30 on 30 March. "Lab.gruppen sales have risen at an exceptional rate, particularly in the past three years," says Thomas Mittelmann, Lab.gruppen's international sales manager. "And a great deal of this success can be attributed to our extremely professional, hard working distributors. We felt it was time to honor those who have excelled in their geographic regions." All of Lab.gruppen's worldwide distributors have been invited to attend.

The C Series of four-channel, 2U inst

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USA - The exclusive 2-channel Oceana is the newest Chauvet DMX effect, suited for large venues and long nights. Generously outfitted with 40 light and dark blue lenses, Oceana projects a multitude of azure rays that create a wave-like pattern, thanks to an exclusive S-shaped, 800-watt linear lamp rotating on a horizontal axis. Its wavy patterns are a refreshing addition to any club, lounge or DJ lighting system.

One DMX channel controls the speed of the bulb's rotation. The second DMX channel controls black out and strobe-like effects. In the absence of DMX signal, Oceana responds to sound with a dynamic combination of beam rotation and strobing. Multiple units can be linked and synchronized. The voltage is switchable between 110V and 230V.

(Chris Henry)

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France - Daslight, the producer of user-friendly DMX lighting controllers, is releasing its new professional software package, the next generation DVC 2. Improvements to the system include new functions, buttons, windows and a more intuitive user interface that will cut programming time by half, say the company.

Adding to already popular functions, the new tools include: group window, ordering fixtures and scenes, preset pallets, global multi-selection, powerful LIVE control, DMX universe managementa and more. Further new features will be added in the coming months.

The official release of the new software will be in April 2006, and a preview will be available atProLight & Sound in Frankfurt (29 March - 1 April), where the company can be found on stand B.81, Hall 9.0.

(Lee Baldock)

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Australia - The Palace in Bay Road Brighton, home to Brighton Bay Cinemas, recently received a complete redevelopment at the hands of building owners Manaroy Properties. Included in this makeover was a stunning lighting colourwash on the front façade of the building; visible from several blocks away.

Having witnessed what results they had achieved at the Royal Exhibition Building and Chadstone Shopping Centre, Manaroy Properties owner Ralph Toranto sought Lightmoves out specifically to transform the front of their building. "We weren't sure exactly what we wanted; we just knew that we wanted to make a bold statement and bring some new attention to the somewhat forgotten Bay Street."

After lengthy discussions between Lightmoves' Steven Woloshenko and Manaroy Properties consultant Dale Smith, it was decided that an external colourwash was the best solution. Lightmoves

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UK - Lighting designer Giles Mayall specified an Avolites Pearl 2004 console to control lighting in The Ice House, a promotional ice dwelling constructed by UK based ice artists, The Ice Box, for the Dutch-German IMG Diba Bank.

The Ice House project in Germany was handled by production company Fact & Fiction. The structure was used to highlight the bank's mortgage products and services at trade shows including their Ideal Home Show. Mayall was working for UK-based JVC Events, who take care of the technical and logistical needs of all of the Ice Box's installations.

The Ice House was an 100 square metre single story building measuring 18 metres long by six metres deep and 3.7 metres high, and Mayall's task was to architecturally light the space - inside and out - in the client's blue and green corporate colours.

It was an obvious choice to go for LED light-sources - their low

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Italy - Lighting designer Durham Marenghi is using 250 Robe ColorWash 1200 ATs in Torino's Stadio Olympico for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics and the opening of the Paralympics. 130 of the fixtures are rigged in a 'technical trough' running all around the perimeter of the 200 x 60m performance/parade area on the floor of the stadium, sitting at approximately 1.5m off the ground.

The same trough arrangement continues around a large 'tongue' platform protruding from the front of the stage used as the main performance area. These fixtures are used to throw wide angle light all around the stadium on up into the audience, including onto the five-ringed performance structure at the opposite end to the stage.

A further 80 Robe fixtures are rigged in the stage roof - overhead across four trusses - used for lighting performers and for general stage effec

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UK - Amidst a busy start to 2006, lighting hire specialist LXCO has relocated to a newly built premises to accommodate their expansion.

LXCO was formed in 1999 by James Dann, James Cobb and Mark Wheatley since when the company has supplied lighting to a wide portfolio of events. Recent clients range from supplying theatre lighting for two West End musicals, a corporate event for Louis Vuitton, the Olivier Awards, music tours for Kanye West, Gary Moore and Runrig and the Cornbury Music Festival.

The new facility, in Haverhill, is only 15 minutes off the M11, giving good transport links to London and the rest of the UK. It also gives LXCO substantially increased storage for their ever-growing stocks of equipment and improved working conditions for staff.

Director James Cobb said: "The level of growth in the last two years has made this move a must. The new facility now re

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Spain - Martin Architectural's Spanish representative, Ecler, with the aid of local lighting wholesaler Sono Market, has transformed Barcelona's Sugar Club - a multi-use restaurant, club, and lounge - into a dynamic colour changing venue, radically changing the image of the establishment, say Martin.

The management of Sugar Club sought to transform the venue into a party nightspot, which meant they needed the lighting to help bring about a change of atmosphere. The project involves diffuse points of light behind curtains, creating the illusion that the entire restaurant is open to the exterior. The architecture and location of the room, at the port of Barcelona with views over the Mediterranean Sea, was the inspiration for the project.

The idea was to create the illusion that behind this illuminated fabric are windows that extend the space optically. Light from Martin Architec

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Ireland - Dynalite has appointed SquareOne as the exclusive distributor for its lighting control and integration products for the Republic of Ireland. Square One's general manager, Garnett Stewart, says: "As Ireland's premier AV trade supplier, SquareOne imports and distributes some of the industry's leading brands in business, education and residential markets. We recognised that a lighting control system was the next step toward a full-scale solution and there was no doubt that the Dynalite system represented the obvious choice. The strength of the Dynalite name worldwide, along with the flexibility and reliability of the product itself made it a perfect companion to other brands in our offering".

Lucien McQueen, Dynalite Europe area manager, added: "Around the world, Dynalite distributors are selected for their ability to provide the highest levels of engineeri

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USA - Award winning typeface designer Andrew Byrom makes another in-road into product design with 'Interiors Light', a series of three dimensional neon lamps.

This full alphabet set (26 characters) is constructed from 12 mm neon tubing by a certified neon manufacturer. Each piece is made to order and can be customized for specific display purposes. Most of the letters/lamps are free standing and can be displayed either on a flat surface or mounted to a wall.

In February 2006 'Interiors Light' will be on display at 'Chicago Furniture Now', a juried exhibition sponsored by Design Within Reach.

Andrew Byrom is a British born designer. He currently lives, works and teaches in Chicago. His previous three dimensional type creations have featured in design publications in Europe and America and he has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the American Institute of Graphic A

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Canada - Gone are the days of static objects. On March 1, the launch of WYSIWYG Production Design Suite Release 16 will breathe life into productions by giving users the ability to pre-visualize shows with moving scenery! Objects are simply attached to movement axes (either linear or rotational) and moved along them with the moving scenery tool.

For even greater realism, designers can patch control of the movement axes (and their attached objects) and use a console device or a motion control system to manage the progress of the objects along the axes.

Some other innovative developments include a new camera control bar and the ability to easily import floor plans. In addition, overall stability has been improved and several performance features have been introduced.

WYSIWYG was just used for the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, is being used today t

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UK - Lighting designer Rob Sinclair used fifty square metres of Chroma-Q Color Web as a low resolution video wall backdrop on The Human League's Synth City UK Tour 2005 in December.

The three-week tour featured a career-spanning set of the influential electro-pop group's greatest hits, backed by a cutting-edge lighting and video show designed by Sinclair and supplied by Lite Alternative.

Sinclair had always been intrigued by the group's pioneering use of slideshow visuals during their early days and, having worked as a member of the lighting crew on previous tours, had been trying ever since with Lite Alternative to create a modern video show in the spirit of the original.

Having been promoted to LD for the 2005 tour, the only real brief from the band's manager was that the show look completely different to the last tour, giving Sinclair total freedom to explore his v

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UK - As James Blunt's popularity grows, so grows his tour production. When Back to Bedlam kicked off last year in the UK, it carried a Wholehog 3 console to control 900 LED fixtures in smaller theater settings. Now the tour's carrying 2,000 LED fixtures, and worldwide venue sizes are expanding to arenas and amphitheatres, then festivals and stadiums this summer. So a Hog iPC console was added as backup.

Designed by LD Paul Normandale and supplied by UK's Lite Alternative, the tour can accommodate the burgeoning production and venue capacities - and lighting director Glen Johnson explains: "We're controlling 2,000 LED fixtures via PixelMAD from the Wholehog 3 console. We've gotten some stunning effects from the Hog 3 with its Effects Engine, buddy system (advanced group manipulation of fixtures) and grouping, coupled with the timing syntax. We also programmed the show

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UK - Bandit Lites continued its successful run of work on leading fashion industry events, supplying the Pure fashion trade show at Olympia - the UK's leading fashion industry exhibition - with lighting equipment for their main catwalk show. This aspect of the show was designed & production managed by Derek Halliday with lighting designed by Mark Strange. Bandit's Lester Cobrin has worked with this team before on many occasions, and it's proved a winning combination.

The show ran four times a day throughout the three-day exhibition, staged in Olympia's Grand Hall, showcasing the most creative and innovative designs from emerging and established fashion labels at the exhibition. Strange has designed this show for the last six years, but each year the challenges are different as he explains. "It's extremely fast moving. The models have to look good for both photographers - wi

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UK - 19sq.m of Element Labs' VersaTile LED panels were used by the hotly tipped UK indie band Maximo Park, headliners of the 2006 Shockwaves NME Awards tour (AKA 'The Brats'). The 19 sold out dates featured the very best of burgeoning UK musical talent including the Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets and We Are Scientists in addition to Maximo Park. The VersaTiles were supplied by Element Labs' UK partners, Projected Image Digital to Maximo's lighting designer Stevie Marr.

Marr, a respected LD for many years, is also currently studying Interactive Media at The Arts Institute, Bournemouth, and this was his first substantial tour since starting the course. Marr produced all video content for the Tiles as part of his coursework. The tour's standard generic and moving light rig was supplied by Siyan. Marr wanted something special to differentiate Maximo's highly energetic set, and he want

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UK - The traditional new-year rush of new shows in London's West End is well and truly underway, with many of the new productions choosing White Light as their lighting supplier.

White Light rigs can be found on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, starring Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin at the Apollo (lighting by Peter Kaczorowksi ), Blackbird at the Albery (lighting by Japhy Weideman), Caesar's Twins at the Comedy, Honour starring Diana Rigg at the Wyndhams (lighting by Jason Taylor), Creeper at the Playhouse (lighting by Mick Hughes), Embers starring Jeremy Irons at the Duke of York's (lighting by Mark Henderson ), and Resurrection Blues at the Old Vic (lighting by Rick Fisher). These new shows join other long-running productions using White Light equipment, including Billy Elliot, The Producers, Chicago, Les Miserables and <

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USA - Eagle Audio and Lighting is pleased to announce that production veteran Randy Wade has joined its operations in Ft. Worth - Dallas as vice-president of sales and marketing. Wade has been tapped to grow and develop audio, lighting, staging and power solutions for clientele in a variety of markets including corporate, theatre, concert touring, festival and themed events.

"We are proud to bring Randy on board. His vast experience in all areas of the entertainment industry will be a tremendous asset to Eagle", states Greg Hulett, CEO. "With a vast wealth of industry experience and a resource network of several decades, we look forward to having him continue to grow and expand our business on local, regional and a national level. It proves that we are committed to provide all the resources necessary to ensure Eagle Audio and Lighting is an industry leader."<

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USA - Production Resource Group (PRG) provided 600 of its new AutoPar wash luminaires to the North American International Auto Show last month. Designer Howard Werner of Lightswitch New York needed a specialty fixture for trade show exhibits and PRG responded. "I was looking for an automated fixture to serve the needs of auto show clients. The fixture needed to have a daylight color temperature with a lens that rotated but it didn't need a lot of other bells and whistles," explains Werner. The result was PRG's AutoPar, which debuted at LDI.

The AutoPar is a compact, automated fixture with a 700-watt arc lamp that features a fully DMX-programmable, rotating lens assembly. "The AutoPar is much smaller and lighter than a standard moving light," notes PRG vice-chairman and chief technology officer Rusty Brutsché. "It provides great value to clients by

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UK - Telectra Ltd, manufacturer of the ABTT Award-winning ice*lighting system, is to change its name to Beadlight Ltd with effect from 1 March. The company says that the name change more accurately reflects the nature of its business, including the fact that the majority of products that the company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets utilise its proprietary intellectual property, Bead*light Technologies (Patents Pending). In particular, the Bead*light LED (Light Emitting Diode) diffusion system is used in the company's principal high-tech markets of the Event, TV and Entertainment Lighting and Commercial Airliner in-seat lighting.

The company points out that there has been no change in the company ownership, management or trading style. The address for Beadlight Ltd remains as B3 - B7 New Yatt Business Centre, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 6TJ, UK. Telephone: +44 (0) 1993

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UK - Birmingham technical services company, Presentation Service Providers (PSP), working with Ben Gallop of Brand and Deliver has just completed the provision of technical services at RBS Insurance Chief Executive Awards. The event was held at Castle Ashby in Northampton and was attended by over 300 guests.

Using PSP's range of Pixel Pars and Battens, the company provided a spectacular lighting effect over the front, back and courtyard of the historical castle venue. It took PSP's lighting director and team two days to rig and to programme the complex colour sequences. A Pearl 2004 lighting desk was used for control and Mac 250s provided moving logo's onto the building.

In total, 30 PixelLine 110ec battens, 20 Pixel Par 90s, 25 Par cans, 24 Codas and six Mac 250s were used for the event. PSP also provided sound and projection for the entire production. The Marquee, situated i

  1. Lighting Up the Stars at the Olivier Awards
  2. New Appointment at TLS
  3. The Theatrical Guild exhibit at ABTT
  4. LD Assistant celebrates 20 years in CAD
  5. Avolites Pearl is Childsplay for young LDs
  6. SPS adopts new working model
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