Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

The evening took the form of dinner for 800 VIP guests followed by a band and a Charity Auction which aimed to raise £250,000 for Help for Heroes - the charity formed in 2007 to raise money for the rehabilitation of wounded ex-servicemen across the Armed Forces.

Lighting designer Jono Kenyon was brought in to design the lighting for the band, the charity auction and the general dinner states, and had the added responsibility of acting as production manager for the evening.

The brief was to keep the costs as low as possible since all funding would come directly from the charity, yet to produce a stylish event suitable for the large number of dignitaries attending. The lighting was designed to play a signif

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14 March 2016

In2Structures is a South African based custom structures design and manufacturing company that is part of the Gearhouse SA Group. The 800sq.m capacity two-bay Dome at the McCartney show was supplied to Tel Aviv-based staging and rigging company Stage Design, provider of most of the overall event's technical infrastructure.

The Dome - launched by Gearhouse In2Structures as a fully flexible, aesthetically pleasing, structurally robust solution for all types of events - offered 12.5m of headroom and was located behind the main stage.

Its interior was fully fitted out and dressed by Market King complete with comfortable seating areas, a large central bar, a buffet area and a chilling one. A full lighting rig was hung on a circular truss above t

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14 March 2016

The attraction, entitled Life, Love & Legacy: A New Introduction to William Shakespeare, is due to open in April 2009, and will see visitors journey through five zones in an immersive experience bringing the history of Shakespeare to life. Set within the grounds of the house where Shakespeare was born, the visitor centre is the centrepiece of the five houses that The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust opens to the public in and around Stratford.

Utilising its in house creative and AV departments, Sarner has designed a fully automated dark 'walk through'

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14 March 2016

The company installed 155m of aluminium stage barrier, 100m of cable ramps and 200m of pedestrian barrier, for the ceremony, which saw Paul McCartney receive an Ultimate Legend Award, with other honours going to Britney Spears, Kanye West, Pink and Lil' Wayne.

"It was important that the barrier fitted in with the overall look of the production," says Kevin Thorborn, Mojo Barriers' UK manager. "We were delighted to be able to respond flexibly when MTV Europe specified a black aluminium barrier. Meeting the production values of our clients is a key part of our service."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Commenting on this initiative, Litestructures managing director, Adrian Brooks observed: "Even in these hard economic times, perhaps even more so, Romania remains an attractive area for inward investment. Slatina has many connections with the wider aluminium industry, so we were confident of finding the skills and support we needed for this venture."

Christmas 2008 marks the fifth anniversary of Litestructures' relationship with Romania. The Romanian factory will take over product

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14 March 2016

The ice rink including all pipe work, 200KW of chilling equipment and barriers, was installed in just three days. In addition, the Trespass sponsor logos and curling targets were painted using a soluble paint and frozen into the ice.

John Burgess, account manager at Stage Electrics commented: "Olympia is a difficult venue to install an ice rink in, because of the lack of available drainage for the ice and the issue of having very little control over the ambient tem

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14 March 2016

A fusion of art and technology, the show features heavily on three large mechanical set-pieces with which the dancers interact. Random Dance approached Litestructures to design and manufacture these three main pieces.

The technical solution is a combination of new and established technologies. Utilising Litestructures LiteTower base and truss masts, combined with a totally custom multilink mechanical setup, creates what are effectively large aluminium 'nodding donkeys', not dissimilar to those seen in oil drilling operations.

Standing at a maximum overall height of nearly 7m and each capable of lifting a 10m wide x 2m high wooden wing weighing nearly 100kg, these pieces can be built just a couple of hours. The systems incorporate a numbe

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14 March 2016

The new Tour Grade trunks each house one 50-inch screen display, and include separate compartments for detachable speakers plus an integral space to incorporate a fitted mounting bracket.

5 Star's MD Keith Sykes says: "We enjoy working with companies like Production Plus who follow the same basic ethos and principals of excellence that we do. Consequently there are many parallels between the way we run our respective businesses, and we all strive to complete projects to the highest standards."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The outdoor Magnetic Hill site has welcomed major concerts by the Rolling Stones, who attracted 85,000 people in 2005, and this year's Long Road out of Eden Tour by the Eagles, attended by 55,000 visitors.

The sale of the refurbished steel barrier, from Mojo Barriers' US office, was driven by the venue's need to be able to provide the highest level production facilities to visiting acts. The relative remoteness of the Canadian site was a potential obstacle for touring artists but the venue's newfound ability to offer the best available in-house barrier facilities will considerably ease the logistical burden for visiting international tours.

"Magnetic Hill Music Festival is one of the largest events in E

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14 March 2016

Established in 1992, Castle Stage Hire has become one of Irelands leading suppliers of mobile stages. Part of its continued expansion relied on the acquisition of an industry standard demountable decking system, and LiteDeck was the choice. The deal was put together between Castle Stage hire MD Cormac McCormick, Litestructures and UK master stockholding distributor Impact Products.

Taking an extensive stock of over 60 LiteDeck, along with leg frames, handrails and step units gives Castle Stage Hire a complete decking system to allow them to provide a turnkey solution to any client requirement.

Cormac McCormick comments: "We researched the market and have invested in LiteDeck as we recognise it to be not only a to

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14 March 2016

These are exactly the questions Rick Wade (project manager) from Production Technology in Dubai asked himself when he learned he was about to have his busiest run-up to Christmas ever. Shows by Queen and Paul Rogers, Kylie Minogue, and George Michael, in the space of three weeks; and all of them had committed to provide a full production show, not some scaled-down version for the Middle East.

"For a production manager like Albert Lawrence with Queen, taking a show like theirs around Europe is relatively straightforward," said Wade, "in that the resources of companies l

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14 March 2016

The locomotive needs to be hidden upstage at the top of the show before, self-supported and powered by crew alone, moving 4.5m downstage to slew round into its final position between two video walls and over the walkway.

Various effects needed to be incorporated into the design, including lighting, pyrotechnics, smoke, C02, headlights, a brass bell and deployable, light-up devil horns, not to mention concealing - and then supporting - a huge inflatable known as Rosie.

The complete centrep

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14 March 2016

The site has been filled with new content and redesigned with a vibrant look in line with the new corporate image of Litec, says the company.

Among the most important innovations is the Products section. The new section aims to make the whole range of Litec products more understandable. Each product is listed with its main technical features and users can also download all technical documents as well as having a look at a gallery of installations where the various products have been applied.

It is also now possible to find a product by typing its code or part of it in the search box of the site. All information about a single product will be collected quickly and directly on one page. "This will certainly hel

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14 March 2016

Managing Director, Mark Harding, spoke to the prestigious audience on the second day of the event, focusing on the critical issues around training in the UK. Speaking alongside the BSIA's Olympic 2012 project director David Evans, Harding focused on the potential benefits and pitfalls for the UK security industry presented by the 2012 London Olympics.

Harding stated: "The security industry contains a lot of experienced, qualified professionals and it should be those people driving the agenda towards the Games. The training programmes and qualifications infrastructure for the Ga

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14 March 2016

The project is managed by Jon Bray at Summit, who has liaised closely with the tour's head rigger Richard Wythes and production manager Henry Crallan to ensure that that things are running smoothly now the show's on the road.

10 trusses have been supplied by Summit to Red Piano, which are being used to suspend a variety of dramatically camp scenic pieces, drapes, two side IMAG screens and a 24.5m wide by 8m high upstage MiTrix video screen weighing seven tonnes.

To meet the tight gig scheduling, specific rigging, automation and lighting elements are being advance rigged on certain shows, so Wy

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14 March 2016

The first phase of the project, which will see the production area expanding by a further 350sq.m, began on 3 November. The shell of the building should be in place by the end of the year; the scheduled completion date is the 31 March 2009. During this phase, eight new jobs are being created and two new test beds, each with a well 6.5 metres deep, installed.

The second phase of construction will begin in the spring. When complete, it will add a further 400sq.m to the production and presentation areas. During this phase, a training facility will also be created, which will provide a realistic environment for par

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14 March 2016

Arena Seating installed 505 of its In Style temporary seats, finished with handrails, carpets, drapes and timber sides, all in muted black, rendering it almost invisible to the camera. The company's scaffolding expertise allowed the seating to fit snugly into the restricted studio space. In addition, it provided camera platforms and the supporting structure for ITV 2's Xtra Factor studio. An additional 165 Milano floor seats were provided by Spaceworks.

"Arena Seating designed

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14 March 2016

The company recently commissioned two new dual antenna HD trucks, equipping each with 20-channel Soundcraft BB100 production/on-air mixing consoles.

Designed to offer complete diversity and unparalleled transmission resilience, each vehicle contains two fully-isolated/fully redundant SD/HD transmission chains, and comprehensive audio/video test and monitoring.

Dave George, project manager for SIS Live, says, "We looked into the marketplace and found the BB100 to be a high specification desk at a competitive price. It offered an excellent featureset, such as the mix minus facility, and we use the sub

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14 March 2016

Once Upon A Dream is one of a number of shows which play in repertoire during the liner's cruise schedule. Brilliant Stages' components for the set comprise of huge moving walls which frame the stage to the side and rear. The side walls each measure 6m wide x 4.1m high, and the back wall a staggering 9m wide x 4.1m high - and all are designed to move at speeds up to 0.5m per second.

The moving walls are used to transform the set into an ever-changing series of different shapes and sizes. The side walls are attached to the proscenium by hinges on which they can pivot, whilst the back wall can be tracked up and down stage to meet with the sides. Side wall ang

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14 March 2016

Anthony Banks, operations manager for Gearhouse Rigging was head rigger for the tour, which played a mix of indoor and outdoor venues.

In Cape Town they used an 18m wide by 12m deep TFL roof. The PA Towers were done with Layher scaffolding, while the Durban gig was staged on a 20m wide by 14m deep Stageco roof with integral PA wings. The PA wings were at a height of 25m metres. The Johannesburg shows which concluded the tour took place in the Dome, a 13 212 seated capacity venue which sold out for two nights.

The GHSA lighting department was led by Rob Baker, a regular freelancer for the Cape Town branch, who worked with 4 touring crew

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14 March 2016

The Globe chose The Winter's Tale as the perfect play for a summer's evening and Maltbury provided appropriate staging.Metrodeck Ultra, Maltbury's lightest staging system, was chosen. The package was straightforward yet versatile using an aluminium frame with a lightweight plywood top. As the tour made its way around the country, Russell reported how vital it was having flexible and manageable staging. "I would have no hesitation in recommending Maltbury to other companies," he says.

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14 March 2016

Damon Albarn (musical score) and Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett (visuals, stage & costume design) present this innovative performance work fusing Chinese opera and circus with animated video cartoons and live performance.

Summit won a competitive tender to supply rigging services and equipment to the show which is staged by AEG Promotions UK. Summit's team is project managed by Chris Walker who is working closely with AEG's site production manager Tom Armstrong and Monkey Journey 2008 (the touring company) production manager, Jim Leaver.

The show's flown infrastructure is based around a 22.4m wide by 20.5m deep ground support system that was installed into the tent by Star Events Group.

From this, Summit

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14 March 2016

Stage One were brought in by Top Gear Live production manager, Simon Aldridge and were responsible for the construction of both the set and Swampy, along with the associated automation. Designed by Paul Bonomini, the set both framed and became part of the live action.

Stage One built a replica oil tanker, which split open to reveal Swampy - an 8m high, automated, fire-breathing monster. Swampy was constructed with a steel frame, a moulded head and four metre long arms with over sized sculptured hands. He was scenically dressed in camouflage netting

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14 March 2016

The Wired Remote VAC, designed for the Pro Series, allows technicians to move hoists, set or modify cues from a variety of onstage positions. The walk around, full-function work station (along with up to 100ft of cable) gives the technician freedom to see the hoists clearly during movement.

"Theatrical rigging requires precise movements, in close proximity, at very high speeds. You need to be able to see the equipment moving," said Ted Paget, Vortek central region sales manager. "The Wired Remote VAC allows for a clear line of sight between the technician and the equipment when it is moving."

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