Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
InfiLED - Banner - August 25

Lighting

Details
France - With the 'Midnight Sun' summer festival tour dates now confirmed, Jamiroquai got into the swing early by playing an unpublicized free concert to race-goers at the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race, on the evening of Saturday 14 June. An audience of 40,000 revelled as Jay Kay and the band gave an unbroken 135 minutes of seriously good entertainment.

The performance was the highlight of an Audi UK-sponsored mini-festival (which lasted considerably longer than their racing car!) with further performances being provided by French and Italian bands throughout the weekend. The event was managed by Indeprod, a live event, video and new media solutions provider, commissioned by Audi UK. The company was assisted by Le Mans-based companies Bebop and Acropolis.

Indeprod's Nigel Dean became France-based, taking on the onerous task of converting a tree-strewn, rubble-covered field in

Details
UK - We're seated in a large sitting room with an impressive mantled fireplace at its centre. Built of massive stone blocks, the room contains small, familiar details. Framed paintings on the walls appear to be in motion; the gargoyles are both terrifying and friendly. Yes, it's the spooky, cosy world of Hogwarts and the 5,000 lucky children surrounding it are in a state of high excitement for the latest Harry Potter story, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, including an appearance by author JK Rowling.

Lighting & Video

Sponsored by Bloomsbury Publishing, and taking place at London's Royal Albert Hall, the event is driven by Clear Channel, as LD Mark Cunniffe explained. "Graham Pullen as executive producer and Katherine Allen from Initial were pivotal to making it work, while Phil Christianson in the production manager's seat did a fantastic job. There were

Doughty - Banner - from 8 Aug 2025

Details
USA - Martin Professional Inc has hired Matthias Hinrichs as control product specialist. Working out of Martin's West Coast office, Hinrichs will provide sales and technical support for the growing Martin line of control products, which includes the newly released Maxxyz professional lighting console.

"By providing excellent customer service, as well as supporting the sales department with all questions regarding control products, Matthias will help provide the right product for the right application," commented Michael Nevitt, control product manager at Martin US. "He was an integral part of the Maxxyz Beta Test Group for the past year, which makes for a seamless transition into the Martin team. It's a great benefit to have another control expert on the staff."

Henrichs, a German native who originally hails from Berlin, moved to Los Angeles in 2002. Prior

Details
UK - Following a short spell away from the industry, Adrian Mulcahy has joined the sales team at Leisuretec Distribution Ltd. Mulcahy was formerly employed at Marshall Amplification in the role of Artist Liaison, where he was responsible for product endorsements. Prior to this he was worked for MI retailers Music Village, where he gained experience of the extremely competitive retail market.

Nick Spalding MD of Leisuretec Distribution commented on the appointment: "I am delighted that Adrian has joined our sales team as I believe he is very customer-focused, an element that is crucial in our aim to provide high levels of customer service through our 'Pure Distribution' policy'."

Leisuretec Distribution currently offers in excess of 5,000 products from more than 75 manufacturers to trade customers only.

(Ruth Rossington)

Details
USA - Elation Professional has introduced the Pro Haze DMX, a high-output DMX-compatible haze generator targeted at the professional market. Suited to theatres, stage shows, concerts and nightclubs, the Pro Haze DMX produces a thin, even layer of haze, as opposed to bursts of thick fog.

With a 560W heater core and a haze output of 2500 cubic feet per minute, the Pro Haze DMX is powerful enough to handle even large-size concert halls and theatres. No warm-up time is required and the unit will start generating haze as soon as it is turned on. The unit can be operated with any standard DMX512 controller, allowing clubs and lighting directors to co-ordinate haze production with their other DMX-compatible lighting fixtures and special effects. The hazer can also be operated via remote control, either wired or wireless, and comes with wired timer/volume remote control. An optional 10

Details
UK - I-Vision has supplied 12m of its new I-LED 1200 colour changing LED strip light system to lighting specialists Fentura Production Services. These went straight out on the road for a UK tour with L'Oreal, starring renowned hairdresser Trevor Sorbie.

I-Vision's latest DMX-controlled LED lighting product utilizes Luxeon high-brightness LEDs. Fentura's Tim Matthews explains that they added the I-Vision strips to their hire stock because the fixtures are ideal for 'set' lighting, and are equally as bright as other LED products - but more cost effective. Matthews' lighting design for the L'Oreal show featured seven I-LED 1200mm strips and four I-LED 600mm strips, which were used to up-light the shiny PVC set, designed by Russ Mamik of Pulse Event Services. The LEDs produced a full range of pastel and deeply saturated colours.

Matthews' biggest challenge was to make the set look

Details
USA - Wybron has announced the appointment of industry veteran John W. Fuller as vice-president, sales and marketing, with effect 1 October 2003. Fuller has been involved in entertainment lighting for over 25 years: in the late 70s, he worked as a stagehand and eventually as technical director of Macky Auditorium - a 2,500-seat roadhouse at the University of Colorado.

Since 1992, Fuller has been president of the Lee Filters USA division of Panavision. He says: "Wybron products have consistently maintained the best possible reputation for quality in our industry. While I will miss my colleagues at Lee Filters, I am honoured to become part of the fantastic group of people building some of the best gear in entertainment lighting."

(Lee Baldock)

Details
UK - This year's Festival of Speed, the 10th anniversary event at the Earl of March's idyllic Goodwood estate, was dominated by a stunning structure built for Ford by Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS). Designed by Gerry Judah of Judah Design and turned into reality by ESS's Steve Colley and Graham Turner, the spectacularly sloping structure presented replicas of the three Ford GT40s which won the historic 1st, 2nd and 3rd place victory at the 1966 Le Mans 24-hour race.

"The project was all about 100 years of Ford," said ESS project manager Rob Smalldon, "and was one of the most challenging projects I've been involved with for some time."

From the ground, the structure rose 34m with a width of 25m. Edwin Shirley Trucking (EST) shipped in 217m of regular roof truss, 126m of LT Tower Truss, 604m of cabling and 102 bespoke purlins in a total of 16 trucks. The ESS tea

Details
UK - The Spice 1210, which will be on show at this year's PLASA Show, is the latest rack mounting dimmer from Zero 88and has been designed to be easy to use, reliable and affordable. It is available either Harting or Socapex connectors and has a mains incoming cable with CEE17 32A connector. The units feature the intuitive user interface from the Chilli installation range to allow for ease of use in setting up and operating the dimmer. The spice range provides a host of sophisticated features suitable for professional applications, including 12 channels, 12 memories and three chases; dimmer curves - Normal, Linear, Switch or Square; channel voltage compensation calculated for each phase; dimmer lock-out function; voltage and frequency displays; supply frequency - 45 to 70Hz auto-sensing and auto- tracking. The units re also RDM hardware ready.

Zero 88 will once again be using PL

Details
USA - Vari-Lite has bolstered its product marketing and technical support team, appointing George Masek to the newly created role of technical product manager. The move gives Vari-Lite a veteran with more than 20 years as an entertainment lighting professional and puts him in a critical technical support/product marketing role.

"Vari-Lite has always prided itself in being a lighting company, and not just a company that makes lights," said Steve Carson, general manager of Vari-Lite parent company Genlyte Controls. "When we created the technical product manager position, it was important that we bring in someone who recognizes the 'show must go on' mentality of the entertainment industry. George understands the needs of true lighting professionals because he spent years on the road as one of them."

Masek will be based out of the company's Dallas headquarters.

Details
UK - At the PLASA Show this year, Czech Republic-based manufacturer of moving lights, Robe Show Lighting, will introduce its ColorSpot 1200 AT - designed as an ultimate creative tool for large theatre, TV, live shows and events, and for installations of all types. Robe will be also highlighting the new ColorMix 240 AT, which is aimed primarily at theatres, TV studios, stage lighting and interior architectural lighting applications. Also new is the DMX Control 480, the latest multi-purpose Robe lighting controller.

There will also be several other new product launches, and the company's comprehensive range of Robe moving heads and scanners will all be available for demonstration and viewing.

Robe Show Lighting can be found on stand F110.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
UK - Lightfactor Sales, the UK distributor for SGM, High End Systems, LDR, Xilver, Morpheus, Apogee Sound, LightProcessor and Parsafe 2 will have a wide range of products on show at PLASA this year. These include is the Xilver Droplet fixture, a compact lightsource utilizing high power LED technology, and the XP10 from EKS. A revolution in digital DJing, the XP10 is the first real plug'n'play system for playing digital audio streams. Also on show will be the SGM Giotto 400 Spot and Wash fixtures, as well as the DMX Flash 1.5 HP strobe.

From Italian theatrical lantern manufacturer LDR is the Soffio CDM-T series of luminaires, the Gobo Wizard and Canto followspots. New from LightProcessor are the Dimension series of digital dimmers, and the 'Zip' range of small control desks. American audio manufacturer Apogee Sound will shows its APL powered series of speakers, the AFI fixed inst

Details
UK - In July 2003, Essex-based Clarity in Sound Light & Vision Ltd became Leisuretec Distribution's 100,000th customer since the Company's inception in 1990. Clarity purchased a Trantec radio mic system, used as part of a complete sound system for a swimming gala event at a leisure centre in Hertfordshire.

Clarity specializes in supply and installation of audio, lighting and visual equipment to theatres, schools, churches and leisure centres. Stuart Graham, managing director of Clarity said: "We offer superb technical support and product knowledge to our customers, built upon knowledge gained from spending the last 25 years working in the leisure and entertainment industry, including a period spent working at Leisuretec Distribution as technical sales manager."

Leisuretec's managing director Nick Spalding commented: "It was pure coincidence that our 100,000th cu

Details
UK - Steve Warren - the well-known sales director of Avolites Ltd - made a rare live appearance as RADlite digital media server operator for last week's Hadley vs Cox gig at Shepherd's Bush Empire. He was hired for the show by lighting designer Dave Gibbon.

Warren is more usually seen at trade shows and on sales missions around the world, flying the flag for the Avolites sales team. He comments: "It's great to get hands-on with actual show operation. I have to admit I was nervous before the show, as this is the first time I've been hired professionally as a RADlite operator, but once it got going, I got into my stride."

Hadley vs Cox was an epic - and unique - show devised by 1980s superstars Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet and Pete Cox of Go West, featuring all the hits and more from the era of New Romantic and Electronica. The two artists have worked together on many

Details
UK - Bould Lighting Technology will introduce a new range of dimming systems at this year's PLASA Show. Bould is a specialist in distributed dimming, one of the most cost-effective ways to equip a venue, and a good solution for modern multi-purpose venues that require versatile lighting.

The company's BATPAC distributed dimming system sends and receives DMX512 via radio transmission, allowing the remote control of up to 85 BATPAC 6-channel dimmers simultaneously. Each BATPAC has six 10-amp switchable dimming channels and is designed as a clamp-to-bar or bolt-on dimming solution ideal for internally-wired bars with multi-pin connectors.

Bould Lighting Technology can be found on stand KK68.

(Ruth Rossington)

Details
UK - Lighting designer Will Charles was the first television lighting designer to use all 12 of Richard Martin Lighting's hire stock of the new Clay Paky Stage Profile Plus SV, when he specified them for the second series of quiz show Judgemental. Charles was keen to create a visual identification with the first series of Judgemental, and to achieve this he sought the help of Projected Image, who developed some colour gobos from a jpeg image of a crowded scene, which were then used in the Stage Profile Plus SVs. The image was utilized as a predominant backdrop for close-up and mid-shots.

Will Charles, who was assisted by moving light operator David Bishop, explained his choice of lighting - which also included Vari*Lite VL1000TS, Pulsar ChromaBank and Clay Paky Stage Color 300 fixtures - and gave his opinion on the performance of the Stage Profile Plus SV: "The Stage Profil

Details
UK - At the 2003 PLASA Show Look Solutions, the company behind the Tiny Fogger - the world's smallest smoke machine - will launch their latest product: the PowerTiny. "There's been a gap in the smoke machine market for a while: for a machine bigger than the popular TinyFogger, with greater output - yet still compact in size and with off-mains operation," says Roger Hennigan of White Light, Look Solutions' UK distributor. "That's exactly what PowerTiny will deliver."

With an appearance familiar from the TinyCompact smoke machine - which effectively added a handle to the TinyFogger - the PowerTiny offers much to appeal to theatrical smoke users. The 400W machine runs from a 12V battery, yet is only around 223 x 100 x 210mm in size and 5.2kg in weight, including battery and ergonomic handle. Heat-up time is virtually instantaneous at just one second. The supplie

Details
Spain - Essex-based Xtreme Audio Visual has snapped up a valuable installation contract in Spain. The company has been asked to provide the audio and lighting for the new Guru nightclub - part of the multi-million pound Heron City complex in Valencia, Spain.

Spearheaded by British entrepreneurs, the Heron City leisure operation has so far opened four venues in Europe - in Madrid, Barcelona, Stockholm and, most recently, Valencia, where its extensive range of family entertainments can attract 20,000 people in an evening. The Valencia site offers a variety of leisure activities, including a 24-screen multiplex cinema, fitness centres and an array of restaurants, cafés, bars and clubs.

The 2,700-capacity Guru is the final piece in the Heron City jigsaw, being the last venue within the complex to be built. In a contract worth £400,000, Xtreme has installed a high specification s

Details
UK - This year the education programme has been relaunched to meet the changing demands of the PLASA visitor and will be hosted by the PLASA Professional Development Programme (PLASA PDP), the Association's new training initiative. A full timetable is now online and taking bookings - check out the website below.

This extended educational platform will examine current trends and issues across the wide range of the industry and provide visitors with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and learn from the experts. The format has been revised with four different types of sessions - Technical Workshops; Business Seminars; Industry Seminars and Masterclasses.

Many of the sessions are supported by associations, trade bodies and publications and for the first time RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) are also supporting the programme. Their endorsement is clear recognit

Details
Europe - Industry veteran Fons de Vreede has joined worldwide automated lighting manufacturer High End Systems Inc (HES) as regional sales manager for Central Europe. Fons has a wealth of industry experience, working at both Flashlight Utrecht in Holland for more than 17 years, and subsequently Lightco. More recently, he has been freelance, and worked as project manager for lighting at Disney Paris' World Disney Studios Park. He will be based in Utrecht to place him closer to his territory.

David Catterall, managing director of High End Systems Europe, commented: "Fons knows the industry, he knows the products and best of all, knows our customers. It's a perfect fit - this is a people business and we've got the right guy."

(Ruth Rossington)

Details
Australia - Melbourne-based hire and production company Resolution X has recently added a fully-expanded (4,096 channel) grandMA console to its hire inventory. The grandMA was selected by Resolution X to meet its growing need for an all-singing, all-dancing moving light console. In addition to being regularly specified by international tours, Resolution X is finding that an increasing number of local LDs, including Paul Collison and Peter Lothian, are also specifying a grandMA for their productions.

One of the grandMA's first major jobs since arriving at Resolution X, has been at the studios of HSV 7 Melbourne, for Network Seven's latest game show 'Deal or No Deal'. On this production the grandMA is outputting five DMX streams to a multitude of Martin and Clay Paky moving lights, in addition to the studio dimmers. The console has been used in conjunction with a wireless PDA, a s

Details
Canada - In its ongoing effort to serve production and lighting professionals worldwide, TMB is expanding its North American presence with the opening of TMB-Toronto. The new distribution centre will provide a faster response and turnaround throughout Canada.

Lighting veteran and renowned fugitive from justice Mike Gillis will head the new location. Gillis has 20 years' experience in the Canadian lighting industry as a distributor and lighting company owner. Colin Waters, TMB CEO commented: "There's a lot going on up North, but that pesky border keeps getting in the way. This should solve that problem. TMB continues to grow, but all of us are more committed than ever to not forgetting where we came from. Meanwhile, we keep building a global network providing choice, support and service to companies who earn their living from entertainment production."

With locations

Details
UK - With just three weeks to go to PLASA, G-LEC Europe has signed an agreement with Fourth Phase London, for it to act as G-LEC's representative office in the UK. G-LEC Europe manufactures an innovative system of LED curtains utilizing clear rods to house the LEDs, the resulting transparency and low wind resistance making the system ideal for use in the theatre, as well as for concerts, corporate events and architectural use. Weighing just 10kg per square metre, the G-LEC LED curtain is also lightweight, so can be flown effortlessly.

Lars Wolf, managing director of G-LEC, told PLASA Media: "This business is about people - trust and confidence - and before appointing anyone I wanted to be sure they would be absolutely right for us. Having met Alan Thomson and his team, I know that with Fourth Phase London we will be doing great things in the UK." Thomson, the managing

Details
Greece - One of Greece's most popular artists, Yiannis Kotsiras, has performed with 110 moving lights run on a Flying Pig Systems Hog PC controller. Lighting designer George Tellos recently finished 45 open-air shows in Greece and Cyprus this summer using a Hog PC (with software version 3.3), a Playback and Programming Wing, and two DMX Hog widgets. High End Systems' Greek distributor, Telmaco, supplied the system.

George Tellos chose Hog PC for his control because of its convenience factor. "It is a great feeling to travel around the world with two small flightcases and have control at any system and any place," he says. "Hog PC works great, it's very easy to use and I can do a lot of things in the offline editor feature."

Tellos designed and programmed the show at the 'Lighting Design Wholehog & WYSIWYG Studio' in Athens, which is owned by Tellos and busi

  1. ETC reveals its latest products at PLASA 2003
  2. Ministry of Sound & Martin Pro announce global partnership
  3. Martin Pro MAC 250 Entour ready for launch
  4. Entec by The Lake
  5. LiteStructures at PLASA
  6. BSO goes for impressive finale
Page 556 of 1190
City Theatrical - Large MPU - Aug 2025
LSi 40 Sponsors - MPU - Aug-Nov

Latest Issue. . .