Projects

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USA - In 2018, The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad and its winter attraction The Polar Express hoped to increase their production value and add additional safety lighting to the Bryson City train depot.
With the help of local lighting designer Chris Speer at SpeerC Consulting, Great Smoky Mountain Railroad sought out Bandit Lites to provide fixtures, show control and integration for their project. Chris and Bandit’s team worked together to retrofit existing street lamps with a RGBW LED source. The existing poles were mounted at 30’-50’ intervals, challenging the designers to find a LED that was wide and bright enough to provide even coverage for the entire train depot.
“Safety at the train depot was our number one priority,” says Andrew Fisher of Bandit Lites sales and installations. “Guests board and deboard at the Bryson City depot, and any dark spots could

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UK - When Circus 1903 - the Golden Age of Circus visited London’s Royal Festival Hall over the Christmas period, its performers and life-size puppet elephants were lit by lighting designer Paul Smith, using 26 VL2600 Wash fixtures from Vari-Lite.
Smith declared himself a fan of the new luminaire, impressed by its compact size, first-class framing and versatile zoom capabilities, among other fine performance features.
Supplied by Siyan, the VL2600 Washes delivered “the best-looking version of the show that we’ve had so far – certainly the one that I’m happiest with”, says Smith.
The compact LED fixtures delivered a number of immediate advantages. “By switching to the much more compact fixture we’ve gained extra floor space,” he says. “We’ve also replaced the heavier wash fixtures overhead, which is a great as it’s quite a weight-rest

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France - The Fête des Lumières in Lyon is a regular event in the French city’s calendar, taking place annually in early December.
Having first participated in the festival in 2017 with the show Guignol Sur La Colline presented on the facade of the Collège Jean Moulin, Portuguese creative studio and multimedia company OCUBO returned in 2018 to work on a projection on the façade of the Saint-Jean Cathedral. Pigments de Lumière was the recipient of the Trophée des Partenaires awarded each year by the festival’s partners to the best artistic showcase.
Inspired by a quote from author Goethe, who says "colours are actions from light”, Pigments de Lumière was conceived as an abstract tribute to and celebration of all the colours that make up light, represented one by one through an exciting succession of different effects.
Nuno Maya, C

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The Netherlands - Creative design practice Painting with Light was behind the delivery of the live performance show on the Panasonic stand at the 2019 Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) expo in Amsterdam.
Under the creative direction of Luc Peumans, for the third consecutive year, the Painting with Light team presented a specially-choreographed five-minute dance show, complete with bespoke video content and a special soundtrack for which they commissioned Frank de Wulf to direct - and sourced two dancers from the Véronique Lenaers school of ballet.
This showcased some of Panasonic’s latest technologies, including the new ET-D3LEF70 high resolution fisheye lenses for immersive projection applications and a new technical collaboration between Panasonic and AV Stumpfl, which has resulted in the development of their Pixera media server.
The fast-paced, colourful and

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UK - Epic Studios, a TV and entertainment centre in Norwich, has installed Martin Audio’s MLA PA system as part of a £250,000 investment programme.
The procurement of Martin Audio’s flagship system followed a push by management to establish the venue as the most technologically-advanced in East Anglia, and followed a shoot-out between many premier brands.
Technical manager, Matt Rabong, says: “After contacting Richard Van Nairn, Martin Audio brought in a system for a demo day, when I also tested many other systems. We ultimately chose MLA for its sound quality, particularly the punchy subs and its 'Hard Avoid' feature, which allows us to steer the sound away from our roof where the most leakage is, as well as our back wall which houses our production gallery.”
Their previous PA had also been a Martin Audio system, comprising Wavefront W8C and WSX subs as

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UK - WORK PRO’s versatile LightShark DMX-based hardware lighting console is making life on the road easier for PA and lighting company Black Cat Audio, which is currently deploying the console on the theatre show Someone Like You - The Adele Songbook.
With a hectic UK touring schedule to contend with, Black Cat Audio needed a small footprint lighting console that was quick to set up, easy to use and capable of dealing with a wide variety of venues - from 350-seater arts centres to large 2,000 capacity theatres.
“We looked at a number of alternatives but the LightShark console was the only one that ticked all the right boxes,” says Black Cat Audio’s technical director Adey Osbourne. “It has a lot of interesting features that we really like, such as a proper hardware unit with faders and built in software so that you don’t have to download anything to

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UK - Establishing themselves amongst today’s most in-demand deep house acts, Gorgon City have enjoyed considerable success in recent years with their signature blend of electronic, bass-driven anthems, including Ready For Your Love and Real Life.
Based around North London production duo Kye ‘Foamo’ Gibbon and Matt ‘RackNRuin’ Robson-Scott, the extended live Gorgon City experience gained many more new fans when they hit the highway in January and February for a short tour of the UK and Ireland, with lighting designer Andy Emmerson counting on Entec for his essential lighting package.
After relying on a variety of rental sources for a recent American trek, the act turned to Entec to furnish their Escape tour which began at Newcastle’s O2 Academy, continuing in Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Dublin and peaking at the 3,000-capacity Printworks e

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UK - Women’s Aid, the charity working against domestic abuse, is hosting a fundraising event on 6 March (Wednesday) at Skylon in London.
Supported by Women’s Aid patrons actress Julie Walters and Spice Girl Mel B, the event will include a fashion show, dinner and dance, with all proceeds going towards the charity.
Blitz will be providing event production for the evening which takes place at the Skylon Restaurant at Royal Festival Hall.
Faye Connelly, fundraising manager at Women’s Aid, comments: “We are so incredibly grateful to Blitz for all of their wonderful support: providing the production for the fashion show. This event is a dream come true for us, and without the incredible generosity of companies like Blitz it would not be a reality. Every penny raised will go towards our vital work supporting women and children to escape domestic abuse and rebu

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Poland - Intel Extreme Masters - one of the largest e-sports events in the world - features a multimedia stage that has become synonymous with the event.
The structure of the stage with its distinctive scaffolding was originally introduced in 2015, and the look has since become a signature feature of IEM Katowice.
For the 2019 edition, the design features large automated LED screens on the central part of main stage, from which pro gamers enter the stage. The catwalk where the IEM trophy is located, has been completely reworked and combined with the rest of the stage.
Despite set changes the lighting design has been completely renewed, featuring new lighting fixtures and LED bar frames built around the screens behind the teams. Almost 400sq.m of LED screens were used and 650 lighting units.
“Every year we are trying to introduce something new to the stage

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UK - Kaiser Chiefs have recently completed their latest UK tour, accompanied by an Allen & Heath dLive system handling both FOH and monitor duties.
The tour follows on from the band’s recent announcement of their new album and took a nostalgic look back at past releases and hits; gracing the stages of old theatres, concert halls, seaside towns and of O2 Academy venues.
Supplied by Adlib, the band’s set-up includes two dLive S7000 surfaces on both FOH and monitors and two DM64 MixRacks. The system was also used to handle audio needs for the support band, Novacub.
“For this tour I chose dLive in spite of having had no experience of it before, as a number of people I respect have rated it very highly,” comments FOH engineer, Chris Leckie. “As with every Kaiser Chiefs outing since 2007, I’m using Liverpool’s Adlib as our audio vendor. As well as h

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USA - As the long-time home of Elvis Presley, Graceland is among the most famous rock ‘n’ roll residences in the world, welcoming over half a million visitors to Memphis every year. While there’s certainly no shortage of onsite attractions for fans of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the Graceland Soundstage is impressive, and with a new audio system from Adamson Systems Engineering, it’s primed to keep the music alive and loud.
“Graceland is synonymous with good music, so when it came to choosing an audio system for our new Soundstage, compromise wasn’t an option,” begins Joel Weinshanker, the head of Elvis Presley Enterprises. “Our Adamson S-Series system offers outstanding audio quality, and whether it’s a live concert, film screening, or corporate gala, we know that anyone enjoying an event in the Soundstage is getting the best possible experience.”

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Spain - The Cisco Live EMEA customer conference landed in Barcelona in January for a week of discussions, education and debate. Visited by 16,000 people each year, the 2019 event was once again organised by marketing agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) alongside the Cisco Live team.
Highlights included keynote speeches from leading IT pioneers and among the many super-sized elements of the event were the lighting solutions for the Keynote space and the Customer Appreciation Event (CAE) area.
Christie Lites UK was chosen to deliver a full lighting solution, including fixtures and crew for both the Keynote space and the CAE area, which took place in the striking Gran Via Convention Centre in Barcelona - one of the largest and most modern venues in Europe.
GPJ’s technical director, Mark Bannister, oversaw the realisation of the project, along with GPJ production manage

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USA - Even after this year’s Mardi Gras festivities have come and gone, Harrah’s Casino in the famous French Quarter will still be drawing in the droves to its latest spectacle: Fillmore New Orleans, Live Nation’s Crescent City take on the San Francisco music hall. The newest Fillmore, whose old-fashioned theatre marquee is prominently located at the foot of Canal Street, is a spacious 2,200-capacity entertainment venue that opened its doors in mid-February with back-to-back shows by Coheed and Cambria and Duran Duran.
Decked out with signature Fillmore nostalgia - including the classic chandeliers - the new second-story, 22,000sq.ft venue also features aesthetic nods to NOLA, including recycled wood and wrought iron. On the much more shiny and modern end of things, however, the club is also now home to a new Avolites Tiger Touch II lighting control console, installed

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has launched a new website to showcase its portfolio of technologies.
Created to deliver a better overall user experience, www.ac-et.com features a cleaner design, improved menu functionality with faster navigation, and is now fully responsive, adapting to the best layout for viewing on mobile, tablet and desktop.
The website also reflects AC-ET's position as a one-stop supplier of lighting, rigging, video, audio and related technologies.
AC-ET's UK sales and purchasing director, Jonathan Walters comments: "We are delighted to share our new website with you. The team have been working tirelessly to create a high-quality website, which reflects our (AC-ET’s) world-class products and services. We are confident that the smarter, slicker design will enable easier and quicker browsing to ensure you find the right products

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USA - When lighting designer Trevor Ahlstrand was in search of a powerful yet compact lighting fixture to form the bulk of the floor package on Kane Brown’s current Live Forever tour, Elation Smarty Hybrid effects grabbed his attention before he ever laid eyes on the light itself.
“I was at a demo and it really caught my eye - how wide it filled the room and the crisp gobo projection,” the designer says. “When I looked to see what light was making the effects, I was surprised to see a fixture whose footprint was so small. I knew I needed a small fixture for Kane Brown so decided to take a closer look.”
Brown is a breakout success story who came to fame on YouTube several years ago and has seen his popularity grow ever since. Live Forever, which kicked off in Duluth, Georgia on 10 January, is the artist’s first headlining arena tour and his fi

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UK - Northern Irish rockers Snow Patrol were back on the road after a seven-year break, reaching out to fans with their new 2018 album Wildness and a sold-out UK arena tour.
Adlib was the audio provider, working with engineers, Nigel Pepper mixing FOH and Jamie Hickey on monitors. Robin Scott was the production manager at the helm, with Neil Mather tour manager.
Adlib provided crew, with systems specialist Sam Proctor and an L-Acoustics system. Sam was joined by Terry Smith who looked after stage and monitors for Jamie, plus Aaron Greig and Neil Dodd who completed the audio crew.
The Snow Patrol tour’s standard system configuration was 14 x K1 speakers a side with four KARA down-fills, together with eight K1 subs flown behind the main hangs to help direct the low end towards the back of arenas. These were supplemented by two side-hangs of 12 x K2 speake

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Tajikistan - The recent renovation of the 700-seat Sooroosh Hall in the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe included a substantial upgrade to the technological infrastructure. This has resulted in the installation of Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision Compact line array.
The work was carried out by the manufacturer’s long-term distribution partners, Latvian-based A-T Trade Music. According to the company’s sound and stage equipment project engineer, Imants Cīrulis, they had been invited to develop an integrated but adaptable solution by their Tajikistan dealer.
“Prior to this, the system could only be used for conferences and meetings rather than classical, pop and traditional music concerts and other events which now take place,” he explaines.
Of the choice of PA he says: “The client wanted a system that would be useful for this hall as well as for open

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UK - Unusual Rigging has worked its own magic on Magic Mike Live! (an in-depth production report is coming soon in a future edition of LSi).
When TAIT UK was tasked with a seemingly impossible feat, operations director Alex Hitchcock turned to Unusual.
"We were initially approached by Magic Mike Live! with an enquiry for an automation and engineering package at the theatre at the Hippodrome Casino on Leicester Square", explains Hitchcock. "Some overhead rigging and staging, steel work structure, diversions and winches. We were already familiar with the venue having once done another show there. But at that time, installing a single winch was a nightmare - Magic Mike required about 18!"
The Hippodrome Casino is not a big venue - certainly not designed with the intention of staging elaborate productions like Magic Mike Live!. "The venue

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Grand Cayman - Seven Mile Beach gives visitors plenty of reason to smile. The famous landmark on the western edge of Grand Cayman Island was the site of the Humour Me Comedy Tent at the Kaaboo Cayman Festival. Supporting the likes of Saturday Night Live’s David Spade and Chris Rock Show alum Wanda Sykes was a collection of Chauvet Professional Maverick and Rogue fixtures, deployed by Chris Lisle Lighting Design.
“It was important for us to add colour and movement to the comedy stage that was consistent with the exciting looks we had on the two music stages,” explains Erik Parker of Chris Lisle Lighting Design, which was responsible for lighting all stages at the festival as well as its grounds.
The Humour Me stage rig featured Maverick MK1 Spot and Rogue R2 Wash fixtures, which were supplied by AI. Flown on a long truss structure that ran over the

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France - French restaurant and leisure destination Pirates Paradise has specified a Coda Audio sound system to enhance the venue’s immersive environment.
The pirate-themed restaurant, located in Neuville-en-Ferrain near Lille, is a family destination that regularly welcomes more than 500 guests during the weekends; entertainment and audio excellence is key to its success.
Owner Jérôme Descamps explains: “My dream was to create the best restaurant I could, offering great decor, furniture, atmosphere and food supported by a fantastic sound system. It was important to me to do everything properly, so I engaged a company that could help spec me the highest quality audio on the market."
Pirates Paradise engaged local company Public Address, with general manager, Gregory Devilder and head of technical, Benjamin Pauwels taking up the challenge. They recommended Co

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Malta - The X Factor competition made its debut in Malta and quickly broke a long-standing record to become the most viewed programme on Television Malta.
Lighting for the series was entrusted to Nexos Lighting & Video who worked together with the rigging and technical team. Lighting designer Anton Borg Olivier joined the team to work on the live broadcast finals, helping to manage the increased TV lighting requirements and deliver that extra kick to the show.
Nexos Lighting & Video supplied 22 x Claypaky Mythos 2, 14 x SuperSharpy, 18 x A.leda B-EYE K20 and 16 Claypaky Sharpy for the duration of the series, with an additional eight Alpha Wash included for the final show. “The Claypaky fixtures were the backbone of the lighting rig,” says Olivier. “Claypaky fixtures were chosen for their rich colours, power and reliability.”
It was imper

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Australia - In celebration of their third studio album, Lo La Ru, five-piece Australian band The Rubens performed for audiences across the country last November and December. The tour saw the band play Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Fremantle and Melbourne as well as eight regional cities across Australia.
Lighting designer Tim Beeston of Melbourne-based Flash Bang Productions was “delighted” to have Ayrton’s new Mistral-S spot luminaires on the tour, which were supplied by South West Solutions (SWS) of Yarraville, Victoria.
“I designed a ladder system incorporating mirror balls and small spot beams,” explains Beeston. “The Mistral-S with its small, light profile was the ideal fixture for my ladder system. We also compared it against a very well-known profile fixture and, with its flat field, the Mistral-S was definitely the better instrument.”

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Australia - The Eurovision – Australia Decides national final recently took place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. The winner, Kate Miller-Heidke with her song Zero Gravity was chosen by the combination of a public televote (50%) and the votes of a professional jury.
Paul Collison, lighting designer for the show, voted for three grandMA3 light, one grandMA3 full-size, one grandMA2 light and five MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) for control, plus MA 3D for visualization of the show.
He commented on his choice: “We loved using the new grandMA3 hardware. Even though we’re still on grandMA2 software, the grandMA3 hardware has breathed new life into the well-established grandMA2 platform. The more ergonomic layout of the surfaces made the long days more tolerable, and incredibly accurate touch screens increased workflow efficiency.

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The world tour by Belgian tenor Helmut Lotti is one of the first to see the Rivage PM7 go truly global, accompanied by a Nexo audio system.
The five-month tour has seen Lotti promoting his latest album Soul Classics In Symphony with shows in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa and Switzerland. The tour’s audio rental company is Revolution Event Support, whose owner Bart Faut is the tour’s production manager and Front of House engineer.
For the tour Bart specified a Yamaha Rivage PM7 monitor console, with a CL5 mixing FoH sound. I/O is taken care of by Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 racks. The Nexo PA is a mixture of flown and ground-stacked Geo S12 and Geo M6 with LS18 and RS18 subs, powered and managed by NXAMP4X4s and NXAMP4X1s.
Lotti is backed by the Golden Symphonic Orchestra - a 22-piece band, including string and brass/woodwind sections, pia
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