USA - Head on Collision was not one of New Found Glory’s bigger hits, but the 2002 song lives on today, at least indirectly. A year after the metal track was released, a line from its chorus inspired the name of what would become one of this era’s most popular and influential bands, All Time Low. This would not be the last time that the quartet from Baltimore would draw a spark of inspiration from an outside musical source and infuse it with a new level of energy and meaning. Like a giant river fed by countless streams, All Time Low has fused a multitude of influences into a genre-smashing sound that is all their own. The diverse, far-reaching scope of their music is on full display on the current Sad Summer Festival/ Side Summer tour that the band is headlining. Visually reflecting their diverse sound is a multi-faceted production design by Jeff Mathews and
UK - The Curve in Leicester saw a welcome return to live audience performances with a run of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a new production that is part of the venue’s socially distanced season. An eye-catching lighting design was created by Ben Cracknell for this in-the-round show directed by the theatre’s artistic director Nikolai Foster, featuring a talented cast including Lloyd Webber musical stars and a live band. Ben utilised some Robe T1 Profile moving lights for key lighting, which were rigged on two of six trussing pieces on an automation system. These started off almost on the floor looking like part of a pile of abandoned tech kit in a dusty old theatre, shuttered during the lockdowns – part of a minimalist production design by Colin Richmond. As the show kicked off and came alive, the cast pulled dust sheets off the piles of ‘discarded e
Europe - Prolights has introduced the Astra Wash7Pix IP, a new IP-rated moving-wash with the same features and characteristics as the newly released Astra Wash7Pix. The Astra Wash7Pix IP contains seven RGBW 40-Watt LED emitters, outputting upwards of 4,000 lumens,with a default 8,000K cool-white beam or 6,000K in studio mode. The fixture includes the same proprietary front lens and glass lighting rods as the indoor version and protected with a coating technology that helps increase the brightness, protecting lenses from surface scratches and adding anti-static properties to avoid dust deposits. The Astra Wash7Pix IP has a rugged and completely sealed chassis made of aluminium alloy, with internal components treated with an IP coating, guaranteeing an IP65 water and dust-tight design for lasting outdoor applications. Since it is completely sealed, the fixture doesn't r
Switzerland - Winkler Livecom AG has invested in a large number of the new, outdoor-compatible Fusion MBL 40 LED floodlights from GLP. The MBL 40 was largely developed following an original inquiry from Winkler Livecom, explains Ronald ‘Roni’ Huber, head of technical development at the Swiss company. “We were looking for an LED floodlight that corresponded to an HQI 400 spotlight in terms of brightness. In addition, the luminaire needed to be suitable for outdoor use (IP65), have a flexible colour temperature, be both manually operable and controllable via DMX and, of course, be attractively priced,” says Huber. “This combination was actually not available on the market at the beginning of 2019,” he continues. “We then approached some manufacturers informally with the idea of developing such a product – but the enthusiasm was limited. With Oliver Schwen
USA - After being idle because of the pandemic, Swedish metal stars Avatar were eager to return to touring with a bold, new look. The band’s long-time lighting designer Jimmy Olausson obliged by introducing an element of constructive chaos that reflected their bold sound. Aiding him in this undertaking on their North American tour was a rig that featured a collection of Chauvet Professional ÉPIX Strip, Rogue and COLORado fixtures owned by the band. In a bid to challenge traditional audience expectations, Olausson and the band designed the show to be expansive, unleashing more and more lights and video content as the show unfolds. Key to this gradual build up is the introduction of Olausson’s custom visual content, which are played via Resolume over 96 ÉPIX Strips, 48 of the units positioned upstage, while the remaining 48 equally divided between stage left and stage r
UK - A new Anolis Eminere LED lighting design by architectural lighting practice Pritchard Themis is gracing the front facades of Waltham Forest Town Hall in East London. The impressive Grade II listed building is the HQ of Waltham Forest London Borough Council, and the exterior lighting scheme was part of a substantial two-year refurbishment and upgrade project involving the whole building and its immediate environs. HawkinsBrown architects was appointed to transform the stripped classical style Town Hall opened in 1942 into an integrated modern workspace combined with a lively civic campus that would welcome staff, visitors, and residents to the heart of a thriving and diverse east London community. As part of that masterplan, HawkinsBrown tasked the Pritchard Themis team with crafting the exterior lighting. A stylish signature white illumination was
Egypt - The powerful output and rich colours of the VLZ range of luminaires from Vari-Lite were harnessed to light up Egypt’s treasured historic landmarks for a procession of 22 ancient Pharaohs through the streets of Cairo. The Golden Parade event, which showcased the mummified pharaohs as they were transported from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations four miles away in al-Fustat, Old Cairo, was organised by The Ministry of Tourism and Antiques. The event’s technical production team approached Hamed Arafa of rental house Hi-Lights Group - a Vari-Lite and Strand distributor in Egypt - who proposed Vari-Lite VLZ Profile and VLZ Wash luminaries to bring light and colour to the visual spectacle. “Using Vari-Lite products for this culturally significant task was our only recommendation,” comments Hamed Arafa. “For t
USA - ADJ has announced the launch of its Mirage Q6 PAK wireless up-lighting system. Designed to cover all the requirements of lighting and event professionals, this all-in-one package features six IP65-rated, battery-powered and wirelessly controllable LED par fixtures along with a purpose-built charging road case. Together with long-life batteries and long-range wireless receivers, the fixtures offer a variety of features including an in-built anti-theft alarm system. Each individual Mirage Q IP fixture incorporates four 10W 4-in-1 RGBA colouring mixing LEDs, which combine to create a potent wash of coloured light with a concise 11-degree beam angle. By varying the intensity of the independent red, green, blue, and amber elements within each LED, the fixture is able to generate a wide variety of richly saturated colours. In addition to full colour mixing control, the unit
Europe - Ayrton has announced the arrival of Huracán LT, the latest in its range of long-throw fixtures designed specifically for stadium and arena use. Huracán LT generates an ultra-intense beam with the utmost precision and is ideal for creating the kind of choreography that is as graphic as it is breath-taking. Huracán LT can project over extreme distances, targeting a far-off subject with ‘nuance, finesse, power, and true precision’. A 225mm front lens forms part of the proprietary optical system of 13 lenses delivering a 15:1 zoom ratio and an impressive zoom range of 3.5 to 53°. A new, high-efficiency 1000W LED module delivers a record light output of 51,000 lumens at a colour temperature of 6700K, with a CRI greater than 70, and a factory-equipped, removable high-transmission diffusion filter erases the edge of the beam without changing its angle, ensur
USA/UK - The DALI Alliance has published two new technical guides that give more details about the DALI specifications for wireless and IP-based connectivity. One guide examines wireless lighting control with DALI gateways, whilst the other explores the DALI+ specification for providing DALI lighting control over wireless and IP-based networks. Both guides are available for free at www.dali-alliance.org/downloads. Based on the open global standard IEC 62386, DALI was originally built around wired networks, but has recently broadened its scope to encompass wireless applications. The two new guides set out different ways of using wireless connectivity for lighting control, giving designers the flexibility to match the control system to their specific requirements.
Canada - To bring a combination of hyper-realistic daylight looks and classic theatrical lighting to the production of Schmigadoon!, director of photography Todd Elyzen, lighting programmer Jason McKinnon and gaffer Bill Kassis deployed more than 200 Martin Professional MAC Encore Performance CLD fixtures supplied by Christie Lites. Schmigadoon! is a six-episode Apple TV+ streaming series based on the 1947 musical Brigadoon, starring Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a couple who find themselves transported into a golden-age musical. Set in an idyllic mountain village and full of dance numbers and homages to iconic musicals, Schmigadoon! required a combination of realistic daylight illumination and exaggerated theatrical lighting. Since much of the show was shot on elaborate sets with a 40ft-high, 360-degree blue screen for digital set exten
USA - The 2021 MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards) was back in-person, in style and with a live audience at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York City as the event celebrated its 40th year. Lighting designer Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design worked closely with a team including creative director Paul Caslin, camera director Joe Demaio and set designer Julio Himede of Yellow Studio. Over 300 Robe moving lights featured. The Robe count included 204 BMFL WashBeams, 80 MegaPointes and 50 Pointes which graced the rig together with a 16-way RoboSpot remote followspot system. Last year was Tom’s first lighting this high-profile entertainment industry event and 2020 had also been special as it was the only VMAs to be staged virtually with an array of remote performances. This year, Tom’s starting point for lighting was Julio’s striking set which included a 45ft hi
USA - ACT Entertainment, the newly-formed entity borne from the merging of the ACT Lighting and RHC Holdings families of companies, will exhibit under its new branding for the first time at InfoComm 2021 (stand 5753). With a heritage in several key markets such as pro AV, installation, broadcast, touring/live, retail, house of worship, film and television, and industrial markets, ACT Entertainment streamlines all of its brands into ‘a collective, market-focused approach’. In recognition of this new business objective, the company will be showcasing its recently-launched Just Networking brand, along with MA Lighting, ProCo Sound and Ayrton products, at the show. “With the entertainment industry among the hardest hit through the pandemic, we recognised the importance of creating one unified, efficient approach to servicing each of our markets as they rebound,
UK - On the East coast of Yorkshire, Bridlington is a popular seaside destination for days out and family holidays. Lacking any major redevelopment for almost three decades, the seafront’s public spaces were in need of regeneration. So in 2019, East Riding of Yorkshire Council embarked on an ambitious £4m project to transform an area between Garrison Square and Regent Gardens, reinvigorating the space with a new, colourful look. Crucial to the revitalisation plan was the installation of new lighting elements within the communal areas. Lighting design practice, Sutton Vane Associates, was appointed by engineering consultants Sweco to design a lighting scheme that added vibrancy to the site whilst also providing a practical benefit after dark. To help realise their creative vision for the location, Sutton Vane Associates commissioned outdoor lighting specialis
UK - The hit Starz TV series Outlander has captivated global audiences with its intensely visceral tale centred around time travel. And with the passage of time comes change, which is something that Jon Towler can appreciate as lighting programmer and console operator for the programme. Towler, of Nineteen Sixtyone began working on Outlander when it debuted in 2013 at the invitation of its HOD gaffer Scott Napie and has been with the programme for all six seasons since. In that time, the show has made a major transition from tungsten and HMI heavy lighting into a rig consisting mostly of LED fixtures. “Things change, and as technology has advanced, the lighting has transitioned dramatically,” saysTowler. “The biggest surprise to me was how quickly the show embraced LED & wireless DMX. To give you an idea of how dramatically things changed, we st
USA - Chauvet Professional’s new onAir IP series is designed to deliver on location ‘regardless of rain, dust, heat, or snow’. The first of the company's fully IP65-rated series of soft light LED panels, these all-weather fixtures are suited to move from indoor to outdoor projects, including music videos, red carpet events and on location remotes, says Chauvet. Available in three sizes, the onAir IP offers an effective broadcast lighting solution for a variety of setups, including close ups, as well as projects filmed in small to medium quarters. All three models in the onAir IP family have a 90+ CRI and equally impressive TM-30 score, as well as +/- Green adjustment, and onboard emulated red-shift control via CRMX wireless control and DMX. The largest of the three, the onAir IP Panel 2, is a 2x1 format 372W panel that delivers 23,000 peak lumens. Next in s
USA - The Broward Centre for the Performing Arts collaborated with Pro Sound Inc.’s Stage Equipment & Lighting division to create a lighting system featuring Martin Professional fixtures for the newly-renovated Parker Playhouse theatre. Founded in 1967, the Parker Playhouse is a beloved fixture of the local Fort Lauderdale arts community, hosting a variety of Broadway shows, plays, concerts, dance and educational events for the past 54 years. In 2020, a $30m renovation and restoration project transformed the building from a historical playhouse into a modern live music venue. Now known as The Parker, the theatre is set to welcome back audiences and host a wide variety of events this fall, from educational children’s shows to rock concerts by artists including Rick Springfield and Lindsey Buckingham. As part of the effort to transform The Parker into a multiface
Argentina - Progressive house DJ Hernán Cattáneo looked back at the history of progressive house music in a live concept show called Future Memories at the Teatro Gran Rex in Buenos Aires on 18-19 September. Lighting designer and director Sergio Lacroix utilised 32 Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures to bring the past into the future for a show that represented much more than Cattáneo’s back catalogue. Classic progressive house music has been termed “a boundless adventure” which takes the listener on a journey to uncharted territory. The four-act Future Memories followed that path with Cattáneo and his colleagues creating different visions for the audience in an environment merging audio and visual elements. “Accompanying a show of quasi-pure electronics, the visual role was the protagonist to carry the experience forward,” explains La
USA - SJ Lighting created spectacular lighting production designs for four stages and the Main Stage VIP area at the 2021 Miami Rolling Loud Festival which took place over three days / nights at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens in Florida, offering 75,000 hip hop fans their first chance to see A$AP Rocky, Post Malone, Travis Scott, and many more artists perform live since March 2020. On three of these stages, Robe moving lights were integral to the design spec. Ninety-two MegaPointes graced the Ciroc (Main) Stage, while the Audiomack stage featured 66 x MegaPointes and 36 x BMFL Blades, with lighting for both of these supplied by 4Wall’s Miami office. Twenty-four Spiiders for the DRYP Stage were supplied by New York and Miami based event technology specialist, Technical Arts Group (TAG), together with the other lighting for this space. SJ Lighting’s pr
USA - Glendale, California’s Kinetic Lighting has acquired more than 70 Ayrton Diablo-S fixtures to stock its rental inventory and supply a wide range of productions the company supports. The versatile, feature-rich, 300W profile luminaires are Kinetic’s first Ayrton purchase. Ayrton lighting fixtures are distributed exclusively in North America by ACT Entertainment. Diablo is the smallest, lightest and most efficient luminaire in its category with a record output of 19,000 lumens in a package weighing less than 22 kg. Diablo-S is especially designed for stage applications and equipped with a monochromatic LED light source that can generate extremely high output and metallic white light calibrated at 7000 K. “When our ACT rep, Eric Abad demo’d Diablo for us the entire team was blown away – we were really impressed,” recalls David Rosen, president of Kinetic
USA - For The Gather Again Tour, the Eric Church lighting crew selected the new Martin Professional MAC Ultra Performance LED fixtures for an intimate yet large-scale lighting experience. In support of his new triple album Heart & Soul, Eric Church set out on The Gather Again Tour this fall with the intention to unite fans and celebrate the return of live music. While the shows take place in arena-sized venues, the stage is set up in an intimate, in-the-round style where the audience surrounds the performer from all sides. Despite being large-scale events, a prominent theme of Eric Church shows is the sense of community and gathering among fans - an aspect that was all the more potent following 18 months of cancelled tours and postponed shows. For the Eric Church lighting team, the main challenge was to design a rig that covered both the audience and the ban
USA - Italian professional lighting brand DTS will attend LDI for the first time since 2016 when the show returns to Las Vegas in November. DTS had announced an exclusive partnership with American distribution company Apex technologies in July 2021, marking its official return to the American market. Members of both companies will be attending the event. DTS will be stationed at booth 2748 and will showcase its latest wash moving head Alchemy 7, designed to meet the everchanging needs of theatre and television. A range of projectors from DTS’s entertainment line will also be at the exhibition like Synergy 7, profile moving head whose output reaches up to 55,000 lumen. Carmen Savarese, international sales manager at DTS comments, “We’re very glad to be able to attend this year as our company’s return to the United States marks the start of a new chapter
USA - Additional methods to control the colour output of light sources have been added to the DALI-2 certification programme, which is operated by the DALI Alliance. DALI-2 certification is built on open, international standards and is focused on device interoperability, backed by independent verification of test results. The DALI Alliance has added DALI-2 tests for LED drivers and other control gear that use two colour types, known as RGBWAF and xy. These DALI-2 options are now available alongside colour type Tc (widely known as tunable white). Colour type RGBWAF allows simple control of up to six individual channels of colour (red, green, blue, white, amber and free colour). For more sophisticated control, colour type xy allows precise and repeatable selection of the colour coordinates from the CIE colour space chromaticity diagram. Colour type Tc allows control of t
USA - On their recent 19-city tour, PVRIS’ free flowing music took flight against the richly textured background of a Lenny Sasso lighting design that mirrored the passion and complexity of the band’s performance. Moving from ambers to bold reds, and soft washes to intense strobing and sweeps, Sasso’s lightshow stayed with the varied and deeply felt emotions of the music every step of the way. A critical piece of Sasso’s rig were the 28 CHAUVET Professional F6 IP linear video strips that dominated the centre stage. Supplied by Sonus Productions of Moorestown, NJ, the strips were arranged vertically along two upstage rows of 10-units each, with the remaining eight fixtures flanking the drum and bass risers. Feeding the strips content from Resolume, Sasso used them to set a variety of moods on stage. “I used a combination of prebuilt Resolume packs, plus a few
