USA - Launched in February 2018, Brilliant! is the latest addition to the popular Neon Museum Las Vegas, featuring an augmented-reality A/V system designed, installed, and programmed by Earth Water Sky of Las Vegas. Combining art, history, and technology, the innovative Brilliant! neon experience, featuring 40 historic neon signs from the museum’s collection, is highlighted by Earth Water Sky’s 360-degree laser video projection system, a 24-channel 3D audio system with multitrack 3D audio soundtrack, and outdoor lighting system with automated show control. DMX signal distribution for the entire production is handled by ProPlex Opto-Splitters and Data Cables. “ProPlex was selected as a critical component to handle all of the DMX signal distribution needs for this complex installation,” says John Humphries of Earth Water Sky. “We are avid proponents of P
Denmark - Theis Wermuth of lighting design company Create This has been handling the live visuals for Scarlet Pleasure since 2015. The Danish musical trio’s popularity is on the rise with the band recently playing its largest concerts to date, a pair of one-off shows that Wermuth lit using an automated lighting rig that included striking effects from rows of Elation Professional ACL 360 Bar moving battens. Scarlet Pleasure has topped the Danish charts recently with a string of hits that cover soft ballads to more energetic dance songs and the band has toured with success the last two years, selling out clubs and smaller live music venues across Denmark. The two recent shows – one at the Forum Black Box in Copenhagen and the other at the Scandinavian Congress Centre in Aarhus – marked a milestone for the band. “Both shows took place in larger venues and both were sol
USA - The good times never slow down for fans of The White Panda, the masked DJ duo described by Entertainment Weekly as a “veritable party machine”. The infectious energy of their performance comes not only from their pulsating sound, which puts a sassy EDM twist on throwback classics, but also from their immersive stage shows, a mixture of theatrics, eye candy and pure intensity. On their recent tour of the northeast US, The White Panda added an extra futuristic flourish to their performance with an expansive lighting and video design by Antic Studios that featured Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures. Strategically positioned around the set’s rows of video panels, the moving lights added a sense of continuity and dynamic movement to the stage. “We used the Rogues to connect the video panels visually by filling in the space between them with a lot of m
Europe - The Lightconverse and High End Systems Lighting Challenge 2018 has recently finished. Say the organisers, “Once again we would like to thank all participants for taking part in this annual event. It has been a great pleasure to see the results of unlimited imaginations.” As always, the prizewinners were named at the Prolight+Sound 2018 trade show, held in Frankfurt. The winning designs and their authors receiving Lighting Challenge 2018 prizes follow below. All winning videos can be seen at http://lightconverse.com/forum3en/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=3297 First place goes to Amir Cohen who will receive a High End HedgeHog 4X console and Lightconverse Trace including Lightconverse Tools 2018. Runner-up is Mykola Basyuk who takes home Lightconverse Trace including Lightconverse Tools 2018. Thirs is Anton Skakun who is rewarded with Lightconv
UK - PLASA Focus Leeds has begun its tenth birthday celebrations on 1-2 May at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. The popular entertainment technology trade show provides a stage for over 175 global brands, and the show’s reputation attracts thought-leaders and taste-makers who share their expertise through seminars and training sessions. The show floor will feature products fresh from European launches, and the seminar programme is overflowing with enriching talks and lively debates. The show caters to everyone from lighting designers and sound engineers, to riggers and production managers. Audio enthusiasts can get under the skin of digital mixers with Soundcraft’s Andy Brown and Sound Technology’s Ben Todd, and can get to grips with Line Array systems with Harman’s Ed Jackson and Sound Technology’s Stuart Strachan. Visitors can learn about frequency response wit
Germany - Laserworld has released a new edition of the Laserworld Diode Series with improved beam specifications in a completely redesigned housing. The Diode Series units are available in 1W, 2W and 3W RGB power, as well as 1,8W single green and 1,6W or 5,5W single blue power. The laser systems have graphics capable scanners at 30kpps 8° ILDA, which makes them suitable for a large number of laser show applications. The optics section of the laser system has no air circulation, which significantly reduces maintenance efforts for the Diode systems. The Laserworld DS-1000RGB is designed as a fanless system, so it operates without any noise from fans, which makes it a perfectly suitable laser system for installations, in bars or in quiet places. The Laserworld Diode Series has been designed as versatile low-cost solution for beginners and professionals. They are pa
USA - CHAUVET Professional has introduced the STRIKE P38, an IP65-rated single pod LED fixture that offers the intense output that’s become synonymous with the series, but thanks to its more compact size, it can be used in a wider variety of configurations than its predecessors. “The response to the STRIKE 4 and STRIKE 1 has always been very enthusiastic,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “LDs have come to value them as audience lights, washes and blinders because of their intense warm white output. The STRIKE P38 offers the same benefits, but it can be used in more applications and arranged in a greater variety of patterns because of its more compact size.” Its smaller dimensions notwithstanding, the STRIKE P38 packs a powerful punch, thanks to its 90W warm white light source. The intensely bright fixture weighs in at a mere 3.8kg (8.4lbs) and measures
UK - Alton Towers Resort has turned up the heat for the new theme park season with its £16m thrill attraction, the Wicker Man, featuring real fire and stunning 'fire' effects created using a ProLights AlphaPIX video system plus various lighting supplied by A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET). Wicker Man is the first wooden rollercoaster to be built in the UK for 21 years, with the thrill of fire. Burning embers light the ride's path as it speeds towards a six-story (17.55m) Wicker Man structure, who spectacularly bursts into flames as the coaster races through its chest three times. To complement real flames on the structure and get flame-like effects even closer to the riders, the resort's entertainments technical manager, Alex Tweedie approached longstanding technology vendor, A.C. Entertainment Technologies to assist with specifying and supplying a solutio
Germany - There was a buzz surrounding the High End Systems booth at the recent Prolight + Sound trade show in Frankfurt. In addition to sneak previews of new products, visitors were treated to a visual spectacular in the form of the latest instalment of the world’s leading academic lighting programming competition, Hog Factor. This year, in collaboration with the German branch of parent company ETC and German distributor LMP Lichttechnik, High End Systems opened up the competition to teams of students and trainees from across Europe, giving the contest a real international flavour. As in previous years, LMP provided valuable support during the preliminary stages – LMP product manager, Marcel Vranken hosted a series of training sessions and was involved in the shortlisting process. From the numerous entries received, four teams from four different countries were se
UK - Black Panther, the record-breaking new superhero film produced by Marvel Studios. For the film's star-studded European première event at London's Hammersmith Apollo, lighting designer Luke Edwards selected Avolites Titan and Ai lighting and video integration to control his 'super' design. Attending the event was Black Panther's cast, including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o, as well as music stars Stormzy and the Black Eyed Peas. To illuminate the stars, Edwards took inspiration from the film's poster branding, using its yellow, white and blue tones for the auditorium and red carpet lighting. "There are a few aspects we had to look at in lighting this event," says Edwards. "Firstly, the auditorium needed to look good and immediately give people that 'wow' factor when they walked in. At the same time, the lighting needed to be functi
Europe - Robe Lighting CEO Josef Valchar has petitioned the Czech government and MEPs to back the exemption of stage lighting from the Energy Directorate’s proposed Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019, warning of the plans’ “immediate and overwhelming” impact on the industry. In their current form, the controversial proposals would bring stage lighting under the same energy efficiency regulations devised for domestic, office and industrial lighting from September 2020, affecting all specialist lighting fixtures. Robe explains the legislation relates to the number of lumens output rather than the quality and doesn’t consider fixtures utilising optical systems geared for performance and entertainment lighting. Valchar comments: “I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Every manufacturer, rental company, venue, LD, technician and other individual or orga
USA - American singer Andy Grammer spread his refreshing brand of feel-good music across North America this spring on his The Good Parts tour, a club outing of mostly sold out shows in support of his latest release. Lighting design and programming was by Joshua Koffman of Interrobang, Inc., who used a combination of Elation ACL 360 Bar moving battens and Platinum Beam 5R moving head beams to light the show. Lighting vendor for the tour was RK Diversified Entertainment of Claremont, California. Koffman, who has worked with Grammer on one-off shows in the past, says that the lighting rig’s flexibility was key as tour venues varied a great deal. “When we were planning the stage design for this tour we needed to accommodate a wide range of venues, both in stage size and height,” he explains. “Some places had existing rigs, some didn't. Some had high ceiling
USA - It’s 8,504 miles from the island of Manhattan to the South Pacific’s Solomon Islands, but now anyone in the Big Apple can experience this underwater treasure and a host of other nautical wonders right in their own backyard by visiting National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey. Located in Times Square, this 60,000sq.ft multi-media experience digitally takes visitors on an entertaining and immersive adventure across the ocean, from the South Pacific to the coast of California, where guests can get up close with dozens of species, including mischievous sea lions, sharks up to 20’ long, a 50’ Humpback whale, a battle between two ferocious Humboldt squids, and much more. Adding to the immersive environment in the multi-room experience is an elaborate and detailed lighting design by Lightswitch that features a collection of over 200 Chauvet Professio
Germany - GLP reported another excellent Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt, showcasing a number of innovative new products to both domestic LDs and an international trade audience. Over 1,000 fixtures in total were featured in Frankfurt, both on the company stand and in the Festhalle. On the show floor, visitors could see frequent lightshows, expertly programmed and designed by Matt Shimamoto, while across the road at the Festhalle LD Jerry Appelt had designed the LEA Awards Stage for PRG using a staggering 576 GLP fixtures from the extensive impression range including the impression X4 XL, impression Spot One and impression S350, as well as the popular JDC1 strobes, the GLP GT-1 discharge lamp fixture, and GLP’s latest innovation, the KNV Arc and Cube. Arguably, the X4 Bar 10 and 20 created the real show highlight with their ‘shaking’ effect. Appelt had already
Germany - Visitors flocked to ETC’s stands in Hall 3.0 at the recent Prolight+Sound tradeshow in Frankfurt to get a glimpse of the company’s latest innovations. Among the main attractions were several new products - the Element 2 lighting control console from the award-winning Eos family, ColorSource Pearl variable white-light LED fixtures, and the Irideon WLZ architectural wash light - all making their European debut. Launched at the show, the Element 2 control desk is designed for venues with modest rigs and maximum hands-on fader control needs. It brings the fundamentals of lighting control to the forefront while allowing access to a wealth of advanced control features below the surface. ColorSource Pearl, a variable white-light, LED array produces an impressive range of colour temperatures at an affordable price point. Engineered for applications in need of t
USA - Resourcefulness runs deep on the high arid plains of West Texas. One way this quality has manifested itself is in the impressive tributes to faraway famous structures that locals here have erected, from the Globe of the Great Southwest (modelled after Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre in London), to the popular Stonehenge Replica at Odessa’s state college. The leaders of Life Challenge United Pentecostal Church weren’t trying to duplicate a famous house of worship when they opened their new campus on the city’s Grandview Avenue earlier this year, but they did want to emulate best practices from around the world, which is why they opted to add more colour to their stage and sanctuary lighting. “Colour rendering has come a long way since our church last installed a lighting system,” said Gabriel Loera, the technical director of Life Cha
South Africa - MGG, one of South Africa’s leading rental and production specialists, is the first to invest in Robe’s new MegaPointe moving light. MGG’s owner and founder Mark Gaylard explained that they have done phenomenally well with the standard Pointe, where they blazed the trail with the first 12 in SA rental stock, having bought them off distributor DWR’s booth at the 2013 MediaTech expo in Johannesburg. “These have been a company workhorse and a big success for us, they have travelled all over Africa on a wide range of events and we are sure the MegaPointes will do the same.” The initial 24 luminaires were delivered to MGG by DWR. Duncan Riley of DWR says: “I think the industry has been waiting for this fixture - something that’s so much more than a beam light and delivers all the other modes in equal measure. It’s bright and fills a gap, and
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) went back to its roots to support the town of Aylesbury and its Friars music club with their David Bowie statue in the local Market Square, created as a permanent tribute to the location of his 1970s live performances at the club. Designed by Andrew Sinclair for Friars Aylesbury Community Projects, to celebrate David Bowie's music and local legacy in a permanent way, Earthly Messenger features Bowie as Ziggy Stardust and other characters from his career. A Bowie track is played at random on the hour every hour above the statue. Unveiled on 25 March 2018, the statue also received extensive local, national and international media interest. It was followed by a special fundraising concert featuring Friars Aylesbury local heroes Marillion, Howard Jones, John Otway and the Dung Beatles. David Stopps, music promoter
South Africa - Visual Productions BV has appointed DWR Distribution to distribute its products in South Africa and across the borders. Jannie de Jager, technical training and support at DWR Distribution, comments: “With an ability to ‘speak’ just about any language, from Art-Net to sACN, OSC, UDP, KiNet, TCP, Real-Time clock and NTP time synchronization, Visual Productions offers a control solution that is the pinnacle of show control. The units are able to communicate to every protocol known to lighting and AV technicians.” He explains that the purple boxes will convert any incoming signal to trigger any command to perform any type of task in a system. From Art-Net to Contact closure to UDP to OSC, any protocol can be cross triggered on the network and even be wirelessly controlled either by the native Kiosc app or any other third party OSC command-based apps.
UK - PLASA has been invited as one of six European Associations to attend the upcoming EU Commission meeting to address the proposed updates to the Eco-Design Working Plan 2016-2019 that would require all stage lighting to meet efficiency targets in line with domestic and office lighting. The proposed changes to the Eco-Design lighting regulations would have a commercially devastating effect on the industry should it become legislation in 2020. “The impact this law would have on the whole entertainment industry is huge: venues, manufacturers, rental companies, and indeed lighting designers would be greatly affected,” says PLASA's MD, Peter Heath. “Video projection has been granted an exemption - this is what we and other trade bodies are now pushing for - the same exemption for stage lighting.” Adam Bennette of ETC will represent the interest of PLASA m
Germany - French lighting manufacturer Ayrton reported that the size of the crowds that surrounded its stand for the hourly lightshow throughout the four days of Prolight+Sound were “testament to the anticipation generated annually amongst visitors by Stephane Migné’s lighting design and the Ayrton products he used to create one of their most complete lightshows to date”. The show incorporated over 300 fixtures and gave each product group a chance to shine. It showed off the qualities and characteristics of the full range of new wash and spot fixtures, some new product releases, plus a few old favourites. Swathes of MagicPanel-FX worked their geometric magic from the back wall, MiniPanel-FX performed in tight aerial clusters, and MagicBlade-FX showed off its capabilities moving between ethereal colour changes to dramatic club-style sweeps. MiniBurst added drama
Germany - The RTI NEO ONE modular laser systems for professional applications and lighting designers debuted at Prolight + Sound last year. This year, they were featured on the PRG Stage in their Highlight show. Simple, yet very effective DMX / ArtNET control makes the RTI NEO ONE compatible to existing control infrastructure, no other control system is required. The RTI NEO ONE is designed as a multi-projector-laser-system: Several units can be attached to each other with a quick-lock system. Due to the octagonal shape it is possible to create shapes built of laser systems. They can not only be mounted at uncommon positions, e.g. flanking the sound line arrays on big stages, arranged as circle or in other shapes, but can also be used as high-power laser array. The RTI NEO ONE is a powerful white light full colour laser system. With a power of ca. 20W RGB per me
Germany - Avolites experienced its most exciting Prolight+Sound show yet, with a series of product launches including the world premières of new compact media server, the Q3 and launch of light and video integration feature set, Synergy. Avolites kicked things off on the eve of the exhibition by hosting its annual distributor summit and awards. The company introduced its latest product developments to the 68 sales partners who attended from around the world, and afterwards presented a number of awards to its highest-performing partners. "The response from the international team was excellent," says sales director Koy Neminathan. "They were genuinely excited about the Q3 media server and what Synergy offers to their customers. The Avolites Academy was also an area of key importance as we are now rolling out certified Avolites training via our global distribution networ
UK - Eaton’s Zero 88 is looking forward to a busy PLASA Focus in Leeds next week, where the UK lighting control manufacturer will highlight its powerful FLX range of consoles, which will be running with the latest ZerOS 7.9.4 software on Stand N-B12, 1st and 2nd of May 2018 at The Royal Armouries in Leeds city centre. The all new FLX S24 and FLX S48 consoles, the original FLX and the ZerOS Wing will be demonstrated at this event, which is also renowned for its conviviality, networking and being a meeting hub for industry professionals working and based in and around the north of the UK. FLX S24 is a new console that runs up to 48 LED, moving lights and conventional fixtures and is easy to learn and straightforward to use, delivering flexibility and multiple features at an affordable price. FLX S48, also new, has double the power of FLX S24, offering intuitive
