UK - Technical production specialist CPL provided a production design plus sound, lighting and video equipment to Pandora Events for Tropic’s massive spring 2019 ‘glambassadors’ event, staged in Hall 9 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK. Tropic Rocks offered a hi-energy festival / rock theme to energise the 2500 delegates, for which a look and feel to match was needed. This was delivered by CPL’s Mike Radford who led a crew of 40 for the get in / out and show sections of the one-day event, for which they had one rig day and a second for tech and rehearsals. The event’s format encompassed a lengthy achievement recognition and awards section, new product launches and upcoming incentives, wrapping up with a lively evening party, so the design had to cater these various requirements and practical enough to transform from the conferen
USA - High End Systems’ Sola Series products have replaced part of the lighting rental inventory in the Kauffman Centre for the Performing Arts. The Kansas City, MO venue needed upgrading and required the wide range of features and benefits of the LED automated luminaires. Kauffman Centre’s production services manager Eric Miller found the right lighting solution with the flagship SolaFrame 3000s and compact SolaFrame 750s after discovering them at a recent trade show. The purchase was made through locally-based Harvest Productions. “The LED engine influenced the purchase,” Miller explains. “The top two lighting requirements were that it had to be LED and it had to have framing shutters.” Other features needed were for it to “be quiet, have a wide variable beam angle, and colour temperature that closely matches the tungsten lamp of the VL1000s”, he say
USA - The current North American Death or Glory tour by EDM stars Adventure Club, began on 8 March at the Hollywood Palladium and runs through May. Backing up the popular Canadian duo is a light and video show by Ryan Warffuel and Max Koehler of Antic Studios that is anchored by Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures and PVP S5 LED panels. Antic Studio’s design team manages to be both broad and tightly focused at the same time. Shooting crossing beams of light in multiple directions, it immerses the whole room while pulling the crowd into the custom-content centre-stage video display that breaks with convention by being interwoven with lights. By turning on different panels at different times, Koehler and Warffuel change the size and shape of their video wall to create different looks throughout the show. With help from their business manager Ian Prock, who put
UK - 9 to 5 the Musical is getting down to business playing to packed out audiences at the West End’s Savoy Theatre. Full service technical production provider Hawthorn was chosen to supply lighting equipment to the show. Starring Louise Redknapp, Caroline Sheen, Amber Davies, Natalie McQueen, Bonnie Langford and Brian Conley, the musical features a book by the movie’s screenwriter Patricia Resnick and a score by Dolly Parton. Hawthorn worked closely with the show’s award-winning lighting designer Howard Hudson to supply lighting equipment to his specification. Drawing on Hawthorn’s vast inventory, the rig features a combination of moving lights, LED fixtures and generic lanterns. This included Martin MAC Viper Performance, Martin Mac Aura XB, Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330, ETC ColorSource Spot and ETC Source 4 Profile fixtures. Hudson said, “It was d
Germany - Spotrack will be exhibiting at this week’s Prolight + Sound show. Spotrack enables an operator to remotely control from any location, any number of moving lights as follow spots. It works with any moving light and any lighting console, in any performance space and can be used in all entertainment sectors for live production from anywhere in the venue. The Spotrack team will be on hand to explain and discuss all aspects of the hardware and software that comprise a system which is revolutionising the lighting industry’s approach to spotlight control. Spotrack systems have been in action on a number of high profile global events in recent months as more and more lighting designers and production managers acquaint themselves with the clear advantages the system provides. On the live rock and roll front, Metallica used Spotrack to supplement their spotli
Belgium - Lighting designer Jan Van Lindt from PRSPKTIV Design has been working with one of the most hotly tipped young artists of the moment –Belgian-Egyptian singer songwriter Tamino. Fresh from winning a 2019 MIA (Belgium’s top music award) for Best Alternative Artist, the performer has been gaining critical acclaim as fast as fans on the cusp of his career and his first album Amir which dropped at the end of 2018. Jan recently lit three high-profile sold-out showcase evenings at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels where he used five Robe MegaPointes on the floor behind the artists as the main dramatic lighting tools. He chose the versatile MegaPointe - sourced from the venue’s 24 new house fixtures - to accent the intensity and drama of Tamino’s performance. “It’s all about the music with him and my job as LD is to support with interesting visuals
Germany - Elation Professional’s list of product launches at this week’s Prolight + Sound show has grown. Elation will be showing at Stand D56-58 in Hall 12.1 new luminaires in its popular Fuze and Paladin series. The Fuze Profile CW with Cold White LEDs and framing system is designed for trade shows, stages, television and a wide array of AV event applications. A 91 CRI 380W LED engine ensures accurate color reproduction while delivering a powerful output exceeding 12,000 lumens. Designed to illuminate objects like exhibits and banners, texture areas, and keylight persons with its flat field of light and accurate framing, it can be used anywhere a fully automated ellipsoidal fixture is required. Housing a 7° to 46° zoom, its comprehensive feature set includes a rotating gobo wheel of breakups, two color wheels featuring solid colours and correction filters plus
USA - ADJ has announced the expansion of its range of DMX control solutions with the introduction of the mydmx GO tablet-based system. Designed for use by mobile entertainers and for installation in bars, leisure venues and small nightclubs, this revolutionary new lighting control system is extremely powerful but also incredibly easy to use. ADJ’s mydmx GO combines an app-based control surface with a compact interface that connects wirelessly to an Apple, Android or Amazon Fire tablet and provides a standard 3-pin XLR output for connection to a lighting system. Thanks to its design, the mydmx GO app requires no programming but can be used to create synchronized lightshows across any combination of DMX compatible lighting fixtures. The app is supplied pre-programmed with a wide variety of easily customizable effects which can be used on any type of fixture. It feature
Germany - On its first anniversary, the entertainment industry’s open file format, General Device Type Format (GDTF) version 1.0 is available. Through collective feedback from the GDTF founders, MA Lighting, Robe lighting and Vectorworks, Inc., as well as other participating manufacturers, the file format has received numerous updates since it was first introduced and can now be used by manufacturers around the world. GDTF 1.0 and the My Virtual Rig (MVR) file format - which creates a two-way connection between planning, previz and console systems - are now implemented with Vectorworks 2019, Vision 2019 and grandMA3. “A driving force for creating the GDTF was to fix a glaring problem of disconnected workflows for professionals within the entertainment community,” said Dr. Biplab Sarkar, CEO at Vectorworks, a global design and BIM software solutions provider. “W
Germany - WORK PRO has announced a significant software upgrade for its LightShark DMX-based hardware lighting console, resulting in major improvements to its features and functionality. The company has also revealed that from April 2019, LightShark users can purchase a new bundle incorporating a Capture Visualizer licence from Capture Sweden. WORK PRO’s software version 1.1.2, which is available as a free download from the company’s website, makes LightShark even more intuitive and responsive by giving end users enhanced control over a much wider range of features. “Since launching LightShark in 2017 we have paid close attention to the functionality of our software and have already incorporated numerous upgrades,” says Juan Jose Vila, CSO of Equipson, WORK PRO’s parent company. “Software version 1.1.2 seamlessly integrates all of these developments and add
Germany - This year, TMB introduces a wide range of products. The one-of-a-kind, multiple award-winning ProPlex IQ Tester LV will be on display for hands-on demos. Also a tradition at select Messe Frankfurt shows, super-bright Solaris Flare IP fixtures will be seen lighting the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof facade, opposite the Messe main entrance, every night during the show. HD single-head and HR dual-head versions of the LED Flare IP are available for a variety of architectural applications and can be seen up close at our show stand. Premiering this year is the latest member of the Solaris product family, the Solaris Flare 210 IP. First in the new Flare 200 Series, this compact, IP65 outdoor wash fixture features Flare brightness, brilliant colours, and ultra-smooth colour mixing at any distance – even skimming surfaces. Complementing the fixture are a complete range
Germany - Ocean is an innovative lighting console, designed for theatres, opera houses and multi-purpose venues. The Ocean's most striking feature, as well as one of its main strong points, is its high-resolution touch screen, with a 70-cm-wide (27½-inch-wide) viewing area. It provides operators with full access to all functions and control of all parameters through a single screen, which greatly simplifies control desk ergonomics. Due to its ultra-stretched display format, the console and screen itself are still very compact, both in depth and height. This means the operators have a perfect view of the stage from every angle, regardless of where they are sitting, and can place the console on small surfaces. Moreover, its shallow depth allows them to access the touch screen very easily. The ergonomic and practical advantages of the Ocean, however, should not be allowe
USA - The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes during the USITT Stage Expo last week in Louisville, KY. A myriad of activities including sales of raffle tickets, a live and silent auction, challenge grants, swag sales, and sales of Neal Preston’s books, posters and prints raised over $18,000 for the charity. The LRLR 2019 ride, dubbed the Altimeter Tour, starts on 7 July in Denver Colorado. The riders cover all their own expenses so everything they raise goes to the charity. Sponsor a rider today at www.behindthescenescharity.org/lrlr. The booth featured a display of some of The Lightpower Collection’s photographs by Neal Preston including those of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Robert Plant, Bob Marley, Ray Charles and others. Raffle festivities led off with the traditional kaz
New Zealand - Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School puts on six productions a year covering a range of genres, from drama, to comedy, to musicals. In 2019, these shows will not only be more rewarding for the community to watch, they’ll also afford students at New Zealand’s largest theatrical arts school with a more enriching learning experience, thanks to the addition of 55 Chauvet Professional Ovation fixtures, supplied by MDR Sound & Lighting. “Colour mixing with LED fixtures is playing an increasingly important role in stage productions, so I think the school felt that adding these lights was essential to helping their students develop the skills needed to prepare for their future careers in theatre,” said MDR Sound & Lighting’s Brodie Noon. “The school received a Lotteries Grant to upgrade the kit in its main Te Whaea Theatre, which had consisted of generic
Germany - Following on from their X4 Bar series, GLP is introducing the FR10 Bar, a linear format fixture. With a new optical system, the FR10 Bar uses a larger size output aperture, as featured in the impression FR1, giving a new look from a familiar style. The FR10 Bar contains 10 sources, each with a high output 60 Watt RGBW LED that colour matches with the entire GLP X4 and FR series of fixtures. Each individual source features smooth, full range colour mixing with strong, punchy output from a homogenised Fresnel lens. Along with individual colour control, the FR10 Bar contains a series of built-in colour macros and a large reference of industry standard colour filters. The GLP FR10 Bar has a 10:1 ratio zoom range of 3.5 to 35 degrees, but what separates the FR10 from any other product on the market is the ability to control each of the zoom lenses individually an
Germany - Obsidian Control Systems will be showcasing the powerful NX 4 lighting controller and will be providing a first look at the new DYLOS pixel composition engine. Designers, programmers and operators are invited to Hall 12.1, D56-58 for a look and hands-on demo of this newest console in the intuitive ONYX platform and have the opportunity to get a first-ever look and hands-on demo of the new creative possibilities with DYLOS. Equipped with a range of professional features and using the latest in industrial components, the NX 4 is designed to handle even the largest show with ease. With a well-arranged combination of motorized and manual faders, along with an array of playback buttons, the NX 4 offers 44 total playbacks in a compact yet extremely powerful package. The NX 4 includes a high-brightness, 15.6”, full-HD multi-touch screen with support for two exter
Germany - UK lighting control manufacturer and specialist Zero 88 highlights four new multifunctional products at Prolight 2019 on Stand E52 in Hall 12, alongside its German distributor Ultralite. These are Betapack 4 - one product with six dynamic variants; the ZerOS Server - one product with three different uses; new Data Distribution products – the first of a complete new range, and the latest ZerOS 7.9.5 software release for all ZerOS consoles. Zero 88’s robust Betapack has served the entertainment and installation industry for 30 years. Betapack 4 builds on this heritage and experience with a solution for distributing both dimming and “hot power”, suitable for a mixed rig featuring both tungsten and LED fixtures – all in one single, affordable device. Each 10A channel provides a dimmed /and a “hot power” socket for simple and easy power distr
Germany - City Theatrical will be demonstrating new technology in Hall 12.1, Booth B12 at Prolight + Sound 2019. Live demonstrations by City Theatrical will include wireless DMX technology with the award-winning Multiverse family of wireless DMX/RDM products, extended DMX control with Pathway Connectivity controllers and other solutions. Also featured will be troubleshooting with the DMXcat Multi Function Test Tool, bright and flexible linear LED lighting with QolorFLEX NuNeon, plug and play pixel control with QolorPIX, ultimate colour blending and control with QolorFLEX 5-in-1 LED Tape and QolorFLEX 5x8A Dimmers. Each product demo will showcase how the product can be used for professional theatre, TV, and film projects, as well as architectural installations. Multiverse marks the fifth generation of City Theatrical's engineering development for wireless DMX tec
Columbia - Medellin-based rental company Genesis Producciones is owned and run by Juan David and has just moved into new warehouse premises in the south of the city. It’s in one of the industrial areas with lots of space - for future expansion - and panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. It’s a move that takes Genesis to a new level of operation. Also upping the game, two years ago Juan and his team decided to start investing in Robe. This was shortly after AVcom Colombia was appointed as the country’s distributor, and it was a decisive move with 48 Spiiders making up the first purchase, followed this year with 48 MegaPointes. Juan decided to go with Robe for two major reasons. The first was that from about 2 years ago, the brand started appearing so regularly on band and artist riders that it was not possible to ignore. The second one was th
Mexico - Christie has announced that Mexico’s Cinemex has recently opened an impressive cinema complex, featuring RGB pure laser projectors based on Christie RealLaser illumination, along with Christie Vive Audio systems. The Cinemex Market ARTZ Pedregal multiplex in Mexico City has fitted each of its 23 auditoriums with Christie’s CP2315-RGB and CP2320-RGB 2K-resolution offerings. In addition, all auditoriums are equipped with the Christie Vive Audio cinema sound solution. “Having put Christie’s CP2315-RGB and CP2320-RGB cinema projectors through extensive testing, we were impressed with their performance, making us confident that Christie’s RealLaser illumination technology is the way of the future, now,” says Rolando Maggi, operations manager at Cinemex. “Audiences are commenting on the brilliant colours and sharp contrasts, leading us to believe that
USA - California-based Thrice seems to move effortlessly in multiple musical directions at once, weaving elements of punk, alternative, hardcore, and even indie rock into their passion-driven and beautifully balanced sound. This virtuosity has earned the quartet an ever-expanding following, so it came as no surprise when they were tapped to provide direct support for Bring Me The Horizon on the US leg of the UK band’s First Love tour, which ended in February. The tour, which stopped at larger live music venues and small arenas, allowed Thrice to reach more music fans. At the same time, though, it also raised some issues for the band’s lighting designer Lenny Sasso, who had to contend with short breakdown times. He was able to meet this challenge and create a dynamic, multi-faceted lightshow by drawing on the compact size and versatility of Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 F
Germany - Claypaky is set to unveil a number of new products, including a moving head light with a laser light source, at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt. Xtylos, a compact beam moving light with a laser source, features an RGB additive colour mixing, where coloured light beams are as bright as a white light beam. The Xtylos “opens up new, surprising prospects for the development of the entire entertainment lighting world”, says the company. Axcor Wash 600, the versatile light part of the Axcor LED moving head range, fits a four-blade framing system and works with any lens type. The fixture is available with PC (standard), Fresnel or Clear lenses. The three types are interchangeable and can be purchased separately. Mini-B is the smallest LED beam light ever made by Claypaky for the professional market. Although it weighs just 7kg and measures only 34cm, Mini-B f
Germany - High End Systems has announced the three teams that will be competing in the Hog Factor final at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt on 3 April. These are AKA (UK), Vienna Illuminates and STEX (both from Austria). The lighting programming contest will take place on the High End Systems booths in Hall 12.1 from 5pm. Each team will provide a performance lighting piece programmed on a Hog console to a specified song via a Capture visualization file. Attendees are invited to join the crowds at the High End stand (B41) on Wednesday 3 April at 5pm for the latest instalment of Hog Factor. The shortlisted teams will be pitted against each other to win exclusive prizes and the sought-after Hog Factor Prolight Champion accolade. The winners will be selected by a judging panel of industry lighting designers. Visitors to the show can discover a selection of the newes
USA - Parker McCollum’s debut album was entitled The Limestone Kid, a reference to the nickname he earned as a teen working on a ranch in remote Limestone County. Although his first LP scored only regional success, McCollum’s second effort reached the Top 20 of Billboard’s Country Charts. December marked another milestone, when he performed for sold-out crowds at the House of Blues in Dallas and Houston. Supporting him at those shows was a lightshow designed by Richard ‘Wookie’ Whitley and Josh Peikert that featured a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by Hoopty Lights. Run by lighting director Jarret Reynolds, the lightshow for McCollum’s Dallas and Houston performances was on five 45” x 30” carts, three of which were 4.5’ tall, while two were 6.5’. A pair of Rogue RH1 Hybrids was mounted on the top of each cart. T
