Lighting

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04 June 2024

Europe - Metallica’s ongoing M72 World Tour has begun playing its 2024 dates with the lighting design that Rob Koenig introduced last year featuring 48 Claypaky Sharpy Plus Aqua IP66-rated beam/spot fixtures.

The tour is in support of the band's eleventh studio album, 72 Seasons, which was released in April 2023. The tour commenced that month in Amsterdam and is set to conclude in September 2024 in Mexico City. The 2024 dates kick off at the end of May with nine cities scheduled in Europe through July then resumes in August and September with six-cities in the US, Canada and Mexico. 

The tour maintains an upgraded in-the-round stage design by creative director/production designer Dan Braun, which relocates the coveted  audience ‘snake pit’ to the centre of a ring-shaped stage surrounded by eight towers, each  topped by LED video cyl

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04 June 2024

USA - Christie Lites has announced the appointment of Mark Ravenhill as its new client ambassador. In this new role, Mark will focus on fostering strong client relationships by understanding their unique needs and challenges. To that end, he will collaborate with clients and the Christie Lites rep team to ensure value and service at every point of contact.

Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites, says: “We’re delighted to welcome Mark to the company’s leadership team. His considerable experience and insightful understanding of the entertainment lighting industry, along with the huge respect so many lighting professionals have for him, make him the ideal ambassador for our brand. Mark's arrival also signifies yet another important step in our commitment to being at the forefront of service and creative problem solving in our industry.”

During h

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04 June 2024

New Zealand - Cincinnati rock band The National’s touring lighting crew appreciated using a mix of Robe BMFL Blade and Spiider wash beam moving lights for their show at Auckland, New Zealand’s Spark Arena venue, for which equipment was supplied by rental company NW Group / Oceania and used to great effect to realise a touring version of Michael Brown’s production lighting design.

The National played the Australia and New Zealand leg of their ongoing world tour in February and March in a show that embraces new material from two albums including the latest Laugh Track and continues through 2024.

The production is being co-ordinated on the road by production manager Stuart Trenold and includes lighting and video crew chief Emil Hojmark from Denmark and lighting director Matt Greer from Virginia, USA who is operating lighting on the road.<

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03 June 2024

UK - Visual Elements Ltd. has announced that Sam Tullett will join its board as sales director. Tullett brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in sales, particularly in developing multiple revenue streams for the business. His key role at Visual Elements will be to launch the company’s new dry-hire department and, in conjunction with Visual Elements’ account managers, promote the growth of our existing business.

Tullett will continue as managing director at STLS and join Mike Townsend and Amanda Townsend as sales director at Visual Elements. “Customers at both companies will retain their existing points of contact and can expect the same high levels of service and quality they have come to know and trust,” a statement says.

Mike Townsend of Visual Elements comments: “This is an exciting time for Visual Elements - Sam’s investment as

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03 June 2024

UK - Brand experience technologists, Audience & Brands, and drone display company, AeroAVA, announced an innovation in live event technology at The Media Production & Technology Show in London.

The two UK-based companies unveiled Augmented Drone Shows, a concept that ‘elevates drone performances into a captivating mixed reality experience for live event broadcast audiences’.

Audience & Brands has worked with AeroAVA to introduce the ability to live track, generate and overlay digital content accurately, in real-time.

Tom Rees, AeroAVA managing director, said, “This innovation offers a never-seen-before enhancement to existing drone shows, specifically for broadcast viewers.” Rees continues, “Taking multiple live camera feeds, our system combines drone telemetry data, high performance media servers and very accurate align

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03 June 2024

The Netherlands - Lighting and sound solutions provider DPL Licht en Geluid brought the '90s back to life in a spectacle at the recent Pump Up the '90s event. Held on 20 April, the Dutch event welcomed a line-up of artists including Charly Lownoise, T-Spoon, Flamman & Abraxas, Critical Mass, DJ Potato, DJ Zany and Don Cartel, all of whom delivered under the glow of equipment from Showtec, Infinity and DMT.

The Pump Up the '90s event at Evenementenhal Hardenberg witnessed an explosion of nostalgia as attendees were transported back to the golden era of dance music, with the expertise of DPL Licht en Geluid taking the experience to soaring heights. The event was supported by a range of Showtec, Infinity and DMT products, carefully selected to create an immersive atmosphere that captivated the audience from start to finish.

For the Duikboot Area (Su

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03 June 2024

USA - Morgan Wallen's touring production for the One Night At A Time World 2024 Tour uses advanced lighting fixtures, coupled with a strategic layout, creating a captivating experience for audiences across the venue.

The substage measures an impressive 152ft in width and 72ft in depth, housing four key performance areas. Two of these areas, each approximately 48 by 48ft and elevated 12ft off the ground, allow for intimate moments that bring Morgan Wallen closer to the audience, including those seated to the sides.

Additionally, a 108ft-long thrust stage extends into the pit, ensuring Morgan’s presence is felt up close and personal by those in the front rows. Completing the setup is a ‘C’ stage, designed for acoustic sessions and positioned at the far opposite end of the audience, giving those fans the opportunity to get close as well. A dedicat

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03 June 2024

USA - Cinematic rock band Starset blended ‘celestial visuals with cosmic sounds’ on their Immersion Tour. Bandit Lites supplied a lighting system for the band who are known for their ‘expansive storytelling, immersive live shows and exploration of futuristic narratives and existential questions’. They released their latest single and music video Brave New World on 3 May.

Lighting programmer/operator Jamie Masché created a design that would complement the new production elements of the live show, including holograms and massive video walls. With the aim of not blowing out the video content, Masché utilised an array of side wash, Tyler Ladder Towers as well as floor wash to illuminate the seven-member band.

“Tyler Veneziano, client rep at Bandit, reached out to us and helped our vision become reality,” said Masché.

“Ja

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31 May 2024

Sweden - Under the experienced hand of veteran Eurovision technical show director, Ola Melzig, the production designer, Florian Wieder, and lighting and screen content designer Fredrik Stormby of Green Wall Designs, worked closely with associate lighting designers Mike Smith and Michael Straun to ensure the 68th Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in the Malmö Arena was an impressive event.

“As this was the third time Sweden had hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 10 years, we set ourselves the challenge of doing something new and brave that would respectfully challenge the traditional Eurovision concept a little and introduce a more large-scale concert tour feel to the familiar ‘studio show’ concept,” explains Stormby.

Taking inspiration from Swedish music, songwriting and local architecture, and a tricky request from the producers to put the au

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31 May 2024

USA/Europe - ETC has announced two software releases for the Hog 4 console’s operating system. Hog 4 OS v3.21 and v4.1 are the bridging releases with export/import features to get old show files into Hog desks running v4.x software.

Senior product manager Sarah Clausen comments, “We recognise the value of our users’ hard work overtime and the cost of having to recreate shows to move forward with Hog into the future. These two releases create the bridge needed to bring older show data into the v4 world and beyond.”

Hog OS v3.21 is required for users that wish to import / export existing show files. Show files can now be exported to an XML format which allows for easier transitions between software versions where show file compatibility may be limited. Section 4.12 of the Hog OS v3.21 help manual offers details on how to use the Show Import/Exp

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31 May 2024

Sweden - The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) was staged in Malmo Arena, and was memorable for many elements including the technical presentation. Under the show technical direction of Ola Melzig, the team of creatives, programmers, engineers, network architects and technicians collaborated to stage the first ever in-the-round ESC.

Lighting designer Fredrik Stormby of Stockholm-based creative studio Greenwall Design and his team took care of all things lighting as well as co-ordinating the screens content, working in close conjunction with production designer Florian Wieder, and included on the lighting plot were 52 x Robe Fortes, 57 x T1 Profiles and 14 x T2 Profiles.

These Robe moving lights were used to cover all the stage and Green Room key lighting requirements.

Rigged on multiple roof and side trusses flown above and around both these

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30 May 2024

India - Proel has confirmed announces its entry into the Indian market. Headquartered in Sant'Omero, Italy, Proel offers a diverse portfolio of 10 brands encompassing professional audio, commercial audio, conferencing systems, lighting, stage equipment, musical instruments, and associated accessories. The company has strategically positioned itself globally, with offices in the USA, UK, Tunisia, South Korea, and now, India.  

The decision to invest in India is a testament to Proel's commitment to expansion and growth in emerging markets.

The Indian operations are based in Bangalore led by Nagaraj Mallikarjun and the sales team in Delhi, which is led by Shantanu Banerjee. There are plans underway to establish a presence in Mumbai shortly. “This strategic move has been in development for three years, culminating in a state-of-the-art warehousing an

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30 May 2024

UK - The 26th annual MOBO Awards took place at Newcastle’s 11,000-capacity Utilita Arena, celebrating black music and culture.

Enhancing this mood and supporting the dynamic music on stage was a bold and versatile lighting design by SJ Grevett and operated by Liam Griffiths and Kris Goodman that featured 98 Chauvet Professional fixtures.

Drawn from the company’s own inventory, the kit included 24 Maverick Storm 4 Profiles, 30 Maverick Storm 3 BeamWashes, 32 STRIKE 1 units and 12 COLORado PXL16 motorised tilting battens. “We went for the big and bold look with brightest fixtures, so we could really punch through against so much LED screen space on camera,” said SJ.

Utilising the wide zoom range and colour rendering capabilities of his Maverick and COLORado fixtures, as well as the intense output of his STRIKE units, Liam created the lo

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30 May 2024

Sweden - The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) featured an innovative set design at the Malmö Arena where Claypaky Tambora Linear 100 high-power LEDs and Skylos white-laser source searchlights supported the dynamic look of the event’s first 360º stage.

Fredrik Stormby from Stockholm-based Green Wall Designs, the lighting and screen content designer for this year's event, selected the Claypaky fixtures. Stormby is best known as part of the creative team behind Beyonce's 2023 Renaissance tour, Loreen's winning 2023 ESC performance and ABBA Voyage in London. He joined production designer Florian Wieder and the senior production team to help create, design and deliver the large-scale, spectacular show to a global audience of more than 160m people.

The set was a 360-degree experience placed in the middle of the audience and shaped like an eq

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29 May 2024

New Zealand - TES (Technical Event Solutions) is a full production service and rental company based in Christchurch and they were the first such enterprise to invest in Robe Esprite moving lights.

TES prides itself on delivering quality streamlined event solutions and technical services including broadcast, all from one proactive and busy facility in Woolston.

The company was started in 2017 by Alex Wilson, initially working from a 12 x 6m storage unit, and now occupies a 1000sq,m warehouse with 15 full time staff.

Alex’s background is in stage lighting while his business partner Brett Armstrong comes from the world of broadcast AV and IT.

TES grew throughout the covid period partly by being open minded and pivoting to embrace new technologies and services including streaming. “I have a brilliant team here, and we can all multitas

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29 May 2024

Germany - Cameo has introduced the ORON H2, billed as the world’s first IP65 hybrid moving head with a phosphor-laser engine. With its combination of beam, spotlight, and wash and an ‘unrivalled zoom range’ for laser moving heads, the ORON H2 is suitable for flexible use on medium and large stages – both indoors and outdoors. Thanks to its laser technology, the ORON H2 also acts as a future-proof and sustainable alternative for the upcoming EU ban on discharge lamps from 2027, says the company.

The Cameo ORON H2 is based on a 260-watt phosphor laser engine, which acts as an energy-efficient, long-lasting replacement for discharge lamps in the 480-watt class. The laser engine of the ORON H2 has a light output of 330,000 lux at a distance of 20m and a narrow minimum beam angle of 0.6°, which is achieved without the use of a beam reducer. For flexible

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29 May 2024

Denmark - Aarhus-based LED lighting manufacturer DVT Light has appointed Theis Wermuth as its new commercial director. Well-known as an international lighting and show designer via his design studio Create This, Wermuth also has a background working with leading professional lighting manufacturers.

DVT Light was founded in 2021 by Mikkel Bandholm and Peter Johansen who has been inventing products for entertainment since the 1970s.

As commercial director, Theis will be focussing on sales, marketing, and building a distribution network to assist in helping to establish the brand globally. Theis will also energise an extensive network of contacts of lighting professionals.

He states, “I am thrilled to join DVT Light. It is a fantastic opportunity to work with such an innovative and dynamic team. I look forward to contributing to the company's

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29 May 2024

Greece - The Royal & Imperial Belvedere Resort in Chersónisos, Crete, has had its Blue Lounge - pool bar, pool area, lobby and exterior revamped. Highlite's exclusive distributor Sivko Electronics and their regional partner George Solakis were entrusted with the design, supply and implementation.

When Sivko Electronics' partner in the Chersónisos region, George Solakis, contacted them to supply the appropriate equipment for a refurbishment of the Royal & Imperial Belvedere Resort, they immediately switched into high gear to get the project off the ground. George Solakis and crew member Pantelis Nathenas designed the concept, while Kostas Poulis and Sivko Electronics supplied the equipment. Programming was entrusted to Lefteris Katakis.

The redesign also included the external appearance of the hotel, for which they added architectural lighti

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28 May 2024

UK - The Profile Awards theatre category shortlist in association with the ABTT and the ALPD and sponsored by Chauvet, Elation, ETC, Fix8group, GLP, SLX, TSL and Vari-Lite, has been confirmed.

The shortlisted lighting designers for theatre are:

Robbie Butler for Death in Venice, Welsh National Opera and tour

Emma Chapman for The Third Man, Menier Chocolate Factory

Jon Clark for Dear England, and The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre & West End; The Effect, National Theatre; Stranger Things – The First Shadow, West End

Paule Constable for Guys and Dolls, The Bridge

Lee Curran for Romeo and Juliet, The Almeida and King Lear, The Almeida

Jon Driscoll for Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, English National Opera

Oli

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28 May 2024

USA - Robe has announced the passing of Craig Burross, chief sales officer at Robe Lighting Inc. A statement posted on the company’s social media channels reads: “It is with complete devastation and with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of beloved industry veteran Craig Burross.

“From his early career at High End Systems, to his work with Vari-Lite, Craig most recently served as the Chief Sales Officer for Robe Lighting, Inc. where his passion for the entertainment production industry made him one of the most recognized and respected members of our industry.

“Away from the office, Craig was a husband, father, and grandfather to a family whom he loved dearly. His wife Kat was often by his side at industry events, and his son Chase is also a member of the Robe North America team.

“When speaking about Craig, one can hones

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28 May 2024

USA - Brown Note Productions, the Denver-area company specialising in 360º full-service production for concerts, tours, music festivals and special events, has invested in 150 Ayrton Rivale Profiles. The new fixtures were quickly dispatched for two back-to-back dates at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison for dance music star Black Coffee and artist Illenium.

The IP65-rated Ayrton Rivale Profile projector delivers creativity, subtlety and power – the most versatile fixture created by Ayrton to date. It offers ‘unprecedented’ performance for its size and weight and features continuous rotation of the pan and tilt movement.

“We already have Ayrton Diablos, MagicPanel FX and Perseos in our inventory and were looking for additional fixtures in a smaller form factor than Perseo,” says Brown Note president Ryan Knutson. “I spend a lot of ti

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28 May 2024

The Netherlands - In late April, CAS Exhibition Partners took delivery of 250 KL PAR FC LED PAR lights from Elation for use in the leading exhibition contractor’s many stand builds across Europe.

Useful in setting the ambiance of an exhibition stand, reinforcing a theme, and adding depth and dimension to enhance the overall visual appeal of a space, the new full-colour-spectrum lights can also play more functional roles like highlighting products, signage and displays. Either way, the KL PAR FC’s high colour quality and adaptability will serve to captivate visitors and reinforce brand imaging for CAS customers.

CAS Exhibition Partners offers full-service exhibition build services and takes pride in their commitment to innovation and improvement. That dedication includes ensuring the overall quality of stand lighting by maintaining their own high-

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28 May 2024

UK - LSI Projects has announced the passing of its business development manager, Richard Bunting. A statement from the company reads: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Richard Bunting, our esteemed business development manager. Richard's unexpected departure has left us all in shock and mourning, and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of working with him.”

Richard joined LSI Projects in 2005, bringing a wealth of industry experience and a passion for the industry in which he had been involved in for more than 30 years.

The statement continues: “Richard was a respected colleague and an inspiration to many. His ability to build strong relationships, both within the team and with our clients, supply chain and the consultant community, was unparalleled, helping LSI solidify its reputation as a truste

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28 May 2024

UK - The Production Futures mission to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in production, was brought into focus recently when Peter Bird, last year’s winner of its Breakthrough Award for Lighting Newcomer, took charge of designing the lighting for the organisation’s PF Talks stage at its Manchester On Tour event.

Peter, who is studying theatre and performance technology at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, collaborated by invitation with supplier Lights Control Rigging (LCR) to deliver lights for the focal point of the event which took place at the AO Arena. Steve Bliss led the LCR project team and takes up the story:

“We were approached by Production Futures to provide the main stage lighting package for their biggest show yet at the AO Arena in Manchester. We had an initial video