Lighting

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30 May 2024

Sweden - The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) featured an innovative set design at the Malmö Arena where Claypaky Tambora Linear 100 high-power LEDs and Skylos white-laser source searchlights supported the dynamic look of the event’s first 360º stage.

Fredrik Stormby from Stockholm-based Green Wall Designs, the lighting and screen content designer for this year's event, selected the Claypaky fixtures. Stormby is best known as part of the creative team behind Beyonce's 2023 Renaissance tour, Loreen's winning 2023 ESC performance and ABBA Voyage in London. He joined production designer Florian Wieder and the senior production team to help create, design and deliver the large-scale, spectacular show to a global audience of more than 160m people.

The set was a 360-degree experience placed in the middle of the audience and shaped like an eq

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29 May 2024

New Zealand - TES (Technical Event Solutions) is a full production service and rental company based in Christchurch and they were the first such enterprise to invest in Robe Esprite moving lights.

TES prides itself on delivering quality streamlined event solutions and technical services including broadcast, all from one proactive and busy facility in Woolston.

The company was started in 2017 by Alex Wilson, initially working from a 12 x 6m storage unit, and now occupies a 1000sq,m warehouse with 15 full time staff.

Alex’s background is in stage lighting while his business partner Brett Armstrong comes from the world of broadcast AV and IT.

TES grew throughout the covid period partly by being open minded and pivoting to embrace new technologies and services including streaming. “I have a brilliant team here, and we can all multitas

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29 May 2024

Germany - Cameo has introduced the ORON H2, billed as the world’s first IP65 hybrid moving head with a phosphor-laser engine. With its combination of beam, spotlight, and wash and an ‘unrivalled zoom range’ for laser moving heads, the ORON H2 is suitable for flexible use on medium and large stages – both indoors and outdoors. Thanks to its laser technology, the ORON H2 also acts as a future-proof and sustainable alternative for the upcoming EU ban on discharge lamps from 2027, says the company.

The Cameo ORON H2 is based on a 260-watt phosphor laser engine, which acts as an energy-efficient, long-lasting replacement for discharge lamps in the 480-watt class. The laser engine of the ORON H2 has a light output of 330,000 lux at a distance of 20m and a narrow minimum beam angle of 0.6°, which is achieved without the use of a beam reducer. For flexible

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29 May 2024

Denmark - Aarhus-based LED lighting manufacturer DVT Light has appointed Theis Wermuth as its new commercial director. Well-known as an international lighting and show designer via his design studio Create This, Wermuth also has a background working with leading professional lighting manufacturers.

DVT Light was founded in 2021 by Mikkel Bandholm and Peter Johansen who has been inventing products for entertainment since the 1970s.

As commercial director, Theis will be focussing on sales, marketing, and building a distribution network to assist in helping to establish the brand globally. Theis will also energise an extensive network of contacts of lighting professionals.

He states, “I am thrilled to join DVT Light. It is a fantastic opportunity to work with such an innovative and dynamic team. I look forward to contributing to the company's

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29 May 2024

Greece - The Royal & Imperial Belvedere Resort in Chersónisos, Crete, has had its Blue Lounge - pool bar, pool area, lobby and exterior revamped. Highlite's exclusive distributor Sivko Electronics and their regional partner George Solakis were entrusted with the design, supply and implementation.

When Sivko Electronics' partner in the Chersónisos region, George Solakis, contacted them to supply the appropriate equipment for a refurbishment of the Royal & Imperial Belvedere Resort, they immediately switched into high gear to get the project off the ground. George Solakis and crew member Pantelis Nathenas designed the concept, while Kostas Poulis and Sivko Electronics supplied the equipment. Programming was entrusted to Lefteris Katakis.

The redesign also included the external appearance of the hotel, for which they added architectural lighti

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28 May 2024

UK - The Profile Awards theatre category shortlist in association with the ABTT and the ALPD and sponsored by Chauvet, Elation, ETC, Fix8group, GLP, SLX, TSL and Vari-Lite, has been confirmed.

The shortlisted lighting designers for theatre are:

Robbie Butler for Death in Venice, Welsh National Opera and tour

Emma Chapman for The Third Man, Menier Chocolate Factory

Jon Clark for Dear England, and The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre & West End; The Effect, National Theatre; Stranger Things – The First Shadow, West End

Paule Constable for Guys and Dolls, The Bridge

Lee Curran for Romeo and Juliet, The Almeida and King Lear, The Almeida

Jon Driscoll for Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, English National Opera

Oli

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28 May 2024

USA - Robe has announced the passing of Craig Burross, chief sales officer at Robe Lighting Inc. A statement posted on the company’s social media channels reads: “It is with complete devastation and with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of beloved industry veteran Craig Burross.

“From his early career at High End Systems, to his work with Vari-Lite, Craig most recently served as the Chief Sales Officer for Robe Lighting, Inc. where his passion for the entertainment production industry made him one of the most recognized and respected members of our industry.

“Away from the office, Craig was a husband, father, and grandfather to a family whom he loved dearly. His wife Kat was often by his side at industry events, and his son Chase is also a member of the Robe North America team.

“When speaking about Craig, one can hones

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28 May 2024

USA - Brown Note Productions, the Denver-area company specialising in 360º full-service production for concerts, tours, music festivals and special events, has invested in 150 Ayrton Rivale Profiles. The new fixtures were quickly dispatched for two back-to-back dates at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison for dance music star Black Coffee and artist Illenium.

The IP65-rated Ayrton Rivale Profile projector delivers creativity, subtlety and power – the most versatile fixture created by Ayrton to date. It offers ‘unprecedented’ performance for its size and weight and features continuous rotation of the pan and tilt movement.

“We already have Ayrton Diablos, MagicPanel FX and Perseos in our inventory and were looking for additional fixtures in a smaller form factor than Perseo,” says Brown Note president Ryan Knutson. “I spend a lot of ti

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28 May 2024

The Netherlands - In late April, CAS Exhibition Partners took delivery of 250 KL PAR FC LED PAR lights from Elation for use in the leading exhibition contractor’s many stand builds across Europe.

Useful in setting the ambiance of an exhibition stand, reinforcing a theme, and adding depth and dimension to enhance the overall visual appeal of a space, the new full-colour-spectrum lights can also play more functional roles like highlighting products, signage and displays. Either way, the KL PAR FC’s high colour quality and adaptability will serve to captivate visitors and reinforce brand imaging for CAS customers.

CAS Exhibition Partners offers full-service exhibition build services and takes pride in their commitment to innovation and improvement. That dedication includes ensuring the overall quality of stand lighting by maintaining their own high-

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28 May 2024

UK - LSI Projects has announced the passing of its business development manager, Richard Bunting. A statement from the company reads: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Richard Bunting, our esteemed business development manager. Richard's unexpected departure has left us all in shock and mourning, and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of working with him.”

Richard joined LSI Projects in 2005, bringing a wealth of industry experience and a passion for the industry in which he had been involved in for more than 30 years.

The statement continues: “Richard was a respected colleague and an inspiration to many. His ability to build strong relationships, both within the team and with our clients, supply chain and the consultant community, was unparalleled, helping LSI solidify its reputation as a truste

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28 May 2024

UK - The Production Futures mission to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in production, was brought into focus recently when Peter Bird, last year’s winner of its Breakthrough Award for Lighting Newcomer, took charge of designing the lighting for the organisation’s PF Talks stage at its Manchester On Tour event.

Peter, who is studying theatre and performance technology at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, collaborated by invitation with supplier Lights Control Rigging (LCR) to deliver lights for the focal point of the event which took place at the AO Arena. Steve Bliss led the LCR project team and takes up the story:

“We were approached by Production Futures to provide the main stage lighting package for their biggest show yet at the AO Arena in Manchester. We had an initial video

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24 May 2024

Sweden - The Eurovision Song Contest, a broadcast seen by over 160m people worldwide, relies on wireless DMX. When Creative Technology, official event supplier, reached out to discuss the challenges of this year’s production, the LumenRadio team along with its OEM partners jumped into action.

Eurovision deployed seven Steadicams and shoulder cams to capture the performance for the broadcast. Each camera was equipped with Aputure MC Pro battery powered pocket lights that featured LumenRadio’s TimoTwo OEM modules for their DMX data reception.

With the concert-style lighting constantly changing, the cameras needed to have an adjustable light source to maintain the video quality being captured. Controlling them wirelessly allowed for full movement of the Steadicam Ops, freeing them to focus on getting the best shot. Using cables was never an option

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24 May 2024

Australia - The 2024 PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival celebrated some of the best of Australian fashion design with a main show space at the Royal Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne – recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a prime example of 19th century international exhibition architecture.

All Lighting and AV equipment for the week-long festival was supplied by full production services provider, Harry the Hirer Productions led by technical producer Marcus Pugh.

He worked closely with lighting designer Hugh Taranto who used 28 x Robe Esprites to craft a flexible lighting aesthetic for the space that would deliver great looking shows for all the diverse and different collections.

The event also featured numerous associated off-site shows, business-related seminars, workshops, entertainment, and music performances across the c

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24 May 2024

Côte d'Ivoire - Located in Port-Bouet on the Atlantic coast of West Africa's Côte d'Ivoire, the Abidjan Exhibition Centre is the largest exhibition centre in West Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, with a capacity of 6,000-seated and 10,000 standing.

Designed by architect, Pierre Fakhoury, it first opened its doors in July 2023 to host trade shows, fairs and major events in the region. Its elegant sweeping exterior is matched by its advanced technology within. Its halls are equipped with a consignment of Ayrton Zonda 9 FX, Eurus and Huracán LED fixtures, specified by G.S.L lighting designer, Guillaume Sarrouy and supplied by PFO Construction and the State of Ivory Coast for installation by G.S.L of Avignon, France.

G.S.L. explains the reasons for its choice of Ayrton fixtures: “G.S.L. has worked with Ayrton products on several occasions and we find

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24 May 2024

Austria - Prolights Arena Cob4FC lit Christina Stürmer's MTV Unplugged concert, an event celebrating the 20-year career of the Austrian pop-rock singer. The live broadcast from the Volkstheater in Vienna was produced by Das Rund, set in an environment evoking the intimate atmosphere of a rehearsal room, creating a welcoming and relaxed ambiance.

Under the artistic direction of Thomas W. Kiennast from Das Rund, Manfred Nikister designed a lighting setup that included 29 Arena Cob4FC units from Prolights, strategically positioned to maximize visual impact both on stage and in the surrounding scenery.

These LED blinders, supplied by Prolights distributor Lightpower, stood out for their ability to visually define the stage space and provide quality lighting - essential qualities for television filming.

"When designing for an unplugged s

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23 May 2024

USA - Elation lighting has long been a staple of Coachella shows, and this year’s edition of Southern California’s premier music festival was no exception, with the event awash in Elation lighting technology. The newly revamped Sahara Tent, an anchor of the festival’s electrifying atmosphere, was adorned with over 950 Elation lights, while Elation gear also graced the Main Stage, Quasar Stage, and Outdoor Theatre.

Coachella delivered yet another diverse and eclectic experience across two weekends in April, featuring 147 acts across eight stages. Todd Roberts, of Production Design Works, spearheaded the production and lighting design for the Sahara Tent, incorporating a myriad of Elation lighting fixtures supplied by Aspect Lighting.

Roberts is a Coachella production original, having worked the festival since its inception. Shifting from the Out

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23 May 2024

USA - Empowered by X-Laser fixtures and Mercury Laser Control firmware, Ben Jarrett of Squeek Lights in Sayreville, N.J. designed the lighting for metalcore band Beartooth on their 2024 North American tour.

“In our early design meetings, Caleb [Shomo, lead singer for Beartooth] talked about bringing an arena-style show to smaller and mid-sized venues,” Jarrett said. “Whether that night’s stop was at a 3,000-capacity theatre or a 900-capacity club, he wanted every show to come at you and feel like it was taking place in a much larger setting.”

To accomplish this, Jarrett and the Squeek Lights team knew the Beartooth stage had to generate immense lighting output to provide that big arena feel from a smaller footprint. The band wanted numerous special effects as part of the design, and lasers played a major part in creating those big, impactfu

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23 May 2024

Europe - Showtec has added four new models to its ACT series that now includes a number of fresnel, ellipsoidal, par and flood lights. Like the existing models, the new Par 200 W RGBAL, Par 200 W CW/WW, Par 200 W UV and Flood 200 RGBAL are designed for use in theatres, on stages and even at business events.

The new models strengthen the ACT series by adding three new pars and one flood light to the range. Each one is equipped with a powerful 200 W LED designed for a specific purpose. In keeping with rest of the ACT series, accurate colour rendering, manual control options, optimised beam angles and silent operation are features of the new models.

The Par 200 W RGBAL is a versatile indoor spotlight with an RGBAL LED light source that is capable of producing a wide range of colours. In addition to control via DMX, manual control is possible using the o

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23 May 2024

USA - The Detroit Lions held a reveal event for their new uniforms at their Ford Field home, drawing thousands of fans. The same stage was also used for the Detroit Lions NFL Draft Party. Both events were executed flawlessly, thanks to the dedicated effort and teamwork of 4Wall Entertainment’s Detroit crew.

Led by VP of live events Joe Leahy, the 4Wall team of Kareem Harris, Gary McGarity, Ross Zhang, Xavier Williamson, Jason Dunk, Robert McGoldrick, Jon Sogoian, Johnny Pike, Michael Gallacher, Brian Lavender, Tommy Minkowski, Joshua Ruhlman, and Rahul Samuel set a stylish, upbeat tone for the reveal event.

Helping them in this effort were 113 Chauvet Professional fixtures, including 14 Maverick MK3 Washes, 48 COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens, 14 Color STRIKE M strobe-washes, 14 STRIKE Array 4 blinders, 20 EPIX Strip IP one-meter linear units,

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23 May 2024

USA - Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors recently wrapped a run promoting their latest album, Strangers No More. With deep Tennessee roots, the band is now no stranger to working with neighbours Bandit Lites, who provided lighting designer Dominic Hickman a package consisting of Elation Smarty Hybrids, Martin VDO Atomic Bolds and Robe Spikie fixtures.

Hickman drew inspiration from classic theatre shows, balancing the same timeless, dramatic ambiance with modern technology to transform the stage where past meets the present.

“A lot of Drew’s big hits in the show are a CTO colour,” said Hickman. “I believe white was only used for two songs (and for just a chorus), but I loved being able to capture the warmth of stages on big songs then with the slower songs bring it down to cool tones. With the set of songs, colour was the pictures in Drew

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22 May 2024

USA - City Theatrical now offers three standard beam control accessories designed to fit Martin Lighting’s MAC Viper XIP lighting fixture, which includes the MAC Viper XIP Follow Spot Handle, MAC Viper XIP Concentric Ring, and MAC Viper XIP Hexcel Louver.

These three beam control accessories were developed based on City Theatrical’s understanding of the unique accessory needs of lighting professionals, and the high demand for this moving light fixture in the market. City Theatrical currently offers 40+ styles of beam control accessories for 15 different Martin Lighting moving light fixtures, which are available through the City Theatrical dealer network.

City Theatrical’s engineers and craftspeople design and create lighting accessories, like the new MAC Viper XIP Follow Spot Handle (P/N 2815), based on working with designers and manufacturers

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22 May 2024

USA - Obsidian Control Systems has introduced a comprehensive range of data distribution products under the Netron series, tailored for system integrators and fixed installations. These products prioritise reliability and performance and help in the management of complex networked lighting systems.

The Netron Integration Series has been created to integrate flawlessly with the ONYX lighting control platform yet is compatible with all other manufacturers’ lighting control systems, making it a universal solution for a multitude of setups.

The initial products in the series are available now, with more solutions set to debut soon.

Netron EP1 This compact device functions as an Ethernet to DMX gateway, featuring a single RDM-compatible port. Designed for effortless integration into single-gang wall mounts, trusses, or standalone setups, it offe

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21 May 2024

Brazil - Ayrton has announced Newart Iluminação Ltda as its exclusive distributor for Brazil. The appointment takes place with immediate effect.

“We chose to become an Ayrton distributor because of the brand’s industry-wide reputation for innovation, quality and reliability, and because Ayrton products are highly recognized for their performance, versatility and design,” says Newart Iluminacao owner and managing director, Francisco Pinheiro. “We are excited to become part of the Ayrton network and look forward to contributing to the brand's success by providing a high level of service to our customers.”

Established in 2001, Newart Iluminacao is an established lighting distribution company with more than two decades of experience in the industry. It specialises in the distribution of high-quality professional lighting to rental companies

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21 May 2024

USA - Magic Reinvented Nightly, magician Mat Franco’s current Las Vegas residency, is staged at the Mat Franco Arena at the LINQ Hotel+Experience.

Production lighting designer Scott Chmielewski from design studio DMDS7UDIOS was first asked to create a lighting environment for this show in 2020 when it launched. Scott has worked with creative director / producer Brian Burke on top TV shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent and has crafted his own multidisciplinary lighting aesthetic blending the theatrical with the televisual.

The Mat Franco show – under the artistic direction of scenic designer Joe O’Neill was initially planned to run for five years – and received a quick refresh during the COVID period, followed by a full production and room re-design in February 2023. This last update brought large qua