USA - The Proteus Rayzor Edge and Proteus Rayzor Blade are billed as a striking visual combination of linear wash, high-intensity strobe line and SparkLED FX inside a compact IP65 linear fixture design. Envisioned to provide the designer ‘unlimited creative control of powerful colours’ and high-powered strobe effects from a single unit, they allow unlimited placement in any outdoor and indoor environment, greatly enhancing their capabilities, says Elation. Protected from dust and water ingress, they are part of Elation’s industry-leading Proteus range of outdoor luminaires, matching colours and SparkLED effects with the popular Proteus Rayzor 760. Driven by six or 12 independently controlled 60W RGBW LEDs, Proteus Rayzor Edge and Blade provide a powerful beam. The oversized front lenses create a large visual surface on the fixture that is enhanced by the epatent-
South Africa - Idols SA 2021 became the first television show in South Africa to use a fully grandMA3 - software and hardware - lighting control platform, chosen by Joshua Cutts and Andre Siebrits from Visual Frontier to run their lighting design for the final televised segments of the popular and high-profile singing competition. Other ground-breaking aspects for this year’s broadcast shows included a move away from the State Theatre venue in Pretoria after several years, decamping to Studio 10 at the Urban Brew Studios in Johannesburg. With that came the need for a completely different aesthetic approach and treatment. “The objective was to ensure it looked amazing from all camera angles,” explained Josh, adding that his own Idols expertise - this is his 17th series - plus Andre’s fresh eyes as an LD has been “a great combination”. Knowing th
Europe/USA - With fellow General Device Type Format (GDTF) founders MA Lighting and Robe Lighting, global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks has revealed several updates to GDTF - the standard for describing the hierarchical and logical structure and controls of any type of controllable device in the lighting and entertainment industry. The GDTF file format has continued to evolve with input and involvement from manufacturers across the globe and critical feedback from its many adopters, resulting in a newly published update to DIN SPEC 15800:2021. “Receiving recognition in the form of a published update to DIN SPEC 15800:2021 is a testament to the continued evolution and success of GDTF,” comments Vectorworks CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar. “The necessary work will continue to take place to ensure GDTF’s bright future so that its benefits can not only advan
UK - Live music venue, Rock City in Nottingham boosted its house lighting rig for October this year - a busy period including some lively university Freshers Week events - with a rig of 60 Robe moving lights, with extras supplied via rental and production company Zeal. Rock City’s lead project lighting designer Will Brown explained that with the post Covid re-opening of live shows, they wanted to make a big impression, especially to make up for last year when everything had to be cancelled! Will designed lighting to cover an array of events, from popular bands to heaving club nights, as people from all over the city celebrated being able to congregate, have fun together and enjoy live music again. While many bands will bring their own productions and floor packages, historically for crew the venue is famous for band productions loading out while the disco is
Europe - This month sees LED lighting solutions manufacturer Ayrton celebrate its 20th anniversary. “When Ayrton was created, we didn't know at the time, but we were going to revolutionize the world of lighting with a totally disruptive concept, digital lighting,” says Ayrton founder, Yvan Péard. “Over the past 20 years we have created more than 70 extraordinary digital luminaires that are as innovative as they are effective. We are very proud of our achievements and the way we continue to lead the way, pushing technology and design to the limits. This year we are celebrating 20 years of passion, creation and design; 20 years of working with the world's greatest lighting designers, who have placed their trust in us to make the tools they want to use; 20 years of innovation to bring the wildest projects to life.” Péard first brought Ayrton to life in 2001, nam
USA - Spotrack has appointed Apex Technologies as its exclusive North American distributor. Liam Feeney, CEO of Spotrack, explains: “When you take into account the far-reaching knowledge and experience of the Apex team, it’s easy to understand why we are so excited by the prospect of working with them in the United States. The North American market already has a highly distinguished Spotrack client base, and there is huge demand for our products into other market verticals. We are confident that we have found the perfect partner to help release the full potential of Spotrack for the benefit of the US entertainment production community.” Bill Morris, general manager at Apex Technologies, adds: “Spotrack has developed some incredible technologies for follow-spot control that we haven’t seen here in the American market. The ability to interface with fixtures an
Europe - A new F-Drive accessory is now available, simplifying installation and vastly increasing compatibility with third-party LED fixtures. The B-Box4 uses the RJ45 output of an F-Drive card to position up to four channels of Molex, terminal, or RJ45 connections at any location in your installation. With the addition of B-Box, the F-Drive LED power system offers more flexibility to meet each facility’s installation needs. Whether using third-party or ETC-manufactured fixtures, specifiers can simplify the wiring required to connect to the F-Drive unit. F-Drive is a modular, centralized solution for controlling LED luminaires. With easy access to swappable driver cards and power supplies, all critical components are readily accessible for maintenance and updates. F-Drive is available as an R12 rack-mounted solution or a W1 wall-mounted solution. A variety o
UK - Video technology rental company and technical creative production specialists, 80six, recently hosted a series of virtual production Discovery Days at its new virtual production studio facility in Slough. The events were staged in response to the growing appetite for information about virtual production technology and techniques, and allowed those in attendance to gain insights into the world of virtual production. Directors of photography, film and TV producers, cinematographers, and representatives of production and post production houses, all took advantage of the opportunity to explore the workflow and real-time technologies required to power both live and on-set productions. 3LR Lighting Ltd, representative for international manufacturers of architectural, film, entertainment and broadcast lighting and control, was an event partner, alongside ROE Visual, Brom
Austria - Located close to The Graben, one of Vienna’s most famous streets, renowned architect Matteo Thun created the design and atmosphere of Bar Campari, Campari Austria’s flagship location. An Alcons Audio pro-ribbon system delivers the audio. Bar Campari is owned by Peter Friese, of Vienna’s Zum Schwarzen Kameel (The Black Camel), one of the city’s highest profile restaurants. The owners contacted Wolfgang Sauter, founder of Vienna-based systems integrator Pro Performance, with a brief for an audio system that had to deliver quality sound, performance and reliability. It also had to blend in with Bar Campari’s décor, which is based on the lively aesthetics of Italian cafés and the graphics designed by futurist artist Fortunato Depero for Campari in the first half of the 20th century. As well as sound quality, containment was also important, as t
USA - Lighting designer Jeff Croiter and set designer Beowulf Boritt engendered the connection between actors and audience in their work for the current (and fourth) iteration of Freestyle Love Supreme at Broadway’s Booth Theatre by creating an immersive atmosphere that enveloped both the stage and the venue itself. “We want to have a club-like look and feel throughout the theatre as the audience enters,” said Croiter, who was also responsible for lighting the three previous productions of the show. “At times throughout the show, it’s important to be able to have a connection between the audience and stage.” Helping Croiter accomplish this is a collection of Chauvet Professional COLORado 1 Solo and COLORado 2 Solo fixtures supplied by 4Wall Entertainment. The RGBW washes connect to the audience, the moment people begin to enter the theatre. Dra
Europe - ETC’s Eos Family of lighting controllers is known for providing comprehensive, finely tuned control for lighting rigs of all sizes. Now, with the release of Eos v3.1 – the latest major software update for the platform – that control becomes even more customisable to suit any programming style or show. Eos v3.1 is all about you, with new tools that help you set up your workspaces – programming, 3D-visualized, and physical – just the way you want them, says ETC. In a fast-paced show environment, you need quick access to all your content. In Eos v3.1, Custom Direct Selects now support thousands of custom target lists, which you can populate with channels, groups, palettes, scenes, and more – along with new navigation tools to help you page quickly between them. A new icon library lets you add images to both Direct Selects and Magic Sheets so that you can id
Spain - Pixotope has appointed Sergio Cardenas as their regional sales manager for Southern Europe. A specialist in real-time graphics, virtual studios, and virtual reality solutions, Sergio’s previous experience includes roles at companies such as Orad Hi-Tech Systems and Avid Technology. Sergio comments, “Pixotope’s ground-breaking mixed reality and virtual production solutions are leading the market, and I’m really excited to help drive this moment of growth. I’ve been following their technology for a while now and look forward to being part of a team that is pioneering virtual production, providing broadcasters with the tools needed to deliver the most demanding live productions in the world.” This new hire aligns with Pixotope’s growth plans for 2022, which include a number of projects in Southern Europe.
USA - The new IP65 rated COLORado PXL Bar 16 and COLORado PXL Bar 8 from Chauvet Professional deliver a wide range of performance features, such as seamless pixel pitch between fixtures and fast, smooth motorized tilts up to 200ﹾ whether used indoors or out. “We developed this fixture in response to customers who wanted a motorized IP65 rated batten that could be used outdoors at remote broadcast sites, festivals, and amphitheaters, as well as at indoor applications,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “This versatility translates into a faster ROI for our customers.” The COLORado PXL Bar16 has features that will expand creative possibilities for lighting designers, such as its 60ﹾ, 180ﹾ and 200ﹾ motorized tilt range options. Other examples are the 5.8ﹾ to 48.8ﹾ zoom range of its 16 45-watt RGBW LEDs, and its two zones of control for pulsing effe
Germany - In September, the International Motor Show (IAA), the world's largest trade show for passenger cars, took place for the first time in Munich as a new concept, IAA Mobility, focused on future-oriented mobility. TLD Planungsgruppe was responsible for the lighting design, among other things, for the Mercedes-Benz presence and chose Elation KL series luminaires as the lighting solution. The Mercedes-Benz stand was an impressively staged space spread across 3,000sq.m with a total of eight vehicle premieres and the auto manufacturer's electromobility portfolio presented to the specialist audience. "With the new IAA mobility concept at the Munich location, the focus was on solutions on the way to climate neutrality, which also included implementing the manufacturer's presence as sustainably as possible," reports project manager and lighting designer Alexander Orkisch from
USA - To complement the immersive video content featured on Porter Robinson’s Nurture Live Tour, Ben Coker designed and programmed a sophisticated lighting rig featuring Martin Professional MAC Ultra Performance and MAC Aura PXL fixtures controlled by a P3-50 system controller, all provided by Christie Lites. Porter Robinson is an electronic musician and DJ who was nominated for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, named MTVu’s Artist of the Year in 2015 and listed among DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs for seven consecutive years. After releasing his second album Nurture in April 2021, Robinson embarked on a nationwide tour with stops in 22 states. Featuring multiple video walls and a video floor displaying synchronized visual content ranging from abstract animated sequences to picturesque nature scenes, the Nurture Live Tour required a lighting rig to com
Spain - Artists touring to Spain will no longer need visas for short-term engagements in a dramatic change to the current onerous rules. The change follows months of work from LIVE and the Association for British Orchestras (ABO), working alongside Spanish counterparts Asociación Promotores Musicales. The development represents a significant boost for the sector which has, as a result of Brexit and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, seen European touring become more expensive, more complicated, and more difficult to execute. Visas have been a significant issue for Spain which, despite representing the fifth largest live music market in the world, posed the most costly and complicated visa application process across the bloc for artists looking to travel for short-term work. Until now, artists and their promoters have had to make applications for short-term vi
USA - Strand has announced new capabilities for the Vision.Net Gateway that offer DMX connectivity as well as RDM management and dynamic DMX snapshotting without needing a separate lighting console. “As LED architectural lighting has become more advanced and architectural luminaires with DMX and RDM have become available, the integration of these fixtures and the entertainment lighting system has become more common and more complex,” explains Jon Hole, global product manager, Strand and Zero 88 Controls and Systems at Signify. “That’s why we are introducing the Strand Vision.Net 4-Port DMX Interface Gateway Module, an expansion module for the Vision.Net Gateway that allows users to control DMX/RDM luminaires from Vision.Net. We’re also adding basic RDM management into the Vision.Net Gateway as well as dynamic snapshotting that brings more movement and textur
USA - Reaffirming its support for the industry and confidence in its future, Chauvet Professional has announced its plans for a high-profile presence at LDI. The company’s stand (2041) has been designed around the theme Depends on Your Perspective LIGHT and will be showcasing IP65-rated and broadcast lighting fixtures. Featured in this collection of innovations will be the new Maverick Force series of moving fixtures; the Color STRIKE M, an IP65 rated strobe/wash with two white light tubes surrounded by a colour-mixing, pixel-mappable face; and the onAir IP soft light panels, which recently made their debut on the TBS network’s broadcast of the National League Championship Series. In addition to its product introductions, Chauvet Professional will be hosting educational sessions on Friday and Saturday betw
UK - Two FLX S24 consoles from Zero 88 have been supplied by Ross-on-Wye, UK based CJP Broadcast for lighting control in two new broadcast studios for virtual production and television at the University of Sunderland’s David Puttnam Media Centre. CJP’s technical manager James Ruddock, who led the virtual studio installation team, chose the consoles for their power, compact size and footprint, and as, “a good value option for educational applications of all levels with its many features and great functionality as found in larger lighting desks.” CJP Broadcast designed and specified lighting, video, and audio technical elements for both spaces, and installed, integrated, and commissioned the virtual production studio, which is a unique resource where students can gain practical experience and learn the latest state-of-the-art techniques. Zero 88’s FLX co
Belgium - “This time, I wanted texts that stuck to the ribs,” Koen Wauters told an interviewer when discussing Tweesprong, the 13th Dutch- language LP recorded by Clouseau, the band that he and his brother Kris formed in the 1980s. Luc Peumans and his team at Painting With Light have been lighting shows for Clouseau for 25 years, reflecting their evolving sound on stage with richly textured panoramas. Peumans visually captures the essence of Tweesprong with a design that manages to be both bold (in keeping with the spirit of the songs), and inviting to celebrate Clouseau’s return to touring after the pandemic lockdown. “We have been lighting Clouseau for some time, so there is a connection and understanding between us,” said Peumans. “There is a natural process to the creation of a design. For this show, we drew special inspiration from the t
UK - The fourth GlasGLOW event opened hearts and minds as people engaged with the fun and imaginative light art presented by this illuminated trail concept in Glasgow Botanical Gardens in the city’s West End. Two kilometres of lighting, set pieces and narrative magic energised the dark winter evenings, and lighting designer Grant Anderson chose Robe iPointes and iSpiiders to help ramp up the drama for central installation and finale. Grant had used iPointes for 2020’s GlasGLOW3 event, and was delighted with the results, so he spec’d the fixtures again this year to create impressive searchlight beam effects blasting through the air around the finale lighting composition, a large area involving the main lawns transformed into an ocean of pixel dots which was traversed by guests via a central walkway. The iSpiiders were used in this same area, horizontally beaming
UK - HireHop, the company behind the cloud equipment rental software of the same name, has opened agent offices in Australia and South Africa. Due to the ever-increasing number of HireHop users in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, it was felt as a necessity for HireHop to better serve their users by opening local offices to provide support, implementation and training, says the company. Since its release, HireHop has grown in popularity, with not just large rental companies moving to HireHop, but also smaller ones, as HireHop also offers a free for life version, designed for small start-ups to help them grow their business. HireHop was originally launched in 2016 in the UK to offer “future proof, powerful and affordable equipment rental software to hire companies all over the world”, and in that short space of time, it has attracted numerous large and
UAE - Lighting design consultants Foundry has confirmed confirm the expansion of its business to Dubai, building on the success of its London-based operations. Due to a significant increase in demand for projects in the Middle East, Foundry now has a permanent Dubai presence to service the local community. Jason Perks has been appointed by Foundry as the new director of the Dubai studio. He will be responsible for leading projects in the Middle East and other international regions, as well as being part of the strategic team to further develop and grow Foundry. Perks comments: “Having previously lived in Dubai, leading major international brands throughout the gulf region and beyond. I am delighted to be returning to Dubai and growing Foundry’s presence in the Middle East.” Foundry’s director Neale Smith adds: “We are delighted to have expande
USA - Main Light, which has been providing dry hire lighting rentals to the entertainment industry since 1981, has purchased a substantial inventory of Ayrton Perseo Profiles from ACT Entertainment, the exclusive distributor of Ayrton fixtures in North America. Perseo Profile is the first compact multi-function luminaire with an IP65 enclosure rating developed by Ayrton for intensive outdoor use. Perseo’s sleek, minimalist design in lighter-weight, die-cast aluminium is equally useful for indoor applications. Its rich feature set includes framing shutters, 18 interchangeable HD glass gobos on two wheels and a continuous dynamic effects wheel. A subtractive CMY colour mixing system combines with a variable CTO and a wheel with six complementary colours to produce an infinite palette of vivid pastels and saturated colours. “We have been working with Main Light for ma
