The Netherlands - Rentall, one of Holland's leading technology sales and rental companies, has been appointed exclusive Benelux distributors for SGM lighting - under its newly formed division, Sales-All BV. The appointment was confirmed, with immediate effect at this year's PLASA Show in London, by company director Michel Roelofsen, and SGM's managing director Peter Johansen and export area manager Steen Geertsen.

Along with co-founder Theo van Workum, Roelofsen has built up a formidable sales and rental company over the past 15 years, with bases throughout Holland and Germany. Their channels to market take them into television and architectural applications as well as concert and theatre touring.

"We are extremely impressed with the new range of SGM products - and over the years we have also sold a lot of older SGM fixtures," he stated. "It's important that we

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light marks its fortieth anniversary this year - celebrating with a busy season of new theatre productions, the area that the company first worked in and for which it is still best known by many even though its work now encompasses all areas of entertainment lighting.

In London's West End, White Light is supplying the lighting to new productions of Butley, lit by Howard Harrison at The Duchess, Cool Hand Luke, lit by Matthew Eagland at the Aldwych, Driving Miss Daisy transferring to the Wyndhams Theatre from New York and lit by Peter Kaczorowski, Matilda, lit by Hugh Vanstone at the Cambridge, and The Tempest, lit by Paul Pyant at the Haymarket.

White Light is also busy on the touring circuit, supplying the lighting to shows including Buddy (lit by Joe Atkins), Dirty Dancing (lit by T

UK - Continuing a nine-year tradition, Stage Electrics recently staged a pair of successful regional exhibits showcasing its key distribution brands, at Newcastle Upon Tyne and Cardiff.

The one-day events were held at the Peter Sarah Theatre in the Performance Academy of Newcastle College, Newcastle Upon Tyne and the newly opened Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in the grounds of Cardiff Castle, where Stage Electrics also recently completed a major sound, production lighting and communications installation in the concert hall and theatre.

Brands on show were Arri, Avolites, Chauvet, Clay Paky, DiGiCo, ETC, Highlite, MA Lighting, L-Acoustics, Lee Filters Le Maitre, Martin Professional, Panasonic, Philips Strand, Selecon and Vari-Lite, Pulsar, RCF, Rosco, Roland, Sennheiser, Shure, Yamaha and Zero 88.

Some 230 people attended on the day, with students from each venue for

UK - Lighting designer Andi Watson, has showcased the new PixelSmart on his recent tours. including Bon Iver, Interpol, Zazie and Lissie.

Watson states, "The controllability of the individual pixels allows me to modulate the intensity or colour of the beam, creating movement from a static source. It is truly a beautiful effect and one which ranges from incredibly subtle to highly dynamic. The tungsten LEDs in the PixelSmarts are amazing for key lighting and for punching a white beam through a colour wash."

Watson continues, "In addition, when the fixtures are facing the audience - the LEDs can be PixelMapped or modulated to create a highly controllable LED array, enabling patterns and movement to be displayed across the fixtures. All in all a really versatile fixture which I am really impressed with."

(Jim Evans)

USA - City Theatrical's SHoW DMX SHoW Baby won the Best Debuting Product in the Widget category at LDI 2011. Widgets are simple or inexpensive products that lighting users find indispensible in hanging their shows.

SHoW Baby is a wireless DMX transceiver, meaning it can be either a transmitter or a receiver. As the LDI judges pointed out in the awards ceremony, SHoW Baby has the easiest user's manual around. "For a Transmitter, plug DMX in, for a Receiver, don't."

SHoW Baby utilizes a clever DMX input jack that senses when a DMX cable from the lighting console is plugged in, and configures itself to be a Transmitter. Without sensing DMX in, it configures itself as a Receiver. There are no other user choices to make and SHoW Baby is entirely plug and play, with no buttons to push, settings to adjust, or menu options to choose.

(Jim Evans)

Australia - LSC Lighting Systems in partnership with Open Clear have been busy finalising the development of a range of new powerful consoles that will "finally offer the market a real alternative for the world's most demanding productions".

Following the successful preview of the smallest console in the range - Clarity LX300 - at the PLASA 2011 show in London, LSC showed the other end of the spectrum with a preview of the flagship LX900 at the LDI show in Orlando, Florida.

The range features three Clarity models, the LX300, LX600 and LX900 all with touch screens, multiple programmers, unlimited undo/redo, Fader Ident for playback mode indication, media server integration, LED pixel mapping and innovative Rig Schematic patching, which allows importing of rig or venue images to overlay patched fixtures making your fixture selection quick and easy. In addition all fade

USA - The world's biggest basketball preseason show turned to Bandit Lites in 2011 in order to have the most dynamic show possible for what promises to be a National Championship season. The event is held every year at midnight on the first day of practice. Kentucky always sells out the event, 25,000 rabid fans strong. The coaches, players, fans and celebrities pack Rupp Arena for a three-hour show. The event has gained such stature that it is shown live on ESPN. Because of the NBA strike, the house was full of former Wildcat NBA stars, such as John Wall.

The evening was electric as the arena was bathed in Kentucky Blue all night while the crowd was entertained by speeches from Coach John Calapari, player introductions, cheerleaders, dance teams, celebrities and finally, an inter squad scrimmage.

Bob Stoops, technical services manager of Rupp Arena and David Haney of SGSP/ Sho

USA - ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd have teamed up since the summer of 2011 to deliver maximum rock n roll to legions of fans across the US. Bandit Lites has served as illumination vendor on the sold out package, which continues into 2012.

Designers Steve Owens and Chris Stuba combined their ideas and delivered a system that was large and afforded each act a separate and distinct look. VL 3000 Spots, VL 3500 Washes, GLP Volkslichts, Martin 301's, Atomic Strobes, 2 Lites, 8 Lites, Source 4 Lekos and ACL's all were brought into play on the show. Stuba used a Grand MA console while Owens preferred a Maxxyz Plus.

The show is a combination of LED technology with the new moving lights from Martin and GLP with the tried and true VL's, strobes and such. Owens and Stuba worked many days at the Bandit Venue 1 rehearsal hall, as well as in Bandit's virtual suite in order to prepare their pro

USA - For the past four months pop rock band Train has been out on a double headed tour of North America, alongside Maroon 5. Always on the lookout for new products and equipment, Train's lighting designer Brock Hogan wanted a wall of light at the front of the set while at the same time creating an entrance for the band from the centre piece.

Brock discussed his ideas with Craig Mitchell at LMG Touring, who took up the challenge to find a low resolution video product that allowed the band and crew to walk through it. When Brock was shown G LEC's Solaris+, he knew he'd found the right product.

Brock says, "I wanted to position the wall of light at the front of the set so that backline techs would be hidden from the audience, yet able to see their musicians. My idea was to keep the look simple for this particular show and Solaris+ allowed me to select subtle single layers o

USA - Following their success at this year's PLASA in London by winning an Innovation Award, ELC Lighting's Green-GO digital show communications system designer Joost van Eenbergen and sales manager Silvio Cibien have returned from LDI in Orlando with a second award: the LDI 2011 Best Debuting Product of the Year award in the sound category.

Silvio Cibien said, "After winning the PLASA Innovation award in London we were delighted to pick up another award in the USA. We have attended every LDI since we started the company back in 1998, but this has been the best one for us. There was great interest in Green-GO, especially after we won the award, and because of this we started signing up regional distributors in the USA on the booth."

Green-GO is a new intercom system that provides high quality digital voice communications, as well as optional and messages with cue li

UAE - Martin Professional's award-winning MAC Aura wash light is quickly finding its way into lighting rental company inventories around the world. As a leading supplier to the event production industry in the Middle East - and following a visit to the PLASA trade show in London - Dubai-based Eclipse Staging Services has made an investment in the new Aura which won a PLASA Award for Innovation.

Darren Hodge, Eclipse Dubai's GM, who made the decision to purchase the lighting fixtures, says, "Eclipse has been very happy with the Martin MAC 301s; they are constantly in use by our team and requested by clients for their versatility. I was very impressed with the new Aura light and had no hesitation in being the first company in the region to add these units to our extensive lighting stock. They have just arrived and are already being used by our team at the Live Nation DXB Beac

USA - PLASA Focus: Austin welcomes a raft of new exhibitors as the two-day event expands its floor plan yet again. The new style of regional event, to be held 22-23 February 22-23, 2012 at the Renaissance Austin, Texas, has doubled its footprint in the past week, with over 25 companies committed to taking part and as many applications being processed.

Joining confirmed exhibitors ETC, Barbizon, Philips Color Kinetics, Doug Fleenor Design, Strong Entertainment Lighting, Chauvet, A.C.T Lighting, Global Design Solutions, CommuniLux Productions, GLP German Light Products, Daktronics Rigging, Total Structures, Arri, Rosco, Rose Brand, Robe, High End Systems, Secoa and Clay Paky, amongst others, are new exhibitors; Elation, White Light, LSC, James Thomas Engineering, Creative Stage Lighting, Inlight Gobos, Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Martin Professional and TMB.

PLASA Focus' much t

USA - Chauvet won the Best Big Booth award at LDI 2011 in Orlando. "I am very grateful for all the hard work and creativity that went into this INfectious presentation. Congratulations to all and special kudos to the marketing team, the product team and the tradeshow setup crew," said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet and Iluminarc.

Almost 300 Chauvet MVP video panels were interlocked into a large-scale wall framing out the booth on three sides to create an immersive experience. Against that backdrop, a truss spider held over 200 fixtures, including the premiering COLORado Zoom Tour wash lights and Legend 412 LED moving yokes. At the floor level, a runway was flanked by Q-Wash 560Z-LED moving heads and the new Épix Series of pixel mapping fixtures running on ArKaos Kling-Net protocol.

four days for the Chauvet team to set up the 'Infectious' booth, using seven un

UK - On 16-17 November lighting supplier White Light is to appear at BVE North at the Manchester central Arena to display their products specifically designed for the TV and Studio market.

On stand 410 will be the KLA 600 Softlight from Galaxia, offering flicker free soft light with adjustable colour temperature (2700 - 6500°K). It can be controlled locally via a handset, which allows accurate settings to be replicated across multiple standalone units, or via DMX. Robust & reliable, it offers a 30% reduction in power consumption over fluorescent softlights.

Robert Juliat's Aledin 330LF offers a high output LED, a 200mm Fresnel lens; the fixture gives a very powerful wash effect. Economical, the330LF extends colour media life due to its low heat output, and requires fewer maintenance calls thanks to its extra-long-life LED.

The RevEAL Studio from Prism Projection is a pro

UK - A bespoke lighting system supplied by A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) took centre stage for the high-profile launch party of London's revamped The Arts Club, a private members club on Dover Street. The re-launch of the historic Club - which was founded in 1863 by, amongst others, Charles Dickens - was attended by HRH Duke of Edinburgh and a host of artists.

The Arts Club was reopened by restaurateur Arjun Waney and property entrepreneur Gary Landesburg to provide an exclusive meeting place for actors, writers, musicians and other creative artists.

Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe was amongst several high profile names in the performing arts commissioned to help craft a special ambience in the venue. To create the lighting scheme for the basement's intimate 100 capacity Club Nouveau, Woodroffe approached A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) to collaborate in sourcing and installin

USA - American DJ's new Event Bar DMX is an all-in-one LED scanning light system that features four bright white 3W LED pinspots mounted on an X-Y movement bar.

A 'turnkey' lighting system for nightclubs, stage productions, concerts, mobile entertainers, retail displays, trade shows and special events, the Event Bar DMX is easy to set up and operate, says the company. It is also a very versatile lighting tool that can handle everything from illuminating a large dance floor, to table or cake spotting for that big wedding day or corporate event.

"The Event Bar DMX is a true, go-anywhere scanning light system that has virtually endless uses," said Alfred Gonzales, national sales manager for American DJ. "One of its coolest features is that it has a strobe effect and dimming on each pinspot head, so each of the heads can be operated independently of the others to cr

Australia - 2011 has been a big year for the Ten Network in Australia. Having instigated a number of adjustments to its programming line-up and increased its airtime, the Network recently invested in a significant revamp of its Sydney newsroom and studio.

As part of this refurbishment, Network 10 lighting director Pete Koole examined ways to make his lighting rig more cost effective, reliable and easier to use. During his research he came across the Philips Selecon PL1 LED luminaire. "I could see straight away that the PL1 LED had great potential as keylight in the news studio", he says. Koole now owns 18, all fitted with wireless receivers and he is delighted with them.

The PL1s have addressed a number of issues. Koole's newsroom is situated at the bottom of a five-story atrium and vulnerable to fluctuating colour temperatures from the changing ambient natural light

USA - Gemini LSV of Dallas, Texas, will be holding an open house on 16-17 November, demonstrating the Parasol KLR-10 system. Gemini became the first company in the world to purchase this system. The KLR system is Parasol's second product that enables a designer to move the source point of a number of automated lighting fixtures along a pre-defined path. The KLR system is based on a patent application filed by Parasol earlier this year.

The system will be featured at Gemini's annual open house, with location details available at www.geminilightsoundvideo.com.

Parasol's CEO, Hermann Fruhm, remarked that this first important sale is "a milestone that will be indelibly marked in Parasol's history, much like the first use of automated lights by Genesis in 1981."

(Jim Evans)

USA / Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has confirmed Josh Thatcher as the winner of their Call for Entries contest which ran from August through October. Thatcher won a new iPad2 at the W-DMX Swedish meatball and vodka party held on Saturday, 29 October during LDI in Orlando.

The contest began with a call for entries posted on the W-DMX Facebook page and various trade e-newsletters. The challenge was to submit the most interesting use of W-DMX, with the best story to win an iPad2.

Hollywood-based Thatcher won for his use of W-DMX on the movie Super 8, a Steven Speilberg film released in June 2011. Thatcher has also used W-DMX in other major feature films including Cowboys & Aliens and Pirates of the Carribbean.

"This was a nice surprise," said Thatcher, "I use W-DMX on a lot of motion pictures but Super 8 was special. We wer

Italy - One of the best known brands in retail, athletic footwear giant Foot Locker, has installed an eye-catching Martin Professional LED display in the main front window of its flagship store in Milan.

Located in the fashionable Corso Vittorio Emanuele shopping district in the heart of Milan, the store opened in June showcasing a dynamic front window LED display made up of 39 Martin Professional EC-20 LED panels.

Lead designers for the Foot Locker brand across Europe is design and consultancy company rpa:group. James Breaks, associate director of rpa:vision's design division, comments, "I was at Euroshop earlier in the year together with the client who saw the EC-20 panels at the Martin stand. Foot Locker wanted the potential to create something startling and bold. They were looking to stand out and make a massive impression. The EC-20 display was just what they were lo

UK - The Euston Underpass is one of the UK's busiest thoroughfares, with an estimated 100,000 people travelling its length on a daily basis. It also boasts the latest digital advertising installation from turnkey solutions provider Solutions In Steel (SIS), which has installed two Lighthouse Technologies LED screens, located on either side of the bridge spanning the underpass and visible to traffic travelling in either direction.

Solutions in Steel has considerable experience with Lighthouse screens, having worked with them on projects such as the Two Towers on London's Hammersmith Flyover, Eat Street and Ariel Way at West London's Westfield Shopping Centre and the H Junction Bridge at Shepherd's Bush.

"We provide a 100% turnkey solution, from initial design, through structural engineering, to finished installation and even finance, which makes things as simple as possibl

Australia - The X Factor is the hottest TV franchise around the globe with the second Australian series currently underway and drawing large audiences every week. The set and lighting for this series is very similar to the first series with a few exceptions such as the addition of 28 Vari*Lite VLX LED wash lights.

"The VLX fixtures in the system replace the VL3500 wash and VL2000 wash fixtures that I used last year," commented Ian Anderson, production lighting director for the show. "There wasn't a specific reason for choosing them this year other than I really just wanted to give them a go."

This is the first time that he has used an LED source as one of the main workhorses in the rig and he is delighted with the result.

"The VLX fixtures provide the entire colour wash on the stage," he explained. "They have been working very reliab

UK - Artichoke, producers of extraordinary live events, have unveiled the full programme of artworks, installations and events for this year's Lumiere festival in Durham, 17-20 November 2011. Artichoke returns to Durham at the invitation of Durham County Council who are providing significant funding for the event along with Arts Council England, and a raft of sponsors and funding bodies. Lumiere will bring together more than 30 British and international artists working with light in every conceivable way. From dramatic installations, vast animated projections and human rivers of light, to quieter, more subtle interventions on buildings, streets and bridges, the artworks in Lumiere "will re-invent the familiar in a city-wide nocturnal trail that will surprise, delight and stop people in their tracks".

In a new commission for Lumiere, French fire alchemists Compagnie Car

USA - Clay Paky scored a remarkable string of wins at the LDI show in Orlando, Florida. The company secured a total of four awards: a Parnelli Award, two LDI Awards, and a PLASA Rock Our World Award.

The Sharpy won a fourth Rock Our World Award at a reception organized by PLASA in connection with the annual LDI show. The jury, chaired by Mike Wood, gave the Sharpy their enthusiastic backing. Designer Natasha Katz said, "This is the beginning of more lights that have to be like this - efficient and green," while Nick Jones said, "Absolutely brilliant - an amazing amount of light coming out of such a small piece of kit."

Two days later success struck again when the Sharpy won a Parnelli Award in the category for Most Indispensable Technology. The award is often seen as an accurate barometer of public opinion and shows the extent to which the Sharpy has establ

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