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
Europe - The Ecodesign regulations are now applicable to all EU member states after the rules came into force this September. The new regulations include hard-fought exemptions for certain stage and studio lights - these are high-output and point-source (discharge) lights; high-power LEDs with high-colour rendering; high-power LEDs with adaptive colour temperature; specific scenic tungsten sources; high-power LEDs with gate (typically used in moving lights with white light source); colour-tuneable light sources (as used in RGB+ LED spotlights), plus an exemption from the standby power requirements for specialist entertainment lighting fixtures. The revised regulations have been welcomed by the European Entertainment Ecodesign Coalition, the European-wide group of associations representing the entertainment, lighting design, live performance and film/TV sectors.
Denmark - One of Denmark’s longest standing suppliers of light and sound equipment, DLT in Glostrup, has installed the architectural façade lighting for Danish Bank Sparekassen Sjælland-Fyn’s office in Holbæk. DLT’s vision was to create a luminous framework that compliments the building's architecture, whilst simultaneously creating a lively ambiance on the waterfront. To achieve this, DLT has utilised 40 units of Showtec’s Candela Pix 50, creating an ambiance near the waterline that is visible from both the city and much of the Holbæk Fjord. Showtec’s Candela Pix 50 can create the full spectrum of light, enabling the building to be lit in any desired colour or even multiple colours. This enables Sparekassen Sjælland-Fyn to alter the appearance of their exterior as desired, for instance during national holidays or sports matches. The waterproof outdoor l
Portugal - Infinity Furion S401 Spots, iW-1915 RGBW wash moving heads, and Showtec Helix S5000 Q4 RGBW LED wash fixtures were successfully deployed at outside locations during a summer festival in the Algarve in the southern region of Portugal. Geopalcos is a biannual event that aims to connect art, science and nature in the Geopark territory in the Algarve. Artists and scientists are challenged to combine their skills and expertise, and take nature lovers to discover art and science, lead art aficionados through nature and the paths of knowledge, and have the audience relate to their knowledge with the natural and artificially created beauties of their surroundings. On 10 occasions between 29 May and 12 September, at different locations, the public is invited to participate in dialogues between tradition and creativity/innovation, to wander and (re)discover Portuguese
USA - Wilmington, Delaware and Las Vegas, Nevada based lighting rental and dry hire specialist Main Light has invested in more Robe BMFL FollowSpot LT fixtures and motion cameras to boost its inventory of available RoboSpot remote follow spotting systems. Larger quantities of all the RoboSpot elements are needed to keep pace with increasing demand, explained general manager Randy Mullican. The company first invested in this technology shortly after the RoboSpot launch in 2017. Since then, Robe has developed and refined the system, most recently with the introduction of the BMFL FollowSpot LT, a powerful solution for larger venues and covering greater throw distances. It has also increased the number of its moving light ranges that can be controlled via the RoboSpot BaseStations. RoboSpots have been a popular rental item for Main Light from the start, and everyt
South Africa - Johannesburg’s Market Theatre has been on South Africa’s political, cultural, and social frontline since 1976 when it opened as an independent, anti-racist producing house at the height of the apartheid era. Located downtown in the lively Newtown area, the Market Theatre has taken delivery of 50 Robe T1 series LED moving lights as part of an upgrade initiative emanating from SA’s Department of Arts & Culture which is looking to the future and boosting suitability across the arts. These new Robe luminaires will be used across the venue’s three main performance spaces - the John Kani, Barney Simon, and Mannie Manim. The T1s were a major part of a package delivered by Robe’s Southern Africa distributor DWR after winning a competitive tender to supply the venue’s new theatrical / stage lighting elements. The tender was writte
Japan - Netherlands-based Follow-Me has announced Tokyo based TSJ (Technical Supply Japan) as a new distributor. As specialists in the distribution and installation of entertainment lighting technology for touring companies, TV, theatre and discotheques the company has recently been involved in the technical requirements for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Follow-Me founder, Gary Yates comments: “TSJ has been established as one of the premier suppliers to the live entertainment market since 1986. They have a vast amount of experience in the lighting and entertainment industry in Japan and are very pro-active in the promotion of their products. We are proud to announce them as the perfect distribution partner for Follow-Me in Japan. This builds on our expanding network of distributors across all continents.” TSJ now have Follow-Me demo kits available at their
Italy - Founded in 2013, Battiti Live features a selection of leading Italian and international music artists. The annual event consists of a series of concerts held in various locations throughout the region of Puglia. Since 2017, lighting designer Massimo Pascucci, accompanied by programmer Davide Fusco, has created engaging and high impact shows, using the Hog family of lighting desks. Hog 4-18 was the primary console of choice for the 2021 edition, together with a Road Hog console for additional special effects. From a technical point of view, there has always been a desire for Battiti Live to maintain a strong live impact. This remained the case even after leading Italian television channel Italia 1 first started transmitting the event in 2017, and broadcast needs became an important consideration. Since he began working on Battiti Live in 2017, Davide Fus
UK - Calendars lost much of their meaning over the past year, as the pandemic erased so many long-anticipated occasions from their pages. For a group of students at the University of Nottingham, one such date was Monday 12 July, when their already-delayed graduation ceremony was cancelled again due to lingering safety concerns. However, these students made up for lost time when the university held a glittering black-tie ceremony with dinner, dancing and entertainment at Newark Show Ground. Setting an appropriately festive tone for the affair was its technical producer OneBigStar, which oversaw and managed the production of the event. OneBigStar retained the services of lighting designer David Howard and supplied him with a versatile kit that featured over 80 Chauvet Professional fixtures. “We wanted this evening to feel almost like a festival, to erase the disa
USA - Nashville’s new Brooklyn Bowl venue hosted a late night ‘Phish after-party’ following their concert at the Ascend Amphitheatre. Kicking off at 10:30 pm right around the time Phish was finishing their encore with a cover of the Rolling Stones Loving Cup, the after-party featured improvised jam and funk sounds by six-piece band Big Something. Adding to the festive atmosphere was an electrifying Daniel Thibault lightshow that reverberated visually throughout the intimate, 1,200-person venue, filling it with an whirlwind of movement and colours. “I wanted to make this room look its biggest,” said Thibault. “Everything about this band’s sound and stage presence is big.” Thibault, a partner in Life Is Art Studios, added 20 Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures from his company’s own inventory to the house rig, to create the desired immersive atmo
China - Malo Ma, a young gaffer in Hong Kong, has selected ETC’s fos/4 fixtures to light several new video productions. With over a decade of research realized in these studio fixtures, the fos/4 series of luminaires are specifically dedicated to the studio and broadcast market. The fos/4 Panel was used in a recent music video production by the rising female Hong Kong singer Cheronna Ng. Malo leads the lighting of this video production. The music video portrays how the girl pulls herself together from failures and challenges. A fos/4 Panel Daylight HDR (8” x 24”) is used in a few shots in this music video. “The colour is very natural. I like how the colour-mixing with deep red LEDs makes the skin colour tone and other scenes look real and delicate,” commented Malo Ma. “The lightning strikes effect is surprisingly real. It flashes naturally and makes t
USA - Martin Castañon and Victor Ortiz of Darvik Productions provided lighting at the recent Tequila & Taco Festival. Before Vanilla Ice appeared at the popular event, the two met with the multi-platinum rapper’s team to discuss his show. As the conversation progressed, one thing became clear, the star’s team wanted flash, “the flashier the better” specifically strobing. Not having any dedicated strobes on hand, Castañon and Ortiz turned to their rig’s Chauvet Professional Rogue R3X Washes, using the high output (up to 18,260 lux at 5-meters) RGBW fixtures to cover the stage and audience at the Ventura County Fairgrounds with a flurry on intense flashes. “You have to be flexible when working a festival,” said Castañon. “The R3X Washes were great for strobing. We had seven of then flying on upstage truss and seven on midstage. They were stagger
Germany - Bold, bright, vivid with the assistance of Robe moving lights was the look central to Lucas Conradi’s lighting design for the Volkswagen booth at the IAA Mobility 2021 expo in Munich. This was the first international automotive expo open to the public to be staged since the pandemic triggered global lockdowns in March 2020. The client and booth designer was Mutabor Brand Experience, and the lighting equipment was supplied by Cologne Hunters. Lucas, from creative and technical event planners IXPI, was both project and technical manager as well as LD for this booth, and he picked the 15 x Robe Fortes and 36 x Esprites to be a major part of the stand’s lighting art. Four Robe RoboSpot remote follow spotting systems, controlling four of the Fortes, were specified for the flurry of events and presentations during the expo’s press day, and there were a
UK - Boxxer has announced a new partnership with Version 2, which will become an official partner of Boxxer and Sky Sports Boxing. Headquartered in Reading, Version 2 is a lighting rental specialist for the television, broadcast and event industries. The partnership kicks off with this Saturday’s stacked Fight Night at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, headlined by world middleweight champion Savannah Marshall and supported by superstars Chris Eubank Jr., Lewis Ritson and Hughie Fury. Version 2 sponsors Marshall, who will be defending her WBO crown on Saturday, along with new Boxxer signings April Hunter, an undefeated local prospect, and Georgia O’Connor, a former elite amateur making her much-anticipated pro debut. As part of the partnership, Version 2 branding will feature across all pre-event promotional activity during fight week, including at Thursday
