Lighting

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14 March 2016

The school has created its new facility by converting a former gymnasium to provide a flexible and intimate studio that can be used either as a studio space or, at the push of a button to bring out the electrically-powered retractable seating, as a studio theatre.

White Light's Roger Hennigan liaised with the school's head of drama, Neil Zoladkiewicz to work out the most efficient use of the school's budget to provide the most flexible and useful set of facilities.

"White Light suggested and advised on options, showing a keen understanding of the educational requirements of the new studio as well as the need to create an exciting new performance space," Zoladkiewicz notes. "As a result the e

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14 March 2016

"We decided to attend this year to meet our many new customers from the far-flung regions of Continental Europe, and we were successful in reaching these important new contacts. Attendees from Russia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Romania, Bulgaria and Israel together with our dealers from the UK visited the Selecon stand where we showed the latest new products released this year," reports Michael Goldberg, Selecon's European sales and marketing director.

These new products included the high frequency, variable voltage 80V Direct DMX Power Supply which supplies 80V to energy efficient 1200W lamps for the Pacifi

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14 March 2016

Phil Knight, MD of Knight International, commented: "Our Antari Hz-400s have done some good years service for us and when I saw the prototype model of the new HZ-500 at the Frankfurt show back in March this year, I knew this was the machine I needed to replace them with. It is ideal as it is already flightcased, which is so important in pro rental markets these days! The machine has an incredible low noise which is also important on pro production and TV work, and it also produces a dry haze. I am very pleased with the new HZ-500s a

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14 March 2016

On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday visitors who came to the stand to see the product were entered into a free draw with the chance of winning a 1 Universe LightFactory package.

The winners were Nick Cooke of German LED manufacturer Schnick Schnack, Swedish lighting designer Johan Friberg and Danilo Pedros from Italian Lighting company DTS.

On the final day, the prize draw not only included a 1 Universe LightFactory package but also the new Programming and Playback wings launched at the show. Ismael Portelli from Nexos Lighting Technology in Malta was the lucky recipient of this prize.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Set in the picturesque environs of Stradbally Hall, County Laois, the festival was presented by Pod Concerts & Aiken Promotions. Liam McCarthy, who also stage-managed the main stage, designed lighting for all stages.

The designs were based on the need to accommodate the requirements of the headlining acts along with any specials packages, also providing a dynamic 'house' rig for everyone's shows. McCarthy comments: "Robe is an excellent moving light for events like this - they are mega bright, reliable and stand up well to the unpredictable weather."

There were five main music stages including the Main Open Air Stage, The Electric Arena, Crawdaddy, The Little

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14 March 2016

HSL has been involved with Bestival since its inception in 2004. Once again its team, led on site by Rory MacKay and in the office by Mike Oates, worked closely with site and event production managers John Gray and Lee Charteris, and producer Loudsound Events' Jim King.

The main stage production lighting design was created by Steven Abbiss. He looked at the principal headlining band's spec' and created a "house" design that would work for them, along with their assorted specials packages, plus the raft of other performers taking to the stage over the weekend. As always with a festival situation, flexibility and adaptability was the key to

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14 March 2016

Emma Bunton was the only Spice Girl present, and said she was "a bit shocked" to beat such venerable rock acts as Led Zeppelin. The pop group's victory will raise eyebrows among rock fans, but Bunton told the BBC News website: "The thing is, when you go to a gig, you go for fun and entertainment and a night out. And that's exactly what we did and I think that's why people enjoyed it so much."

Theatre News - Up to 95 publicly-funded theatres across England are to offer free tickets to young adults as par

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14 March 2016

Lighting designer Douglas Brenan of Project Lighting Design (PLD) envisioned a dynamic display of light and changing colour with an eco-friendly solution. PLD worked together with Philips SSL Solutions for the lighting design. Philips SSL Solutions recommended Color Kinetics LED modules for the spokes and capsules. The biggest challenge was getting the DMX signal to the units. This required some innovative wireless technology. After careful planning, W-DMX by Wireless Solution was chosen as the most reliable choice.

The LED modules consist of 280 Color Kinetics iColor Accent Powercore, 112 2-Foot

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14 March 2016

The only awards exclusively dedicated to lighting designers, the Knight of Illumination Awards are the result of an idea launched by Clay Paky and organised by the Italian firm in collaboration with STLD and ALD. The four awards categories are for Theatre, TV, Rock and a Lifetime Recognition award.

Enrico Caironi said: "We are delighted to offer our support to this established industry charity that helps Production Services Association members and their families at times of crisis."

PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund Chairman Mike Lowe

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14 March 2016

Simon Wilkinson used one for the Fringe First Award-winning production Slick at the Traverse Theatre, a show produced by Vox Motus in which actors' heads are superimposed on small puppet bodies. "We were lucky to be in touch with Jeremy Roberts, ETC's associate regional manager for UK and Ireland, who told us about the Ion and lent us one to try out during the show's development," he says. "I don't think I could have produced a show this technically complicated within the resources available without the Ion."

Adrian Searle, technical manager for Stage Electrics reports that the two Ions they rented to the Assembly Rooms were extremely well received. "In co-operation with ETC, we held a training day at the end o

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14 March 2016

The Victor was launched at PLASA 07 and provides a light output in excess of many 2500W follow spot light sources combined with the optical and ergonomic excellence associated with Robert Juliat, wrapped up in a compact, stylish unit.

Le Cin'k meanwhile offers a choice of interchangeable lamp bases allowing options of 2500W tungsten, 5000W tungsten, 1200W discharge or 2500W discharge lamps - ensuring a single spotlight to undergo rapid transformations according to requirements. This is particularly useful to rental houses and multipurpose venues and studios, says the company.

In addition to these products, the fully automated version of the Lancelot 4000W HTI followspot modules, Noria and Ch

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14 March 2016

"PLASA is always a good opportunity to catch up with clients and for networking. We received very good feedback at the show about Goboland's services and have already had new customers contact us following recommendations from people bumping into each other at the show," says Goboland's UK head of operations, Vicky Fairall.

"Our Pin Cushion Distortion Correction has gone down very well and has confirmed our reputation as a company which is good at solving more tricky gobos problems. We are proud to be known to offer our customers extra services such as Black Holes, Tweakers, Pin Cushion Correction and Keys

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14 March 2016

Located on the Kei Myung University's Seongseo campus in Daegu, the Kei Myung Artcenter has a 1900-capacity auditorium, acting principally as a music and performing arts student facility, as well as hosting a variety of medium and large-scale visiting productions. Involving a total investment of some US $80m, the project commenced in January 2005, and has been operational since February this year.

Following the gala opening, the first major production will be the Korean musical The Last Empress, featuring lyrics by In Ja Yang, music by Hui Gap Kim, and sound design by the celebrated local sound director, Ki Young Kim. The musical Mamma Mia! is also scheduled to run towa

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14 March 2016

The show is renowned for its visuals - created by Adam Smith and stored and played back via a Catalyst digital media server.

Digital media specialists Projected Image Digital (PID) spoke to the Chemical Bros 2008 tour show programmer Matthew Button about his media server of choice. He sought a lightweight, fully portable solution for visuals storage and playback. Both he and lighting tech Toby Dennis invested in Mac Book Pros to which they fitted the latest 32Gb Mtron 2.5 inch solid state hard drives and installed the latest version of Catalyst. The Mtron is turbo-charged to give super-quick video access time.

The visuals show was originally programmed on a

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14 March 2016

Stage Electrics has supplied a selection of moving lights to the production including 14 Vari-Lite VL1000TS Units and six Martin Professional MAC TW1 80v Units. A further 100+ generic lanterns have been provided along with control from a Strand 520I Console. The lighting designer is Jason Taylor who is joined by programmer John Tapste

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14 March 2016

Joe's autobiography is an interesting and amusing account of life as an electrical engineer, lighting equipment innovator and author. His story takes us through his childhood in London during the Second World War, his training as a bound apprentice, followed by an account of his time spent in North Africa during his National Service in the 1950s.

Most significantly, he describes his life-long experiences as a designer of entertainment lighting equipment for Mole Richardson, Berkey Colortran, Rank Strand and Lee Lighting.

Joe's easy-flowing, light-hearted style provides us with a look behind the lights of fi

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14 March 2016

Founded in 1966 by Stephen Arlen, then managing director of Sadler's Wells Opera, and Margaret 'Percy' Harris, then the company's resident designer, the course was first known as the Sadler's Well Design Course. The course subsequently became the Theatre Design Course of the English National Opera until 1981, and after some time at the Riverside Studios, the Almeida Theatre and the Royal National Theatre Studio, the course acquired the name Motley and took up residence at its present home, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Every year the course selects up to 12 postgraduate-level students who wish to specialise in theatre design. The one-year course is project based, featuring five or

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14 March 2016

The Green issues will be debated by a panel of speakers that includes Fred Foster, CEO of ETC; at the other end of the spectrum Alex Wardle of Arup venue consulting will be taking a backward look to stage lighting in 1750, when the bleached beeswax candle was cutting edge, as he discusses how he re-created the feel of a candle-lit stage without actually using a naked flame.

The venue for 2009's Showlight is BBC Scotland's new state of the art headquarters, which boasts the latest broadcast technology. It is the biggest TV recording space to be bu

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14 March 2016

Robe's Ecuadorian distributor Prisma, also based in Quito, worked with several other companies to supply the technology needed for La Alameda's new-look water park, which has now been revitalised with a waterscreen and nightly lightshow designed by Alberto Borja.

The screen is 12m wide and 6m high. Three 20-minute multimedia shows run every Friday and Saturday night and the waterscreen is also used for special events.

A central control room is located in the middle of the fountains with control for all the technical elements which include water pumps and valves, movi

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14 March 2016

Each EvenLED module consists of 16 evenly spaced and individually controlled 6-watt RGB LEDs, capable of projecting a totally even and flicker free field of light onto cycloramas and other backdrops, says the company.

EvenLED can be used for sharp silhouettes, colour fades, power flashes, drifting shadows, morphing effects, and more. It can also be used for skylines, borders, illuminated floors and walls and is useful in a wide variety of applications including TV studios, theatres, concerts and even architecture.

DMX controllable and capable of smooth dimming, each colour features 16 bit resolution and waves or gradation of colour across a surface is easily achieved. By driving segments of the EvenL

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14 March 2016

"We had such positive feedback from performers and patrons alike regarding the upgraded lighting in the Opera Theatre that we wanted to get the Drama Theatre up to the same level," said Dylan Heaton, lighting technician for the Playhouse. The Opera Theatre is the largest of the three theatres in the complex, with a seating capacity of 1,224 on three levels including a balcony - the Drama Theatre seats 474.

"The new equipment makes a great difference on all levels, not only adding to the quality of the shows, but also saving us significant time and money," says Heaton. "It used to take u

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14 March 2016

Probably the largest lighting and sound installation in Iceland to date, the project comprises four halls which will form a centre for music, culture and tourism. Scheduled to open at Reykjavik's East Harbour in December 2009, the centre will provide facilities for Iceland's continually expanding musical life and will be home to The Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

"The Icelandic National Concert and Conference Centre is a fantastic visionary project," says ETC's regional manager for northern Europe, Tim Stokholm. "Not only will the Icelandic people have a fantastic place for music and culture, but also companies globall

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14 March 2016

This year's Miss Italia finals took place at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Salso Maggiore Terme, PR, Italy and were broadcast live on RAI 1 in a show directed by Maurizio Pagnussat.

The lighting rig was hung on a comprehensive network of trusses that were installed to cover the large stage and audience areas of the venue, with some fixtures on the floor.

Central to the set was a large sweeping staircase which, when lit, produced an appropriate depth of field for the cameras. In front of thi

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14 March 2016

The circus, performing in Calthorpe Park, Edgbaston, fell foul of the Licensing Act 2003. The act forbids the playing of live music without a licence. Circus owner Martin Burton said that applying for a licence was time-consuming and expensive and called for circuses to be exempt from the legislation. He said: "I'm a big fan of silent comedy, but this is nonsense."

Old Rocker News (1) - Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has scotched rumours that he is to tour with the band, describing speculation as "frustrating and ridiculous". Last week, The Sun newspaper reported th