Germany - Laser show specialist Lobo presented itself again as the largest exhibitor in the laser show market at two recent major exhibitions recently - Pro Light&Sound in Frankfurt and PALME in Dubai. At these events, visitors could view the laser show 'The Circus' (originally produced for the 'Summernights' of the Holiday Park in Hassloch) every half hour. This show, along with the beam show 'Massive Impact', was honoured by the International Laser Display Association with the ILDA-Award 2004 'Best Beam Show'.

As technical innovations, Lobo presented the stand-alone version of the Zaphir laser moving head, which was introduced last year. Zaphir is based on the reliable, fast and precise Varyscan 7-series from JB-Lighting, and uses Lobo's fast and precise scanning systems, and high-grade optical systems, to produce high quality displays of graphics and even full-coverage 'Scanl

USA - City Theatrical reports that its WDS Wireless Data System is all over Broadway and the on the road this spring, playing an important part in nearly every new musical and many plays. New musicals with WDS installations include, Little Women, Sweet Charity, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mambo Kings, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (WDS supplied by PRG NJ). Other long-running musicals with WDS installed include Tony Award winners Hairspray and Lion King, as well as Fiddler on the Roof (also WDS by PRG NJ). Recent Broadway straight plays to utilize WDS include the productions of Julius Caesar, and Sly Fox (WDS supplied by GSD Productions).

Shows touring the US this spring using WDS installations include Wicked tours 1 and 2, Contact, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Movin' Out (WDS supplied by PRG NJ). Non-Broadway show

Canada - Cast Software has hired Joshua Koffman, formerly of Spectrum Manufacturing Inc, to join its marketing department as assistant product manager. Koffman will focus primarily on the continual development of WYSIWYG, Cast's flagship lighting design software. "I'm thrilled to be joining Cast's team, and hope to encourage users to share their thoughts and ideas", says Koffman. "It's an exciting place to be with the recent launch of Vivien and the ongoing development of WYSIWYG. I believe my lighting expertise will only complement Cast's innovative approach to creating software for the entertainment industry."

"Josh brings unique expertise and a new perspective that will enable us to improve our software offerings," says Ben Sanford, director of marketing for Cast. "We have a diverse group of industry professionals on our product management t

UK - 5 Star Cases Limited, the Wisbech based manufacturer recently supplied a large number of new style cases for moving head lights. The trunk is an adaption from an existing design and this particular unit was to house the Robe 1200AT. The design department at 5 Star set about re-designing the trunk using the recently installed 3D modelling software. This enables the designers to produce a 'virtual case' to the exact dimensions including all appropriate case fittings etc.

Once the design had been verified, various renderings of the trunk was e-mailed to Blackburn based HSL who were the first to benefit from this updated designed trunk and placed an order for 167 units. Minor modifications were carried out to the 'model' to cater for HSL's specific requirements. The trunks house twin moving light units, however a unique feature is the option to add a separate door to convert th

Italy - Cult Italian television programme Zelig Circus broadcast on Canale 5, has been a phenomenal success with both public and critics. Today, 18 years after its formation as a cabaret venue in Milan, Zelig continues to seek out new talents in Italian comedy. Zelig 2005 is housed in the 3,500sq.m marquee theatre of Sesto San Giovanni.

Since last year's show, the set has been rebuilt from scratch: the theme is a port, with boats, piers, lifejackets, ropes and jetties, covering a stage of 150sq.m. To illuminate the set, a Clay Paky lighting system has been chosen (supplied by Xenon), which uses 20 Stage Color 1200s, 20 Stage Zooms 1200s and 16 Super Scan Zooms.

The scanners and moving body luminaires are placed geometrically on the truss system above the stage and auditorium, whilst other Stage Color and Stage Zoom appliances are placed on the ground for the lateral bea

UK - A new range of solar-powered LED tiles have been introduced by the Light Projects Group. Based on an original concept by Sutton Vane Associates, the Tsola is a recessed LED unit - suitable for both horizontal and vertical applications - which uses natural daylight to create energy-free lighting. It is available in two sizes (198 x 99mm or 198 x 198mm) and in six standard LED colours: red, green, blue, amber, orange and white.

Able to charge in both clear and overcast conditions, a waterproof IP68 rating, and operating temperature between -40°C and 70°C and resistance to point and impact load, Tsola tiles can be used in the most demanding applications, say Light Projects. As it requires no electrical supply or maintenance, it is ideal for retro-fitting to existing areas where it is unacceptable or impractical to lay new electrical cable. It can also be installed by non-ele

UK - Mountview Theatre Academy, one of Britain's leading Drama Schools, recently used two Compulite Vector systems for its latest student productions Mountview's own Vector Blue for Godspell at Battersea Arts Centre and a hired in Vector Green for Nine in the Judi Dench Theatre at Mountview.

The systems were operated by students on Mountview's Technical Theatre course. The BA (Hons) Technical Theatre degree is a unique two-year fast-track degree, which provides students with the practical knowledge, theory and hands-on experience required in order to achieve a career in the theatre or entertainment industry. The course covers four main areas: Construction, Stage Management, Lighting/Sound and Design. In the second year, students choose a specialist area and then work on Mountview's many public performances. Productions are staged either in one of Mountview's two th

USA - Version 1.3.8 software for the Wholehog 3 operating system has now been released by High End Systems. (HES). The new software provides many enhancements to the feature-rich lighting console adding new features including ESP Vision connectivity, Levels view, Follow current or Follow Next cue-contents abilities, and an on-board Fixture Builder utility. Users can download the software and read detailed release information at the website below.

The primary goal of v1.3.8 was to improve much of the currently implemented functionality, says Brad Schiller, HES director of control systems development. "This new version has increased the software's abilities in terms of data processing and network usage," he explains. "Our development team has dedicated many hours to strengthening the core functionality of the software and hardware. In addition, they were able to sne

Dubai/London - During the recent PALME show in Dubai, Le Maitre announced the appointment of Dubai based company Production Technology LLC (ProTec) as its distributor for the area.

ProTec, an event production and equipment rental company, has many years of experience within the industry. Le Maitre's Rick Wilson who attended the show said "The reason for the visit was primarily to expand our Pyrotechnics business and introduce 'Close Proximity' professional pyro to the UAE. We also wanted to introduce Special Effects to the area such as 'Fog Waterfalls' 'Stage Traps', 'Reveals' , together with non-toxic hazing techniques using sugar based fluids which do not congeal on lighting fittings and of course, introducing the massive hazing potential of the world acclaimed Stadium Hazer."

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

France - Nicolaudie-Sunlite, creator of the PLASA Award-winning Easy Stand Alone software, has announced that over the month of March 2005, it has sold more than almost 1,000 software packages. The company now forecasts sales of around 12,000 items over the year 2005 - representing an increase of 20% over 2004.

The company reports that 40% of the sale for March 2004 were for Sunlite Suite 2004, which offers advanced software functions for live control; 30% were for the Easy Stand Alone, which offers remote internet editing and internal clock triggering, and 30% were for other products, including Magic 3D Easy View (an offline 3D visualizer for DMX consoles), Sunlite Intelligent DMX Interface (intended for software developers) and Sunlite Limited Edition (a promotional item for lighting manufacturers).

The company reports that it is particularly expecting sales of Easy Stand Al

UK - Blackburn-based HSL has supplied the lighting rig for the long running Bill Kenwright UK touring production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This smash hit version is now in its second year and still selling out nationwide.

Nick Richings created the original lighting design for the show, however lighting operator Simon Deary, who has been with the show since its beginnings, is undertaking the re-lights.

"Working with HSL in this way is just like having a hire company on the tour" explains Deary, "Whatever we might need in terms of repairs, maintenance or spare parts is dealt with quickly and efficiently - mostly within 24 hours. I can't emphasize how vital that is to a show like this - every piece of kit is worked really hard."

The rig is spread across approximately five LX bars at each venue. LX Bar 1 has three Martin MAC 2Ks

UK - Color Kinetics Inc has been issued with two new US patents relating in part to LED-based illumination systems designed to generate colour changing effects in enclosures, and to the use of LED-based light sources to convey information about temperature changes of a device. US Patent number 6,888,322 (issued 3 May), is directed to a colour-changing enclosure where illumination is provided by multicolour LED-based sources. The colour-changing device could form part of a neon replacement system, tile light, consumer product, computer, peripheral or accessory, for example.

US Patent number 6,883,929 (issued 26 April), is directed to generating power for LED-based light sources based on a thermoelectric process called the Seebeck Effect, which allows a temperature differential to generate electricity. For example, the invention may be used in a stove where the temperature of the

Italy - First opened in 1961 to celebrate the centenary of the Unification of Italy, Turin's Palavela has recently come to new life after extensive renovation works, in time to host the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Designed by Gae Aulenti and Arnaldo De Bernardi to host the figure skating and short track speed skating events, the Palazzo del Ghiaccio (Ice Palace) has turned out to be the first of a series of major Olympic construction projects to be completed in Turin: the complete renovation of this historic building has produced a truly magnificent architectural and technological gem, at a total cost of 35 million Euros. The prestigious venue was deservedly inaugurated in style with a spectacular opening ceremony, followed by the European Short Track and Figure Skating Championships.

Coemar, as always, played its part in the success of the event with a lighting rig supplie

Germany - The basis for an extremely high light output, which distinguishes the YPOC 700, is a 700 Watt state of the art discharge lamp. In the projection area the new zoom lens in association with three gobo wheels does not leave any wishes unfulfilled! Within the entire zoom angle range of 14°-32° the projections are illustrated with high precision and sharpness.The electronic ballast not only reduces the weight, but also create a flicker-free light output, a higher life span of the bulb and in conjunction with the high-quality optics, a substantially higher luminous efficiency.On that score the YPOC 700 can be operated with all world-wide usual electricity mains (90V-260V/50-60Hz) without any range selection.New design, latest microprocessor technology, fastest colour- and gobo changes, fast and precise pan / tilt movements as well as a very quiet temperature controlled fan s

Lebanon - Martin Professional Middle East (MPME) has added a landmark to the city dubbed the 'Paris of the Middle East'. With the collaboration and execution of MPME distributor LightBox, shades of coloured light from Martin Architectural Exterior 200 colour changers have put the final touches to one of Lebanon's natural attractions - the Downtown Garden - a place where one can enjoy a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.

Situated between the Mediterranean and the foothills of Mount Lebanon, Beirut sits on a promontory that juts out into the sea, halfway up Lebanon's coast. The newly reconstructed Downtown district around the Grand Serail and Place d'Etoile is the city's financial and retail centre. Here, new boutiques, restaurants, cafés, and gift stores are springing up. And because Lebanese are night people, these new retail spaces often stay o

UK - Presentation specialists PSL has devised a portfolio of low-entry packages to enable event producers to take advantage of a tailored staging solution. PSL's scalable audio visual options incorporate projection, mics, speakers and lighting. Each can be customised to individual requirements (including client branding) and come with full technical support.

Remarked PSL managing director, Gary Davis: "These have been created as a flexible and cost-effective alternative to custom design and build, or off-the-shelf display and set systems. Whatever the presentation needs, these packages provide outstanding value - including everything required to stage an event at a fixed price."

The six separate alternatives - which range from simple wall-flats to more striking and multi-textured set designs - can be mixed and matched to suit client requirements and venue limitations

UK - Bandit Lites UK supplied all lighting equipment to LD Nick Jevons and his company Electric Fly Productions for the main stage at Radio One's One Big Weekend event in Hetherington Park, Sunderland.

Electric Fly has supplied innovative and exciting visuals for all the One Big Weekend events, of which this was the sixth. "I always use Bandit" Jevons states, "I would not go anywhere else. The kit and the service is excellent". General manager of Bandit Mark Powell handled the show.

Jevons traditionally uses the One Big Weekend occasion to introduce new and exciting visual tools and ideas - particularly video orientated ones - into the lighting design mix, and the Sunderland event was no exception. He clearly sees the creative potential of integrating video effects as lighting features, and many of the LED fixtures now on the market are proving a gre

USA - Robe Show Lighting moving lights were specified by lighting designer and programmer John Westermann at the recent Home Depot Drive 2 Zero Safety Meeting event, staged at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. It's north-west Atlanta's only full-service hotel, featuring over 60,000 sqft of meeting space.

Dillon Production Services, Inc, an Atlanta, based rental house run by Matt Dillon and Westermann supplied lighting equipment. Dillon Production Services has been designing light shows for The Home Depot and Coca Cola for over ten years.

The fixtures utilized for this event were eight Robe 1200E AT Spots flown downstage and mid-stage; and four Robe 1200AT E Washes, two flown mid-stage, with two mounted upstage on the ground upstage. These 12 fixtures were used to produce the main effects and colour washing lighting.

Other fixtures on the rig included

UK - Lighting designer/director Martin Kubanka specified over 50 Robe Show Lighting moving fixtures in his design for the final of the Slovakian Miss Universe qualifier. The show, directed by top Czech Republic-based Ji?i Adamek, was broadcast live on Slovakia's largest private television channel, Joj TV (pronounced 'Yoy') in front of a live audience of 4,000 at the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava.

It is one of Slovakia's largest annual media events, and attracted a phenomenal domestic audience of four million people - 80 per cent of the country's population for its Thursday night prime time slot. The 12 finalists were chosen from over 1500 initial applicants.

Lighting and sound production was supplied by Slovakia's number one rental house, Q-99, co-ordinated by Marek Adamik. Kubanka is the country's highest profile TV lighting designer/director and works on some of the t

Among Le Maitre's extensive range of atmospherics was the powerful Stadium Hazer, which boasts a patented delivery system designed for easy maintenance, and programmed to self-clean on start up and shut-down. The company also showed the new Speedfogger Active, which features Rapid Change Technology (RCT) to allow the easy change of a plugged block by the user. Also on show, the Freezefog Pro is a new low smoke machine, designed to be used in conjunction with a Freezefog-enabled unit such as the G300 to produce a powerful dry ice effect.

UK - Essential Lighting was asked by Andy Ayres of Mantaplan to provide lighting for the 60th anniversary of VE day, in Trafalgar Square. Under the direction of Mark Kenyon, Essential's Tony Hall took on the challenge of installing two 40ft trailers worth of equipment into the Square.

The site was particularly difficult, given a very limited back stage area, and many hours were spent playing "flightcase Tetris". Over a three-day fit up period, 145 moving lights (mainly Martin MAC 2000 units of various types) were rigged in and around the Square, to Kenyon 's specifications. The spec included 16 City Colours to light the National Gallery, City Beams for the fountains, 60 MAC 2000 wash lights and 60 MAC 2000 profiles, with eight MAC 2000 Performances thrown into the mix. Additional effects were from 60 Chroma cans, and 24 Chroma banks.

Control was under the mighty fin

Making its official world debut, the ice*lighting super-batten from Telectra provides stunning lighting effects with efficient control. Designed and engineered by transferring technologies developed for the aerospace and electronics industries, each batten contains over 300,000 micro lenses providing colour blending effects with very little attenuation of the light. The blending is enhanced by the use of 384 individually controlled tricolour LEDs per batten, giving high definition pixelization with no apparent point sources.

With only 8 DMX channels per batten, control sequences across 1152 emitters, offering the potential for complex sequences, individual batten control, speed control, freeze frame and frame nudge facility in real-time RGB control and real-time dimming. Shows and sequences are saved in solid-state memory and triggered by DMX control, and are uploaded to battens via Et

USA - Following the letter in the last issue from Brett Kingstone, president and CEO of Super Vision Inc, L&SI put some further questions to Color Kinetics regarding its recent US patents and patent applications.

L&SI: Patent application (20050044617) for 'Methods and apparatus for illumination of liquids', was filed on 3 March 2005, and another, very similar Patent (6,869,204) was granted on 22 March 2005. The abstract of the granted Patent 6,869,204 'Light fixtures for illumination of liquids' appears to be very close to that of the latest application. What is the purpose of applying for the second, very similar patent?

George Mueller, Color Kinetics: "The patent applications referred to here (dated 2005) are actually continuations of previously filed, issued patents and pending applications, dating back as far as 1997. The specific details are c

The A&O Falcon Beam is a large-format Xenon beam lamp on a moving yoke, developed by German based A&O, built in the UAE, and sold by TMB. Available in 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8kW versions, TMB claim the unit is far more dependable than any of its main rivals.

Attracting even greater interest on the TMB stand was the Pharos architectural control, a small install type Ethernet based programmable lighting controller. Highlighted in L&SI in March 2005, this unit will control a, "whole hog load of different lighting fixtures," said Tommy Stephenson of TMB, and more significantly, "can be controlled and re-programmed over the phone via direct connection."

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