USA - While many attending LDI 2022 in Las Vegas admired Claypaky’s demo of their Volero Wave LED bar, OSA International’s Mark Fetto bought the full Claypaky LDI show rig. “We jumped on them,” he says. “Volero Wave was the coolest new product we saw at LDI.” Volero Wave is the latest in Claypaky’s Volero line of high-performance LED bars. A totally new lighting effect, it offers lighting designers the power to create truly original, three dimensional and volumetric lighting for any production that wants to stand out. The bar is comprised of eight independent moving bodies which give designers eight separate heads, each capable of moving on a 220º tilt. “Volero Wave is very attention grabbing – so different, bright and with cool colours,” says Fetto, who is VP lighting and general manager of the Las Vegas office of OSA International, which deliver
Belgium - Two Halloween-themed haunted houses set up by Production Pirates drew massive crowds using light and audio products from Showtec and DAP. For the two weeks around Halloween, Bellewaerde Park in Ieper, Belgium, turned into a Halloween immersion experience, with the two main attractions being the Funerarium and Mexican Massacre. Bellewaerde Park is both a fully-fledged animal park as well as a complete theme park with many impressive coasters and rides. For Halloween 2022, Bellewaerde offered their visitors something special. They asked Production Pirates from Herentals, Belgium, to create an immersive Halloween experience by designing two haunted houses and preparing the park for opening its doors this late in the season. Production Pirates turned to Showtec and DAP and found the light and sound equipment they needed. To dress up the haunted houses, they used
USA - Harman Professional Solutions recently hosted 20 Los Angeles-based artists, musicians and content creators at an immersive product showcase and networking event. The event launches what will be an ongoing Create With programme where emerging music creators will engage with JBL Professional and AKG products in new and creative ways. “The event was an amazing opportunity to get connected with other artists and creators,” said musician Caroline Kingsbury. “I loved seeing all the detailed behind the scenes work that goes into making the great products JBL and AKG make to help us create our best work.” The event kicked off with a happy hour, giving attendees a chance to meet local creators in-person for the first time. Following the meet-and-greet, the creators designed their own AKG Ara microphones using paint markers. Gathered around a long table wit
USA - As Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas steamed out of port 7 December for the Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise, Nesta Garrick, Abbas Ritscher and the entire team at The Design Oasis were grateful that they would be able to do something, they’d never done before: leave all their fixtures unbagged overnight! “This was the first time we didn’t have to worry about putting bags over our fixtures at the end of a long day,” said Ritscher, who oversaw the installation of the lighting rig on the ship. “That’s a tremendous time saver.” Ritscher and his team were able to avoid the hassle of wrapping fixtures in plastic bags, because for the first time, since the cruise began in 2012, the entire rig was made up of IP65 rated units, most prominently the Color STRKE M, Maverick STORM2 BeamWash, and Rogue Outcast 1L Beam from Chauvet Professional. “Wel
UK - James Eade, a leading expert on temporary electrical power safety, particularly in event environments, is announcing the availability of his popular electrical safety training courses for 2023. James, who has trained almost 500 professionals in event, touring, theatre, film and television during 2022 alone, is chairman of the British Standard 7909 committee and author of The IET Practitioner’s Guide to Temporary Power Systems and the IET Code of Practice on In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (ISITEE), 5th edition. As a leading authority on temporary power systems, James was commissioned to serve as Head of Energy for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In this role he oversaw all energy-related procurement and management of on-site temporary power systems. The work included some significant innovations in sports events, including the (unheard of)
UK - The 5th Women in Live Music Awards (WILMAs), which champions women in the European industry, were held last week at the Shure Rose Centre in London. As an event sponsor, Britannia Row provided personnel and equipment. Senior apprentices Olesya Lesyk and Rebecca Nicol set up the evening’s DJ equipment, including a small L-Acoustics PA system. “When Britannia Row Training alumni Hannah Brodrick and Malle Kaas set up Women in Live Music five years ago, of course, we wanted to support them,” comments Britannia Row Productions and Britannia Row training director, Mike Lowe. “It’s of paramount importance to us that we find and retain talent from around the globe. We proudly encourage and welcome a diverse team through our doors. We have, over the years, trained and employed exceptional talent, and it remains a key driver in our future endeavours to create a
UK - As Entourage Pro, the freelance crew network and technology insights company, celebrates having successfully placed hundreds of crew on tours and gigs across the globe this summer, co-directors Joel Perry and James Stanbridge have announced the appointment of Harvey Goldsmith CBE to the Entourage Pro board to further expand their standing in the industry and help communicate the site’s suite of services to the global sector. Goldsmith is one of the best-known names in the industry. He has acted as promoter for Live Aid and Live 8, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Jam, Teenage Cancer Trust, Madonna, Queen, Hans Zimmer and countless other international artists, and has recently launching the Nvisible Agency. He will assume the role of non-exec director at Entourage Pro with immediate effect. “I’m excited to join this young, pioneering company,” he says. “E
Italy - Danilo La Rosa is an Italian lighting designer with a successful career spanning more than three decades. He has worked on live events and theatre productions all over the world. A long-time Hog platform fan, Hog 4 was the obvious choice for La Rosa when he was tasked with lighting runway shows at the recent Milan Fashion Week. For Milan Fashion Week, La Rosa was eager to put the latest Hog 4-18 hardware and 3.17 software to the test after being consistently impressed by Hog consoles in the past. "I’ve been using the Hog platform for many years, so I know the tools it’s equipped with,” he says. “The colour-mixing and the speed of use make it a top performer for fashion events where quick set-up and the technical realization really make the difference." The goal was to illuminate and colour the clothes, giving them character, while at the same time resp
Qatar - Sixty thousand fans gathered from around the world and millions of viewers tuned into the FIFA Opening Ceremony live from the Al Bayut Stadium in Qatar. Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was the narrator of the opening ceremony and Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS performed Dreamers, a new tournament song as well as more than 300 dance performers ignited the stadium and filled the air with excitement just before the first FIFA match. Creative Technology Middle East delivered the spectacular projection mapping covering the pitch for the impressive opening ceremony along with flown tracking LED screens and rolling stage LED screens for the biggest football opening ceremony of the year. The show was a technically complex production with lots of signals and different displays under the high-pressure environment that comes with global televised shows.
UK - Scottish singer songwriter Gerry Cinnamon concluded his summer tour with two sell-out concerts at his home stadium, Hampden Park, in Glasgow, breaking records as he did so. Cinnamon was the first Scottish artist, and the first independent act to sell out the 50,000-capacity stadium - twice! His long-term production and lighting designer, Pete Hutchison of Illumination Creative Design, knows all about Cinnamon’s determination to entertain every member of his audience and give each and every one of them an unforgettable experience, whichever part of the stadium they are seated in. ‘This Is The Beginning Of The Rest Of Your Life’ is a maxim which forms a big theme for Cinnamon and outlines his intention to bring the party to his fans. His set and lighting are designed to deliver big moments, which include lots of pyrotechnics, video and lighting effects, and ar
USA - HYPERVSN, the Integrated 3D Holographic Display Platform manufacturer will be showing the very latest in interactive holographic solutions at CES 2023 in Las Vegas and the NRF Big Show 2023 in New York. Featuring the new HYPERVSN SmartV Digital Avatar and HYPERVSN Full Body Live-Streaming, these products are designed to ‘revolutionise customer experiences in retail and many other verticals’. HYPERVSN recently featured Full Body Live-Streaming when they live streamed Michael Blackman managing director of Integrated Systems Europe via 3D Hologram all the way over from Oman, to the centre stage of the Talent Congress in Barcelona. This solution from HYPERVSN enabled Mr Blackman to collect the award in person, even though he was over 4000 miles away. The live streaming was created using the HYPERVSN SmartV products, with specially created image layers and visual effect
France – To celebrate the inauguration of the Christmas lights of the Village Outlet of Villefontaine, the whole troupe of the Folie Douce Val d'Isère was there. In this open-air emporium in this ski resort that showcases chic designer fashion, these artists presented live electronic music backed by a dazzling light show. Produced by Romain Plantier and the team at L&Db, the lighting design is anchored by a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures. “The Folice Douce Val d’Isère troupe give us their general lighting scheme,” said Plantier. “We are then pretty free to choose the fixtures and colors we want.” What Romain Plantier and the team wanted this year was a collection of Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Wash and WELL Fit fixtures, taken from L&Db own inventory. Arranged six units across upstage horizontal truss and four units on ver
Finland - Helsinki’s Linnanmäki is the oldest and most popular amusement park in Finland. It is owned and operated by the non-profit making Children’s Day Foundation to raise funds for Finnish child welfare work. With Finland’s 24 hours of sunlight in the summer and 24 hours of darkness in the winter, Linnanmäki has, for the past 20 years, marked the final days of its open season with a Carnival of Light (Valokarnevaali), when visitors are entertained on site by samba groups and visual artists in illuminated costumes. Having designed the pyrotechnic and light show for last year’s event, Helsinki-based Visual Monkeys was invited back to light the entire amusement park in 2022. Lighting designer, Rölli Ridanpaa, who likes nothing better than to light the unconventional, was the ideal man to transform the amusement park into an illuminated wonderland guaranteed
Germany/Italy - ams Osram, a global leader in optical solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Claypaky entertainment lighting business to Germany based ARRI AG. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
Claypaky, established in 1976 and acquired by Osram in 2014, is headquartered in Seriate, Italy and is recognised as a leading brand in the professional high-end entertainment lighting market. The company has a strong reputation for its LED- and laser-based portfolio extensions, and offers an innovative, award-winning portfolio of moving body and moving mirror projectors, colour-changers, followspots, projectors and various lighting effects.
ARRI AG, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a leading designer and manufacturer of camera and lighting systems as well as system solutions for the film, broadcast, and media
USA - North Carolina’s Theatre Raleigh pretty much defines what small professional theatre can and should be. Theatre Raleigh is a regional, non-profit theatre company, operating out of the new Theatre Raleigh Arts Centre, home to four new performance venues ranging from an intimate 70-seat theatre to a 200-seat black box space. The company has served the arts community there since 2005, growing into one of the top theatre destinations in the area, employing both local professionals and Broadway veterans. From 26 October through 6 November, it brought the Broadway hit, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - an adaptation of a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 novel, War And Peace - to its stage. Directed by Tim Seib, the production starred Broadway's Manna Nichols as Natasha and David Toole, a Theatre Raleigh favourite, who played the role of
UK - 21CC Group, an events company based in Scotland, specialising in event design, technical production, hire, sales, fireworks, pyro and special effects has confirmed that they will be bringing the award-winning Ayrton Cobra moving lights to the Scottish events industry as part of a 32 Ayrton fixture deal from Ambersphere Solutions. Geoff Crow, director of 21CC Group says: “We are delighted to be the very first in Scotland with this award-winning piece of equipment and to be working with such high-calibre brands as Ayrton and Ambersphere. This is only set to enhance the stunning productions we create and allow 21CC to take our creativity to the next level.” These fixtures have already appeared at a variety of high-profile and festive events across Scotland; including Tales of the Castle at Stirling Castle, Scottish Canals 200th Anniversary celebrations, Beecrai
Canada - Marc-Antoine Girard - also known as DJ Phoenix - of Ottawa has reinvented the DJ livestream by immersing himself in a virtual world of his own creation with a large virtual lighting setup creatively driven by Obsidian Control Systems’ Onyx platform. The DJ sets stream three times weekly on Twitch with Girard controlling lighting and special effects, virtual camera views and video projection content while mixing electronic dance music and interacting with viewers in a virtual nightclub environment. Stuck at home during the pandemic with no live gig to attend, Girard saw a virtual music festival online and fell in love with the concept. Seeking a challenge and a way out of pandemic lethargy, he first started livestreaming using a green screen but, finding he missed the emotion created with live lighting effects, then decided to jump feet first into learning virtual
UK - The line between the stage and audience quickly becomes blurred to the point of obliteration on Idles’ current world tour. Rocking out the crowd with their relentlessly intense vocals, the award-winning band from Bristol jumps right into things, quite literally, as the guitarists invariably leave the stage at some points in the show to crowd surf the giant mosh pits that gather before them. A key part of the high-octane lightshow that adds to the wildly embracive atmosphere of the band’s performance night after night is an abundance of stage-melting strobing. “Idles take their strobing extremely seriously,” said Ed Warren, their lighting designer. Warren, who has been lighting Idles since 2018, acknowledges that sometimes he wonders if he is strobing too much. However, when he brings this up to the band, their response typically runs along the lines of “
UK - Rockers Alt-J were back on the road again in 2022 having released their fourth studio album The Dream earlier in the year, and their live performance style could be enjoyed with a new lighting design by Davy Sherwin. A striking scenic element of the design was created using 60 x Astera NYX bulbs hung on a series of asymmetric drops from the overhead trusses and attached to specially modified mic stands deployed on the floor. All of this created an organic looking ‘forest’ of NYX Bulbs which were supplied together with the other lighting kit for the UK and European dates by Hampshire-based rental specialist, Liteup. Davy wanted to bring a fresh look to the stage and something that was simultaneously intimate, quirky and interesting, and the NYX Bulb drops were one of the first visual pictures that came to mind when he started imagining the design.
Spain - The 10,000-seat capacity Bilbao Arena this year for the first time hosted the 2022 FIBA Basketball Champions League Final 4 season-ending tournament with over 100 Robe moving lights highlighting the action for a venue packed with enthusiastic basketball fans plus a vast televised audience. In charge of co-ordinating lighting for the event was Iker Gartzia from one of the region’s leading rental companies, Abs Fluge Euskadi S.L (Fluge) which was the official supplier of lighting, sound, and video for this high-profile event. They were working directly for FIBA. The various lighting requirements had to cover several bases. The tournament’s opening event took place at Bilbao’s famous and spectacular paean to modern art and architecture, the Guggenheim Museum, while all the sporting action and the closing ceremony were at the Arena. Lighting inside t
Qatar - UK-based lighting designer Durham Marenghi is no stranger to high-profile events with numerous Winter and Summer Olympics Opening and Closing ceremonies, Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee events, many citywide New Year’s in London celebrations and more to his credit. He recently lit the Opening Ceremony for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which featured large complements of Claypaky Sharpy X Frame, Tambora Linear 100, Xtylos and Sharpy fixtures throughout the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. “The ceremony had many symbolic indications that expressed welcome, generosity and hospitality in Arab culture, as well as contemporary musical, cultural and visual performances that were used for the first time in the tournament,” Marenghi explains. Since the Opening Ceremony took place in a projected world devised by creative director Anghela Alo and the cont
UAE - Created for the largest event ever staged in the Arab world, Expo 2020 Dubai, and part of its legacy District2020 project, DP World Pavilion is a construction comprising five floors of content-led immersive brand experience, with a VIP floor for invited guests and government officials. Creative Technology Systems Integrations (CT SI) Middle East team was awarded the contract for DP World Pavilion, with its team working alongside The OpenLab creative agency, responsible for designing the Pavilion, to supply systems integration of the audio, video, lighting, and control systems for this impressive complex. Based around the concept of ‘Making Trade Flow’, DP World Pavilion’s content gives an insight into the world of global trade. Split over five floors, the lower four floors are dedicated to the public visitor experience, while the fifth floor is used for the
Switzerland - AV supplier Stagelight AG has recently purchased 44 Prologhts EclExpo Flood300VW, a 300W asymmetric LED floodlight with variable white. The company made this acquisition since they are a large supplier of all kinds of events, including trade shows, corporate events, concerts and festivals. Stefan Rüttimann, head of lighting at Stagelight, commented, “We were very impressed with this fixture for its bright output, yet a very compact design and lightweight.” The EclExpo Flood300VW was launched earlier in the year and has been widely successful across companies in many sectors. “We see us using this unit on many types of shows thanks to its flexibility and multipurpose use,” added Stefan. The CCT range from 2,700K to 6,500K is brilliant. The fact that we have DMX and Wireless DMX control makes it much more than a simple floodlight - it means we can
Germany - Prolight + Sound 2023 will be supporting the Women in Lighting initiative with the premiere of the Women in Lighting Lounge and specialised programme formats; the show will draw attention to the achievements of women in the sector and provide impetus for more gender diversity. The lounge is located in Hall 12.0, near the booth of the initiative's entertainment lighting partner, Ayrton. It serves as a central meeting space for female professionals and interested newcomers alike, as a venue for interviews with inspiring personalities and as a source of information about career scenarios. In cooperation with Light Collective, the initiator of Women in Lighting, there will also be topic-relevant lectures and discussion rounds on the Theatre + Light Stage in Hall 12.0 on all days of the fair, as well as daily WIL Meet Ups at the Ayrton stand which provides valuable net