27 January 2015

The Week in Lighting & Sound

Arts Education Funding - Youth dance and music schemes will benefit from an increased £109m in government spending in the coming year, after the Department for Education pledged its support for cultural education programmes. A number of projects - including the National Youth Dance Company and the BFI Film Academy - will be granted a share of £4m in the 2015/16 financial year. It was also revealed an extra £1.1m with be spent on In Harmony programmes - which aim to engage children in deprived areas with orchestral ... More >>

White Light audio division up and running

UK - Well known throughout the entertainment industry for its lighting services, White Light will now offer sound equipment and services with the launch of a dedicated audio department. The London-based supplier has earned its reputation for quality products and reliable service throughout its more than four decades in the entertainment business. The company has taken the decision to expand based on increasing demand, especially from existing clients. "Our success has always come from listening to and understanding our customers," ... More >>

EES of Spain becomes a Doughty Super Dealer

Spain - San Sebastian-based Entertainment Equipment Supplies (EES) has signed an agreement to become Doughty Engineering's Super Dealer in Spain. EES is a successful importer and distributor of equipment and accessories for professional entertainment lighting in Spain and Julian Chiverton, sales director at Doughty, hopes this partnership will see his company's name grow in popularity in the region. "EES is very much regarded as the premier supplier of lighting equipment and accessories across the region. It has been supplying the needs ... More >>

Robe BMFLs play Dangerous Games in Israel

Israel - Top Israeli technical production and rental specialist Argaman Systems from Rosh Hayain lost no time in investing in Robe's new BMFL Spot multifunctional moving lights, taking delivery of their first batch of 60 units to service a variety of ongoing and upcoming projects - one of which was the recent Israeli tour of Michael Flatley's Lord of The Dance's Dangerous Games show. Dangerous Games started off at London's Dominion Theatre with a lighting design by Paul Normandale - well known for this inventive and ... More >>

Panasonic launches partner training academy

The Netherlands - Panasonic Visual Solutions division has launched a training programme exclusively designed for visual professionals, such as resellers, system integrators, AV rental companies and distributors. The Panasonic training programme includes several levels to develop Panasonic visual product knowledge and gain special certifications. Split between projectors and display (which have three and two levels respectively) Panasonic partners can engage in free online training sessions through the Academy portal to gain Visual ... More >>

Steve Smith named Cinelease MD in UK

UK - Cinelease has appointed Steve Smith as its Managing Director for the UK. Smith brings 30 years' of industry experience with him having formerly been the Group Managing Director of AFM Lighting and more recently Worldwide Managing Director of Panalux. Steven M Ortiz (Cinelease global VP) comments: "We are delighted to welcome someone of Steve's calibre and proven track record to Cinelease. We view his appointment as a sign of our commitment to being the leading company in the UK. Steve Smith has a proven track record over many years ... More >>

uTRAC discounts for PSA members

UK - uTRAC has supported the Production Services Association (PSA) to offer its members an exclusive discount for selected workforce management packages. Members of the live event production industry trade association PSA can now benefit from both the uTRAC Core and Core plus packages, providing a comprehensive application for managing and tracking high-volumes of labour. Andy Lenthall, general manager of the PSA said, "It is our ongoing aim to offer membership advantages by bringing the latest resources from credible systems to benefit ... More >>

Entertaining Sustainability monitors Linbury Studio

UK - When London's Royal Opera House decided to measure the electricity consumption of the Linbury Studio's stage lighting equipment, they opted for a MeasureMyEnergy system, provided by industry consultancy :entertaining sustainability. The modular nature of the MeasureMyEnergy system proved ideal for monitoring 36 key circuits across two separately located major distribution boards to monitor - plus mains incomers at 630 Amps per phase. Tim Atkinson, technical director at :entertaining sustainability, said: "After a site visit to ... More >>

Intevi and PSCo deliver a UK first

UK - Brazilian footwear brand Melissa's London store launch attracted a VIP guest list most fashion brands would dream of, so the pressure was on for the store design to impress. The 6,000 square foot store would follow the brand's 'Galeria' concept, found currently in the flagship stores in Sao Paulo and New York, where shoes are displayed alongside art installations and sculpture. Melissa's brief to Intevi, the Digital Solutions Provider, was to blend their artistic designs with suitable technology to bring their creativity to life. ... More >>

BVE shapes up for February

UK - Registration is now open for BVE 2015 (24-26 February 2015, ExCeL London), which will welcome more than 240 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and technologies that take content from creation to consumption. Alison Willis, Event Director, said: "BVE is the number one destination for the UK broadcast industry to launch their new products and services. The internet is great for research, but nothing beats actually meeting vendors who can explain their products in human terms or, for the vendors, meeting the people who will use ... More >>

Britannia Row Productions in Chinese takeover of Trafalgar Square

UK - It is estimated that by 2017 visitors from China to the UK will spend £1bn a year; currently there are approximately 150,000 Chinese tourists who choose to visit London each year. There won't be many who don't take the opportunity to visit Trafalgar Square, feed the pigeons, gaze up at Nelson on his Column and pop into the National Gallery before exiting through Admiralty Arch to walk down towards Buckingham Palace. These iconic images of London are at the top of the 'must see' list for every visitor. So it comes as not real ... More >>

Sir Richard Eyre at Rose Bruford College

UK - Rose Bruford College students, staff and guests gathered for Sir Richard Eyre's annual President's Talk on Wednesday 21 January 2015 at the College's Rose Theatre. Sir Richard, who has been the President of Rose Bruford College since 2010 and was director of Great Britain's National Theatre for a decade from 1987 to 1997, is currently working on a number of theatre and television projects, including an adaption for BBC 2 of Ronald Harwood's play the The Dresser, that stars two great theatrical knights--Sir Anthony Hopkins ... More >>

ETC Congo Kid fills Munich church with light

Germany - A few months ago, the walls of St Margaret's church in Munich, Germany, reverberated with "eternal light," or Lux Aeterna. Organised by Christian Bischof, organist and choir director for St Margaret's, the November event featured music from Claude Debussy, Morten Lauridsen, and Gabriel Fauré, and was accompanied by a modern light show controlled by ETC's Congo Kid lighting desk. Prior to the event's official conceptualisation, Bischof contacted lighting designer Ludwig Hacker to discuss the look of the lighting. Says ... More >>

Clay Paky delivers knockout lighting for MMA gala

Poland - The biggest live event in Polish Mixed Martial Arts history, KSW 29: Reload, took place this month at Krakow Arena in front of over 16,000 audience members, with thousands more around the globe tuning into the live broadcast in Pay per View. Lighting designer and director Pawel "Spider" Pajak therefore chose the power and effects of the Clay Paky Sharpy, SuperSharpy and A.leda B-EYE K20 to ensure the tournament packed a serious punch. Pajak's company Fish Eye was also responsible for the whole technical coordination of the ... More >>

Brilliant Stages for Helene Fischer's Farbenspiel tour

Europe - Helene Fischer's Farbenspiel tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in late 2014 marked the first set built by Brilliant Stages under Dark Arches Holdings ownership. The German television presenter and singing star's sell-out tour saw her perform on a complex, multi-level stage with a large LED tree as a spectacular backdrop. Working from a design concept by Stufish Entertainment Architects, with whom Brilliant Stages has worked on innumerable occasions, the main design realisation was driven from Brilliant Stages' drawing ... More >>

Club NOA brought to life with Martin Audio

Romania - The glittering new Club NOA (Nest of Angels) has opened in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca following a major renovation of a well-known clubbing site on the Strada Republicii. Oozing fashion and luxury, the club has a potent Martin Audio system based around the W8VDQ, at the heart of an advanced sound and lighting infrastructure costing €500,000 to put together, and boasting 65kW of sound. The Sound and lighting systems were specified by Romanian installation specialists Simo Sound SRL (Disco Zone), with support from Martin ... More >>

XL Video bespoke package for Ben Howard tour

UK - XL Video supplied one of its new bespoke mini-cam packages and LED screens for the latest UK and European tour by talented singer / songwriter and Brit winner Ben Howard, working with lighting and visuals designer Andy Rowe. The tour - Howard's most comprehensive to date in terms of video production - was project managed by XL's Paul 'Macca' McCauley who commented, "We are thrilled to be involved with this fast rising star and an imaginative production design with an interesting and different slant on video." Andy, Macca, ... More >>

SGM G-Spot animation for Paris ice rink

France - Every year, Mairie de Paris (Paris City Hall) turns the square in front of the building into an ice rink for the citizens of Paris to enjoy ice skating during the winter. This year technical audiovisual specialist, Novelty Group, decided to add enhancements to the traditional Christmas animation on the ice rink, and after conducting stringent testing on the SGM G-Spot LED moving head, placing it under a shower for three days, they were convinced by the IP-rating of the luminaire. Supported by Sonoss, SGM's local partner, this ... More >>

Green-Go chosen for Warsaw National Theatre

Poland - The National Theatre in Warsaw is one of the most important theatrical venues in Poland, dating back to the 18th century. So when the theatre decided to upgrade the old stage management system, Green-Go was the intercom system of choice chosen to create a party line network communication system. Piotr Jankiewicz who is director of design and integration at Konsbud Audio, the company contracted to install the new system said, "The stage management system covers four stages located in two buildings which are separated by a ... More >>

Intevi and PSCo deliver for Melissa

UK - Brazilian footwear brand Melissa's London store launch attracted a VIP guest list most fashion brands would dream of, so the pressure was on for the store design to impress. The 6,000sq.ft store would follow the brand's 'Galeria' concept, found currently in the flagship stores in Sao Paulo and New York, where shoes are displayed alongside art installations and sculpture. Melissa's brief to Intevi, the digital solutions provider appointed on this project, was to blend their artistic designs with suitable technology to bring their ... More >>

Highland Park revamps with Danley & Ashly

USA - As it approached its hundred-year anniversary as a congregation, Highland Park Baptist Church in Columbia, Tennessee sought to revamp its four hundred-seat sanctuary. It hired Church Interiors of High Point, North Carolina to help design and organize the work, which included structural and aesthetic improvements, as well as a new Sharp/Extron video system based around three huge LED screens and a cutting-edge sound reinforcement system. Now, Danley Sound Labs horn-loaded loudspeakers and subwoofers deliver musical and highly ... More >>

Navori opens office in Germany - appoints key staff

Switzerland - Navori has announced the opening of a new office in Germany to support growing interest in its digital signage solutions across the German-speaking DACH countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The company, which will soon unveil new branding, organizational strategy and products, has appointed Thomas Pollum to lead sales and business development from the new office, located in the City of Elmshorn. Thomas comes to Navori with a history of success in director-level and management roles at BIS Germany (A Mood Media ... More >>

Elation extends Cuepix series

USA - Elation Professional has announced the launch of two new powerful luminaires in its popular Cuepix series of LED lights powered by advanced Chip On Board (COB) LED technology, the Cuepix PAR 300, a bright and versatile full colour PAR wash light; and the Cuepix Batten, an LED strip light with flexible use as a pixel bar or wash light. Both luminaires are easy-to-use solutions for adding high-impact coloured light to productions of all types. Both the Cuepix PAR 300 and Cuepix Batten house 30W 3-in-1 RGB COB LEDs for a broad ... More >>

HHB gears up for BVE 2015

UK - At BVE 2015 in London next month, HHB Communications will feature the latest audio and video technologies on Stand J43. Prominently located on the show's central aisle with Soho audio post specialists Scrub and co-exhibitors Nugen Audio, HHB will show the latest loudness tools, audio networking technology and Pro Tools systems for broadcasters, audio post engineers and systems integrators. HHB's Avid specialists will demonstrate the full features of the Avid S6 and S3 control surfaces alongside Pro Tools with the latest plug-ins ... More >>

Aimline prepares for its first ISE

UK - Germany-based Aimline will show the first models of its ALX-Series in Amsterdam, representing a new generation of digitally steerable column loudspeaker that can be integrated into existing networks using DANTE connectivity. Using DANTE, no audio signal conversion is necessary, allowing the audio to remain in the digital domain throughout. The series consists of the ALX-8, which can be cascaded in up to six units in horizontal and vertical directions. Main features include DANTE audio input and output, multibeam technology for ... More >>