Stardraw has introduced ‘Rubber-Banding’ as the September Feature of the Month. This much-anticipated upgrade has been under development for many months and represents a significant enhancement to their design and documentation applications.

This major new functionality means that the elements in schematic designs stay connected as you move them within the document. So, if you wish to change the look of your block schematic and move products, either by dragging the selected symbols to their new position, or by nudging them with the arrow keys, the connections follow automatically. Furthermore, Rubber-Banding operates independently of Modifiers (Snap to Grid, Snap to Object, etc.).

This is an extremely important development, says Stardraw’s marketing director, Rob Robinson: "Rubber-Banding has been at the top of our ‘Most Wanted’ list for some time,

Following the successful launch of its new flagship line of 1200W Series 3000 automated luminaires, Vari-Lite has unveiled the latest additions to its award-winning Series 1000 inventory at the LDI exhibition in Las Vegas. The inclusion of an onboard dimmer option in the VL1000 tungsten units will provide lighting professionals greater flexibility, added convenience and more options to satisfy their specific lighting needs.

"The expansion of our Series 1000 product range immediately after the introduction of our new Series 3000 products, shows that Vari-Lite is committed to the development of new automated lighting products and enhancements to our existing product line," said Vari-Lite president and COO Clay Powers. "Whatever designers need, we've got an automated light for the job."

The VL1000 ERS with onboard dimming eliminates the need for an external dimmer. D

HSL Productions Ltd, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, has purchased Playlight Hire Ltd of Manchester, which went into administration on 4 October. The sale was completed on 21 October, and included Playlight’s substantial stock of lighting, audio, power distribution and rigging equipment.

This follows the announcement last week by Elstree Light & Power (ELP), that they had purchased the film and television lighting stock of Playlight. All enquiries regarding outstanding or future equipment hire should be addressed to Simon Stuart, managing director of HSL Productions Ltd on the telephone number below.

(Lee Baldock)

Laser Hire’s ‘Lightning Water Fountains’ entertained over 350,000 people assembled in Walsall Arboretum for the annual illuminations this autumn. The first display to stop crowds in their tracks as they entered the Walsall Arboretum was Laser Hire’s water fountain and laser display.

Lasers and coloured lighting were used to bring the ‘lightning water display’ to life. Set to music, Laser Hire used Pangolin software to carefully synchronize the lasers, moving lights, static lights and projections to produce a dynamic, spectacular show.

More recently, following a successful display at the 2001 Showman’s Directory Dinner, Laser Hire exhibited at this year’s Showman’s Show showcasing their services, from large outdoor spectaculars to corporate events and exhibitions. "This show demonstrates our commitment to bringing different

Super Vision International Inc - a world leader in LED and fibre optic lighting technology - has announced that Link Marketing of Bahrain has been awarded the exclusive rights to sell and promote the Super Vision range of fibre optic lighting products in the country by Insight Communications, the Dubai-based international representative of Super Vision International in the Middle East.

"Clients in Bahrain can now take advantage of comprehensive and locally available consultancy, implementation and after-sales services for the full range of low maintenance lighting solutions manufactured by Super Vision International," said Toby Jordan, business development manager of Link Marketing.

Though traditionally reserved for major building projects, technological advancements and increasing production in recent years has reduced the costs of fibre optic lighting considerably, enabli

AC Lighting has told PLASA Media that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the entire issued share capital of Spectrum Manufacturing Inc. Based in Toronto Canada, Spectrum is an OEM manufacturer specialising in high volume entertainment technology products. The company has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with AC Lighting as the manufacturer of the exclusively distributed Chroma-Q range of colour scrollers. No significant changes are anticipated for either company, and existing distribution arrangements remain unchanged.

(Lee Baldock)

Color Kinetics Inc (CKI) has been awarded its 13th patent (including US and international patents) relating to its line of solid-state lighting technologies for the digital control of LEDs. The new patent includes nearly 50 separate technology claims and covers a wide variety of methods and systems for illuminating materials with colour-controlled LED systems, say CKI.

One aspect of the patent relates to a variety of illumination applications where features of a material - such as a design within an object, or a colour in a sign or graphic - are highlighted by a colour or colours of light. This technique may also be applied to distinguish specific elements in amaterial from their surroundings, such as in machine vision or medical applications. Another aspect of the patent involves providing a positioning system to remotely align LED illumination systems to light a material, much like t

Stage Electrics has appointed Chris Wroe as business development manager for television. Wroe brings with him a wealth of experience from his 14 years with Playlight Hire Ltd where he began his career as hire manager, subsequently rising through the ranks to become a part of the management team. He has an impressive portfolio and has taken to Stage Electrics an experienced technical team who will continue to support and fulfil projects from previous commitments.

The new appointment is part of a busy summer for Stage Electrics - it recently opened its tenth branch in Newcastle following its acquisition of the northern arm of Lighting Technology. Andy Elsegood and Davie Bell joined the company from Lighting Technology to work with customers based in the north of England.

(Ruth Rossington)

Pearce Hire supplied the lighting for the Association of Online Publishers and Periodical Publishers Association conferences and awards ceremonies this October, following a busy summer supplying festivals and outdoor events with a range of power, sound and lighting services. The company is now gearing up for an active winter as they move inside to service corporate events, conferences and award ceremonies.

The two-day publishing conference was held at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London, serving the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) on the Tuesday and the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) on the Wednesday. Pearce Hire worked alongside Hawk AV, with whom they have a long-standing professional relationship, providing the lighting under the direction of LD John Huson with Graham Festenstein assisting.

The companies built a predominately white set and use

This year marks the debut of the International Festival of Musical Theatre in Cardiff - and White Light is supporting the event by supplying the lighting for the Festival's centrepiece production, Babes in Arms, at the Cardiff New Theatre. The same rig also performed double duty, lighting the Festival's opening Gala Concert.

Faced with the challenges of minimal rigging time, no changeover time between concert and show, little focusing time and two shows to light, lighting designer Neil Austin opted for a largely automated rig featuring 16 Amptown Washlights with beam shuttering and 10 Strand Pirouette PCs with Rainbow scrollers. Neil selected both units because of his preference for working with tungsten light sources, but complemented them with four Martin MAC 500 moving spotlights. Completing the rig were Strand Alto and Cantata fresnels, Par cans, ETC Source Fours, L&E batten

City Theatrical, the New York-based manufacturer of lighting accessories and theatrical products, has donated $500 to Light Relief - the fund set up to by and for the lighting industry, to offer lighting designers and those working within the field, assistance and support with life’s catastrophes. $250 was donated by City Theatrical employees, an amount which the company then matched. Our picture shows Gary Fails of City Theatrical presenting the cheque to Tony Gottelier of Light Relief at the recent LDI show in Las Vegas.

(Ruth Rossington)

Pixeon (formerly Bright Lighting) has announced that Claas Ernst has joined the company as the general manager of European Operations. Ernst's first days on the job were spent at the PLASA show in London, where the company's debut product, Color Stream, was launched to widespread acclaim and received a PLASA Award for Design Excellence.

Nils Thorjussen commented: "I'm thrilled to have Claas join our team. He's an outstanding individual and I couldn't think of a more qualified person to lead the charge in Europe. Based on the response at PLASA, I think he'll be quite busy!" Prior to joining Pixeon, Ernst spent seven years with High End Systems. Based in Pixeon's German office, his main goals will be the establishment of distribution channels for Pixeon's products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as the building of relationships with lighting designers and consult

Le Maitre are set to stage a spectacular firework and pyrotechnic display from the roof of Harrods to mark the switching on of the Christmas Lights on 3 November. The display will go ahead despite the proposed fire strikes. As the strike is due to start on 2 November for 48 hours, Le Maitre’s events director Karen Haddon has employed private fire crews to cover the event. This will be in addition to the British Army’s Green Goddesses, already covering the strike nationally, and Harrods’ own fire officers stationed on the roof itself. Although it is extremely expensive to bring in private fire engines and crew, ensuring safety at the event is paramount, and the decision to go ahead with the show has been welcomed.

The display is very complex, and will be fired with a pyro digital system. It runs just under 15 minutes and is set to the James Bond theme tune. It will beg

Show Presentation Services (SPS) has recently provided full audio-visual and staging facilities, including live camera work, at the high level BSkyB 'Leadership Forum' for 320 of its senior management executives from all over the country. The annual event for BSkyB's senior managers, held in the London Suite at the Marriot Hotel, Heathrow on 13 September, 2002, was hosted by Sky News's political editor, Adam Boulton.

SPS has been developing the event format with BSkyB over the past eight months, working together on the stage and set design, as well as planning the seating layout, lights, sound and cameras. Neil Smith, the manager of the project at SPS said: "We have had a good working relationship with BSkyB for the past six years now, so we were delighted to be working on the forum again this year. An event of this size and content takes extensive planning in the months leading u

Five weeks after lighting the ninth annual Kerrang! Music Awards at the London Hilton, Fourth Phase London was again contracted to work for Kerrang!, this time at Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Centre! Kerrang!'s first live music 'Weekender' was a three-day festival of music and extreme sports. Kerrang! hand-picked the hottest new talent to perform day and night for the three days and alongside the 40 plus music acts were many other activities including skate displays, go-karting and a night club open till late to entertain the 3,000 rock fan guests.

Claire Sampson of So Just Add Water contracted Fourth Phase to supply lighting for two stages, plus production crew. Amongst the lighting rig were Martin Mac 500s and 600s, Clay Paky Stage Scans, Molefays, L&E MiniStrips and Source Four PARs, all of which was controlled by two Flying Pig Whole Hog II desks, one for each stage. Paul Cook was

Martin Professional is putting the finishing touches to its new Asian manufacturing facility in Zhuhai, China. As a result, production is on schedule to begin at the start of the next year. Henrik Larsen will be Martin’s general manager based at the facility. He told us: "After nearly five months of work and a tremendous commitment from our staff, it is great to see the factory materialize. The first production line will be ready for operator training before the end of October and the offices will be ready by mid-November."

Production management for the factory is already in place, and the challenges of opening up a manufacturing facility in China have been smoothed by the hiring of a Customs Clearance Administrator. Larsen and his team will be hiring a further 30-40 employees in the coming months. "We are aware that local development and sourcing is necessary in o

For the filming of ‘Chicago,’ Miramax's reconceived film version of Bob Fosse's hit Broadway musical, director Rob Marshall called on two of the renowned theatrical lighting designers - Peggy Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher - to light the musical numbers. To light the film's detail-specific musical fantasy sequences and transitions, they chose Vari*Lite Series 2000 automated luminaries.

"The central core concept is that the musical numbers take place in different theatrical environments," Eisenhauer explained. "There is a contrast between the real-time scenes and the 'fantasy' musical numbers. All of the lighting in the film was achieved in a wonderful collaboration with the Cinematographer, Dion Beebe. In addition to lighting the musical numbers Jules and I collaborated with Beebe on many of the transitions between reality and fantasy."

Eisenhauer and Fis

A place to unwind and have fun, as if you were at home: that’s the idea behind Salò’s new Absolut - the most renowned and exclusive nightclub on Lake Garda, Italy. The lake has always been an ideal setting for nightclubs, but quality took a turn in summer 2001, when Massimo and Giampiero Gallina took over the club, creating its distinctive character, for which much of the merit goes to art director Ezio Arnaboldi.

The interior is furnished with comfortable sofas and couches, alternated with loungers and dark wood tables, which set off the numerous white cushions, large lampshades and huge ashtrays. Clay Paky’s Mini Scan HPE and Tiger CC lighting fixtures embellish the dance floor with colour, graphic patterns and varied effects. Colour also takes the centre stage outside: the outdoor Clay Paky CP Color 150-E colour changers create a cosy atmosphere in the relaxation

Beijing Bei Ao Grand Cultural & Sports Events Company of China cooperated with Martin Professional recently in providing a large number of intelligent lights for the ‘928’ Beijing Concert. The ‘928’ concert featured the foremost singers of the year from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Aside from the lighting system, Bei Ao was also responsible for the entire production for the concert, including sound and staging. The event was very successful and received a rapturous response from both the audience and the media.

With a 50,000-strong audience at the Beijing Worker's Stadium, Bei Ao used more than a hundred of Martin’s MAC series moving head fixtures, including MAC 2000, MAC 500 and MAC 600s, hung on the curved trussing system above stage and projecting innumerable changes of lighting and patterns onto the stage and set.

(Lee Baldock)

Jands Electronics’ Event 4 range of lighting control consoles is now shipping with the latest version of its V5 operating system pre-installed. The Event 408 and 416 models, which comprise the Event 4 range, are compact, competitively priced hybrid consoles designed to control both conventional and automated lighting fixtures. Currently favoured for live event and conference applications, the Event 4 can now be used in professional theatrical and multi-purpose applications where the new V5 feature set now excels.

As part of Jands' continued development and improvement, the latest release contains many operational enhancements as well as bug fixes for the Event Operating System. New enhancements of particular merit include: an increased palette size of fixtures, positions, beams, and groups, from 20 to 60; a live palette function, offering 'real time' use over a present time perio

Coe-tech/Robe UK, exclusive UK distributors for the fast growing Czech moving light brand Robe, has supplied Dublin-based distribution company Aquarius with a large quantity of Robe intelligent lighting fixtures for Lacey’s, a 1500 capacity club at the Carrickdale Hotel, Dundalk, Republic of Ireland.

This is the first Robe installation in Ireland since Northampton-based Coe-tech took on the UK and Irish distribution in July this year. The lighting rig for the newly revamped club was designed by Wayne Winstanley and installed by the Carrickdale’s own technical team led by Brian O’Keeffe. The space consists of a large, single multi-purpose room that’s also utilized as a Sunday carvery and occasional restaurant. It is also used as a venue for a miscellany of events including business conferences and weddings - and the lighting scheme was required to be as versatile

ESTA (the Entertainment Services and Technology Association) presented its 2002 Eva Swan Award to Bill Groener, north-east regional vice-president of PRG, for his remarkable service to the Association over many years. The award was presented at ESTA’s Annual Dinner on Thursday, 17 October in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the LDI show.

The Eva Swan Award is presented to a member who has contributed exceptional efforts in time, expertise and personal resources on behalf of ESTA and who has been instrumental in shaping and promoting the direction of the Association. The 2002 Award was presented by Paul Vincent of Vincent Lighting Systems (a former Swan Award winner) who commented: "Bill became involved with the development of the Technical Standards Programme in its early days. Through his work on the Budget Committee and the Long Range Planning Committee, Bill helped raise funds t

On 19 October at a press conference held during the LDI show in Las Vegas, Martin Professional’s US subsidiary, Martin Professional Inc, presented its second annual Intelligent Lighting Technology Grant.

The company’s CEO, Troels Volver, presented the 2002 Grant to the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Theatre. On hand to accept the award on behalf of the university was Brackley Frayer, lighting designer and head of design/technology at UNLV. "The Grant will allow UNLV to teach students with state-of-the-art equipment and help to establish an Entertainment Engineering programme," he stated after the presentation. "Las Vegas is the centre for entertainment technology, thus we need our students involved in all aspects of lighting."

Former UNLV theatre students include Cirque de Soleil lighting director Jeanette Farmer and Emmy award-wi

Eric Hanson has joined PRG as the director of business development, based in Chicago. Jere Harris, chairman and CEO of the Group, has welcomed the appointment: "Eric brings to PRG a wealth of experience serving trade show and corporate event clients. PRG currently serves a lot of trade show clients in that market, but we believe we have many additional opportunities for growth there. Eric will be leading our growth efforts." Hanson was formerly with Vari-Lite Production Services where he was a national sales manager responsible for trade show and corporate event clients.

(Ruth Rossington)

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