Lighting

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USA –ETC has selected seven recipients of its annual LDI Student Sponsorship, giving them an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas and a full conference pass.
The students will get to see the latest entertainment technology, have access to LDI seminars and training, and the opportunity to network with industry professionals at special events. Each sponsorship recipient will be matched with a mentor as the students transition from academics into the working world.
The 2017 recipients of the ETC LDI Student Sponsorship are:
K. Jenna Ferree: A graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, K. Jenna Ferree is earning a master of fine arts in lighting design, and holds a bachelor of fine arts in lighting design and technical theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her lighting design credits include The River, Detroit, and The Pillowman.

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UK - UK-based international entertainment industry engineering design and safety specialists and consultants BLUMANO Ltd has launched Stage DB - a unique new multi-lingual software tool for co-ordinating and collating all the necessary machinery / equipment documentation to meet production health and safety requirements.
Stage DB has been developed for BLUMANO by Lluis Diaz-Guerra, also one of three directors of the company which launched in 2014. Since then, BLUMANO has led the way in establishing important health and safety related working practices for the world of concert touring, special events and large spectaculars.
Any tour or event needs to produce a fully organised bundle of documentation, including all the mandatory certificates and reports mandated by the H&S work regulations. This is often required in different languages, all of which also have to be

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) was recently appointed as the UK-exclusive distributor for Swedish-based StageSmarts AB's smartPDU intelligent power distribution system, which received a PLASA Award for Innovation at this year's show at London Olympia.
The appointment extends AC-ET's portfolio of innovative and leading power, distro & dimming brands for all entertainment applications, including touring, theatre, education, and TV / studio.
AC-ET's UK sales & purchasing director, Jonathan Walters, commented: “We are delighted to add StageSmarts to our portfolio. As a company always looking for the next true innovation in entertainment technology, the smartPDU really stands out as a game-changer in its product category - something which both the PLASA Awards judging panel and visitors to our stand seemed to agree with.”
(Jim Evans)

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USA - Grace Church’s new campus in North Carolina’s Research Triangle benefits from AVL system installed by the CSD Group.
With its sweeping inwardly curved stage, gently arched ceiling, fanned seating arrangements, the inside of the church resembles a contemporary theatre or conference centre yet makes worshippers feel at home by projecting a sense of warmth and intimacy via the Chauvet Professional Ovation and COLORdash LED luminaires that CSD used to anchor the lighting system.
“This church is fully contemporary in style, but its leaders also wanted an immersive environment with a sense of transcendence,” says Doug Hood, president of the CSD Group. “The even warm white front and stage lighting we got from the Ovation fixtures makes it easy for worshippers to see the stage and connect to the people on it. When you look at a well-lit stage, you are more like

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Australia - Novatech assisted with the technical solution at the 68th International Astronautical Congress held on 25-29 September at the Adelaide Convention Centre’s Plenary Building.
Adelaide’s Ding Productions & Slingsby Theatre were engaged to create a bespoke opening performance. Ding’s creative producer Jo Casson worked with Novatech’s Leko Novakovic to design an interactive setting where the live performers on stage would perform in a holographic environment in a performance, The Journey.
Novatech debuted their new 4K resolution, 32,000 ANSI Laser Projectors that created an illusion of space on stage. The company also worked with Richard Saunders from Ikonix to take advantage of the latest generation of holographic technology, Hologauze.
Managing director of Novatech, Leko Novakovic, said: “We were thrilled to use the latest generations

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USA - The 36th edition of the MTV Video Music Awards was broadcast live from the Forum in Inglewood, California. While Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars and The Weeknd were among the nominees for Video of The Year (Lamar picking up the main award), the show itself featured performances from other members of pop royalty, including Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Fifth Harmony, Lorde, Shawn Mendes and DNCE.
Within the vast creative stage set, designed by Stufish’s Ric Lipson, GLP fixtures had a major role to play, with 194 of their new JDC1 hybrid strobes being deployed by 22 Degrees’ LD Bob Barnhart, and supplied by PRG. These had a huge presence across the set - distributed among the overhead canopies, the two layers of outer rings, in the back of the arena (as eye candy in camera backgrounds) and on the overhead main stage area.
The designer was first exposed to GLP’s versati

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USA - High End Systems resumed exclusive distribution for its HOG4 HedgeHog console products from 1 October. Customers can now purchase HedgeHog 4 products directly from authorized High End Systems dealers and distributors, and the company retains the single point of initial distribution for the entire console line.
HedgeHog consoles are small but pack a serious punch. Built for travel (even on a plane), HedgeHogs are compact and lightweight - perfect for new users and smaller venues. School theaters, nightclubs, corporate events, medium-scale rental events and Houses of Worship are the HedgeHog 4's natural habitat. HedgeHog 4 consoles share the same programming layout and capability as their larger brothers, and can happily load show files from any console in the range.
In the coming months, High End Systems will be introducing a new series of console training videos.

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UK - A bespoke 'dimmer world' dolly system using three Avolites ART2000 dimmer racks is proving the right solution for the ongoing UK and international tour of the National Theatre's multi-award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.
Providing the touring production with a reliable dimming, power distribution, hoist and pyrotechnical control system is a unique 'dimmer world' system designed by the tour's production electrician, Chris Mence. British rental experts, Hawthorn, supplied the three Avolites ART2000 dimmer racks that made-up part of Mence's dimmer system alongside their provision of the tour's entire lighting element.
"The 'dimmer world' system enables us to roll in the entire lighting control and mains distribution package in one hit," says Mence. "It's a plug-and-play solution with the Avolites ART2000 racks provid

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USA - California production company Stage-Tech again dipped into its extensive inventory of Elation Professional lighting gear to deliver an impactful lighting package for the Hard and Pink stages at this year’s Hard Summer Music Festival. With a venue change somewhat late in the scheduling – a move from the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to the more scenic environs of the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino – Stage-Tech had to be both flexible and resourceful, a challenge they met with the help of adaptable Elation lighting.
Held 5-6 August, the popular rave event celebrated its 10 year anniversary in style by paying homage to some of the artists who have filled the line-up over the past decade, including top acts Snoop Dogg, Bassnectar, DJ Snake, Zeds Dead and Justice.
Stage-Tech has been involved with Hard Summer for the last eight years a

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UK - Following positive reviews and sell-out shows, the Watermill Theatre’s production of Crazy for You has hit the road for a national tour. Working with producers Jamie Wilson, Gavin Kalin and the Watermill Theatre, full service technical production company Hawthorn is supplying lighting equipment for the highly-anticipated show.
The high-energy musical stars Strictly Come Dancing winners Tom Chambers and Caroline Flack as Bobby Child and Irene Roth. Crazy For You is billed as the ultimate feel-good musical with a score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook.
The lighting designer for the tour is award-winning Howard Hudson, with Hawthorn supplying lighting equipment to his specification. To create the look and feel he was after, Hudson drew on a mixture of Martin MAC Viper Profile and Performance, GLP Impression 90 RGB and Claypaky Sharpy Was

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Europe - Robert Juliat Lancelot and Victor followspots have been specified for the tours of Adele and Phil Collins by Woodroffe Bassett Design lighting designers Patrick Woodroffe and Roland Greil.
Roland Greil, associate lighting designer, lighting director and programmer for all three tours, said:
“The designs for Adele’s arena tour in 2016, for which Adam Bassett was the associate lighting designer, and her stadium tour in 2017 were completely different from each other. The former was based upon a very symmetrical lighting rig that was all about creating a good-looking picture frame with Adele as the centre of attention in the middle. We kept the colours muted with 80% of the lighting being different shades of white, with a few shades of blue and very little else.”
He continued: “For the indoor arena tour we used two Robert Juliat Victor 1800W follows

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Austria Luminaires from SGM Light played an important role in this year’s design of the floating stage in Bregenz.
In 2017 and 2018, the opera Carmen will be performed at the venue. Markus Holdermann, deputy head of the lighting department, relied on SGM luminaires.
He said: "In addition to 16 G-Profiles, we deploy 14 P-5 and two Q-7. The products are ideal for use on our sea stage. Their weather-resistance and advanced technology make them the first choice for me to implement in the lighting concept.” 
The production is running for two years “due to the immense amount of work we put into the stage designs” as Holdermann explained.
For Carmen, Holdermann was not only responsible for the lighting but also the entire multimedia. “In addition to the light concept for this production, it was also necessary to implement the video desig

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Belgium - The Belgium-based percussive entertainment group Drumspirit has added a more theatrical feeling to its current series of Hexahedron shows featuring Milk Inc. drummer Michael Schack and Netsky by using a Bart Rogge lightshow that features 12 Maverick MK2 Spot and 48 Rogue R2 Wash moving lights from Chauvet Professional.
“Given the genre-defying performances of Drumspirit, to bring a theatrical feeling to the Hexahedron shows was no easy feat,” said Rogge. “The versatile Maverick and Rogue fixtures, however, proved to be essential elements in the implementation of my theatrical lighting concept.”
Both the Maverick and Rogue fixtures were positioned above, behind and to the sides of the stage for a variety of visual purposes. Thanks to the Maverick’s generous selection of effects such as rotating slot and lock gobo wheels, a three-facet prism and 13°

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UK - TSL has appointed Greg Westwood as a project manager.
Westwood graduated from the University of South Wales in 2015 with a BSc in Lighting Design & Technology, since when he has been working in a sales role for leading equipment manufacturer Robe.
He will be working closely with TSL’s MD Sam Tamplin, on project management and business development across a wide range of customers, projects and rentals.
(Jim Evans)

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USA - When electronic music producer Flume returned to Red Rocks in July, a large complement of Claypaky Sharpys and Sharpy Washes helped the Grammy winner light up the iconic Colorado amphitheatre.
Brown Note Productions provided the equipment, while lighting designer Stu Dingley was charged with creating the design.
Dingley used 46 Sharpys for Red Rocks, positioning 16 Sharpys on the floor in two horizontal lines at offset heights backing the artist, while 30 more were mounted overhead and kept in reserve for heavier electronic moments in the show.
The LD also used 36 Sharpy washes, deploying four of them as side key lights and 32 overhead. While the floor package at Red Rocks was the same as that on Flume’s ongoing American tour, the overhead fixtures are only used for headline shows.
He explained: “A large part of the design used spots and coloure

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UK - The Queensferry Crossing, the world's longest triple-towered cable-stayed bridge, was illuminated by 60 x Robe BMFL Wash Beams during the crossing’s opening ceremony in September. 
The lighting scheme, which marked the opening of the 2,700m-wide crossing, was designed by event production company JMP Productions, specified and supplied by Edinburgh rental and production specialists Black Light. Their project manager Thomas Ramage worked closely with Jon Pugh from JMP and contacts from Speakeasy and Transport Scotland.  
“Given the throw distance, we needed the sheer power, intensity and punch of the BMFL coupled with the precision focussing potential of the Wash Beam shutters so we could concentrate light exactly where it was needed with minimal spillage,” explained Thomas.  
The 60 x BMFL WashBeams were positioned equidistantly along the central r

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USA - Quasar Science, the Los Angeles-based LED technology & logistics company has joined forces with Burbank-based Matthews Studio Equipment to create “the future of LED rigging support”.
Utilising MSE’s new MyWayGrip rigging system, the MyWayPlate Linear LED Mounting System is built for Q-LED linear lamps, making it simple to mount 1, 2 or 4 lamps off of a single stand. Or combine and configure multiple plates with optional MyWay adaptors.
“As people became familiar with the advantages of our linear LED lamps they began using them as singular fixtures but struggled with a simple and affordable mounting solution.” says Quasar CEO Steven Strong.
Up until now, LED tubes were often rigged using random clamps, tape, zip ties or other hardware not designed for the application. The combination of Quasar Science lighting technology and MSE grip support al

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UK - Aurora Lighting is working alongside lighting designer Gurdip Mahal and gaffer James Tinsley on Channel 4’s hit re-boot of TV cult classic The Crystal Maze.
Based on the classic format and filmed at The Bottle Yard, Bristol on a custom-built set created by original series designer James Dillon, the aim was to remain faithful to the feel of the iconic zones, whilst adding a contemporary look to update the show for a modern audience and enhance the show’s newly added areas.
Talking about the show, LD Gurdip Mahal says, “The sheer scale of the show presented a number of challenges for the entire crew. With so many small studios and unique spaces, lighting the production was both new and exciting and presented a few difficulties which the terrific crew were able to resolve.”
The lighting specified for the show allowed the crew the flexibility to s

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South Africa - Robe moving lights were the primary lightsources on the Main Stage at Innibos 2017, a high-profile arts and music festival staged in and around Mbombela (Nelspruit) in South Africa presenting Afrikaans music, theatre, literature and visual arts.
The fixtures were part of a striking visual design by Johan Ferreira of BF Production Services. There were 151 Robes on the rig, all supplied by Johannesburg-based MGG Productions, delivering full technical production and crew for the main sage for the third year. These fixtures were hung on a series of trusses in the roof including three 4-metre diameter circles hung mid-stage, all staggered in heights from upstage to downstage.
12 Robe Spiider wash beams were on the upstage truss; 24 x Spikies were on six side totems (vertical truss towers) together with 30 x LEDBeam 100s; 24 x LEDWash 1200s and 27 x LEDWash 60

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USA - A festoon lighting system featuring IMS DMX-controlled RGBWW lamps flew high over the stage at the 10th annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
Conceived by renowned stage and lighting designer Andi Watson (known for his tenure with the band Radiohead), with production, fabrication, and installation by Iron Bloom of New York, the Land’s End main stage structure featured 420 IMS Mk2 festoon lamps hovering overhead, conjuring abstracts of the Bay Area’s many suspension bridges. The stage was home to over 50 acts throughout the weekend, including Metallica, Gorillaz, and The Who.
“Andi was looking for something high-impact and low profile, and he chose the IMS system because of its brightness, rich colours, and versatility,” says Iron Bloom co-founder, William Irons. “The installation has to be struck

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UK – The latest production of the Hot Ice Show has just come to the end of a successful run at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Arena, with the majority of the lighting coming from ProLights fixtures.
Billed as “a dream brought to life by the stunning lighting that reflects the mood and magnificence of each scene”, this year’s design featured 20 new ProLights Luma 1500 LED luminaires purchased by the venue from A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) to replace aging discharge fixtures. Delivering 26,000 lumens, each Luma 1500 is the equivalent of a 1,200W discharge fixture, but has a power consumption of only 650W.
Amanda Thompson, managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, said, “It’s great working with A.C. Entertainment (Technologies) to get the best in stunning lighting and customer care.”
Andy Mahaffey of AC-ET’s external sales team

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UK - CPL (Central Presentations Ltd) has completed a full technical upgrade - staging, lighting, audio and AV - to the conference theatre at Heythrop Park Resort where the west Midlands-based company is also the house onsite technical support provider.
Heythrop Park Resort is a luxury venue set in 440 acres of stunning Oxfordshire Countryside and dating back to 1710. It currently has two hotels, an 18-hole golf course, a health club & spa and state-of-the-art conference facilities including a ballroom with capacity for 300 – 400 guests (in banqueting or theatre style respectively), the Conference Theatre which can hold 400 delegates and the charismatics Enstone Room for up to 200.
The latest plans have seen the addition of a marquee which can be configured as a 650-seater banqueting hall or an 800 capacity theatre space which will further expand the available res

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UK - An abundance of GLP’s award-winning X4 Bar 20’s left the VER hire fleet for a very important event at the O2 Arena recently.
They were commandeered by London-based lighting designer Sam Tozer (of Vision Factory) for a special grime event, when the Boy Better Know (BBK) collective, led by Jme and Skepta, took over the venue on August Bank Holiday Sunday.
The Takeover weekend as it was known, took the form of a multi-venue, multi-discipline festival featuring five-a-side football tournaments, skateboarding, BMXing, roller disco, gaming events, cinema, food and music across six stages.
This all presented quite a challenge for Tozer, who had been approached by David Davies, production manager from LRI, to create a new look for the event.
“There wasn't much of a design brief other than it needed to look unique and bring part of the Boys’ prev

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UK - Lighting designer Richard Lambert chose a Zero 88 Orb XF desk – from Eaton’s popular lighting control brand - to control lighting for Cirque Enchantment’s 2017 UK tour.
He wanted a powerful, physically small and quick-to-programme console for the inaugural tour of an exciting new performance concept which blends the breath-taking audacity of circus acts and aerial performance, hi energy choreography and a powerful rock, pop and classical soundtrack, fusing the disciplines of circus, dance and concert performance in one edge-of-the-seat experience.
Produced by Umbrella Productions and directed / choreographed by Stuart Glover, Richard was delighted to rise to the challenges of tight get-ins, an expedient sized lighting rig – which had to stretch a long way to cover the show’s varied dynamics … and fit into a small van.
The Orb XF sat right at the
  1. Robe supports The Stage Debut Awards
  2. Oh Wonder lightshow flows with ChamSys
  3. RC4 Wireless takes DMX dimming up a level
  4. Elation lights Assemblies of God youth convention
  5. Protec continues to impress as it turns 18
  6. Experienced LD to lead theatre lighting workshops at DWR Distribution
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