World - The programme of events for Virtual Showlight has been announced.
The online event, taking place on 25 May, gives delegates the opportunity to hear industry-leading lighting designers talk about their work, ask them questions and network with others from across the industry, for a flavour of the full Showlight experience.
The programme is as follows (all timings are BST):
15.00 - Introduction & welcome from Showlight chairman John Allen
15.10 - Paper 1 - The Disco Lighthouse - Hamish Jenkinson
15.45 - Break
16.00 - Paper 2 - Lighting a Comic Book Movie - Birds of Prey Case Study - Mike Bauman
16.45 - Sponsors Breakout Rooms
17.35 - Paper 3 - Lighting Around The World Without Leaving Home: The Story of Waitress in Japan - Ken Billington, Rob Halliday, Aaron Porter
18.15 - Networking, Sponsors Breakout R

UK - Version 2 Lights Limited (Version 2) has further invested in Prolights ArenaCob 4FC and has also added LumiPix 15IP LED fixtures to its extensive rental stock holding.
Version 2’s managing director, Nick Edwards comments: “When setting up Version 2, we were in the fortunate position of buying everything new. We didn't want to be burdened by the legacy of traditional tungsten technology, but at the same time wanted to keep the iconic look of the traditional fixtures. We were delighted by some of the LED alternatives from Prolights, which enabled us to keep the style and look desired by many LDs, but in LED form.”
Version 2 has been using LumiPix 16H for a number of years, in fact at year end, they were the most utilised fixture in Version 2’s inventory.
Edwards continues: “Thanks to its cost-effective price point, LumiPix 16H has always proved popul

Italy - The Aosta Valley is sparsely populated, home to only about 200,000 residents within its villages and countryside. But the picturesque region tucked into Italy’s northwest corner isn’t lacking in welcoming spots where people can go to sit back and relax over a glass of beer or wine.
According to a recent study by Statista, there were 548 bars in the region before the pandemic. Sadly, many of them have gone out of business, while others have remained closed during the lockdown, but anyone can still experience the spirited conversations, conviviality and music of these establishments on the Ralbol Network’s Symosyo programme.
Airing on the network’s YouTube channel, Symosyo recreates the looks and feel of a real Italian bar, complete with songs, spirits, friendly patrons and even a crusty but amiable, bartender. Adding to the atmosphere to the show’s eig

New Zealand - The 328m-tall Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand has had its grace and elegance further enhanced with an Anolis lighting installation comprising 154 x Divine 72 LED fixtures.
The high-profile landmark is also a vital telecommunications hub and a popular observation point sitting at the heart of and presiding over this vibrant metropolis.
The lighting design was created by Richard Bracebridge and Sam Walle from Light Works Ltd. Technical specification, installation and systems integration were the work of Nick Abel from LS Group, with lighting fixtures supplied through Anolis’ New Zealand and Australian distributor, Jands.
Light Works has been involved with lighting the tower since 2007 when it was first re-lit following the original metal halide installation which dated back to 1996 whilst it was under construction.
The 2007 flood

China - Follow-Me, manufacturer of remote follow-spot and auto tracking solutions, has announced the appointment of ACE, Advanced Communication Equipment (International) Company as its distributor for China.
“As an established name, marketing quality manufacturers and their products throughout China, we believe ACE is perfectly placed to promote the Follow-Me brand,” explain Gary Yates and Erik Berends, co-founders of Netherlands’ based Follow-Me. “Due to their experience and professionalism we see ACE as the ideal partner to support our growing client base in China.”
“Follow-Me is the perfect addition to our lighting product portfolio, being both a flexible and cost-effective performer tracking solution that can be deployed in multiple applications,” says ACE’s vice-president, Mr. Bingo Tso. “We are constantly looking for products that represent the

USA - BriteShot, vendor of LED lighting solutions, has shifted its manufacturing strategy amidst the global pandemic and now specializes in COVID-19 decontamination products. Mitigating COVID-19 exposure in indoor environments, BriteShot’s decontamination solutions include its AirAffair air filtration system and BriteShot decontamination tent.
“To help venues re-open safely amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, we have dedicated our R&D resources to design ground-breaking innovation in air filtration and air purification,” says Roy McDonald, co-founder at BriteShot. “With more than a decade of knowledge and experience working in the entertainment space, we aim to have our decontamination technology be a factor in helping entertainment venues, restaurants, schools, houses of worship and more, reopen their doors in a safe and effective way.”
BriteShot’s AirAffair

USA - Lighting design house, Lightswitch, transformed an everyday parking garage on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe into an experience for the senses and turned to Elation luminaires, including Proteus Hybrids, for much of the sensory-rich exhibit. Called designspace, the drive-thru experience featured visual design installations from industry professionals, structural artists HYBYCOZO and ASU students enrolled in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Lightswitch, who successfully redesigned The Morton Arboretum in Illinois into a drive-thru experience this past holiday season, tapped into that knowledge for the mile-long drive adventure through the Packard Parking Garage. Described as an exploration of the duality of space, both the space above us and the space between us, the experience took riders on an immersive journey from our world to ou

China - Amsterdam -based live experience design studio Live Legends has delivered the full production design and implementation – including lighting, video / visual, laser, scenic and related 360-degree interior elements plus equipment specification, programming, and commissioning – for the new 1,200 capacity nightclub OT Cities Gui in Nanning.
This is the newest club experience presented by the Noa Group, located in Nanning, capital and largest populous city of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China.
A Live Legends creative team led by principal designer and show director Daan Oomen, set designer Stefan Peters and senior lighting director Serge Patist specified 270 x Robe moving lights to be signature fixtures in the innovative venue, right at the core of the lighting design.
Central to the ambitious visual concept for OT Cities Gui is the ri

USA - Chauvet has introduced the Ovation Rêve E-3, a versatile fixture that allows theatres, broadcast studios, houses of worship and other users to get more for their lighting investment by serving as both a variable white and colour rendering unit.
The Ovation Rêve E-3 performs this double duty without sacrificing brightness or performance, says the company. When creating whites with a 95+ CRI and high TM-30 RF, it delivers a level of brightness equal to that of a 750-1000W incandescent fixture. It also features a linear CCT adjustment with +/- green to match other sources light sources in a rig, and colour temperature pre-sets from 2800 K to 8000 K with high CRI and CQS.
Brightness levels are even greater when the Rêve E-3 is creating realistic colours, ranging from soft pastels to bold primaries, with its RGBAM LED engine. Its “mint” colour LED has been show

South Africa - For curious minds intrigued by anthropology, archaeology and the San people, the oldest residents of South Africa, the Origins Centre Museum at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, has an extensive collection of stone tools, fossils and rock art, all interwoven with technology.
Since opening its door in 2005 Gavin Olivier of Digital Fabric has been intricately involved in the museum, recently installing a Visual Productions system to centralise lighting control via a single button, but which has delivered more than expected.
Having spent the last two years in Dubai on Expo 2020, Olivier of Digital Fabric, a company that specialises in heritage work and attractions internationally, was pleased to be back at one of his earliest installations. “I never really stopped going to Origins,” he says. “I was part of the original team, working

Belgium - The still-to-be-announced winners of Popquiz, a popular show on the VTM television network that asks 14 teams of two contestants to guess the titles of pop classic songs based on a series of audio and visual clues.
The winning pair, who will be announced soon now that the pre-recorded show is completing its 10-week run, will get to attend every concert in Belgium for one year, even sold out performances, once live music returns.
Adding to the show’s energy level was a distinctive set created by the Arf & Yes set design team that featured a high-impact lighting design anchored by 160 ÉPIX Strip Tour linear fixtures, as well as 48 ÉPIX Strip Tour 50 units and 25 COLORado 1 Solo washes from Chauvet Professional.
The Arf & Yes team hung the one-metre long LED strips in a circle over the stage deck, whilst the remaining ÉPIX units were integra

The Netherlands - Osram, parent company of Claypaky, will be the official lighting partner of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), held this year at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on 18-20 and 22 May 2021.
Claypaky will be represented by a complement of 481 Xtylos luminaires equipped with a tailor-made laser source and boasting concentrated beams of coloured light. They are being provided by the shows’ rental and production companies, including Ampco Flashlight, the ESC’s Official Technical Supplier for lighting.
“Xtylos was launched by Claypaky about 18 months ago and has already been used in a number of major world events and specified for others, which unfortunately were cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Claypaky sales director Alberico D’Amato. “All the Xtylos that will be used at the ESC 2021 are already available on the market and

UK - Avolites is celebrating its 45th anniversary today (Friday, 7 May).
From its first touring dimmer rack, the landmark Avolites LD dimmer (later to become the FD dimmer), to the launch of its latest flagship Diamond 9 console earlier this year, the company has been at the forefront of technological change in the lighting events industry ever since.
The company was first set up by Ian Walley in 1976 and gets its name from the AVO meter (Amps, Volts, and Ohms) that he would habitually have with him at load-ins. Over the decades, Avolites has manufactured a wide range of lighting control and networking products, media servers, accessories, and software, but is probably best known for its range of lighting control consoles and dimmer racks. These include the first generation of consoles designed to control the new intelligent lighting products that were emerging onto t

UK - Emma Dalesman is a London-based freelance director of photography. A graduate of the National Film and Television School, she shoots a range of projects encompassing fiction, documentary, art films and commercials. In July 2020, following a quiet period on the work front due to the Coronavirus-enforced shutdown, Emma received a call from producer Derek Richards about a potential job.
The contemporary dance company, Rambert, had decided to turn their upcoming creation by Belgian choreographer/director Wim Vandekeybus into a live broadcast performance which could be enjoyed in real time by audiences around the world. Draw From Within would be a significant departure from Rambert’s customary working methods - conceived for the medium of film for an online audience.
Following a remote interview with Wim and Derek, Emma secured the job and, after a COVID-19 te

USA - Teen Vogue model turned singer/songwriter Charlotte Lawrence recently completed a four-video recording session at Beehive Studios in LA that included her national TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and a subsequent appearance on The Late Show With Steven Colbert. Helping Julien Reux to create the right mood for the performances were 28 Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures supplied by PRG.
“When producer Jonny Stiegler, the co-founder of Beehive, asked me to light these videos, I spent time studying the artwork on Charlotte’s new album as well as the wardrobe designs she’s been involved in,” said Reux, the owner of ReuxLight. “I wanted my design to reflect the hip, modern, western vibe of her style as well as the emotional force of her music.”
The design Reux created also had to be flexible enough to convey different looks for each of the s

Australia - Twenty four Astera AX1 Tubes were utilised by lighting designer Michael Negrao from event technical specialist Scene Change in Brisbane at the Australian launch event for the new Lamborghini Huracán STO (Super Trofeo Omologata).
Staged at Lamborghini’s Brisbane dealership in Fortitude Valley, the Huracán STO, designed for ‘ultimate driving fun on track and road’, was the centre of attention.
Michael received a “high-level” brief from his client relating to the mood and ambience they wanted to achieve inside and out of the premises, which was added to a budget and Michael’s fund of experience in lighting automotive events giving a free rein in designing what he felt appropriate.
Twelve vertical Astera AX1s were positioned around the car park on stands at the corners of each car space; another six were under the Huracán STO itself in the

Finland - Audico Systems has installed 281 of Elation Professional’s Fuze Pendant LED downlights in Finland’s Tampere Hall. Located 180km north of Helsinki, Tampere Hall is home to the Tampere Opera and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and is the largest concert and congress centre in the Nordic countries.
The impetus for the house lighting upgrade stemmed from EU regulations that will effectively end the use of certain halogen bulbs, coupled with the fact that the venue’s old house lighting system was nearing the end of its lifetime. The project commenced in 2018 with Audico, Elation’s Finnish partner based just west of Helsinki, conducting product demos of various house lighting fixtures, including the Fuze Pendant.
“The venue required good quality white light with high colour rendering and also highly saturated colours for effects. The fixtures also ha

Italy - The 2021 Sanremo Music Festival was staged at Teatro Ariston in Sanremo, Liguria and apart from being one of the country’s biggest and best-known song competitions and media events, also chose the country’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was organised and broadcast by RAI and lit by director of photography (DOP) Mario Catapano.
The lighting rig included over 400 Robe moving lights - a mix of T1 Profiles, Spiiders, LEDBeam 150s, Pointes and a six-way RoboSpot system - all supplied by Pesaro-based rental company Sound d-light Srl.
For the first time, the competition, which unfolded over five evenings of live television, also broadcast worldwide, and streamed via the official ESC website, was hosted without a live audience due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The contest comprised two main sections - one featuring 26 established artists, plus a Newc

USA - Creating a more camera-friendly stage became a pressing need for many churches during the pandemic, as they turned to livestream services to reach worshippers during lockdowns. Marysville Christian Fellowship was no exception to this rule.
This dynamic, small church, which serves a rural community in northeast Kansas, also shared something else in common with many other houses of worship: it had only a limited budget to devote to making its space more well-suited for broadcasting services.
Marysville Christian was able to navigate its way through this issue with help from Stark Raving Solutions, which recently completed a lighting and video upgrade at the church. Taking a holistic approach to this project, the Lenexa, Kansas based company provide a comprehensive solution that involved far more than the installation of new gear.
“We did a lot of upgrading

Vietnam - DTS has appointed Acoustic & Lighting System Vietnam as its distributor for the territory.
Ben Lee, country manager at A&L Vietnam, comments: “When approached by DTS to represent this already well-established brand in the Vietnam market, and after learning more about the way forward and future vision of the brand, we found that our goals aligned. We are looking forward to the opportunity to work together to serve the Vietnam market.”
Carmen Savarese, international sales manager at DTS, adds: “Acoustic & Lighting System Vietnam carry out their job in the best possible way, training professionals and offering a first-class level of expertise for each client. It is my absolute pleasure to work with these guys: their dedication is constantly looking towards the development of significant relationships of trust with customers, suppliers and partn

USA - Gerry Dintelman recently lit I Watched Music On The Internet, a four-part six-hour livestream marathon featuring 11 different bands shot in St Louis.
Dintelman created a design that gave each band a different look. He accomplished this with help from a large collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures that included Nexus 4 x 4 and NXT-1 panels along with Rogue R2 Beam and R2 Wash moving fixtures, all supplied by Arch City Audio Visual Services.
“This series was created by Arch City and the Sinkhole a local live music venue, as a means of showcasing different bands during the pandemic,” says Dintelman. “My co-designer Kevin Kwater and I knew that we would have to create a variety of looks to reflect each band’s personality. Since the videos were shot at the live stream space Arch City created in its warehouse early in the pandemic, we had a lot of f

Vietnam - Vietnam's first ‘sleepless city' has officially opened on Phu Quoc Island, aiming to become an international destination. Phu Quoc United Centre, developed by Vingroup, took a total investment of $2.8bn and aims to attract visitors from all over the world.
Visitors will be able to enjoy multimedia shows, including the Vietnamese flowers, 32,000 bamboo tops, travelling the canals of Venice surrounded by coloured buildings that play homage to the Italian capital, among other attractions.
Prolights plays a part in the lighting design, with fixtures installed in the centre lake where the Venice canals are. Every night, the performance of Sac mau Venice (The colour of Venice) dazzles visitors with a light show. Vietnamese lighting designer Mr. Trong created all the looks, while Pro AVL, Prolights' distributor for the region, supported with t

Europe - Elation’s artistic power luminaire, the Artiste Mondrian, takes centre stage on the 6 May Elation Coffee Break. Filling out the top of Elation’s award-winning Artiste LED moving head series, the Mondrian LED Profile FX partners alongside and uses the same technology as the Artiste Monet and Artiste Rembrandt, including Elation’s exclusive 7-flag SpectraColor colour mixing system, and endless and continuous rotational framing system.
Presenters Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif will go live on Thursday, 6 May at 11:00 a.m. CEST. Tune in at www.facebook.com/ELATION.Pro.Europe/live/. No registration is required.
Optimized for extreme output (51,000 lumens!) and housing an all-inclusive FX package for unmatched projection performance, the Artiste

Germany - Over the past six months, two German production companies have been working together to simultaneously keep their creative juices flowing during the pandemic-inflicted hiatus on in-person events and lift the production value of livestreams.
The Wharf is the latest in a series of three increasingly ambitious dedicated livestream studios that they have created using primarily ADJ lighting and video equipment. This latest project combines a series of 3D cubes, lined with ADJ Pixie Strip pixel-mapped LED fixtures, and a water tank, illuminated by ADJ Hydro Series IP65-rated moving heads, to create a stunning visual backdrop for both DJ sets and full-on live performances to be captured on video.
LaserFrame, based in Cologne, and its owner Guido Schütz, specialises in lighting for clubs, lounges, and electronic music events. Meanwhile, Creative Sounds, from nearby

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