USA - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) recently opened a new exhibit, The Heavens Are Opened, at its Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. The exhibit includes a seven-minute short film that depicts the First Vision, an integral moment in Mormon history when Church founder Joseph Smith prayed out loud within a grove of trees asking for guidance.

In an effort to immerse the audience in the recreation of Smith's original experience in Palmyra, New York, the production team filmed in the area using 14 strategically placed d:dicate 4006A Recording and d:screet 4061 Miniature mics from DPA Microphones.

The d:dicate 4006A microphones were used in a traditional DPA Decca Tree in the grove, to support the nine cameras that were shooting a 360-degree ar

USA - Three draft standards have been added to the ESTA public review page at http://tsp.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. People materially affected by the standards are invited to review them and to offer comments, if they chose, before the reviews end on 27 June. The three draft standards are:

BSR E1.40, Recommendations for the Planning of Theatrical Dust Effects

ANSI E1.40-2011 is being revised to warn against deflagration--deflagration being the technical term for the wave of flame that burned hundreds of people at a water park in Taiwan last year. Other changes include a regrouping of types of dusts and changing MSDS references to SDS references.

BSR E1.41, Recommendations for the Measurement of Entertainment Luminaires Utilizing Solid State Light Sources

ANSI E1.41-2012 is being revised to specify that the Fidelity Index (Rf) rating, as defined

Macau - Studio City carries the strongest entertainment theming of any resort in Macau and the epic movie theatre vision is carried throughout every part of the building. The fa

USA - In the 1970s, the Skyway 6 in Minneapolis was one of the biggest downtown multi-cineplexes in the US. Twenty years later, its glory days as a movie theatre gone, it stood worn and neglected, before being reborn as the Skyway Theatre, one of the hottest electronic music venues anywhere. Virtually every major EDM artist has performed at this spacious 2,000-seat Minneapolis icon, but the same cavernous qualities that make this a magical place to take in a concert can also create special challenges for a designer wanting to create big looks on stage.

Being from Minneapolis and having designed for the Skyway Theatre before, lighting designer Ryan Warffuel and VJ/content creator Max Koehler of Antic Studios were familiar with this challenge. They were therefore ready to "fill space" when they created a rig for the red-hot Canadian duo Adventure Club at Skyway, using a collecti

Columbia - Estereo Picnic is Colombia's biggest live music event - staged in Bogota, the weekend festival is now in its seventh year, and attracted more than 50 national and international artists to perform on its three principal stages.

This year, for the first time, Nexo's flagship STM Series modular line array was in action on the Pepsi stage. In another Latin American first, the new M28 double 8" cabinets were the main modules in the PA arrays, in an extensive Nexo system supplied by a team effort between rental companies Arbol Naranja and Audionexo, supported by the Nexo distributor Sound Logics and field engineer Roberto Tschopp from Nexo itself.

Using Nexo's proprietary NS-1 modelling and prediction software, Roberto Tschopp helped the rental providers to design a main PA with 9x STM M28 main cabinets per side, flown with 6x STM S118 subs per side. With a significan

UK - Blackburn based lighting specialists Lite Alternatives has been busy beefing up the stunning lighting rig for supergroup Coldplay. The company's MD, Paul Normandale, is the band's lighting designer and Lite Alternative is supplying the worldwide lighting control package and European lighting equipment for the band's latest tour.

For the cabling and assemblies, Lite Alternative's Andy Rhymes turned again to VDC Trading who have supplied the Neutrik Opticalcon MTP Fibre Cables and new custom break out panels. VDC has supplied a further two 150m and one 75m fibre multicores to enable Andy to expand his existing control system to meet the needs of the latest production, linking dimmer positions on stage left, stage right and under the 'B' Stage with FOH control.

VDC's Adam Jafrabadi commented, "Lite Alternative has kept us busy this year. Most of it custom racks, associat

UK - Old Barn Audio (OBA) has equipped a five-star sushi and fish restaurant in London's Belgravia with Martin Audio's new CDD system, to meet its expanded business model.

Opened two years ago, Salmontini initially brought in OBA to fit a background music system following a referral. But as the business developed, managing director Jason Bassili responded to the demands of his upmarket clientele by requesting a full-blown live music system. Directors Phil Clark and Neil Kavanagh had no hesitation in which brand they would use, and the latter was soon on site specifying a potent CDD system.

CDD's innovative engineering, using patented Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, which guarantees consistency of coverage, is matched by the general aesthetic of these distinctive curved enclosures.

"It was the logical decision for them," says Clark. "They were not only spend

South Africa - Tickets for South Africa's International Cape Town Jazz Festival invariably sell out in a heartbeat, as aficionados from around the world descend on the city every year to hear the sounds of artists like Herbie Hancock and Jack DeJohnette.

For local residents unable to attend the acclaimed festival, its organizers put on a Free Jazz Concert in Green Market Square. Featuring some of the artists from the festival as well as diverse mix of local talent, the free concert in the heart of old Cape Town also serves up eye-popping visual excitement, which in 2016 took the form of a Jean-Pierre Willson designed lightshow featuring a collection of Rogue R2 Washes from Chauvet Professional.

"The festival promoters do this every year to give back to the city, and allow those that cannot buy -- or missed out on the deadline for -- tickets to attend," said Willson, owner

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USA - The Behind the Scenes Happy Hour, hosted by ESTA, will return for its third year as the biggest pre-LDI party of the year and will take place on Thursday, 20 October from 6pm-8pm at the Westgate Las Vegas. Sponsorship opportunities are now available to LDI exhibitors and attendees, and tickets will go on sale in the Summer.

The Behind the Scenes Happy Hour features an open bar, hors d'oeuvres and music with all proceeds going to benefit the Behind the Scenes charity, the only industry charity that provides grants to ill or injured entertainment technician professionals. Since its inception in 2014, the Behind the Scenes Happy Hour has raised over $120,000 in sponsorships and ticket sales.

ESTA is currently seeking additional sponsorships for the 2016 event. Information on how to become a sponsor is available online at www.esta.org or by emailing btshh@esta.org.

C

Europe - British alt rock band-of-the-moment The 1975 are touring the UK and Europe with an inspired video screen and light staging concept created by show director Tobias Rylander and augmented by Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330, Mythos and Alpha Profile 1500 fixtures.

In a nod to the light artist James Turrell, the staging is intended to look like 'art pieces' in which the band perform. Four 'monoliths' of LED screens stand proudly on the stage, backed by an even larger video screen. Together, the screens display imagery that plays with the audience's perceptions of depth, colour and light.

To cut through the colourful video, Rylander specified 36 x Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures, which are used as back light. They are rigged in three groups of five on the floor behind the band and the set, with a mirrored truss upstage. The full lighting and video package was supplied by VER.

"

UK - Dimension, the audio arm of Creative Technology, has unveiled its new identity which is part of a series of changes intended to relaunch the business in the UK and build upon the groups specialist audio services.

In April, Dimension moved to new larger premises in Crawley, allowing for further inventory development, better prep and programming facilities and, ultimately, allowing CT and Dimension to be reunited under one roof.

Mark Boden, director of audio for Creative Technology and heading up Dimension Audio, commented, "Our new logo kicks-off a new chapter for Dimension Audio, retaining the Dimension name whilst providing an immediate and unmistakeable link to Creative Technology. Our clients will be visually aware of that link however, where appropriate, we can maintain separation providing the specialist audio service that Dimension has become known for throughou

UK - Mark Burnett, former business development manager at Stage Electrics, has joined technical production expert, Hawthorn, to support the ongoing development of its technical equipment Hire service within the touring theatre sector.

Working closely with Hawthorn's Head of Hire, David Slater, Mark will raise the profile of the company's high-quality equipment Hire service to touring, regional & West End theatre productions, bolstering Hawthorn's increasing reputation in the marketplace, in line with its commitment to delivering an excellent customer experience.

He will be representing Hawthorn on Stand R-308 at Plasa Focus in Leeds on 10-11 May 2016.

Mark joins Hawthorn at an exciting time for the Hire service which has seen staggering 90% growth over the last six months, of commissions to supply equipment to touring theatre productions.

Mark said, "This is a real

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) are showcasing the latest product highlights from their extensive brand portfolio at the PLASA Focus Leeds 2016 Show - Royal Armouries, Leeds, UK, stand N-E02, 10-11 May.

A leading one-stop provider of professional equipment to the entertainment industry, AC-ET will be showcasing a selection of the very latest lighting, audio, rigging, video, and film & TV solutions available from their vast portfolio of over 200 leading brands and five specialist sales divisions.

The stand will feature the very latest premium performance entertainment & broadcast LED solutions from Chroma-Q. Designed and built to exacting standards in North America, the award-winning range has been adopted by many leading designers and specifiers for some of today's most demanding and prestigious lighting applications.

Highlights include the innovative new

UK - The National Museum of Flight just outside Edinburgh is one of the UKs premier museum destinations. Audio Light Systems were chosen to provide the AV technical infrastructure proposed by Redman Design.

Over 25 touch screen kiosk information systems, three Panasonic laser projectors, Bose sound systems, DVS Watchout system and more have provided an experience that is both entertaining and educational.

The AV installation which spans across three aircraft hangers (including the Concord hanger) was part of a £3.6m restoration and brings the museum right up-to-date.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Panic! at the Disco wrapped their spring tour with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. The American pop/rock band known for their clever lyrics and distinctive sound released their fifth studio album Death of a Bachelor earlier this year, and is gearing up for a co-headlining summer tour with Weezer.

Lighting designer Alex Specht of Spechtrum Lighting created a multi-layered look using a floor package that symmetrically parted a centre drum riser with Martin MAC Vipers and Chauvet RH1 Rogues along the deck, road cases and four 6ft truss towers with alternately hung Chauvet Nexus 4x4s and Atomic Strobes.

"When travelling with only a floor package, I like to make sure I have all of the elements to create various layers," said Specht. By layering spot fixtures for colour saturation and gobo effects, beam fixtures to cut through with sharp aerial effects,

Italy - Founded in 1539, the Banco di Napoli (Bank of Naples) is the oldest bank on the Italian peninsular. Its historical archive is a remarkable time capsule of Italian history stretching back nearly half a century, part of which has recently been opened as a visitor attraction. A Yamaha audio installation plays a key role in telling the story.

Covering 14,000m2, the archive has 330 rooms and is filled with bank documents dating from 1539 to 1870, which feature 17m names. The Fondazione Banco di Napoli has now opened several of the rooms to the public, creating a high quality multimedia experience which explains how the archive was used and what historians have learned - and continue to learn - from its contents. Audio for the installation is supplied by Yamaha Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) products, supplied by Neapolitan system integrator Start Up Audio & Broadca

UK - A brace of Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing systems was recently employed for Live Stage performances and recordings at Gadget Show Live at Birmingham's NEC.

The company's flagship dLive S7000 surface took care of front of house duties in conjunction with a DM48 MixRack, while an S3000 surface and Dante-enabled DM64 MixRack was in place for a full 64-channel multi-track live recording for TV broadcast on The Gadget Show on Channel 5.

In addition, Allen & Heath's compact GLD-80 digital mixing desk and ME personal monitoring system also featured, catering for FOH and stage monitoring for Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt's live performance.

Head Of Audio for Gadget Show Live (and the man charged with FOH responsibilities during the event) Gareth Davies from Midlands-based Centrepiece Productions Ltd commented, "I've run all of the audio for Gadget Show Live

Switzerland - Two leading Swiss universities have equipped lecture halls with Meyer Sound CAL 64 column array loudspeakers to provide highly intelligible voice reproduction in challenging acoustical environments.

Identical CAL systems at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel apply advanced beam steering technology to custom tailor uniform coverage of two differently shaped lecture halls, greatly improving students' intelligibility of instructors' voices.

"Thanks to the vertical steering capability of CAL, we were able to precisely direct the beam angles to the seating areas in each room," explains Nicolin Salis, executive project manager for Thalwil, Switzerland-based consultant RGBP, which specified the two systems. "The beam-steering technology of CAL gave us astounding results. This was despite the fact that the mechanical mounting positions in each room were not optim

USA - Philadelphia-based lighting designer Michael Korsch selected Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800 and Alpha Profile 800 ST moving lights as part of the rig for the world premiere of Don Quixote at the Pennsylvania Ballet.

A lighting and scenic designer who frequently works in dance, Korsch has many years' experience using Clay Paky products. A big fan of the Alpha Spot HPE 1500, he incorporated three of them into his lighting design for Alchemia, a MOMIX production that premiered in 2013 and has been touring internationally ever since.

Don Quixote was created by Angel Corella, artistic director of the Pennsylvania Ballet, with music by Ludwig Minkus. The new ballet features authentic Spanish-flavoured dance and comic interludes to bring to life a story based on Cervantes's classic novel. The production was staged from 3-13 March at the Academy of Music i

UK / USA - Lighting designer Steven Douglas is no stranger to the delights of Ayrton fixtures. When he was looking for a new way to showcase The Killers' logo of a 'K', his previous experience of Ayrton MagicDot-R proved a fertile ground for firing his imagination.

"We've had various incarnations of the logo over the years; I'd always thought it would be cool to build a giant 'K' out of moving lights but I was always put off by the size and weight it would inevitably end up being as well as the space needed between fixtures to allow to the head to move.

"When I saw the MagicDot-Rs for the first time it was exciting to think I had found a solution to the problem. Being able to mount the dots closer together because they are so small and do not move outside of the radius of the head itself meant that the concept was now a workable design. I spent a lot of time going back and

USA - Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas celebrated its 10th anniversary on 23 April 2016 with a fireworks and lighting show featuring Syncrolite XL Xenon searchlights that filled the sky over the resort in an eight-minute choreographed lighting, fireworks and audio display.

The 45 XL's were placed in three groups of 15 fixtures around the resort creating a huge stage for the aerial art. Veteran crew chief TJ Benton along with Travis Slater and Travis Braudaway were on hand to set-up and execute a flawless light show.

Syncrolite coordinated the performance with Fireworks by Grucci who designed and produced the show, which was billed as the largest fireworks display ever hosted by a single venue in Las Vegas.

(Jim Evans)

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