China / USA - I.E. Effects delivered 3D reality for Traveling in the Storm, an immersive entertainment experience developed by Falcon's Treehouse for OCT Shanghai's Happy Valley. In this innovative ride participants assume the role of storm chasers. Travelling in an amphibious exploration vehicle, they embark on a series of extreme weather adventures, including stereoscopic visuals combined with physical effects, such as splashing water, wind, changing temperatures and more. I.E. Effects designed and executed all of the stereo content, including visual concepts, modeling, texturing, lighting, and compositing for each shot.
"We were really impressed with the knowledge and creativity of David's team at I.E. Effects," said Cecil Magpuri, president of Falcon's Treehouse. "Their experience with previous stereo 3D and venue projects was a great asset, and their u
USA - Oscar winning actor Jamie Foxx recently completed his second arena tour with production designer Daunte Kenner. Foxx's charismatic show opened with a video montage celebrating his resume followed by an eclectic mix of music and comedy.
The design focused on hiding production elements. Except for the set, every other metallic object was black. The lighting rig featured 18 Studio Beams, 15 MAC 2K washes, 12 VL 3K profiles, four ShowGuns and eight PixelLine 1044s. A 90' fibre optic curtain provided the backdrop alongside a FlexiFlex video wall.
Kenner comments, "Foxx wanted to recreate some of the same elements of the previous tour - as with the economy in its current state - he wanted to keep costs low in order to keep the ticket price low. So we gave him a similar design updated with the latest smart technologies that allowed us to slightly downsize our control crew
Austria - Award-winning Austrian film Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon) proved such a major hit at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival that Michael Haneke, the film's director, was invited to give a special showing by no less than the country's parliamentary president, Barbara Prammer. And with a DiGiCo SD8 console, supplied by Austrian sound rental company Ton Eichinger, ensuring that the cinematic sound was as good as possible for the assembled politicians and other VIPs, the one-off screening was a complete success.
Having won Cannes' most prestigious prize, the Palme d'Or, along with a special mention by the Ecumenical Jury, then the FIPRESCI Grand Prix at the San Sebastian Film Festival and Film of the Year 2009 at the Sinema Greece Festival, Das Weisse Band has put Austrian film-making firmly on the map.
In recognition of this, the Austrian parliamentary preside
Qatar - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik products has sold system integrators Hi-Fi Services a PRO6 Live Audio System for the La Cigale Hotel in Doha, Qatar. Hi-Fi Services is a professional system integration company that has carried out various projects in the region.
"The La Cigale hotel is a premium hotel in Doha," commented Richie Hiranandani, marketing manager. "The Pro6 system like the other top end systems in the hotel will be used in their newly built ballroom for various events."
Midas consoles can be found in various locations across the UAE, such as Dubai TV and MBC OB Vans, restaurants such as Trader Vic's at the Madinat Jumeirah and also at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, which uses the XL4.
Italy - Clay Paky supplied Alpha Beam 700s for Gianna Nannini's GiannaDream Tour, which stopped off at all the major Italian indoor stadiums in autumn 2009. The stage setup was highly original and had great visual impact. The artist interacted with a substantial cylindrical structure covered with LEDs that stood in the middle of the stage.
Lighting and stage designer Mamo Pozzoli comments, "This LED screen is a powerful object. Thanks to its three-dimensionality, it can create graphic shapes through the textures it transmits, as well as physical shapes, since the whole structure of trusses and lights accentuates its circular features." It is actually a dual LED screen, since it has two faces - one concave and the other convex - both turned towards the audience. Its inside can also be used thanks to its semi-transparency that simulates 3D effects. No narrative an
France / Canada - Following the recent launch of their latest version 1.0 IQOYA V*MOTE audio-over-IP codec with SIP software, which is part of the IQOYA family of IP audio hardware and software solutions, Digigram reports successful implementation of the product at the Winter Olympic Games currently being held in Vancouver.
HRT, the national public broadcaster of the Republic of Croatia, has been using V+MOTE extensively for their journalists in the field for live contributions from the various Olympic sites in and around Vancouver back to the studios in Zagreb, without the need for cumbersome additional IP audio hardware.
V*MOTE is an audio-over-IP software solution for remote contributions - usually a journalist in the field reporting back to a studio, as was the case here. By simply installing V*MOTE onto any laptop PC, it becomes a professional "contribution" cod
USA - On the Madea's Big Happy Family tour, fans of Tyler Perry's successful TV shows and movies follow the comedian in his new play in theatres and arenas across the US. The musical tale reunites the audience with Perry's signature character Madea, a silver-haired, aggressive matriarch. TEC Award-winning Thunder Audio of Livonia, Mich. Is providing a Meyer Sound MIca and M'elodie line array loudspeaker system for the tour.
A deviation from mainstream theatre, Madea's Big Happy Family engages the crowd with spontaneous humour, and features musical interludes that find audiences singing along to well-known R&B and rock and roll hits.
For the arena shows that include the RBC Centre in Raleigh, NC and the Target Centre in Minneapolis, Thunder Audio is supplying 16 Meyer Sound Mica line array loudspeakers per side, in addition to side-hangs of 10 M'elodie line array
UK - Adlib is supplying lighting, sound equipment and crew to the current UK tour by Welsh rockers Lostprophets.
The lighting design was a collaboration between Adlib's Ian Tomlinson and freelance LD Rob Lister (also the tour's production manager), with active input from Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins.
Watkins specifically wanted a moody, edgy feel to the lighting and a complete departure from their previous 'rock' style light shows, so there is no front truss, and much of the set is darkly lit. The only front lighting directly on the six band members is supplied by three pairs of individual PAR36 DWEs which are mounted on custom mic stands, about 30cm off the floor.
All 24 of the moving lights in the rig are Martin Professional MAC 301 LED moving wash lights. There are 10 MAC 301s on the back truss, six on two downstage booms - three a side - for low level cross stage
Italy - UK based automation specialist Kinesys has announced the appointment of trussing manufacturer Litec as its Italian distributor.
Litec is part of the Vitec Group which also includes companies such as Brilliant Stages and Manfrotto. They are also a master distributor for Columbus McKinnon so Kinesys felt this was the right company and product mix to complement a premium automation product.
Kinesys' sales & business development manager Mark de Gruyter comments, "Litec is a highly respected company with a great contact base and a real knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the live production and performance industry - so we are well matched partners."
As soon as the deal was sealed, de Gruyter and Kinesys' Dave Weatherhead travelled to Mogliano Veneto near Venice to meet the full Litec team and undertake two days of comprehensive staff technical trainin
UK - Entertainment lighting supplier White Light has enjoyed a busy start to 2010 in the world of theatre, the market in which the company first established itself.
Joining the company's West End roster of shows in January were productions including Jerusalem, transferring from the Royal Court Theatre to the Apollo and lit by Mimi Jordan Sherin, The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick, lit by Jon Clark, and Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic, lit by Jason Taylor.
The long-awaited sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, is also currently previewing at the Adelphi with White Light supplying Paule Constable's complex design; the show is due to open on 9 March. December was also a busy period for new shows, with the openings of The Misanthrope at the Comedy, lit by Peter Mumford, and the RSC's Twelfth Night at the D
Germany - Klotz Digital has been acquired by UnitedScreens Media. In association with the acquisition, the companies have also entered into agreements securing the future financial support of Klotz Digital. The agreements are intended to contribute to the long term stabilisation of the company, and to insure its further economic growth.
Dr. Andreas Gruettner has been appointed as the new Klotz Digital CEO, with the mission to take the company to a new era and direction. He is taking over from Thomas Klotz, who has resigned from his position with immediate effect.
Gruettner identifies the company's main potential for growth in the international PA market. He also plans to boost Klotz Digital's position in the industry, and to increase its economic efficiency. "Even if we will not instigate drastic strategic changes at Klotz Digital, we now have a solid new base for the com
UK - Audio visual and IT rental company DB Systems has won a major contract to supply the internet and telecommunications systems and services to all exhibitors at the 2010 and 2012 Farnborough International Airshows.
DB will be responsible for the telecommunications needs, including the supply of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), for around 1,300 exhibitors and 60 business chalets, which are the areas where multi-national companies decamp during the airshow. These chalets become large-scale, semi-permanent business centres and offices, as well as hospitality areas.
This move into the internet and telecommunications market will involve a significant investment by DB in equipment and systems, including purchasing around 2,000 IP phones.
Grahame Jones, operations director for Farnborough International, said, "Following an extensive and detailed tender process, DB Syste
USA - Harold Cummings is the founder and CEO of Drummer Boy Sound, a Miami-area production company. "After I did a couple demos on the new iLive-T, I was blown away with what it could do, especially for such a great price. Our roots are in live sound, and we do a lot of high-profile events around Miami," he notes. "When I began using the console at those shows, I can't tell you what a difference it made. Small footprint, easy and fast to set up, no outboard gear - and it sounds fantastic."
One of the first events Cummings did with his iLive-T was the National Day of Prayer at Miami's Faith Centre, which seats about 4,000. The event was also recorded by the Telemundo network. "A situation came up," recalls Cummings, "where a guest musician taking the stage inadvertently crossed through my cordoned off power management area and tripped the
USA - New York-based violinist Mark Feldman has been using a DPA 4099V clip instrument mic for performances with the John Abercrombie Quartet at international concerts and jazz festivals, including The Montreal Jazz Festival.
Feldman joins a list of performers including Sting, saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Bobby Ricketts, trumpet player Randy Brecker and violinist Nigel MacLean, who have adopted the 4099.
Feldman himself owns a valuable antique violin, a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume made in Paris in 1862. He was more than happy to use the 4099V microphone's gentle mounting accessory to attach it to his instrument.
"The DPA 4099V attaches to my violin very easily in just a few seconds, and has never damaged the delicate antique varnish," says Feldman. "It captures and reproduces every nuance of my violin so precisely. I love this mic. The sound is amazing; engineer
Finland - Turku City Theatre has installed a TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and TiMax Tracker performer-tracking system, following demonstrations on-site last year by TiMax distributor Hedcom and Out Board director Dave Haydon. The installation marks the first of several similar TiMax procurements by Scandinavian theatres all undergoing major sound system upgrades during the spring and summer of 2010.Turku City Theatre's refurbishment is timed in anticipation of Turku's 2011 status as European Capital of Culture. The theatre is Finland's oldest municipal theatre, founded in 1946 although re-built in 1962, and Turku itself is Finland's oldest town and a former capital.
At the core of Turku's audio refurbishment is a 48-in/48-out TiMax2 SoundHub-R48 delay-matrix processor equipped with a bespoke selection of audio interfacing options. An onboard Ethersound module provide
USA - The week of 15 March, the Wybron Mobile Showroom begins its sixth leg, hitting the Los Angeles area.
The Mobile Showroom has become increasingly popular, and presents a survey of Wybron's stable of products, including the new Cygnus LED Wash Light, in a environment more intimate than a trade show. "The challenge of this industry is to actually get information to the people who will benefit from it," said Wybron CEO Keny Whitright. "A trade show is terrific, sure, but you're often lacking time to connect with all the folks you would like to."
The Mobile Showroom provides hands-on demonstration of Wybron offerings and an opportunity for tΩte-à-tΩte with lighting professionals, including their local dealers. Most importantly, however, the Mobile Showroom offers education on the general theory behind and mechanics of professional lighting to
UK - Point Source Productions of London reports "a fantastic reaction from exhibitors and visitors alike" to its provision of lighting solutions for the latest London Fashion Week (19-24 February) 2010 Designer Exhibition.
Organised by the British Fashion Council, this landmark event takes place at Somerset House with the Designer Exhibition spread across four floors of this historic building. The exhibition showcases over 200 designers including established names such as Erickson Beamon, Angel Jackson and Beatrix Ong as well as emerging talents like LF Markey and Georgia Hardinge.
Point Source Productions and Fine Art Lighting were brought on board by Blonstein & Associates following a successful collaboration between the two companies over a recent installation for All Visual Arts at One Marylebone, London.
UAE - The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building, features Tannoy's of in-ceiling and in-wall loudspeakers integrated throughout the vast structure, on almost every single one of its 160 habitable floors.Over 5,000 of the Scotland-based speaker manufacturer's CMS Series in-ceiling loudspeakers have been installed, along with over 1,000 IW Series in-wall speakers.
The majority of the in-ceiling loudspeakers installed were CMS 501PI, which benefit from being supplied with a separate pre-install back can. These zinc plated, fully wired back cans are designed to be pre-installed into newly constructed, non-suspended ceilings leaving the product to be inserted at the final system commissioning stage of the install. This makes them particularly suited to large scale, potentially complicated new-build developments such as the Burj Khalifa, where the contractor needs to get
UK - A growing number of wireless DMX success stories are coming to light, many of them involving RC4 Wireless, a front-runner in the field with experience all the way back to early productions of The Phantom of the Opera in the 1980s. Today, RC4 products are reliably used all over the world, in numerous productions by Cirque du Soleil, Disney and many others.
"My technical support channels are so dead, I sometimes wonder if anybody is actually using my stuff," says James David Smith, president and product designer at RC4. "Last year I started contacting past customers, to ask them if everything was OK. What a thrill to discover that my systems are not only working well, they are being used constantly. There are numerous repertory companies that purchased an RC4Magic Series 2 system for one particular show, and have incorporated it into every production sin
Money Matters - U2 made more money than any other music act in the US in 2009, according to Billboard magazine. The music journal said U2 made $109m (£71m) from touring, record sales and other royalties - almost twice as much as the second place, Bruce Springsteen who took home $58m (£38m), followed by Madonna with $47m (£31m) and rockers AC/DC with $44m (£29m). A string of younger pop stars - Britney Spears, Pink and the Jonas Brothers - came next on the list. Coldplay were the most successful British group, at number eight, with takings of $27m (£18m).
Culture Matters - The final four cities hoping to be named the UK's first city of culture in 2013 have been revealed. The cities chosen by an independent judging panel are Birmingham, Derry, Norwich and Sheffield, with a winner due to be announced in the summer. The competition aims to
USA - Solid State Logic has opened its new west coast office location at 3700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 720 in Los Angeles, CA. The new building offers expanded demonstration facilities to further showcase the successful 'C' series digital consoles and full line of analogue products including the flagship Duality SE, AWS 900+ SE, Matrix and the new X-Patch.
Commenting on the recent move, Piers Plaskitt, CEO of SSL Inc., says: "This is an exciting opportunity for SSL to expand its West Coast office and reaffirms our commitment to our US operations and our planned growth over years to come. The new location offers the ability to provide a more comfortable environment to demonstrate our products. Customer demonstrations are already underway for our new C10 HD broadcast console."
UK - Showsec and University of Derby Corporate launched the Foundation Degree in Applied Professional Studies specialising in Crowd Management in February 2010. This bespoke, work-based learning initiative highlights Showsec's continued investment in future-focused education within the security and crowd management sector, says the company.
The new course has been developed by the University in close partnership with Showsec to meet the needs of learners, contributing to the longer-term development of the organisation and resulting in a formal qualification in the area of crowd management and event security. So far, 22 junior and mid-operational management executives have embarked on this flexible programme, combining academic and theoretical knowledge with work-based skills.
Conor Moss, workforce development fellow at University of Derby Corporate says, "The commitment f
USA - The deadline for submitting applications to sit for the paper and pencil examinations to be given at USITT has been extended to 12 March 12, 2010.
All three ETCP examinations will be offered at USITT in Kansas City, MO. All applications must be submitted to the ETCP office no later than 5pm on 12 March 2010.
The exam dates are: Entertainment Electrical Exam: March 31 (9:00 am); Arena Rigging Exam: April 1 (9:00 am) and Theatre Rigging Exam: April 1, (2:00 pm).
All three exams are available at over 190 testing centres in the US and Canada on most business days. The Arena and Electrical examinations will also be given at InfoComm this summer in Las Vegas.
UK - Korg UK has announced its appointment as UK and Eire distributor for Behringer from 1 May 2010. Korg managing director Rob Castle says: "This is an opportunity to expand our business, improve our systems and service to our customers whilst increasing our product offering and strengthening the company for the future. Behringer has recently appointed selective distributor partners across Europe and we have studied how this has worked successfully in other countries, including France, where Korg and Vox distributor Algam took on Behringer earlier in 2009.
We have separate sales teams across our business including the recently announced Pro Audio Division headed up by Mike Gibson. Many Behringer products complement our existing products and wherever there is some overlap we will focus these through different teams as appropriate."