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14 March 2016

StageHand is registered with the UK Charity Commission in addition to the name 'PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund', and donations can be made in either name. The charity is also registered with JustGiving.com, which allows the tax value of donations to be reclaimed under the Gift Aid scheme, boosting the value of individual donations significantly at no extra cost to the donor.

"We don't have many calls on our funds these days, because people have learned that having professional insurance of various types is the sensible way to go," explained trustee Mike Lowe of Britannia Row. "But in certain circumstances it is good to know that there is a fall-back option when a PSA member (or widow or widower)

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14 March 2016

A number of thoughts were considered to improve the yard's aesthetics, but the proposal to illuminate the 140 x 11m façade was the winning idea. A unique and fun way to tell Boligbeton's production story, from the open pit and transportation to the end product, would provide a stunning, yet simple solution. Architect Daniel Olsen of PA understood a dynamic illum

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14 March 2016

Starboy is a large theatrical show, blending a live heavy rock band with classical orchestration, electronic sounds and movie elements, plus dancers, Maori warriors, and pyros, lights and lasers. Consequently, production demands for the tour are high, made more complex by the logistical complexity of being based in New Zealand.

"For us to tour without a digital console would mean travelling with about 30U of outboard gear, which was totally impractical and very expensive for an independent band. After investigating everything in the market, we settled on the GLD-80 because the convenience of using audio over Ethernet was so much more practical than anything else out there," explains chief engineer, Stu

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14 March 2016

IES was founded in 1996 by Rasesh Parekh and Kekul Sheth. IES started out as a lighting distribution company but soon realized the potential of the industry and the need for more products and services.

Besides being a distributor, IES also offers lighting and sound solutions including complete integration with concept, design, installation and execution.

Rasesh Parekh says, "Intelligent lighting has seen a lot of development since the early years, CRMX wireless technology is the next step in that develop

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14 March 2016

Featuring the biggest, most powerful Platinum lamp source used by Elation to date -- the 55,000-lumen, 7,800°K MSR Platinum 35 - the Platinum Spot 35 PRO delivers up to 76,880 lux @ 5m (at minimum 8° zoom). Yet, like all Elation Platinum Series fixtures, it's energy-efficient relative to its output and features a high quality optical system that provides the power and sharpness professional applications require.

Not only is the Platinum Spot 35 PRO powerful enough to illuminate the largest venues and events, its palette of creative tools makes it a lighting pro's dream to

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14 March 2016

Stage Technologies supplied the full automation package, consisting of counterweight assist winches, floor tracks, trucks, sliders and supplementary motors, while sister company Delstar Engineering supplied the stage engineering and hydraulics.

Production manager Patrick Molony said, "Working with the team from Stage Technologies on Charlie has been an absolute pleasure. The installation of the show into Drury Lane has been incredibly smooth. For a production with this level of automation there have been very few problems. When problems have occurred, which they inevitably will on something of this scale, Stage Technologies have pulled out all the stops, and have ensured that all necess

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14 March 2016

In tandem with the large number of worldwide training classes undertaken both by High End Systems and its extensive distributor network, the initial 12 videos will allow everyone to learn how to use a Hog.

The videos have been split into easy to watch segments meaning that beginners as well as experienced users will benefit from them. They are also in a logical order allowing for the user to move from one element of the Hog software to another with ease. The 12 videos means that users who only need to look at a specific area of the console may do this with ease.

"The addition of these videos to our already extensive training program is testament to our commitment to offer education at multiple levels"says Jeff Pelzl, VP, technical and ma

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14 March 2016

Capital Sound had been awarded the sound reinforcement contract by promoters AEG Live/Loud Sound - Royal Parks' new tenant - and the London-based production company deployed the Optocore system that they purchased in 2011 for the Take That Progress Live stadium tour - supplemented by a further eight newly-acquired XR6-FX converters.

Capital Sound technical manager, Ian Colville, said he had no hesitation in specifying this solution to set up the transmission ring covering around

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14 March 2016

The Rick Wakeman Ultimate Experience shows featured more than 90 artists on stage performing selections from Wakeman's best-loved albums - The Myths And Legends of King Arthur, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth and The Six Wives Of Henry VIII - at The Centaur venue at Cheltenham racecourse.

Front-of-house engineer Ian Barfoot has worked with Wakeman for nearly 30 years and is full of praise for Audio-Technica's budget-friendly 20 Series models.

"I use the AT2020s exclusively for brass," he explains, "I'm not usually a fan of large diameter capsules for live work bu

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14 March 2016

Staged every year on the eve of the F1 Santander British Grand Prix, this year a party was held for the first time at the BRDC Farm, which is adjacent to the celebrated race track.

AC-ET's technical manager, James Bawn, decided to bring the façade of the space's Georgian building to life. For this he used dynamic, high-speed racing footage from the BRDC's own film archive. To achieve the overall look Bawn specified a Green Hippo GrassHopper controlling Barco HD20K Projectors and TV One signal transmission for the projection.

BRDC's Stuart Pringle was delighted: "It was fantastic to see the BRDC Farm transformed into a dynamic, visually vibrant space full of light and

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14 March 2016

The band, who, despite their mainstream successes still adhere to their punk ethos, chose not to deviate from their stripped down look to the stage allowing the video crew to concentrate on the band members (and audience members) playing on stage. Video director, Blue Leach was given pretty much carte blanche to interpret his vision of the show onto the two 29Sqm Barco OLite 510 screens either side of the stage.

"The band wanted a very clean look to th

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14 March 2016

The popular event, attended by over 50,000 dance music fans, enjoyed a stellar line up of DJs and megamix sessions from Mr White, Sunnery James, Ryan Marciano, Anderson Noise, Do Santos, Funkagenda, Michael Woods, Deniz Koyu, DBerrie and many more.

Sao Paolo-based LPL Professional (LPL) has been the official provider for the Brazilian Skol Sensation for five years. The main stage lighting production was a collaboration between LPL and the event's two LDs - Summer and Pascal - who ran lighting and visuals on the night.

The Brazilian version of the event - originated in Amsterdam and staged worldwide - is known as one of the best and most sumptuous of these dance music extravaganzas, packed with beautiful people and superlative sounds. It'

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14 March 2016

MilTec UK Ltd supplied the bulk of the lighting via A1 Entertainments of Bristol who supplied the complete package of staging, sound and lighting for the Gulley.

All of the Miltec equipment was LED powered and consisted of 10x Batten2s, four EPW2 and two EPW3 moving heads, 20 144Q LED pars and two 324W moving head washes. The EPW fixtures were very popular, being used for profile beams, washes and pixel effects.

Paul Wilshire, owner of A1 Entertainment commented, &

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14 March 2016

Smash, headed by Alex 'Junior' Cerio and Tim Smith is known for its innovative, imaginative and fresh approach to production design through lighting, video, visuals and scenic elements for all types of live events.

Their work encompasses many genres and styles, embracing corporate launches and parties through to touring with top international DJs and bands.

Smash is in the process of investing in key areas of equipment like control surfaces to further facilitate the design side of the business, and the new M6 is an addition to Smash's ever growing collection of lighting consoles.

The console can be hoo

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14 March 2016

The lighting designer and operator Chris Schatz, from Klinkertor Studios/Schattenwerk has chosen 20 Clay Paky Sharpys and a large number of MA Lighting products for the tour. Augusta-based Gruppe 20 has provided the lighting, rigging and sound systems, as well as dealt with the transportation.

Chris Schatz says, "Clay Paky Sharpys are really fantastic lights! For one song, I achieved a striking effect using four simple cylindrical mirrors. The reflected rays produced an incredible moving light effect.

"I have dealt with Chris de Burgh's ligh

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14 March 2016

The 2,068-seat hall's original acoustics were optimized for amplified events. To provide acoustics that support ASB's orchestral and operatic performances, principal consultant Chris Day of Marshall Day Acoustics specified a balanced approach blending both structural and active electronic solutions.

On the structural side, Day added new side and overhead hardwood reflector panels and parquet flooring. To provide the ideal acoustic support for classical music, ASB decided against the cost-prohibitive option, which required raising the ceilin

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14 March 2016

"We provided a full event package to the organisers" says Black Light's event project manager, David Moffat. "As well as supplying all the necessary stage, sound, AV and control equipment, we also installed and trained the client to manage in our absence."

Aperol Spritz was a sponsor of the 2013 Brighton Fringe Festival, which ran from 3 May to 2 June, and Black Light's equipment was used at the Aperol Spritz Social garden, which contained a large style bar serving Aperol Spritz, a stage with live music, comedy and variety acts, a Spritz booth, interactive game and insta-printers. The

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14 March 2016

"The old, fluorescent lights on the pier burned out, left gaps in the lighting and were in a difficult area to maintain," states Matt Henigan, City of Santa Monica, office of sustainability and the environment, energy efficiency engineer. "With the new LED lamps in place, maintenance is minimal, and we have already reduced energy consumption by over 30%. And because the LED lighting is directional, it improves safety and enhances the Pier's appearance without causing light pollution for local residents."

The 413,056sq.ft Santa Monica Pier also includes one of the few, surviving all-wooden carousels in the world, part of the

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14 March 2016

Numerous leading production specialists and lighting pros lent their talents to creating EDC Las Vegas 2013's breathtaking audio-visual environment; one thing many of them shared in common was their choice of Elation Professional products. Five of the festival's stages featured Elation lighting and video prod

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14 March 2016

Kevin Stannett, head of lighting at Emperor's Palace (and also a freelance LD) specified the fixtures as part of a recent lighting upgrade. He wanted an eco-friendly solution for the new lighting units as the resort looks to the future and embraces the philosophy of greener operations.

The units were delivered by Robe's South African distributor DWR, whose Robert Izzett demonstrated the DLX.

While power consumption is not an issue at Emperor's Palace, other cost-saving advantages of having LED lighting - like never having to replace the bulbs - were also a definite plus.

The first show on which the DLX Spots were used wa