France - More commonly known by her stage name, Izïa, Izïa Higelin is the rock star daughter of 70s pop legend Jacques Higelin. The Senegal-born actress and musician recently completed a 24-date French tour on the back of her new album, Citadelle. It took an inspired deployment of GLP’s X4 atom, with its tiny form factor, by the artist’s LD, Jordan Magnée, to provide an imaginative backdrop. The result was a tiltable matrix of 96 atoms (from a total complement of 124 pieces), each with a 30W full-colour LED source, to bring the scenography to life. These were mounted on a structure fabricated by S Group, which also supplied the fixtures, having purchased them specifically for the tour. The versatility of the atom was demonstrated in the 9:1 zoom ratio - from a wide 34° wash down to a tight 3.5° beam - that enabled a constant variation of narrowing or ex
USA - ADJ has expanded its range of theatrical stage lighting products with the release of the new FS3000LED follow spot. This professional-calibre LED-powered fixture generates a powerful spot that is suitable for tracking performers at live productions, theatre stages and churches. Offering a rich feature set and various control options, paired with a high CRI, it is a modern follow spot designed to meet all the needs of a modern theatrical setting, says the company. The FS3000LED utilises the latest LED technology to produce a bright, clear and sharp output. Its 300W white C.O.B. (Chip On Board) LED source has a 6000K colour temperature and delivers approximately 8500 lumens of output with a high CRI of 95. The unit’s lenses and precision-designed optics make for an even light output that can be adjusted, using the manual focus feature, between a crisp spot and a less-d
USA - Martin Professional has expanded the ELP Series of LED ellipsoidal fixtures with IP65-rated variants. The Martin ELP WW IP (Warm White) fixture provides quality colour rendering and brightness, while ELP CL IP (Colour) delivers rich, saturated colours and ‘class-leading output’. Now, both fixtures are available in IP65-rated variants, which offer water resistance and complete dust protection while still providing the same quality of light, performance and ease of use. Featuring optic assemblies designed in Denmark by the team behind MAC Encore, ELP IP are designed to maximise efficiency and deliver a flat field of illumination for smoother blending and mixing between fixtures. The ELP WW IP delivers 7,000 lumens of output and an industry-leading 97 CRI at 3000K-color temperature, for the truest color representation on any surface. The ELP CL IP fixture offe
UK - From the outside, the complex of buildings at 21-25 Bonville Road, Brislington, Bristol, doesn’t look markedly different than it did in 2019. Inside, however, a quiet revolution is underway. The building’s owner, Pytch, which until recently was known as SXS Events, has been busily reinventing itself since the COVID-19 lockdown brought its thriving live event business to a sudden and complete halt. Almost immediately after the pandemic hit, the company began looking for ways to repurpose its extensive inventory of equipment, as well as the vast pool of skills, experience and knowledge possessed by its team members. First came Intelligo, an all-in-one digital platform that makes it easier for schools to implement online learning programmes. More recently, Pytch launched The Virtual Venue, a powerfully-equipped production space that, in only its first month, has
Germany - MA Lighting has unveiled a new member of its grandMA3 onPC solutions range: the grandMA3 onPC command wing XT. grandMA3 onPC command wing XT is billed as a versatile solution for smaller and mid-sized installations and shows, streaming studios as well as a powerful pre-programming and backup tool on the road. It is built to the same standards of quality in software and hardware that are applied to the entire grandMA3 product range. As a member of the grandMA3 family, the grandMA3 onPC command wing XT uses the same user interface as the other grandMA3 consoles. It therefore allows new users to learn the MA user interface from start and later seamlessly switch between this solution and other grandMA3 consoles. Furthermore, newcomers will benefit from the amount of free trainings and webinars MA offers which allows them to quickly build up their skills. E
USA - Christopher Robin, a production manager at Star Design Event Services of Morgantown, put together the stage for an Independence Day concert by Top 40 recording artists The Davisson Brothers. Unlike the usual summer concerts, he’s worked on, which take place before large crowds at a park or music venue, this one happened in front of only a few fans in the parking lot of a motorcycle dealership. Most of the fans who saw this show viewed it on a large drive-in screen at a nearby park. Others who saw it through the social media platforms of the 18 country music stations that carried it in West Virginia. “This was probably the first time we did a multi-site hybrid show that was ‘live’ before a small group of people and livestreamed over different formats,” said Robin. “Like everyone in an industry that is changing all around us, we are adapting to a new no
USA - As the live entertainment industry looks for new ways to engage people in a post COVID-19 world, Bandit Lites, Moo TV and Clair Global joined forces to offer a safe and controlled venue to artists at the Steel Mill, Nashville, complete with a full production turnkey studio. The full production studio includes a 60’ x 40’ stage area with a lighting rig comprised of over one hundred moving fixtures including the new Chauvet R2X LED washes, a grandMA2 Full console and hazer. Bandit’s GoGo truss, under hung with GLP X4S, flank an LED video wall while each of the six eye-catching octagons are outfitted with eight Elation ACL360, eight Ayrton MagicDots and one Robe 600 wash. GLP X4 fixtures along the front truss offer key light while Claypaky Sharpys spread throughout the rig act as beam units. The Steel Mill offers not only a stunning (and air conditione
UK - Built for the Festival of Britain in 1951 and located on the south bank of London’s River Thames, Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre. It comprises the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery and has recently seen the installation of two MDG ATMe haze generators in its larger venues, the 2,700-seat Royal Festival Hall and the 916-seat Queen Elizabeth Hall. “For some time we’d been looking to replace our aging haze machines which were noisy, rather temperamental, and notoriously bad at leaving an oil residue on surfaces,” says Roger Hennigan, Southbank Centre’s technical manager. “We’d looked at several alternatives in the past but none were able to better the old models - until MDG’s ATMe came along. “ATMe has a much finer particulate so they leave no residue or slippery oil deposits
USA - ETC has partnered with an award-winning Broadway lighting team to create a new educational challenge: The Hamilton Programming Project. Participants will use real touring paperwork from the hit musical to finish prep on an Eos show file and recreate Howell Binkley’s Tony Award‐winning lighting looks - all in Eos Augment3d. The project stemmed from an idea Hamilton’s programmer David Arch had when he sat down to explore Eos Augment3d, a programming environment (currently in open beta) that allows Eos Family console or ETCnomad users to control and design in a three-dimensional space. As a practice exercise, Arch decided to import the 3D model of the Hamilton set from the pre-vis of the first touring production and add in the lights. With Augment3d as his virtual venue he began to lay virtual focus tapes and cones, focus convention
Europe - Owing to the cancellation of numerous tradeshows and industry events around the globe and current travel restrictions, Claypaky is offering an alternative channel to promote its new products - the Claypaky Virtual Booth (www.claypakyvirtual.com). On show are new Claypaky products placed inside themed areas. For each product, visitors can watch a demo video, download a datasheet leaflet, rotate a 3D model over 360°, and request further information. Featured products include the following . . . With its custom designed 1200-Watt white LED engine, the new Arolla Profile HP is one of the most powerful LED Profile moving heads on the market. The LED engine produces 44,000 lumens and the fixture’s beam is flat and uniform, making projections crisp and colours rich. Designe
USA - Each year, WinShape Camps attracts over 30,000 students to its Christian-led summer camps across the U.S. but like most outdoor camps were forced to cancel in-person events this year due to the Covid pandemic. In order to relieve the disappointment and give kids a fun and engaging experience, WinShape has been working with Stacked Hearts Productions to create an engaging virtual experience, ON, that brings the fun of summer camp directly into homes. The virtual experience broadcasts live eight hours a day, five days a week from a gymnasium on the WinShape campus in Rome, Georgia. Peter Streiff, president of Stacked Hearts Productions, a full-service events and production firm based in Atlanta, has worked with WinShape Camps for a number of years. He and his crew have stayed busy through the five-week camp by broadcasting a morning show, an end-of-day show, worsh
Spain - Chauvet Professional has appointed Eusebio ‘Sebi’ Romero Garcia as product specialist for Spain. An experienced lighting and stage technician, Garcia will be working closely with the company’s Spanish distributor, Barcelona-based, ACSON, to coordinate product training and roadshows throughout the country. “There are exciting opportunities for us in Spain,” said Michael Brooksbank, general manager of Chauvet Europe. “Sebi’s experience and talent make him a valuable addition to our team as we continue to work with ACSON to build on our success and develop our brand in this vibrant market.” Garcia will be based in Madrid, but will coordinate his activities closely with ACSON in Barcelona. He will report directly to Sam Bowden, Chauvet’s European product manager, but will also work closely with the Stéphane Gressier, international sales director,
New Zealand - Every year, Wellington’s Botanic Gardens is transformed into Gardens Magic featuring a free concert series with a mix of music from over 100 performers during 18 nights. As the sun goes down, the Botanic Gardens transform into a wonderland of lights, with colourful installations and displays created by MJF Lighting. This year, MJF Lighting deployed Firefly LED Festooning Lighting to add extra sparkle to the popular event. “We did have some festoon lighting but it was the old school version so it was definitely time for an upgrade,” comments Blair McLaren, MJF’s Wellington operations manager. “Having festoon lighting with an outdoor rating plus LED technology makes all the difference.” Blair added that an important factor when choosing Firefly LED Festoon was the fact that they didn’t have to lamp or de-lamp the strings of festoon
USA - The Behind the Scenes Mental Health Initiative has rolled out a number of suicide prevention tools as part of joining the #BeThe1To campaign run by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and its partners. These tools are available at btshelp.org/bethe1to. A BTS survey of the industry revealed that most people want to help if they see someone at risk for suicide but they don’t know what to say or do, or are afraid they will make things worse or damage their relationship with the person. Evidence shows this is not the case and it is critical to reach out. The first part of the campaign is called Know the Warnings Signs because the more familiar someone is with the warning signs of suicide the more likely they are to recognize them. BTS has created posters listing some of the key warning signs in English, Spanish and French and they are available for dow
LED lighting manufacturer Astera has launched the NYX Bulb - a name inspired by NYX, Greek Goddess of the Night. NYX Bulb - the same size as a standard LED bulb - is billed as the first colour-tuneable LED bulb for professional film, stage, and event productions. It comes complete with a CRMX receiver for wireless DMX, plus RF and Bluetooth modules for control via the Astera App on a smartphone or Tablet. NYX Bulb is designed for gaffers, DoPs, lighting and set designers, visual artists and anyone needing feature lighting bulbs. In addition to movie shoots and television studios, it is designed for theatrical sets and for scenic elements on tour shows and live events. Sized like a regular LED bulb, NYX Bulb can be powered via an E27 socket (E26 in the US version) or with a standard power bank. Due to its compact form, it is the first Astera light source with external ba
France - Driving up from Paris on A4, one of the first things the visitor sees upon entering this ancient city of Reims is the Manège de Reims with its distinctive 16-sided polygon circus. Completed in 1867, the stone building is a bustling hub of cultural activity, serving the community by hosting theatrical performances, dance recitals, concerts and other events, including circuses, for which it was originally built. Supporting the diverse mix of productions at the popular facility is a versatile lighting rig that features a collection of Chauvet Professional projectors supplied and installed by Avant-Scènes. Working with Cédric Barbillat, lighting director of the Manège de Reims, who decided upon the specific fixtures, the Avant-Scènes team outfitted the 1,000-seat facility with 16 COLORado 2 Quad Zoom, six Maverick MK1 Spot, and 10 Maverick MK2 Wash units.
USA - Christie Lites has added Elation Professional’s new Paladin Panel to its extensive inventory of lighting gear. The versatile flood and effect light is available for immediate rental from Christie Lites locations across the US and Canada. “Once again, our partners at Elation have come up with an innovative, durable and economical fixture which will support our mission of providing lighting designers the highest value available in the industry,” comments Ken Alexander, VP rentals at Christie Lites. “Christie Lites is proud to continue our long-standing relationship with Eric Loader and the Elation team and to deploying our new stock of Paladin Panels on a multitude of different events over the months to come.” As an increasing number of shows are staged outdoors, Elation has again expanded on its line of multi-environmental IP65-rated products with the m
France - Eventlive-Group, an AV equipment and service supplier in Biarritz, has added a complement of Claypaky Mini-B fixtures to its extensive lighting inventory. Eventlive-Group has a wide range of clients from seminars of all sizes, public events and big music festivals to permanent installations in bars, clubs, shops and sports venues. “Clients come to us for our technical skills as well as our creative mindset,” says Hugo Malatray, lighting designer with Eventlive-Group. The company recently invested in 16 Claypaky Mini-Bs, which Hugo calls “small, silent, bright, fast and precise”, adding, “There hasn’t been a small wash light like it for the last decade.” Mini-B is the smallest LED moving light ever made by Claypaky for the professional market. Although it weighs just 7 kg and measures only 34 cm, Mini-B features advanced, modern optical and
UK - Robe UK worked with a number of companies, organisations, venues and individuals to light 10 significant buildings and landmarks in and around its hometown of Northampton for the #LightItInRed lighting action campaign on Monday 6 July. Robe UK’s head of marketing Theresa Gibson coordinated all the permissions required to light these key Northampton sites as well as dealing with logistics and sourcing fixtures for which Robe UK partnered with rental and production company Clearsound Production from Shipston-on-Stour. MLE Pyrotechnics lit the town’s famous National Lift Tower, a 127.5m former test tower for Express Lifts which is the tallest building in the town and is now grade II heritage listed. The front façade of the magnificent stately home of Althorp House - home to the Spencer family for the last 500 years - was illuminated in striking scarlet wit
UK - Trending in Twitter’s top 3 on the night, the #LightItInRed campaign saw over 670 buildings, monuments, landmarks and structures all over the UK illuminated in ‘Emergency Red’ on 6 July (Monday) to highlight the vast challenges facing the live events, music and performing arts sectors. The action was organised by Steven Haynes from Clearsound Productions and Phillip Berryman from The Backstage Theatre Jobs Forum. It energised theatres, arts centres, live music venues, technical production and rental companies and associated individuals and freelancers everywhere, who were able to enjoy the camaraderie of working together once again on a massive national event with real purpose, after many months of the industry being closed and shuttered. On the eve of the event (Sunday) the government announced a £1.57bn financial assistance package for arts and culture in
UAE - AO Drones, specialist provider of drone light shows, recently played a key role in an unforgettable event to thank Dubai’s frontline workers for their heroic service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conceived and produced by AO Drones’ producer, Marco Niedermeier, the event combined a stunning aerial display from AO Drones’ sophisticated drone fleet, plus a special message from emergency services vehicles arranged to spell ‘Thank You’, in both English and Arabic. The whole event was captured in a short film, shot in the style of a dramatic action movie, and shared widely on social media. To realise the event, Niedermeier called on the help of friends from Dubai’s event production network, including Done Events, GTV Film Productions and Brand Dubai. Together they secured support from Government of Dubai and authorities including the Dubai Police Force, th
UK - The interactive installation, Scream the House Down by artist Marcus Lyall is going down well with the public around the world: London, New York, Hong Kong, Russia and beyond - so due to demand it has been extended it by a week, to 11 July (Saturday). With social distancing still in place and tensions continuing to rise, London-based artist Marcus Lyall and not-for-profit arts organisation Illuminate Productions, have transformed a soon-to-be-demolished office block in London Bridge into an interactive public artwork. In this new site-specific work, Lyall invites you to join a Zoom call where you can scream or otherwise vocalise your feelings. A monumental light installation instantly illuminates the building in response to your voice. The louder and longer your outburst, the bigger the response from the building. The building interprets every voice a
USA - Bandit Lites returned to the picturesque countryside of Blackberry Farm for Boards and Boats, where guests of the resort could spend a weekend partaking of wakeboard, wakesurfing and boating. In addition to tips and demonstrations from MasterCraft, the weekend concluded with a dinner and a concert featuring Americana artists Chatham Rabbits. Bandit Lites supplied a lighting package comprised of Chauvet Freedom Pars, GLP X4 Atoms, and Gantom lights as well as the event’s staging complete with Edison bulbs, conjuring a mood of rural elegance. “The Chauvet Freedom Pars were used to control the colour of the room environment itself by placing them along the walls of Bramble Hall,” explained Bandit Lites Nick Brown. “The GLP X4 Atoms were used as our front light, and the Gantoms served as a low backlight.” Even with the fickle Tennessee weather of t
Germany - Düsseldorf’s 240m high Rheinturm tower was the setting for a sky-high laser projection and light show in June to promote Deutsche Telekom’s extended 5G network. The telecommunications company worked with German event management agency DO IT! to realise the show, and they in turn commissioned AO Creative to help conceptualise, design, supply the fixtures and technology, and execute the display. Overseen by AO Creative’s Marco Niedermeier in collaboration with JALD Jerry Appelt Licht Design and Beacon, the project brought together AO’s team of design and technical specialists based in Germany. The team included lighting designer Jerry Appelt, who created a detailed scheme to light the concrete Rheinturm in a beautiful wash of magenta - Deutsche Telekom’s brand colour. Alongside, Laserfabrik facilitated laser-projected branding on the ‘trunk’ of the to