Lighting

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UK - Taking advantage of the space available in Earls Court 2, White Light has chosen to create rather more than a simple stand: the White Light Zone will feature the company itself and the family of manufacturers that it represents in the UK.

"As soon as we heard that PLASA was expanding into the second hall, we knew that we wanted to be there," comments White Light's managing director, Bryan Raven. "We all have fond memories of the PLASA Shows there. We hope it will make for a much better place to spend four days talking to people, and make our familiar on-stand bar an even more pleasant place to pass the time."

Representatives from every area of lighting with which White Light is involved, including hire, sales, installation and service for theatres and other venues, events, corporate productions, exhibitions and more, will be on-hand throughout the show

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UK - ShowCAD Control Systems will again be exhibiting with Pulsar Light of Cambridge. ShowCAD will be using and demonstrating version 3.00 of its Artist show control system, which will now control up to 32,000+ DMX channels (shortly to be increased to 100,000+ channels) supporting many input/output protocols.

New features include pixel plotting - an innovative method of programming large LED arrays, Autopilot (automatic show generator), new improved global fixture addressing, multi-layering of effects, pixel-array fixture types, global and zoned proportional rate and level controls, scrolling marquee text-generator, setup wizards, macro generators and video to DMX features, as well as comprehensive controls for intelligent and conventional lighting control.

Artist systems are principally installed in nightclubs, lately controlling the US award-winning Best Nightclub Installati

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UK - Visual Productions has released version 1.48 of the VisualDMX Lighting control software in time to introduce the new features to visitors during PLASA 07. The new VisualDMX release features several enhancements to the software. Users will notice a revised Matrix Mania! dashboard for the control of matrix set-ups; the changes in this user interface improve the usability and compatibility with touch screen control.

The most significant improvement in this version is the new Action Editor. This editor replaces the old Cue Editor offering even more programming functions than before. Additionally, the Action Editor also enables events to be triggered by a real-time scheduler and a timer mechanism.

Furthermore, the handling of DMX Devices is enhanced; DMX hardware is now automatically detected by the software and support for the Art-Net dongle is added, making VisualDMX Art-Net

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Poland - Throughout July and early August, the Baltic Sea was home to one of the most spectacular annual maritime events, the Tall Ships Race. Starting at the Danish port of Århus, the ships sailed to Kotka in Finland, then the Swedish capital Stockholm, before finishing the season at Szczecin in Poland, where two large Lighthouse LED screens were in place to greet the ships and their crews.

"According to one popular Polish saying 'It's not necessary for a man to eat, but to sail - it is,'" laughs Rafael Kociemski of Polish screen company Wizja Sp. "That is how important an event the Tall Ships is to Szczecin."

Proof of this was provided by a crowd of 1.5 million which came to admire the ships in Szczecin harbour, making it the largest Polish outdoor event of 2007. In total over 200 ships took part, accompanied by a wide variety of other attractions, perfo

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UK - PLASA 2007 sees Zero 88 taking on the European distribution for the LightFactory range of lighting control software. Designed in New Zealand this software has been growing its user base globally.

Martin Searancke of LightFactory says: "I am excited by linking with Zero 88. Their product brand and distribution network is well established in the European market. I am looking forward to working with their distributors in Europe to establish our software as the choice for PC-based control."

Zero 88 will be selling LightFactory as a complete boxed package. This will include the software, Zero 88 USB to DMX dongles and quick start guides to allow the software to be installed and used quickly. The design allows all the DMX processing to be done in the dongle's Neutrik 5-pin connector.

Several options will be offered, from one universe to 64 universes of DMX control.

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UK - L&SI has learned that David Caulfield has parted company Martin Professional Plc. Caulfield had held the position of managing director of the UK subsidiary of the Danish lighting manufacturer for the past five years. News of his departure came just days after Martin Professional issued a press announcement saying that Caulfield would be speaking at the company's press conference at the forthcoming PLASA Show.

The company's brief statement on the departure reads: "David Caulfield has ended his employment with Martin Professional Plc as of August 30, 2007. We would like to thank David for his efforts over the last five years as Managing Director and wish him the best in his future endeavours. A recruitment process for the position as Managing Director in Martin Professional Plc will begin immediately and it is our intention to fill the vacancy promptly."

David Cau

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UK - Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions, the new entity formed by Philips' acquisition of Color Kinetics, will showcase a wide range of lighting systems and technologies at PLASA 2007, demonstrating a complete end-to-end approach to LED lighting for entertainment and event production.

iW Blast 12 TR is a new white light system with variable colour temperature and "tour-friendly" features, including a replaceable lens, protective face cover, standard XLR connectors and a housing that easily accommodates various truss clamps.

ColorBlast 12 TR is an RGB system that projects saturated, controllable colour with touring-specific features. ColorBlast 12 TR UV is billed as a unique ultra-violet (UV) system designed for "black light" applications in stage and set environments. Unlike traditional UV fixtures, it uses LED technology and advanced optics to provide

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UK - Following the demonstration days at its west London offices, Essential Lighting customers have adopted Scenic LED at a rapid rate with many clients already delivering new effects at events in July and August, the company says.

Scenic LED sits on the increasingly blurry line between video and lighting by utilising the same individual components of a video wall, packaged in tiles and strips that provide flexibility for lighting and set designers to build dynamic effects into the set. Bringing the control of these elements firmly in to the hands of the lighting designer or visual content director, MiTrix and MiStrip remove the restrictions of content being forced to confirm to a 4:3 or 16:9 screen formation.

With almost constant rental now confirmed throughout September, Essential has further demonstrated its commitment to Scenic LED by doubling its stock of MiTrix and MiStr

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UK London-based Event Concept is the first UK production and hire company to take delivery of the new Chroma-Q Color Split multi-purpose LED fixture.

Event Concept provides a creative event design and full technical production service for both corporate and private clients, and is listed as an approved supplier in over 35 of London's most prestigious venues.

Roger Deane, Event Concept's head of company operations, had been considering a number of LED products on the market when he contacted long-time supplier A.C. Lighting, who recommended the new Color Split fixture.

Deane comments: "The Color Split is ideal for our needs. It provides a very smooth colour change without any sudden 'jumps' that are common with other products and also a very smooth output for uplighting columns or walls. The colour mixing effects are also very impressive - I've seen people trying to use

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UK - ETC is to show its two newest consoles at PLASA 07: the Eos system, for sophisticated control over multimedia lighting productions, and SmartFade ML, the compact, portable desk.

Eos won the Product Award for Lighting at Showtech 2007, the control system's second such honour - last year it took the Product of the Year Award for debuting product when it was introduced at LDI. But the Showtech award was the first ever European award.

The SmartFade ML is designed for small touring acts, schools, product launches, corporate events and other applications, as it brings professional features like palettes, parameter "fan" and built-in dynamiceffects to novice and experienced users alike.

Also on the ETC stand will be the ETC Congo lighting control console, which among other installations, has recently been hired out by ETC dealer Northern Light for an Erick Morillo DJ

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Czech Republic / Denmark - Martin and Robe have entered into a licensing agreement, entitling Robe and its affiliated companies to utilize Martin's US patents 6,601,973 (the "973-patent"), 6,971,770 (the "770-patent") and 7,222,997 on gobo holder and animation wheel technology, covering Robe's Color Spot product series. The licensing agreement also entitles Martin and its affiliated companies to utilize technology covered by Robe's US patent application 10/534927 (titled 'Equipment for a change of rotary gobos').

The agreement allows Robe to manufacture, market and sell its Color Spot product series in the United States and allows Martin Professional to manufacture, market and sell products incorporating the technology in Robe's patent application.

The licensing agreement follows litigation in the United States in which Martin claimed that Robe's Color Spot

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UK - Lightfactor will launch two new exclusive ranges at the show - Cogent and SFAT. Cogent has a new modular LED screen range in different sizes plus a complete range of LED products and drivers. SFAT offers a comprehensive range of special effects machines for indoor and outdoor use including confetti, foam, wind, air tubes, snow and bubble machines.

LFS is also showing core theatre and live performance orientated products from high profile manufacturers SGM, LDR, Stark and Novalight from Italy; VXCO from Switzerland, and LightProcessor from the UK. LFS is the exclusive UK distributor for all these products.

Cogent is a totally new LED screen range exclusively from Lightfactor, currently consisting of six LED Screens, four for external use and two for internal - all of varying pitches. There is also a range of LED strips of varying pitches and sizes, link LED, MR16 fixtures,

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USA - Nexxus Lighting has announced the hiring of Mark Masterman as its new vice president for the pool & spa division and Steve Gasperson as its director of sales for the division.

Prior to joining the Nexxus Lighting team, Masterman and Gasperson served as general manager and national sales manager respectively for the pool and spa division of Energy Focus, formerly Fiberstars.

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - For this year's Arnsberg International Summer of Art, designer Heinz F.W. Stahl and sculptor Friedrich Freiburg made imaginative use of light in the creation of two concrete sculptures - with integrated LEDs from VLM.

Art and Light was the theme of the 11th International Kunstsommer Arnsberg (Arnsberg International Summer of Art), which ran from the 22 June to 5 August. The festival, in the historic capital of the Dukedom of Westfalia in Germany's Sauerland included a pair of sculptures equipped with ultra-modern LED systems - the work of the designer Heinz F.W. Stahl and sculptor Friedrich Freiburg.

The two objects - one (Lichtobjekt) an obelisk and the other (Ein heißes Eisen) a giant pair of pliers - are cast in concrete and attracted a great deal of attention on the Ruhr Promenade - especially at night, as Stahl and Freiburg equipped the two sculptures wi

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UK - Radical Lighting's new PixelDrive 2 lighting control software will be running lights and enhancing the aesthetics on two stands at PLASA 07 - HSL (stand D49) and PixelRange (stand F45). Radical is taking the opportunity of the industry's leading trade show to showcase its newest and most flexible and accessible products yet.

Radical's Emma Long, Simon Carter and Sophie Woode will be at the show, dividing themselves between the two stands. Sales and marketing manager Sophie Woode comments: "PLASA is an ideal environment for us to show off the new streamlined Radical products, which fit into many areas of the live entertainment and architectural sectors."

A special version of the popular RADlite NG media server has been developed specifically as a control option for PixelRange's new PixelArt video batten, and this will be in use on their stand. The PixelArt sectio

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UK - Production company Event Concept has designed the lighting for the National Army Museum's ground-breaking exhibition Helmand: A Soldier's Story. The exhibition recreates the experiences of soldiers in the troubled Helmand Province of Afghanistan and is believed to be the first to explain a conflict while it is still unfolding. The idea for this powerful exhibition came from the first NATO troops who entered the Province and it has been built, written and contributed to by them.

Describing his approach, Event Concept's designer Dan Terry says: "I wanted a rise and fall in lighting levels as visitors walk through the space as well as contrasts in colour; the open areas are lit in bright desert tones, while the buildings are more darkly atmospheric, with strands of brilliant white light to recreate sunbeams through windows. As many of the displays have written expl

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UK - Ben Kovler has joined worldwide lighting manufacturer High End Systems Inc (HES) as international product support specialist. Based in London, Kovler will focus his technical support on HES products in the UK and Europe, although his territory extends worldwide.

Kovler started in the entertainment industry at a young age, supporting various products both as a freelance technician and most recently, running the service department for UK company Lightfactor for two years.

"I am excited about joining the team and strengthening the support in Europe and the rest of the world for HES," says Kovler. "I look forward to working closely with both the office in Austin and with customers on the ground ensuring that the trust and reliability of the HES brand continues at the highest possible standards."

Bill Morris, executive vice president of HES, says: "W

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USA - Disney's High School Musical which started as a Disney Channel TV movie in January 2006 has turned into a global phenomenon. A story of personal empowerment and the pursuit of song and dance dreams in the face of high school peer pressure and cliquey disapproval, kids the world over are interested in musical theatre like never before thanks to High School Musical. The DVD and soundtrack have left millions of fans hungry for more, and a sequel and big-budget movie are in the works.

Disney is also taking High School Musical to the next level via a partnership with the NAMM Foundation that will extend the reach of the show through a public affairs initiative, communicating the vital role of personal creativity, expression and music education to millions.

NAMM's work with Disney includes the development of a public advocacy campaign that will draw content from

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International - The first digital edition of Lighting&Sound International magazine goes live today, on the eve of the 2007 PLASA Show.

Timed to coincide with both the PLASA 07 and the re-launch of the popular LSI Online website, L&SI's digital edition will offer an easily navigable and fully searchable on-screen version of the familiar magazine, accessible for subscribers anywhere there is Internet access, as soon as the magazine is published.

The digital edition will allow PLASA Media to significantly increase the global circulation of Lighting&Sound International magazine.

Available free to industry professionals worldwide, the digital edition will boost readership, particularly in developing markets where the cost of subscriptions has previously been an obstacle, and equally in far-flung territories where

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UK - Robe Show Lighting is launching two new software packages - Media Fusion and Media Fusion Qube Control. Both products are the latest additions to Robe's versatile Digital Series product line.

Media Fusion software is designed for lighting designers wanting to mix images and video clips in the same way as they handle their lighting visualisations and setup.

Media Fusion's powerful features include video playback, looping and processing from a library of 60 realtime video effects on up to 8 layers. The Media Library can contain up to 61,200 visuals including a folder for video inputs or external camera feeds. All the parameters - like visual selection, positioning, mapping, tiling, blending and masking, effects selection, etc - are accessible via DMX using ROBE's Dream Box device.

Media Fusion Qube Control software builds on Media Fusion, and has been specifically develop

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UK - Smoke Factory of Hannover, Germany, has been regarded as an "innovator in fog" for almost 20 years. Their first appearance at the PLASA Show was in 1990, followed by hundreds of successful UK installations, from major West End musicals to the Imperial War Museum.

Florian von Hofen, owner of Smoke Factory, comes from a practical special effects and touring background himself and as a result has always concentrated on developing equipment for live and touring professionals. Many of his innovations have become features of fog machines today: transportability, 0-10V control, radio remote control, DMX interfacing, flow control and "permanent ready" function to name a few.

In its home market Smoke Factory machines are an industry standard to any rental company. Europe's largest rental company, Procon, has recently standardised on 'Captain D' as its fogger of

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UK - Bandit Lites UK supplied full lighting production and crew for the first three-day Fantasy Island 'Big Weekend' event, staged at one of Britain's best known holiday destinations, Skegness. Bandit was again working with event producers Production North.

Bandit Chief Executive, Lester Cobrin says, "It's always exciting and challenging to be involved in a completely new project, and naturally it was great to be working with Iain Whitehead and the Production North team again."

Bandit charged Dave Lee with ensuring that the three headline acts - Status Quo (LD Patrick Marks), Girls Aloud (LD Andy Hurst) and The Human League (LD & Visuals Rob Sinclair) - had their lighting requirements satisfied.

"The rig was based around Girls Aloud's arena tour spec," explains Lee, "which offered extremely good general stage coverage plus a selection of well chosen

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UK - ELC Lighting held a triple celebration on the White Light stand today to mark its 10th anniversary.

Introduced by White Light Sales Director, Peter Threadgold, Silvio Cibien of ELC Lighting made a series of presentations. The first was to Stuart Lodge of Wimbledon High School who received an ELC focusBRAIN wireless remote control system on the school's behalf. This system was registered as the 2007th remote control to be produced by ELC and, to mark the occasion, ELC took the school's original order for an ELC focusHAND unit and upgraded it to the more advanced ELC focusBRAIN.

The school had chosen the focusHAND on the recommendation of White Light because of the ease of use, stable and robust construction and the fact it can work with any lighting control system. "When we found we were to be given a focusBRAIN instead, with all its additional features, we couldn't b

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UK - The new look PLASA07 opened for business this morning, 9 September, following a rush of last-minute registrations and confirmation of a substantial number of major product launches scheduled over the four days of the exhibition.

This year's show features a new layout, new features, over 50 new exhibitors, plus an expanded educational programme with many sessions free to visitors. These include special interest sessions from BEIRG, InfoComm International and the Theatres Trust, plus specialist sessions from Cirque Du Soleil, Duran Audio and Wireless Solutions. Additionally, the organizers have invested a range of visitor facilities including wi-fi lounges and meeting rooms.

The PLASA Awards for Innovation will be announced at 6pm this evening in the Central Bar area, located between Earls Court 1 and 2.

(Jim Evans)

  1. Goboland Stop Press News
  2. PLASA Events to acquire A.C. North Trade Show
  3. Goboland launches black steel gobos
  4. ETC lighting control desks on show at PLASA 07
  5. Industry innovators honoured at PLASA 2007
  6. Visual Productions presents Canvix Matrix Server
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