Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Projects

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South Africa - MGG were called upon to supply the full technical for the SAPOA Annual Convention, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary at the Sandton Convention Centre’s Pavilion Venue in Johannesburg. For this top-notch occasion, MGG asked lighting designer Francois van der Merwe from Wizardry Group to design both the conference and banquet styled show.
The South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) is the representative body and official voice of the commercial and industrial property industry in South Africa. As they wanted something extraordinary for their golden celebration, MGG incorporated the largest VuePix configuration they had ever built comprising of some 200 x Q3 3.91mm panels. The show included Clay Paky Sharpys and Mythos and control on a grandMA2 full size.
The event kicked off in the conference room where a 28m x 4.5m VuePix L6 Series 6.

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Germany - Die Fantastischen Vier - AKA iconic German rappers Fanta 4 - hit the road again on Vier und Jetzt, their biennial tour campaign for 2016-17, reaching out to an ever-loyal fan base which spans several generations and stretches across every corner of the country. Once again, the lighting, set and visual design was created by Gunther Hecker working in close collaboration with Marc Lorenz..
Gunther and Marc are a well-known FOH duo recognized for their fresh, often radical, boundary-pushing ideas and different approach. Their lighting rigs frequently contain Robe fixtures and this one followed that very trend with 60 Pointes that were integral to the epic yet raw show aesthetic developed by Gunther.
Marc, from Cue Design, took on the role of lighting director plus overall visual technology and control guru, compiling and co-ordinating the lighting and video speci

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USA - Atlanta-based design company, Visional Productions, used three custom-built media servers running Avolites Ai V9.1 software and an Avolites Quartz console to control and live edit a mix of pre-recorded content and live-streamed video at an annual three-day Christian youth conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Passion 2017 drew in audiences of 50,000 young adults from around the globe to Georgia's Atlanta Dome to discuss the Christian faith, fight modern day slavery and sponsor 7,000 children living in poverty.
The job of designing the dynamic media display system for Passion's audience of tech-savvy 18-25 year olds fell to co-founder of Visional, Kyle Means. Means has been involved with Passion Conferences since 2013 through London-based production management company Black and White Live.
Turning to the latest Ai V9.1 software, and Notch, a real-time effects gene

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Europe - Swiss artist DJ BoBo is celebrating his 25th anniversary on stage by touring the grand new show, Mystorial.
From April 2017 it will visit Switzerland, Austria and other parts of Europe, including 24 arenas in Germany before heading down to South America.
But it has already received its world premiere during a two-week opener at the vast Europa-Park amusement park in south-west Germany, where a new arena has been built specially to host the production.
Mystorial takes fans on a fascinating journey through time, mixing well-known hits with new songs, supported by a five-piece band, backing singers and 60 dancers.
TV and industrial lighting specialist, Thomas Gerdon of GERDON design, was responsible for the lighting in conjunction with his partner Thomas Dietze, who has worked with the artist for nearly 25 years as his touring LD. Together they chose

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USA - Recently named as the fastest growing church in the United States, Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado found itself in need of an audio system that could adequately keep up with its spectacular growth.
After turning to the team at Franklin, Tennessee-based Mankin Media Systems to design and supply a new system, the Christian church is now enjoying a new house loudspeaker system based on L-Acoustics Kara elements.
“It was one of the more complex projects we’ve ever been involved with,” says Mankin’s Tim Corder “The entire leadership of the church had changed since the last system was installed about eight years ago and the new team really wanted a system worthy of their reputation as a growing, dynamic congregation.”
That was no easy feat. Corder described the room and the previous install as “the most polarizing audio ex

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USA - It was a night of heart wrenching insight, professions of love and thoughtful musings as singer-songwriter Erick Baker serenaded a sold out crowd at Knoxville’s historic Bijou Theatre with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites.
In what could have been right out of a movie, Bandit Lites production manager Allison Burchett found herself bumping into Erick at the world-renowned Blackberry Farm resort, only then he was known as the brother of event planner Jennifer Laraia and husband of Jenn’s business associate Mandy.
“I would always hear Erick happily humming and singing as we set-up,” shared Allison. “So one day I said to him, ‘You should sing for a living!’ I was surprised when he responded with, “Well, actually I do!’ I can only imagine the look on my face, so he said, ‘My name is Erick Baker,’ and before he could say another word,

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UAE - Maestra Dubai is supplying full technical production – lighting, audio, video, staging, rigging, special FX and power distribution - to the 2016-17 series of Groove on The Grass dance events.
Now in its fifth edition, the five events for this season are produced by the Artists Network and being staged at the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, each enjoyed by around 5000 dance music fans.
A sizzling line-up for the last Groove a couple of weeks ago included a host of leading international music makers like Rӧyksopp, Agents of Time, Dewalta, Marc Houle and Steve Bug …among many more who played on two stages, and kept going despite heavy rain at some points.
“We’re excited to be part of the energy and success of this great phenomenon which is known for putting production values high on the agenda,” says Maestra Dubai’s managing partner Tom Clements, addi

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USA - Back in 1991, Jeffrey Metter was board operating the band lighting console for The Grateful Dead when he got a call inviting him to Atlantic City. Country and pop superstar Kenny Rogers needed a lighting director for an upcoming concert. It was supposed to be a weekend gig, but 26 years later the South African- born lighting designer is still with the multi-platinum singer, lighting the final Kenny Rogers tour. Travelling with them as they crisscross the US is a touring package comprised entirely of Chauvet Professional fixtures.
Made up of 14 Rogue R2 Wash and eight Rogue RH1 Hybrid fixtures, as well as an assortment of 20 COLORado par units, the rig is substantially smaller than the lighting package Metter used when he began his association with Rogers. Still, the rich warm colours and tight focus of the Chauvet Professional fixtures is helping the designer create a

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Israel - I Am Jerusalem is a new multimedia interactive experience designed to welcome visitors to one of the most famous cities in the world, offering a fast-moving history and snapshots explaining how cultural diversity is fundamental to the dynamics and development of life in this vibrant gateway to the Middle East.
Robe Pointes moving lights were specified by the installation division of Danor Theatre & Studio Systems as part of the entertainment lighting scheme in the movie theatre which features 270 degree wrap-around HD video and a video ceiling. The venue is located in the basement of Jerusalem’s central retail environment - Mamilla Boulevard.
During the 25-minute show, the city’s rich and colourful history is unfolded to an intimate audience of 200 complete with pitching and moving seats to ensure a roller coaster ride!
Orphan Group Creati

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USA – Lighting designer Bob Barnhart, who has lent his talents to 19 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, chose Claypaky Mythos and Sharpy fixtures to help illuminate Lady Gaga in her solo turn at Super Bowl LI at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Lady Gaga began the Halftime Show with a tribute to America singing God Bless America and This Land is Your Land on the roof of the stadium. She performed some dizzying flying effects, crooned a medley of her hits, led high-energy dance routines and closed with a rendition of Bad Romance in an action-packed, 12-minute show.
Barnhart first used Claypaky Mythos fixtures on a Super Bowl Halftime Show two years ago with Katy Perry. This year he employed 56 Mythos on field truss set against the upstage wall below the first row of seats. The lights were positioned on 2.5-foot spacings from the centre of the field out to the 20

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Mexico - Justin Bieber kicked off year two of his comeback tour with a sold-out concert at Monterrey, Mexico’s Estadio BBVA Bancomer arena. Accenting the star’s performance and lending an aura of timelessness to the evening was a powerful and evocative Corey FitzGerald lightshow that featured 88 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Wash fixtures, supplied by Serpro Producciones of Monterrey.
“We were very honoured to have provided lights for this concert,” said Renato Betancourt, CEO of Serpro Producciones. “Recently, we made an investment in the Maverick MK2 Wash because we wanted a fixture that could deliver the output and colours that would be needed for major productions – and at the same time would be flexible enough to work well for a range of musical styles.”
With 12 40W Osram RGBW LEDs, the Maverick MK2 Wash met Betancourt’s criteria for output and

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USA - December saw the opening of Rumba Room Live, an upscale Latin-themed nightclub and concert venue in Anaheim, California. Located at the Anaheim GardenWalk and built new from the ground up, the club, which features state-of-the-art Elation entertainment lighting and video systems, has energised the nightclub scene in Anaheim. The 10,000sq.ft venue has the flexibility to host 1,000 people and hold a variety of events yet maintains a chic, intimate feel.
Working with the club’s architect and ownership to develop the design and look of the venue was Michael Betancourt, general manager at Southern California-based Props AV, the production company that designed, supplied and installed the Elation lighting and video package. “When the Rumba Room Live project first came to the table the feel that they wanted to go for was a Latin-themed nightclub and live venue with a sex

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USA - The latest in a succession of lighting professionals to adopt GLP’s award-winning X4 Bar 20 platform has been designer and programmer, Brian Jenkins. Part of an experienced team based on America’s West Coast, along with people like Roy Bennett, his verdict was unequivocal. “In the moving LED batten market, GLP has hit it out of the park.”
Jenkins is no stranger to the German company’s products, having originally been introduced to the Volkslicht by Seth Jackson when he was designing the Selena Gomez tour. This kick-started an enduring relationship with GLP and its staff. Now in his fourth year with Maroon 5, the LD says, “When we first fired-up in 2015, Roy Bennett designed the production and lighting, with Jason Baeri and myself handling programming and associate design duties. We’ve found a workflow that we both enjoy.
“Outside the main tour, wh

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Germany - Production company LaserFrame recently installed Elation Professional Platinum HFX hybrid moving heads and ACL 360 Bar effect lights into one of the world’s top clubs, Bootshaus in Cologne.
Located at the Cologne shipyard, Bootshaus has been an integral part of the city’s club culture for more than a decade. Primarily a techno club, Bootshaus attracts a clientele of sophisticated clubbers who often dance to the beats of top DJs like David Guetta, Avicii, Hardwell, Afrojack and Tiesto. The club is all about quality and as a top club maintains high standards when it comes to its lighting and sound systems. Pyro, Co2, lasers and confetti are part of the standard repertoire as well.
Bootshaus houses three rooms – the Mainfloor, the BLCKBX and the Dreherei, an old workshop – plus a large outdoor area where open air parties can be celebrated. The Mainfloor

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Portugal - An array of Audio-Technica microphones was recently used for the fourth series of TV show The Voice in Portugal, broadcast by RTP1, the main television channel of the country’s public broadcasting corporation.
The microphone line-up was supplied via Audio-Technica’s Portuguese distributor NAN Audiovisuais to AV company Auditiv, which has been involved in the show since its launch in 2011.
The show’s house band was miked entirely with Audio-Technica models, from dynamic instrument mics to large-diaphragm condensers, with shotgun types picking up the studio audience. Auditiv (who operate across TV, live event and studio recording sectors with clients including Universal Music, Endemol, Vodafone and MTV) came to the decision to use the microphones on The Voice partly as a result of the company’s experience with Audio-Technica microphones a

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USA - SGM Q-7 strobes were the main cannons of the stage lighting for Justin Bieber’s exclusive show at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, FL.
Everlast Productions have carried out the New Year’s Eve Party at Fontainebleau Hotel for several years. It was the first year that Tyler Frank spearheaded the overall design. Tyler and his crew took the shell of the structure from previous years and incorporated that into the new design for the stage.
He wanted to create something that had more depth, immersion and dynamics, all the while fitting into the tight restrictions of the space. They built a 18m wide x 15m tall x 13m deep (60’ wide x 50’ tall x 40’ deep) structure and stage over an existing poolside bar. The lighting design had to be practical, bright and resilient to South Beach weather conditions. He explained why he chose the Q-7s for the stage setup:

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USA - Set in the vast expanse of the Sonoran Desert in early February, the Gem and Jam Festival has a way of inspiring flights of imagination. Originally an after-party for the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, the four-day electronic music festival, which this year featured stars like The Trancident and The Floozies, pays tribute to its roots by embellishing its grounds with a captivating and sparkling array of crystalline artwork.
This enchanting atmosphere was apparent at the Festival’s Onyx Stage, the only indoor stage of the four gem-inspired stages, set to go off at closing of the mainstage and continue to sunrise. The building was centred in a fantastical courtyard that housed an eclectic mix of sculptures and vendors. The stage was bejewelled with enormous clear quartz matrixes, large wooden panels riddled with intricate cut-outs of coyotes, symmetric crystal and interw

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Belgium - After experimenting with a number of different microphones, Belgian folk group Skratt has opted for DPA’s d:vote Instrument Microphones to capture the sound of a variety of unusual instruments, including accordion, bagpipes and nyckelharpa.
All seven members of the band have very different musical backgrounds covering a diverse range of styles, from heavy metal and pop to folk and classical. This allows their music to branch out from traditional folk and incorporate influences from all over the world and many different genres.
Skratt founder Mathias Van de Vliet says it was the search for a microphone that could truly capture the sound of an accordion that led the band to DPA.
“To begin with we tried other microphones but they sounded thin and were terrible on monitoring. We just could not hear the accordion,” he explains. “We also tried a con

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USA – In the Texas tradition of going big, Houston welcomed Super Bowl LI with a number of exciting attractions, including the Houston Skylight high atop the George R. Brown Convention Centre(GRB). Houston First Corporation, which maintains GRB, asked Nimblist to conceive and execute the Houston Skylight, a rooftop beacon that marks the centre of the city’s cultural activities.
Nimblist designer and creative consultant Spike Brant devised an array of 36 Claypaky Supersharpy fixtures, mounted on staging on the GRB roof overlooking Discovery Green park. The Supersharpys swept the sky with powerful searchlight-style beams and created numerous lighting effects as well.
“We have an ongoing conversation with Mike Waterman with Houston First about using light as a beacon to connect all of Houston,” says Spike Brant. “The Houston Skylight would symbolize ener

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UK - Glantre Engineering has become ASM’s UK, Republic of Ireland, & Middle East approved distribution partner. Glantre announced the partnership with ASM having recently installed 29 HCWA Junior Hoists and control in a provincial theatre in Leamington Spa, UK.
Germany-based ASM is a manufacturer of hoists and controls for use in performance productions. All hoists are BGV-C1 and control is SIL 3. The ASM range of hoists includes point-hoists, stage and scenery hoists, chain hoists and control. These systems offer silent operation, and flexibility for load and speed to fit all types of venues and budgets.
Maurycy Sowka, CEO at ASM, added: “Partnering with ASM was a natural choice for Glantre and we are certain that our partnership will be of great mutual benefit. Glantre offers a complete service under one roof, for a convenient and efficient service to

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Sweden - An orchestral arrangement of David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy has completed a series of sold-out concerts in Gothenburg Concert Hall and Stockholm’s Berwald Hall, with Allen & Heath’s dLive S Class and ME mixing systems managing FOH and monitors.
Arranged by renowned Swedish conductor and composer, Hans Ek, and performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and choir Zero 8, the technical production was managed by FOH engineer Hans ‘Surte’ Norin from Musikalisk Ljudteknink with Peter Fredriksson from PF Ljuddesign on monitors.
Mixing a total of 126 channels, the dLive system comprised two MADI-enabled S5000 Surfaces and DM64 MixRacks connected by GigaAce, with an additional DX32 Expander for monitors, an IP8 Controller for FOH remote control, and ME-1 personal monitoring mixers for the orchestra. A Waves V3 network card was also fitted at F

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USA - Officially, the theme of this year’s Portland Winter Light Festival was ‘Between the River and the Stars’. In reality, though, it could also have been described as ‘connecting people to light’. Held at the beginning of February on Portland’s beautiful Willamette River waterfront, the free four-day festival engaged visitors with an abundance of immersive lighting displays and interactive events like Illuminate Bike Rides and a Glow Jam circus show.
Among the festival’s most engaging attractions was Harmony Park, an interactive exhibit created by Justin Metras, the founder of Portland-based Ellumiglow. Setting an appropriately immersive backdrop for this one-of-a-kind participatory exhibit was a celestial display created with six Iluminarc Colorist Line 6Qa fixtures.
Metras used the RGBA linear fixtures to create a starry night sk

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South Africa - The twelfth season of Idols South Africa wrapped up with a stunning finale at Carnival City Big Top Arena in Johannesburg, broadcast live on the Mzansi Magic network with a highly vocal audience of 3,500 packing into the venue - and lighting designer Joshua Cutts of Visual Frontier choosing nearly 200 Robe fixtures to be at the core of his rig.
As always, the challenge was to make this final season look better and different than before, and with over 80m votes cast across Series 12, a lot of eyes are on it and production values have been honed accordingly to reflect the intense public interest and impress fans. A skilled and imaginative creative team once again united to produce amazing results.
Technical production – lighting, sound, video, set and rigging - was delivered by Dream Sets for producers SIC Entertainment and the series, which also

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UK - Originally performed at the Chichester Festival Theatre before transferring to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Running Wild is now back and embarking on a UK tour. The show is based on Michael Morpurgo’s best-selling novel and uses live-action puppetry to tell the story of Will, whose visit to Indonesia sees her and elephant Oona having to ride deep into the jungle in order to escape a tsunami. White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.
Running Wild is being produced by the Children’s Touring Partnership, which is a collaboration between producers Fiery Angel, CFT and a consortium of regional theatres.
The lighting design for the tour is by James Whiteside. He comments, “This is an extremely busy show, with the setting ranging from the Indonesian rainforest to a rural part of England to the tsunami itself. The high
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