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Rigging / Staging

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UK - PLASA has announced the launch of a new National Rigging Award, designed to give riggers across all sectors of the industry a recognized framework by which their knowledge and expertise can be measured.

Initiated by the rigging sector, who looked to PLASA to further develop the template for a National Rigging Certificate, the Award has become vital in a climate where there is a growing focus on health and safety, and an increasing expectation from the insurance sector.

For the last 10 months, PLASA has been working with government bodies and members of the rigging community on the development of the Certificate, a consultation process which has been underpinned by the formation of the PLASA Rigging Advisory Group.

The Group is now working on the fine details of the criteria and assessment process, but once finalized, the scheme will include a tiered progression structur

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UK - The winners of the PLASA Awards for Innovation were announced last night during a well-attended awards ceremony hosted by PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths on the main show floor at Earls Court. The Awards, which focus on the best design and development work going on across the industry, came at the end of a day that reaffirmed PLASA's reputation as a forging ground for future innovations.

The Awards, which are judged by a panel of professionals, attracted 66 nominations, leading to eight technical awards and an additional award for environmental impact.

The winning products were:

  • Artistic Licence's Visual Patch is going to prove the ultimate time saver for converged lighting and video applications. It creates an on-screen geographic map of two or three-dimensional pixel array, whilst automatically also assigning DMX512 start addresses. Described by the judges as anot
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UK - A new strategic partnership between two of Europe's leading suppliers to the entertainment sector will see Pfaff-silberblau and Tomcat UK collaborating to provide a comprehensive design and technical service to the UK entertainment industry. The announcement was made at recent the PLASA Show in London. Together the two companies will provide a highly efficient and cost-effective end-to-end solution for the entertainment industry incorporating staging, trusses, lighting and hoists.

The arrangement, announced by Mitch Clark, president of Tomcat and Thomas Dory, CEO of Pfaff-silberblau GmbH, will see the two companies working together to develop and deliver new projects utilizing their combined resources and experience. Their collaboration will strengthen sales, technical and design support and enable a significant expansion of the UK stockholding of the specialist products re

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UK - Star Events Group was once again back in Belfast for the Last Night Of The Proms. For the fourth year, crew boss Tom Taylor and project manager Phil Addyman were to be found on the lawns of Belfast's stunning City Hall. They provided a VT2015 stage for the event, complete with a video goalpost, which took eight crew three days to build. This was then handed over to the BBC for three days of set dressing, to achieve the final, stunning look. The two-day derig was made more interesting given the ever-present threat of disruption from the more militant members of the city's populace. The last truck was loaded and the majority of the crew sent to the airport just before gridlock ensued. "

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Hall Stage collected an Innovation Award from the PLASA exhibition in London for the second year running. Following last years' success with the DGS Counterweight Drive system, this years launch of the D8++ chain hoist represents Halls' first product in the sector and proves the depth of technical development coming out of the 100-year-old business in recent months, say the company.

Designed by ASM to meet the exacting requirements of the German BGV C1 safety categorisation, D8++ means a rig will not require a 'secondary' or safety suspension line, saving hours of valuable stage time and hundreds of pounds in kit.

D8++ is also virtually silent, so can be used in quiet stage conditions. On board electronics mean the unit can be controlled with a cheap power inversion system instead of an expensive compliant system required by the competitive hoists.

Charles Haines, Hall

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UK - LGH Rigging Services, has expanded its services by opening a new branch in the Midlands.

"As a part of the company's long term strategy, expansion into the Midlands enables us to serve our nationwide customer base better" explained Paul Fulcher, operations director, LGH Rigging Services.

LGH Rigging Services was established at Three Mills Island Studios in London's Docklands in 1997 as a specialist equipment resource to provide the whole event and entertainment industry with stringently tested, high quality rigging equipment and service via hire or sales solutions, say the company.

Staffed by personnel with strong experience in dry hire, sales, testing and inspection of rigging and associated equipment, the operation has grown rapidly to become one of Europe's leading rigging suppliers, dealing with all the major players in live production services, TV, Film,

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UK - PLASA has announced the launch of a new National Rigging Award, designed to give riggers across all sectors of the industry a recognized framework by which their knowledge and expertise can be measured.

Initiated by the rigging sector, who looked to PLASA to further develop the template for a National Rigging Certificate, the Award has become vital in a climate where there is a growing focus on health and safety, and an increasing expectation from the insurance sector.

For the last 10 months, PLASA has been working with government bodies and members of the rigging community on the development of the Certificate, a consultation process which has been underpinned by the formation of the PLASA Rigging Advisory Group.

The Group is now working on the fine details of the criteria and assessment process, but once finalized, the scheme will include a tiered progression structur

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UK - Lift-Turn-Move celebrated its first birthday at PLASA 2005. LTM was launched at PLASA 04 as a new, independently owned company with a fresh attitude to the lifting and rigging industry. The tightly focused eight-person operation is concentrating on making life simple, friendly, efficient and cost-effective for its clients - a 'small is beautiful' philosophy that's proved a success over the last 12 months.

Jones, a veteran of over a decade of PLASA shows, says that 2005 one was: "Absolutely the busiest exhibition since the show moved into Earls Court - the show was even too busy on Wednesday for us to get off the stand"

LTM demonstrated its ability to think on its feet when it arrived for the PLASA build! Realizing its single sided corporate sign needed in fact to have signage on both sides, John Jones thought laterally. He asked around site for any contacts in t

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UK - HSL's rigging team has designed a new strong and highly versatile tower capable of lifting loads up to 2 tonnes, complete with a small and neat footprint, say the company.

Developed with very speedy build times in mind, HSL say it is ideal for city centres, green field sites and any other location. With a mast height of 13m to fly point, it has a base size of 4.5 x 4.2m, a maximum payload of 2000kg in wind speeds of up to 44mph or 20m/s. Ballast weighs in at 2400kg and the average build time is around two-and-a-half hours when using a build crew comprising one HSL rigger and four local crew; de-rig is around an hour-and-a-half using the same crew, say the company. On-site machinery required is just one Telehandler for one hour on the in and out.

HSL Rigging supplies a full health and safety policy and structural report directly to the production or site manager. Once the

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UK - Lift-Turn-Move has sold four Lodestar Direct Control chain hoists to Bright Lites UK, based in Colne, Lancashire.

Bright Lites' Neil Dolman says he bought the motors for his hire stock from LTM because of the "Service, detailed product knowledge, friendliness and helpfulness" of the team at the Wirral based company.

Bright Lites supplies lighting and rigging equipment to venues, councils and other professional entertainment industry areas and applications. Dolman wanted a leading industry standard product that was ultimately 'hirable', and since the purchase, the Lodestars have been in constant use, he reports.

"Dealing with LTM was excellent" he says, "Their team are consistently good on the phone, and really friendly. It was great to also meet them face-to-face when I collected the motors in person from the warehouse on Merseyside. I would rec

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USA - After supporting performances from above with its stage rigging systems, Global Truss America can now elevate the show from below, thanks to its new Stage System 360. A lightweight, modular system, the Stage System 360 is as rugged and sturdy as the company trussing products, but provides users with the convenience of an easily portable, customized stage-on-the-go to suit the needs of touring entertainers, small venues and stage rental companies.

The Stage System 360 is comprised of rectangular stage platforms, stepladders and safety railings that can be used in any combination to meet the precise staging needs of a specific event. Each 3'3" x 6'6" (1m x 2m) platform can be linked to other units on all sides, allowing users to create a stage with the square-footage they need and the shape most suitable to their event. Plus, the height of the platform can be set t

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USA - ESTA has announced that a revised version of the existing ANSI E1.1-1999, Entertainment Technology - Construction and Use of Wire Rope Ladders is available for public review until 13 December 2005. The document is available on the ESTA website here. The revised version of E1.1 is being offered for public review because substantive changes were made to the SI measurements given in the last public review version. The SI and American customary dimensions were substantially different, so these have been modified to make them functionally the same.

Reviewers are asked to see if the document now gives adequate and accurate guidance on the construction and use of wire rope ladders, and are also asked to identify any protected intellectual property they might see in the draft document. ESTA doe

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UK - The PLASA Show has again proved itself one of the most influential events in the industry calendar. Around 13,000 (subject to ABC audit) key industry people visited London in early September to participate in what is now the major international gathering-point for the entertainment, event and installation industries. The emphasis was very much on business, with exhibitors not only generating significant leads, but also reporting an unprecedented number of orders being placed.

As in previous years, the Show had a strong international profile with a third of exhibitors based outside the UK, and an increasing international visitor attendance, which is now nudging the 30% mark.

One of the key reasons for the Show's continued momentum is its focus on new developments and its ongoing investment in interactive feature areas, awards that recognize the best design work in the indu

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UK - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout was appointed by Somerset House Productions to design and supply the giant projection screen for Somerset House/ Filmfour's spectacular The Summer Screen - a week of diverse outdoor feature film screenings, staged in the Somerset House's majestic 18th century courtyard.

The schedule featured a programme of classic films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Oscar-winning Japanese animation Spirited Away and the metropolitan premiere of the horror film Land of the Dead, as well as music sets from DJs as diverse as Asian Dub Foundation, Osymyso and Four Tet.

Blackout's Project Manager Kevin Monks collaborated with Somerset House's Events Manager John Howes to design and supply the integral giant cinema projection screen to his specifications.

Manufactured by Blackout France, the 17.5 metre x 7 met

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UK - For the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea which opens this month, Signwave UK has designed, developed and delivered advanced lighting control systems that run on Windows XP platforms.

Amongst the technology behind the exhibits are three Martin MAC250+ moving heads that can be positioned and controlled by a computer using the industry standard DMX protocol. "Multimedia developers ISO wanted a visitor-controlled trackball to move a spotlight in realtime over a projected map of Wales," says Adrian Ward, manager of Signwave UK. "We love a challenge and after a heavy period of research and testing, we showed that we could precisely position the spotlight on the map using custom software, and give the developers of the multimedia software a way to control the light in their code."

Signwave developed its DMXBridge software to bridge the gap between a visi

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Far East - Drapes and fabrics specialists J&C Joel has supplied Riverdance's Far Eastern troupe - the Corrib - with over 30 drapes for their new tour. It's the first time the Halifax-based company has worked with the world-renowned Celtic dancing production, and the project was managed for Joel's by their International business development manager, Fiona Blackett. Blackett worked closely with Riverdance's line producer Ciaràn Walsh and their Germany-based technical manger Tobias Botzenhardt.

The supply features a full set of black velvet and filled cloth masking drapes including legs, truss and screen borders. Some of the drapes were made from a special velvet material compliant to the German DIN flame retardant requirements. This is standard practise for touring shows to ensure that all the material is covered for whichever standards a specific country might have

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UK - Cambridgeshire based flightcase manufacturer 5 Star has taken delivery of its second CNC Machining Centre. Again, 5 Star chose the Thermwood Corp of Indiana, USA to supply the CNC Machining Centre, which joins the company's already installed Thermwood Model 40 which has been in use for over six years. Thermwood was chosen for its reliability, ease of use and excellent after sales support.

The move is part of the company's ongoing investment programme, and follows an exceptionally busy period over the last 12 months. "Six years ago, we took delivery of our first CNC system from Thermwood, and this was seen as a big step at the time!" says 5 Star works director, Keith Sykes. "Since then, the move to our new factory five years ago and investment into other CNC systems has continued. With the growth over the last few months, we didn't hesitate in purchasing anoth

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UK - The third 2005 Scottish Lighting Show was another major success, according to organisers and hosts black light. The well-attended event was held on 23rd and 24th September at the Granton Lighthouse, Edinburgh.

"We had more exhibitors and a wider range of products than ever," says black light managing director Gavin Stewart. "This year's move to the Lighthouse was a major step up as it provided much more space, it was very visually pleasing and created a really good personal atmosphere."

Having previously been held at black light's own premises, the move to the nearby lighthouse meant that the company's day to day business could also carry on unhindered. "We had to run a broadband line from our building and miles of power cabling, but that sort of thing is what we do every day," continues Gavin. "The staff at the lighthouse were keen to h

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UK - Stage One has been helping give ITV regional news programmes a fresh look with a series of new studio sets. Awarded the contract by ITV's chosen designer, Simon Jago of Jago Design, Stage One was tasked with ensuring that his creative and artistic design was translated into reality.

"We are delighted to be working with Simon Jago on such a high profile project," said Mark Johnson, managing director, Stage One. Simon Jago added, "The new sets are based on an identical design, but incorporate an iconic regional image. This helps to form a coherent and stylish consensus for all of ITV's regional news programmes."

Fully built and installed by Stage One, each set takes around two weeks to complete and comprises a curved rear wall, screen tunnel, two plasma screens (suspended on stainless steel posts) and a staging unit upon which the new perspex newsdesk/co

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UK - Following the change in ownership of Mean Fiddler earlier this year, 2005 is a year that its former managing director Melvin Benn will remember. L&SI met up with him at the Leeds Festival and talked about the event, and about Mojo's new Barrier Load Monitoring System which was being tested at the site.

Noticing there were several representatives from the Clear Channel management team 'monitoring' things on site, it begged the question, how is the new marriage affecting things? "It's business as usual this year," explained Benn. "I'm aware things may change, but I've been left to get on with what is already working, with no interference."

"This is the 7th Leeds Festival and the third on this site and I think it has evolved over the years to what we have today. You always look to learn and improve things and I think we've created a better site this year, a

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The theatrical, chandelier-hung Doughty Engineering stand featured a wide range of the company's rigging, lifting and suspension hardware, with its Six Track curtain tracking in constant motion. New for PLASA was a portable meat rack for lighting bars and the company was also showcasing its redesigned Superclamp, now also available at a lower price.

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Wenger has been manufacturing audience seating systems, acoustic shells, sound control rooms, music stands and chairs for many years, and at PLASA was represented by its UK distributor, Black Cat Music. The company specifically highlighted its Upper Deck Audience Seating System, which offers fast, tool-free set-up and de-rig: a 200-capacity audience system can be setup by two people in two hours. When not in use everything breaks down and is stored on custom wheeled carts.

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Slingco showcased the Vortek theatre rigging system, manufactured in the USA by Hoffend and distributed by Slingco in the UK. It's driven by the Vortek Automated Control system, which allows up to 250 individual Vortek units to be controlled as a complete system. With a number of efficient safety mechanisms built in, it complements Slingco's Cablenet, a tensioned wire grid system that can be installed below lighting rigs to provide a safe working platform, yet not cast shadows from luminaires installed above (see news this issue, page 36).

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Wire winches on flying situations have one shortcoming, the feeding mechanism that spreads the wound wire evenly onto the winch drum means there's always a slight displacement of the main lift wire as winding progresses. This can be corrected in static house system rigs through devices such as diverter pulleys, but for touring use, where space is often a problem, Chainmaster has developed a solution. As yet un-named, this mobile winch device uses a simple 'double fall' type configuration, with dual mechanical winding compensators to give a static winch point. Smooth and fast, it's a neat solution.
  1. Record Cablenet grid installed at BIC
  2. Rope Assemblies
  3. Triple E
  4. Maquinas de Precisao
  5. Gala Systems
  6. Milos Structural Systems
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