Denmark - Lighting designer Mike Holm has been in charge of many light installations throughout his career but had his first encounter with SGMs G-4 Wash for the successful Danish musical Seebach. After almost a year-long run with over 200,000 tickets sold, Seebach became the best-selling musical in Denmark in 15 years. “Besides living up to all our performance demands, we chose the G-4 Wash because of its compact size that makes it easy to adapt to various staging designs,” says Mike Holm. In the past, Holm has used moving-head fixtures that were a lot more difficult to install due to their bigger physical size. With great performance in a compact size, the G-4 Wash turned out to be the perfect luminaire for both the Seebach and Tarzan musicals. “The G-4 Wash has a Fresnel lens, which avoids having to work with multiple shadows that you get from
UK - Formed at the turn of the century, with the aim of providing lighting and production services to the theatre and events industry, Edinburgh-based Blue Parrot has enjoyed a long association with Martin lighting over the years. This has taken them from MAC 500s and 600s right through to today’s Auras and Vipers. As their own theatre work increased, with MD Jonnie Clough himself a theatre lighting designer in his own right, the love affair continued, and just over a year ago the company invested in 12 MAC Encore Performance WRM moving heads specifically for a Christmas show at the local Royal Lyceum Theatre. Of their purchasing decision at the time, Clough says: “It was our success with the Viper Performance that gave us the faith and confidence to invest in the Warm White Encores. I was impressed with the demo and we ordered them even before they were available.
UK - Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rex Orange County (Alexander O'Connor) has been on a UK tour, with LD Will Kinnaird looking after the lighting for the musician’s first full production. Kinnaird took 24 Robe’s LEDBeam 150 moving lights on the bus-and-trailer tour; the fixtures proved the right tool for the low-profile aesthetic he crafted for the tour as he worked closely with show designer Jed Skrzypczak. The LEDbeam 150s and some other lighting were used at every show in conjunction with the 'top' rigs at each venue. At the musician’s London gig at the Hammersmith Apollo, the LEDBeam 150 count was boosted to 51 and six MegaPointes were added to the rig, all supplied by High Wycombe rental company, Siyan. For the main tour, the 24 LEDBeam 150s were deployed in three horizontal lines across the stage - upstage, mid-stage and downstage - wher
Curaçao – Since it started in 2015, the Flying Dutch festival has employed a novel method of spreading DJ wealth in The Netherlands. Taking place simultaneously in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, it shuttles the country’s leading DJs from city to city by helicopter throughout the day, so every fan in each location gets to see the entire all-star line-up of performers. This year, the festival added a fourth site to its roster - the island of Curaçao. Taking place 25 October, a stone’s throw away from the white sanded Seaquarium Beach (aka Mambo Beach), Flying Dutch Curaçao offered breathtaking vistas, a nonstop party atmosphere, and a chance to take in performances by artists like Armin van Buuren, Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, as well as local stars DJ Menasa and multi Latin Grammy-nominated Jeon and other leading DJs on a massive 45m wide by 19m high stage.
Estonia - Recreating the dark and gruesome world of Sweeney Todd, the fictional Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu, Estonia, was a tricky task requiring the juxtaposition of a classic Victorian east London docklands ambiance as the historical industrial backdrop, shot through with lighting and effects to recreate multiple locations. It laid down a few challenges for lighting designer Margus Vaigur who had the house Robe luminaires at his disposal including 20 x MMX Spots, 52 x LEDWash 1200s, 16 x LEDWash 600s and 12 x CitySkape Xtreme’s together with 12 new Robe DL7S Profiles which are a recent addition to the venue’s Big Theatre house lighting inventory. Margus lit the entire production with the Robe moving lights together with some other LEDs, around 200 in total, using no conventionals at all. The production - the first time the
China - Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building (and the world’s second tallest), measuring 632m high, has been brought to life by powerful beams from PR Lighting’s IP65-rated AQUA 480 Beam -from 128 storeys up. It was selected following comparative tests with other leading brands by Beijing Fengshangshiji Culture Media Co. They were tasked with finding a solution, having been approached by the builders, Shanghai Construction Group. As a result, 129 of the waterproof heads have been installed on the top three of eight interlayers, installed in the body of the tower to store building cleaning devices. There are 43 fixtures mounted at each level. The contractors have enjoyed a long-term relationship with PR Lighting having collaborated with the Guandong based company most notably in the construction of the Birds Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games, followed b
World - The Lenny Kravitz 2018 Raise Vibration tour, in support of his new album of the same name, kicked off earlier this year in Mexico City. The tour has created a lot of excitement around the world. The stage show is a large and lively affair with lighting designer, Leroy Bennett, incorporating 224 Ayrton MagicDot-XT fixtures into his multi-layered design. The main set changes at different venues, but the backdrop setting and lighting design stays the same and consists of 14 diamond-shaped pods with 16 MagicDot-XT fixtures tightly packed into each one, with just a 250mm offset between each fixture within each matrix. The pods are rigged in two rows of seven and partially concealed behind a massive louvre blind back wall. Bennett, who was keen to use the MagicDot-XT fixtures for this particular lighting design, explained, “The idea for the design was based
USA - Lighting designer Herrick Goldman, principal of HG Lighting Design and Evoke Collaborative recently presented the Behind the Scenes charity with a $1,000 donation representing a portion of the firm’s design fees over the last year. HG Lighting Design was the first company to pledge a service rather than a product to Behind the Scenes and this donation marked HGLD’s second annual cheque presentation. HG Lighting Design provides lighting services for a wide variety of markets including theatre, dance, and corporate events, as well as permanent installations for museums and other venues. Goldman, who designs all around the globe, has long been a supporter of the Behind the Scenes charity. Goldman says: “Our industry is filled with so many wonderful people, it’s a pleasure to be able to support our family members in times of need. In late 2018 HGLD is launching Evo
UK - For the last 93 years, the Blackpool Dance Festival competition - probably the most globally acclaimed international bastion of ballroom dancing - has ensured that the genre continues to have a relevant role in popular culture in the UK and beyond. This year, 3,000 couples from 60 nations competed in the event. Providing them with a stylish and sophisticated visual background was a lighting design by Oliver Wilkinson of Arranpaul that featured 10 Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Spot and16 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures, and 32 Q-Wash 560Z-LED washes. Wilkinson has been part of the Blackpool Dance Festival for six years, but in 2018 it was his chance to design the event. He strove to bring a new level of smoothness to his efforts. “We have provided equipment to this event since 2012, and each year we set the bar higher for ourselves,” he said. “This year, I wanted to
Ukraine - Kiev-based visualisation specialist LC product has adopted a new trading name - L8 LLC - following ownership changes at the organisation. The company is now fully owned by the development team, with Dmitriy Giventar, the product developer, acting as a founding director. Existing Lightconverse users will continue to receive direct support from L8, which will exclusively develop, support and sell LC product. The company says in a statement: “We have made this significant step in LC’s development to improve our support and supply the most technologically advanced product in visualisation world. We will continue to provide our customers and dealers with support and sales worldwide from our new offices.” Lightconverse (LC) integrates and visualizes multiple show-related disciplines including lighting, video, laser, pyrotechnics, and moving object.
The Netherlands - Christie Digital’s latest HS Series projectors are currently in use at the GLOW Eindhoven international light art festival in Eindhoven. A total of 12 Christie D20WU-HS projectors, provided by Christie partner Sahara Benelux, are utilised in a video mapping installation on the face of the 19th century Catharinakerk, a neo-gothic Roman Catholic church located in the centre of Eindhoven. “We’re delighted that Sahara Benelux has chosen to invest in our latest HS Series models, and it’s rewarding to see them already being used in high profile global events like GLOW Eindhoven,” says Miles Donovan, senior channel development manager, enterprise, EMEA, Christie. “The HS Series is an excellent choice for a wide range of applications, delivering high brightness and vibrant colours in a lightweight and compact form factor. It’s our pleasure to p
USA - Elation once again had a presence on the Kaaboo festival as lighting designers Chris Lisle and Erik Parker turned to the LED-based Platinum 1200 Wash moving head to light headlining acts Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons and Katy Perry on the main Sunset Cliffs stage. Lisle and Parker used 12 Platinum 1200 Wash fixtures - each housing 19 x 65W LEDs with wide zoom - spread out across the mid-stage and upstage trusses primarily for general stage wash. “It’s hard to compete with the sun of course, but even during daylight they were able to lay some base colour and show up on the camera/IMAG shots for some eye candy,” explains Lisle. “We loved their overall intensity. In a rig full of a lot of horsepower, they held their own and were great at driving down some base colour.” Meanwhile, on the Trestles Stage, bands like The Zombies, Tower of Power, Blondie, and
UK - Martin by Harman and UK distributor Sound Technology will be at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) on 20 November for a showcase of the latest Martin products, including the award-winning MAC Encore Performance, MAC Encore Wash and new JEM Glaciator Dynamic. Demos will begin at 11am, 2pm and 4pm in LIPA's Art School Studio Theatre. This will also be an opportunity to discover details of the recently announced MAC Allure Profile LED moving head and ELP LED Ellipsoid Series. (Jim Evans)
Europe - Lights Control Rigging (LCR) has provided 20 Chroma-Q Color Force II fixtures for Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm Tour, to create a spectacular back wall wash. The set design for the show features five individual cyc panels spaced apart, which together display the Silent Alarm album artwork. Color Force II LED battens at the top and bottom of each panel flooded the back of the stage in vibrant colour, with the units' strobe effects used during some of the faster paced songs. LD Ryan Hopkins, who's also a director of LCR, comments: “It was great to have our Color Force II’s at my disposal for the tour. They provided incredibly bright colour across the stage. I was very impressed by their seamless blending across the entire artwork and I am really happy with the results.” (Jim Evans)
USA - The Dave Matthews Band (DMB) is on the road again in the USA promoting their latest album Come Tomorrow with another visually provocative production design by Fenton Williams. Fenton combined creative energies with Aaron Stinebrink from lighting rental specialist TMS - also the tour’s lighting vendor - on the lighting design, and the pair specified over 100 Robe fixtures to be at the heart of the show. Forty MegaPointes, 48 x Spikies, 16 x BMFL WashBeams and 10 x BMFL Spots are helping to create the vibes for this highly successful tour. Fenton has worked for DMB since 1991 taking on various job roles and has been the video and lighting designer / director for over 20 years. Aaron joined the team in 2003 and the two have worked together on lighting DMB’s dynamic and intricate live shows ever since. (Jim Evans)
UK - Production Services Ireland (PSI) capped a busy Halloween period by supplying technical infrastructure and support for Belfast City Council's Halloween Monster Mash and Samhain Live Halloween TV special, which was filmed in Derry/Londonderry. PSI specialises in lighting, rigging, audio and video - for sale and hire. In the build-up to Halloween, the company also supplied riggers for the visiting U2 and ELO productions at Belfast’s SSE Arena, and full technical production for Harlem Gospel Choir at the Ulster Hall and a major public event in Lisburn. Monster Mash afforded PSI an opportunity to deploy its Adamson PA inventory, which the company acquired in April when it became a certified reseller and rental partner. It also supplied lighting, video, rigging and staging for the themed event that welcomed thousands of people to the Titanic Slipways. Sound re
Poland - Bazyliszek, a new interactive dark ride situated in the Magical Forest zone of Poland’s largest theme park, Legendia, was recently opened to the public as part of a comprehensive rebranding and overhaul. Having collaborated once before on the Antwerp Comics Station theme park, the ride’s designers, Alterface, brought in Belgian design studio Painting with Light to help create a thrilling visual backdrop for Bazyliszek. Drawing on their wealth of experience in the field of theatrical lighting, Painting with Light specified 80 Chauvet Professional mini ERS-style Ovation Min-E-10CWZ fixtures and COLORdash Par-Hex 7 units to create a multifaceted and exciting visual accompaniment to the ride, which went on to win the European Star Award for Best New Ride in 2018. Bazyliszek is a legendary folklore figure in Poland - a complex and highly venomous reptile that
Germany - Under the catch-line All you need to be, Nature One called its dance-loving audience to the Pydna former rocket base in Hunsrück between 3-5 August. As in previous years, over 50,000 people joined the pilgrimage, engaging in four days and three nights of pure EDM fever, with 350 acts participating on a total of 23 floors. For the largest floor - the Open Air Floor - lighting designer Thomas Gerdon of Gerdon design produced the entire visual concept. Gerdon, who has been working on various floors of Nature One since 2003, faced a fundamental change this year: for the first time, a conventional stage was used on the Open Air Floor, and for this the designer immediately had the idea of GLP’s new modular KNV LED system of GLP in his mind. However, since the KNV system was not yet on the market at the beginning of August, GLP was able to meet the design
USA - As part of the LA-based Legends Football League, the Nashville Knights are a 7-on-7, tackle football team that incorporated into the league in 2018. Playing their inaugural season in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, the Knights wanted to offer an in-game experience that would create a lasting connection with their fans. Needing to supplement the production gear inside the multi-purpose event venue, the Knights worked with Elite Multimedia Productions who oversaw a complete game-day audio, video and lighting design. “We try to design our in-game experience to be similar to what they do in the NFL to heighten the experience for our fans and provide a deeper connection to the action on the field,” says Candice Leisengang, operations manager. “When we started looking for production companies, we really needed someone who had the ability to do live audio, ca
Poland - Design and installation company ARAM has outfitted a new e-sports studio in Poland with a flexible Elation lighting system. The studio, at Polsat television in Warsaw, is equipped with the latest in studio-optimised LED luminaires designed to provide players and viewers with the best e-sports experience, whether watching the event on TV, online or in person. The custom Elation lighting solution includes everything from dynamic white-light LED array panels and high-quality white light ellipsoidal spots to full-colour batten, par and LED moving head luminaires that deliver a wider spectrum of chromatic and effect options. Incorporated in the rig are some of Elation's newest luminaires, including Artiste series LED moving heads. As one of the few technical production companies specialised in e-sports, ARAM has stood behind the design and technical production of
UK - Lighting designer Derek Jones utilised Chroma-Q’s Vista 3 lighting and media control system to deliver his lighting design for Sir Cliff Richard's recent tour celebrating 60 years in music. With a career spanning 103 album releases, 123 single hits and the equivalent of 20 years spent in the UK charts, the 58-18=60th The Tour saw Sir Cliff play his greatest hits across six decades in some of the UK and Ireland's leading concert halls, including two nights at the Royal Albert Hall. As a Vista user for nearly a decade, Jones was keen to utilise the next generation capabilities of the Vista 3 software for his show design. He comments: "I've been using Vista for nearly a decade now and have seen its evolution. As an LD I've always found it very intuitive and simple to use, so I was really excited to switch to Vista 3 and, after trying it out with succe
UK - Film and TV crewing specialist Studioforce was appointed by Shiver, an arm of ITV Studios, to support the delivery of this year’s Pride of Britain Awards. The event was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 29 October and Studioforce provided stage hands, lighting technicians, carpenters, scenic supervisors, scenic artists and followspot operators. The company worked closely with Shiver’s freelance production designer Paul Houston, supplying a team of experienced freelancers to work alongside the lighting and set design teams to create the Pride of Britain Awards’ set and backdrop. The tight timeframe presented the Studioforce crew with its largest challenge. With just 48 hours to complete the entire project, from unloading the first piece of equipment from the truck and building the set, to running the show, completing the de-rig and the last truck le
Belgium - Once every two years, Brussels’ Grand Place becomes even more breath-taking as its cobblestone surface is transformed into a magnificent carpet of colour by over a half million flowers. Artfully arranged in an intricate design, the floral panorama flows gracefully, softening the gilded baroque buildings that surround it to create a vista of almost mythical beauty. Like most enchanting creations that seem to spring forth naturally, the Biannual Flower Carpet at the Grand Place is in reality the result of intensive planning and hard work. In 2018, a team of 200 volunteers laboured for six hours to install the carpet the day of the event. Illuminating their efforts and tying the floral display into the square’s historic buildings was a carefully developed lighting design by Geoffrey Oelbrandt of Studio Artfex that included Chauvet Professional Rogue R3 Wash fixtu
USA - “Versatile, sexy, bold, and effective” is how BML-Blackbird’s lighting designer and director Chris Ragan describes his work at Lockn’ Festival, for which he used a combination of cyan, purple and amber lighting. Ragan spec’d 34 Robe BMLF Spots, 38 Robe Spiiders, 24 Robe Mega Pointes, 14 Robe Color Strobes, 10 Mac Vipers, 26 Chauvet Rogue FxB, and 36 LED par - all provided by BML-Blackbird. “I thought the Robe ColorStrobes were a powerful fixture. It was my first time using them and I was pretty impressed. And, of course the Mega Pointes are great for the amazing prism features,” says Ragan. “The BMFLS are great for powerful audience sweeps as they have the ability to cover a large concert field. I rely on the Mega Pointes to frame the stage along with their prisms while the Spiiders and colour strobes are used for wash and pixel tricks.”
