UK - Since the world’s most famous oversized gorilla first appeared on cinema screens in 1933, King Kong has become one of the most renowned movie icons, with countless comics, video games and theme park rides adding to a string of film remakes. Now the iconic ape has surfaced again with the release of the Warner Bros. film Kong: Skull Island. For the recent UK premier of the highly anticipated film, Limited Edition Event Design awarded the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square with a 36m long Kong-worthy video wall to display graphic content and film related video, utilising 216 Chauvet Professional PVP X6IP LED video panels, supplied by Impact Production Services. The low 6.9mm pixel pitch and the 4,500 NITS of the PVP X6IP panels provided the perfect solution to display video and King Kong graphics with exceptional visual clarity both during the
Austria - Gerhard Scherer is a happy man since 24 x Robe DL7S Profiles and DL4S Profiles - 12 of each fixture – have been installed at the Theater Akzent Theatre in Vienna - a busy producing and receiving house located in the Wieden district of Austria’s capital city, famous for its culture and charm. Head of lighting Gerhard has been working at Akzent since it was founded in 1989 in the grounds of the former Palais Nathaniel Rothschild. Its post-modern architecture was designed by Rudolf Jarosch and it offers a 455-seat main house, a studio that can accommodate 80 people and a 380-capacity event space. When it came to the most recent technical upgrades for lighting, he was looking for powerful, refined profile LED fixtures with additive colour mixing, and Robe's DL range ticked all the boxes! Also responsible for lighting 90 per cent of the incoming shows, t
USA - For nearly two decades, ETC’s LDI Student Sponsorship has given students a unique way to gain experience, make connections and launch a career, and to attend the LDI tradeshow with all expenses paid. Applications for this year’s Sponsorship are now available at www.etcconnect.com/LDISponsorship, and due by 9 June 2017. ETC’s LDI Student Sponsorship includes a round trip airfare to the LDI tradeshow, which will be 17-19 November this year, along with hotel accommodation, all meals, a full conference pass, a student reception to meet people in the industry, and exclusive ETC swag. Students in their final year of undergraduate study, graduate students, and students from outside of North America who are studying at equivalent university levels at the time of the LDI show, and who are studying lighting design, theatre technology, stage machinery, or closely related fi
USA - Philips Lighting’s control systems are managing the new stunning colour illumination of the landmark 167ft (50.9m) high Niagara Falls, located on the border of the USA and Canada. The systems from Philips Entertainment Lighting form the centrepiece of the recently opened LED upgrade. Two Philips Strand Lighting NEO consoles, used widely in theatrical lighting, control 1,400 third-party colour LED luminaires for the Niagara Falls Illumination Enhancement Project. The luminaires, grouped in 350 controllable zones, enable lighting effects, such as sunrise, sunset and the Aurora Borealis, to be played on the 600,000 US gallons (271,247 litres) of water cascading over the falls every second. The goal of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board is to enhance the visitor experience and gain energy efficiencies and longevity from the LED lighting. The $4m upgrade of the pr
UK – Supporters and trustees of Backup - The Technical Entertainment Charity - gathered in London on Monday evening to help raise the profile of the charity’s new name and logo in entertainment industry. Around 80 guests attended the event, which included live entertainment from Jay Johnson. Backup exists to provide financial support to technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film, helping them to get back on their feet when their lives are disrupted by illness or injury to themselves or to family members. Previously known as Behind The Scenes UK, the charity changed its name to Backup in 2016. Backup’s chairman, John Simpson, welcomed guests to The Hospital Club in London’s Covent Garden, which generously sponsored the event. He reiterated the purpose of the charity by highlighting some of its achievements to date. “We have helped a n
USA - Lighting designer Herrick Goldman used Elation Professional’s colour-changing Colour 5 Profile LED ellipsoidal spot as part of a large lighting package for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s recent production of Alice in Wonderland. The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s version of Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic ‒ first created in London 20 years ago by a design team at the English National Ballet ‒ ran 10-19 February at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh. “It was a fun challenge to update the work to a much more modern and vibrant aesthetic in collaboration with choreographer Derek Deane,” Goldman commented about his work on the ballet. “When Derek told me he wanted a modern Vegas feel to the show, [director of production] Curtis Dunn and I immediately began discussing adding LEDs to the plot. We were able to use 26 Elation
Ireland - Coinciding with the company’s 50th anniversary, Irish broadcast, AV and video conferencing experts, Eurotek have taken delivery of BlackTrax real-time motion tracking system. The purchase meets the exponential requirement for clients within the broadcast technology, Audio Visual, VFX and communications industry requiring real-time motion tracking throughout Ireland. “Eurotek has made a commitment to focus on growth, and new projects in our home country are central to this expansion. The projects we work on are getting much more complex, and systems like BlackTrax will enable us to deliver impactful and compelling presentations to clients,” said Noel McMahon, technical sales & business development at Eurotek. “The BlackTrax system is already used by our sister company AVtek for live event projects, so we’ve invested in a further system. “
UK - Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru recently staged a Welsh-language version of Macbeth at Caerphilly Castle. This new, site-specific production ran last month and was the company’s first show to be performed in this historic ruin. Following its work on several other site-specific projects, White Light was asked to provide the lighting equipment on this production. Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru was formed in 2003 with the aim of offering a variety of productions that enrich Wales’ theatre culture in all its form, especially through the medium of Welsh. The lighting designer on Macbeth was Joe Fletcher and the production and lighting assistant was Joshua Kroon. Joshua comments, “I worked closely alongside Joe to help create the systems and structure that would facilitate his design. This was an extremely ambitious production and key planning at every single stage w
UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), in conjunction with Royal Central Research, is hosting an afternoon of talks and panel discussions at Bankside (Central Bankside, Emerson St. SE1 9DU – Saturday 8 April, 2017 – 2pm) to celebrate the warm reception of Nick Moran’s recently published book, The Right Light (Palgrave 2016). The Right Light documents the findings of Royal Central’s Nick Moran’s project, which asked such questions as ‘How do top theatre lighting designers decide what is the right light for each moment of a live performance?’, ‘How much of the process is technical?’, ‘How much craft? And ‘How much art?’ Answers to these questions, gleaned through interviews with 19 leading UK based lighting designers, form the basis data for this fascinating research study. The event, introduced by Peter Mumford, multi-aw
Germany - At this year's Prolight+Sound (4-7 April) in Frankfurt, the Adam Hall Group – a manufacturer and distributor of event technology solutions – will unveil several world premieres in Hall 3.1, booth E60-F70. At the same time, the German company will announce its collaboration with the legendary Porsche Design Studio. At the start of the exhibition, our pro audio brand, LD Systems, will unveil its near-production concept for a future-oriented sound product, which has been developed in collaboration with Porsche Design Studio. “Our development team, together with the designers from the Porsche Design Studio, have done a first-class job. We are introducing a brand new kind of design into the industry. I am really looking forward to seeing the reactions in the market,” says Alexander Pietschmann, CEO of the Adam Hall Group. “This integrative design has n
Germany – ETC is powering up to demonstrate a selection of its latest and most popular lighting and rigging solutions at this year’s Prolight+Sound, taking place in Frankfurt from 4–7 April. ETC representatives from around the globe will be available to answer questions regarding lighting control, luminaires, rigging and complete system solutions, in hall 3.0 on stands E47, E51 and F51. Visit stand E51 to see the recently launched Gio @5 console. This lighting desk brings the professional-grade control of the Eos Ti and Gio consoles within reach of users with tighter spaces – and tighter budgets. Receive a demo using the Gio @5, another Eos-family console, or Cobalt Wings, and see in action a selection of ETC’s Source Four LED Series 2 luminaires. On stand E47, product specialists will show all the features of the entire ColorSource family of products. Develo
UK - Working alongside lighting designer/director Sturat Pring, LED Creative provided an array of their Alpha 60 RGB Wand Kits to add highlights to an absorbing performance by Ray BLK for Deezer Next, a new programme supporting music’s next generation. Using the Alpha 60 to great effect, Stuart positioned the wands to create an intricate layered backdrop that pulsed in time with the rhythm, adding subtle accents to a suite of soulful, stripped back versions of songs by the newcomer. Available as ‘plug and play’ rental kits, the LC Alpha Soft RGB Wands are available in a choice of length and colour temperature to provide a versatile, highly controllable illumination solution. For the Deezer installation the LD cleverly added a sense of depth to the intimate studio choosing to ‘float’ the wands within a haze filled darkness, creating a simple monochromatic ambi
UK - Matthew Bourne’s latest show Early Adventures is making a triumphant return as part of the company’s 30th anniversary celebrations. The show sees Matthew Bourne return to his roots with a programme of early pieces that launched his career and saw the birth of his enigmatic style. Following the company’s work on Matthew Bourne’s previous show The Red Shoes, White Light has been called upon once again to provide the lighting equipment. Early Adventures is a triple bill of classic Bourne work: The Infernal Galop, Town and Country and Watch with Mother. The set has been designed by long-time collaborator Lez Brotherston with a lighting design by Andy Murrell. Andy comments: “My role was to create a design that would be suitable for the overall show whilst also ensuring that each piece had its own individual identity. For i
UK - An Avolites Arena console has been selected to control the custom designed, automated house rig on debut electronic dance music series Issue 001 at London's new, experimental cultural hub, Printworks. The 001 series sees some of the industry's most progressive electronic dance music promoters including Junction 2, Melt Festival and Knee Deep host top and emerging dance music talent. The Arena was selected and installed alongside the rest of the event's lighting package by Poole-based lighting and rigging expert Wolf Lighting. The console is networked in the venue's 'crown jewel' event space; a 16.8m high, 120m x 30m area dubbed 'The Press Halls' on account of the original printing presses that still flank its sides. "There was never a question of not using an Avolites console for the Printworks project," says Jonathan Oliver, director of Wolf Lighting. "We needed
UK / USA - Christie Lites is ‘crossing the pond’ with the opening of Christie Lites Coventry in the UK. This new office is Christie’s first expansion outside of North America. The North American lighting and rigging rental company is bringing its successful business model from its network of 12 office warehouse locations across the US and Canada to further serve client demand into the UK and Europe - and vice versa. Christie Lites CEO Huntly Christie says: “We have always expanded to places where we can best support our long-standing client partners. We’ve had inquiries for years about expansion overseas from various genres of clientele, including touring, theatre, auto and trade shows, corporate - the full gamut of our business. The time is finally right, with a great alignment of eager new staff, solid equipment support and motivated customers. Our first overseas
USA - On 5 February Houston, Texas played host to the NFL’s Super Bowl LI, fought out between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium. Entertaining the crowds in the hotly anticipated Pepsi Zero Sugar Halftime Show was Lady Gaga, whose high-octane performance earned the respect of millions in an intense 13-minute spectacular that was viewed by over 115 million people worldwide. The show was another world-class collaboration from co-production designers, Bruce Rodgers of Tribe Inc. and LeRoy Bennett of Seven Design Works, and lighting designer, Bob Barnhart of 22 Degrees. Ayrton was, once again, proud to be part of this show with 81 new MagicDot-XT fixtures, 40 new MagicPanel-FX fixtures and a solitary CosmoPix-R chosen to adorn the major scenic elements of Barnhart’s lighting design. Both Bennett and Rodgers had a message to
UK - When James Priddle, sales and project manager for Pyrojunkies, needed a console to programme a special effects show for the 2016 BPM/Pro trade show in Birmingham, they chose the MA Lighting dot2. The trade event was an opportunity for Pyrojunkies to showcase Magic FX products in a live situation. To do this they created a short but intense show that highlighted what could be achieved with the equipment, so he got on the phone to Ambersphere Solutions to see what they recommended. Thor-André of Ambersphere’s Technical Sales reports, “I spent a lot of time with James, looking at the various options and how they could best work for him, and we eventually settled upon a dot2 Core.” Priddle explains further, “We wanted to create a show that had the feel of a concert. We achieved this by using a large, high-definition screen, a crowd barrier and using a combi
USA - The good times never stop for Brothers Gow. The popular California jam band, which has been touring non-stop, doing close to 100 shows a year since 2007, shows no signs of slowing down. With each passing mile, this tightly woven quintet has expanded its musical horizons, mashing up a mixed brew of influences from Snoop Dogg-like funk to Grateful Dead-inspired psychedelia to create a cornucopia of sounds that is all their own. Lighting designer Matt Collier is capturing the pure joy and live-for-music spirit of Brothers Gow on their Fall Tour with a compact, but punchy and fast-moving lightshow that is built around 10 Rogue fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Collier, who the band describes as “the sixth member of Brothers Gow”, has loaded six Rogue R1 Washes and four Rogue R1 Spots into the band’s well-travelled trailer for the tour that started in San Dieg
Israel - The wedding industry in Israel is a massive and highly competitive sector. When Nesher Edri teamed up with entrepreneur Yigal Ben Lulu and chef Zeev Tamarov to create his new enterprise LARA as “the ultimate wedding experience”, he specified 60 Robe VIVA LED spots. High production values have underpinned the LARA concept, so the 60 x VIVA LED moving heads are right at the core of the lighting rig above the main dancefloor. “I simply wanted absolutely the best sound and lighting and so I chose Robe - I think it's the best,” he declared. After acquiring the land at Kannot Junction, Nesher designed and built the venue from the ground up, fine-tuning the various details to ensure everything from the architecture to the feng shui of the space is perfect. The VIVAs together with the rest of the lighting production were supplied by Danor Theatre & S
UK - DMX Productions’ managing director, SJ Grevett is the first to admit that he is something of an MA control newbie. “We were looking to expand our control inventory and, as MA control is requested on all our major rock ‘n’ roll gigs, it seemed the logical choice to investigate further. I was completely unfamiliar with the MA system having spent years working with other boards but within 30 minutes of the grandMA2 Command Wing arriving at my door I had it outputting art net and talking to our media servers via CITP, something that has caused considerable headaches with other boards. I just love the desk.” SJ’s contact at MA Lighting’s UK distributor Ambersphere Solutions was sales manager Thor Andrè Saether. “The first Command wing and fader Wing DMX Productions bought was DMX’s first real encounter with grandMA2 control. Talking to SJ over the next cou
Germany - To mark the third year running of the Lightconverse and High End Systems Lighting Challenge, and to celebrate the past years' imaginative entries, the organisers have decided to sweeten the pot by adding the brand-new Lightconverse Tools 2017 to the four-level Prize Pool this year. The theme is ‘Inventive and original as always!’. The contest entry deadline is 1 April 2017. The winners will be announced on 6 April at the Prolight+Sound trade show in Frankfurt Germany (Hall 3, Level 0, Booth E90). First prize is the High End HedgeHog 4X console and Lightconverse Trace (with special one year upgrade to Lightconverse Unlimited) plus Lightconverse Tool 2017. Follow this link for full rules and to enter the contest: challenge.lightconverse.com (Jim Evans)
The Netherlands - Nearly 100 Claypaky Sharpys were exclusively selected to deliver an immersive eight-hour light show to 2,000 partygoers at an underground club night that was hosted by trailblazing Dutch techno music agency Claydrum at Complex nightclub, Maastricht for their New Year's Eve celebrations. Dutch production designer Joël Lemmerling, from Maastricht-based production company, Stöd, selected 96 of the multi-award winning Sharpy fixtures to create a fastidious design formulated by gridded white, coloured and UV light beams and clever manipulation of angles. The fixtures were supplied to Stöd by Claypaky's Belgium distributor AED. "We wanted a fixture that could deliver perfect beams of light that were easy to see, even with colours that are normally less visible, like red and UV," says Lemmerling, who utilised the Sharpy's 14-option colour wheel in conjun
USA / Germany - LMP Lichttechnik Vertriebs GmbH, a pioneer in the distribution of moving lights in Europe for over 30 years, will begin to distribute Elation Professional products in Germany effective 15 March. With LMP as its distribution partner, Elation opens a wider market for its products while moving closer to its German customers and guaranteeing swifter, higher-quality service, the company says. In LMP, Elation has chosen a company that has been well-respected and highly successful in the market for over 37 years. Beyond moving lights, LMP is also well positioned in the field of static LEDs. The company is also known for its systematic brand development and has had success over the years in the positioning of young brands, including its own. Elation says: “Major German companies such as satis&fy and Amptown System Company (ASC) have been relying
USA - A metal band that’s recorded hits with names like Cry For The Moon doesn’t normally cover music written by the likes of Antonio Vivaldi, Antonín Dvořák and Giuseppe Verdi, but then again, nothing about Dutch act Epica can be described as ‘ordinary’. In addition to performing the works of these and other classical composers, the six-member band has put its own fresh, original and totally captivating metallic symphonic spin on music from films like Star Wars, Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean. Having risen high on the charts in their native northern Europe, where they perform at large capacity venues, Epica has nevertheless retained a fearless desire to pursue new forms of expression. This was very evident in their latest North American tour, which concluded in early December, not just in their music, but also in their lights
