AC Lighting Ltd has updated, re-vamped and re-launched its website. The new site introduces a new design and expands the wealth of information available for visitors.
Several heats have now taken place in the technical studios at Melton Mowbray College. So far 10 students have come forward to battle it out and win a place in the Finals. Heats will continue through April, May and June. Tony Anagnostopplos, a student from the Performing Arts Degree Course at De Montfort University, commented: "I soon picked up the capabilities of the Masterpiece 218 and was quickly applying theatre techniques of fading between scenes. I particularly like the colours variants of the Stagecolor 300, they create real atmosphere."The finals have been arranged to take place on Monday July 17th at 7.30pm. Professionals from the industry are currently being approached to form a panel of judges who will decide upon a winner - the student who most creatively uses a range of Pulsar Intelligent luminaires to light a piece of theatre.
Selecon UK Ltd has added Stage Electrics to its UK dealer network. Stage Electrics has branches in Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter, Plymouth and the NEC in Birmingham, plus sister companies, Theatre Vision, Cardiff and Theatre Direct in Cambridge. It also recently announced the establishment of a London office at the premises of DHA Lighting. The appointment of Stage Electrics means that Selecon now has over 25 dealers across the UK.
Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and David Gilmour reunited on msn.co.uk to promote the re-release of Is There Anybody Out There?: Pink Floyd The Wall. The two, who have barely spoken to each other in 20 years, paid tribute to each other in online chats with their fans around the world last week. In total, 75,000 people joined the chats live and over 1 million people have been back to the site to read the transcripts since. msn.co.uk has become well known for its online chats and webcasts. In December, Paul McCartney's return to the Cavern was webcast live with a record-breaking audience logging on.
The first week in April sees the opening of an ambitious new project by The Almeida Theatre Company who are in the process of converting the derelict Gainsborough Studios in North London. The Studios, home to many a famous Hitchcock movie, are due for total demolition later in the year, but not before the Almeida completes an exciting 22 week programme.The two storey high building has undergone radical internal restructuring to create a theatre- sized hall hosting as its first production, Shakespeare's Richard II, set to be performed from 30th March. This production will then be joined in repertoire, on June 1st , by Coriolanus, both plays starring Ralph Fiennes in the title roles. To accommodate three tiers of seating, the mid-floor of the Studios has been removed and, at the same time, a temporary lighting grid has been installed above the stage by Summit Steel. The show's design makes
When Bluetones tour LD Mark 'Video' was looking for a way to colour change the white belisha beacons that were a feature of the set for the group's performance at Shepherds Bush Empire, he turned to tour lighting supplier Brian Leitch of Art of Darkness for an answer. He, in turn, called in Tony Kingsley of Ambient Lighting to demonstrate the AVR Colourmaster. Following the demo, AOD subsequently purchased a number of CM50 heads for the tour which were then mounted to the globes projecting upwards from the base with the 40 degree lamp providing full coverage. The fact that the AVR central colour changer motor control accepts DMX meant that programming into the show was easy. A new 150W discharge lamp version has just been released and the higher light output compared with the MR16 units increases the range of potential applications for the AVR system.
Sutton Coldfield College secured the first Spirit 324 Live mixer from the Birmingham branch of LMC Audio Systems, having attended one of the successful Spirit 324 workshops hosted by LMC at the Live! Show. The desk will be principally used as a training tool for students attending the Theatre Technicians Course. However, as the hub of the theatre's sound system, it will handle a diverse range of activities and will also be interfacing via MIDI with the lighting desk enabling one operator to control an entire show from the FOH position.
The London Hippodrome has recently installed a new Pulsar control system. The state-of-the-art console features four new Masterpiece 216s and is capable of controlling the vast 1,500 channel Clay Paky and generic lighting rig. Each Masterpiece has a specific section of the lighting linked to it making programming extremely logical and structured. A MIDI keyboard and MIDI enabled PC communicate with the Masterpieces to synchronise powerful lightshows that can be programmed and recalled instantly for any occasion. The rig houses seven huge motorised satellites, each with six moving petal arms. The control of these has been integrated into the new system via five Masterpiece Replay Units. The complex articulation of the moving rig is accessed through a Touch Screen PC, that commands and mimics the massive structure.
PLASA Publishing has learnt that Canford Audio founder Iain Elliott is to acquire the business of the long-established UK pro audio distribution, installation and manufacturing company Audio Systems Components (ASC). Elliott left Canford at the end of last year and said at the time that he was looking for a fresh challenge. The industry, though, has not yet seen the back of Len Lewis, ASC's founder, who will continue to work alongside Elliott for a while, bringing to a conclusion current contracts before gently easing into the back seat.
R&W Sound Engineering has recently installed a complete audio system into the new London lounge bar, Mono. As customers would be unlikely to benefit from the advantages of a stereo image R&W specified a mono sound system, designed to be operated by staff with basic technical experience, is used for background music, DJ sets and live music sessions.Involved in the project from the outset, R&W's recommendation of a mono audio system, led to the name and theme of the members-only bar. The audio system's main source is a Marantz CC38/Pro 5-disc CD player, which feeds the system via a Cloud SX133 two-zone mixer and ARX EQ30 graphic equaliser. A separate Mackie 1402-VLz Pro mixer, connected via a recessed wall socket to the main system is used for live events. An ARX Microdrive three-channel amplifier drives four ARX Micromax loudspeakers and a hidden ARX sub-woofer.
Sibelius Hall, the new concert hall in Lahti, Finland, opened its doors in March. Designed as the permanent home for the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Hall consists of three elements - the concert/congress hall, the Forest Hall and a renovated former carpentry factory. Artec Consultants of New York provided the theatre planning, acoustics consulting services and sound and communication system design for the venue. The concert/congress hall design includes a moving acoustic canopy, acoustic control curtains and acoustic banners. We will carry more on this in a future issue of L&SI.
Theatre Projects Consultants has been commissioned by the Singapore Tourism board and the National Art Council in Singapore to advise on the planning, design and construction of a new theatre in Singapore's Chinatown. Currently referred to as the Village Theatre, the new venue will occupy a one-block site on South Bridge Street in the heart of Chinatown. David Staples of TPC is leading the team preparing the brief for the Theatre and determining the size, form and type of theatre to be constructed on the site. DP Architects of Singapore have been appointed as the architects for the projects. They are also working with TPC on the Esplanade - Singapore's major new arts centre.
TMB Associates is about to move its London operations to a 12,000sq.ft facility in Brentford's dockland. Paul Hartley, general manager of TMB UK told PLASA Publishing: "Over the past couple of years our sales have really grown in the British, European and World markets. The new building has lots of room for extra stock and more people, to help us better serve both our existing and new customers." As most of the industry knows, TMB Associates is a distributor of entertainment lighting equipment, supplies and services, not to mention socks, and has been serving the professional lighting industry for 17 years. The new UK office will be open for business on April 3 at 2 Commerce Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 8LR. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8560 9652 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8560 1064
The Entertainment Laser Association (ELA) has introduced two new membership categories - nightclubs and laser jockeys. These are both aimed at encouraging participation in the organisation from the expanding club market - currently enjoying a renaissance in active laser use. The existing members of ELA - which includes all the UK's major entertainment laser rental and sales companies - reap many benefits. These include use of the organisation's comprehensive risk assessment document, legal updates, newsletters and literature, promotion via the ELA web site and lists of ELA approved companies and crew. The organisation is also engaged in an on-going programme of research and development into the safe and professional use of lasers in the entertainment industry.
The Barco Group is closing the 1999 financial year with a group turnover of 28.6 billion BEF, compared with 26.436 billion BEF for 1998. This represents an 8% increase. Within this, Barco Projection Systems saw its turnover increase by almost 5%. This was probably limited by only partial recuperation of the loss in market share, especially in the USA, after the fire in the projectors factory in Kuurne in February 1998. During the course of 1999 however, Barco started to catch up with the introduction of the ELM projector based on the DLP technology of Texas Instruments. The year was also marked by some important structural changes within Barco Projection Systems with the business structured into five divisions.
Lite Structures' success in set building continues with its construction of the Michael Flatley Feet of Flames scenic elements. In collaboration with Brilliant Stages, who built the main stage and lifts, the set incorporates multi-level LiteDeck platforms and stairways together with a pair of 8m tall sliding doors as the central feature. These doors have an opening width of 13m which allow the whole cast to pass through together, yet take only 30 minutes to assemble during the hectic get in period.
The 12th International Live Music Conference (ILMC) attracted a record total of over 600 delegates on March 9-12. The event was staged at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, West London, with sponsors Carlsberg. More than 40 countries and occupations spanning the entire spectrum of the business side of the live music industry were represented by the invitation-only attendance. Delegates took in four days of scheduled events, conferences and breakout sessions covering issues including event safety, emerging European markets, e-commerce and the rapid growth of downloadable music through MP3 and similar Internet formats. Saturday night's highlight was the annual Arthurs Awards, ILMC's light-hearted take on industry awards. Full report April L&SI.
Audio Motion, a computer generated graphics (CGI) and motion capture specialist, recently used Sennheiser UHF radio microphone systems to record vocals for a new television commercial featuring cult heroine Lara Croft. Produced for Sega in several different languages, the advert was handled by studio manager Des Tong, who was also responsible for the original music composition and sound effect creation. Tong explains: "We added a CG Lara to live footage using both full-body and facial motion capture. I recorded the voice-overs with the Sennheiser MKE-2 attached to a pair of HD25 headphones to enable the special Vicon cameras to see the 63 small reflective markers attached to the actresses face. Using the SK3063 UHF transmitter and an EM3031 receiver, the audio can be recorded in sync with the facial movements giving a realistic performance."
Leading members of the Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS) and the Professional Lighting & Sound Association (PLASA) have been working towards closer links between the two Associations. PLASA MD Matthew Griffiths and APRS chief executive Mark Broad have identified a raft of common interests which could result in the conversion of APRS membership into PLASA. "The two associations have enjoyed a communicative relationship over the last few years," states Griffiths, "and during that time APRS approached PLASA with a view to working closer on areas such as trade mission support and publishing. This proved to be successful, and a conversation was then started as to how this relationship could be expanded to the benefit of all concerned. PLASA will invite the entire membership of the APRS to join PLASA to maintain an effective voice for the recording technology
Following exploratory visits by Iain Mackintosh, Theatre Projects Consultants has been appointed by the Government of Gibraltar to advise on the reopening of the Theatre Royal Gibraltar, which has been dark since 1969. A business plan will be prepared before work starts on the re-modeling of an important theatre parts of which date back to 1847 on a site where a theatre has stood since 1826 serving both the Spanish and English speaking communities.
The new Vari-Lite Virtuoso control console, previewed throughout 1999 and already working on major shows in the USA, is making its European touring debut this spring with six weeks of shows by Dutch chart-topping artist Marco Borsato. VLPS Amsterdam is supplying a substantial Vari*Lite rig for the shows. Central to the rig is the Virtuoso console, officially launched at PLASA and LDI last autumn, which is in command of both the Vari*Lite and conventional lighting systems plus 12 VL7, 12 VL6B) spot luminaires, 26 VL5 wash luminaires. Conventionals (supplied by Focus Showequipment) include nine 4-Lite Molefays with Wybron Scrollers, 12 ETC Source Four Profiles and three smoke machines under DMX control. The current tour is playing 1,500-2,000 seater theatres but in October a string of large arena dates including the Ahoy in Holland and the Sportpaleis in Antwerp has already sold out.
Screenco and parent company Avesco PLC have today announced the acquisition of Unitek Displays' rental operation. Unitek introduced the Megascreen to the entertainment market in 1997 and since that time has made significant improvements to the product and established a growing rental business from its Gerards Cross base. With immediate effect all the rental equipment will transfer to Screenco and the business will be integrated into Screenco's existing European rental operations located in the UK and Holland. The deal includes the purchase of 120sq.m of existing modular LED equipment and a commitment to purchase a further 164sq.m of Unitek's latest LED system for delivery during the summer months. More on this story in the April issue of L&SI.
Lighthouse Technologies, the Hong Kong-based giant screen specialists, has acquired Pixelite from Avesco plc. This will create the world's most broadly-based giant screen sales and installation operation with core offices in Hong Kong, Europe and North America, and associated offices in Australia, Africa and Asia. For both Lighthouse Technologies and Pixelite, the move is a natural fit and opens a host of possibilities for the enlarged organisation. Lighthouse is already a major player in the giant video screen market whilst Pixelite, headed by Graham Burgess, Dave Gunn and Simon Taylor has a strong track record in the giant screen business in the UK and Europe. The entire Pixelite team will be joined at their Isleworth offices in west London by the current European Lighthouse staff.
White Light has been appointed by producer Cameron Mackintosh to supply the conventional lighting rig to his new musical The Witches of Eastwick, which will open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in July. The Moving Light Company will supply much of the automated lighting rig to the production. Howard Harrison is in the lighting designer's chair and working alongside him will be assistant lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, production electrician Alistair Grant and lighting programmer Rob Halliday. Harrison's conventional rig will include over 200 units including ETC Source Four profile spotlights, Strand SL Zooms, Par 64s and various battens, as well over 100 Rainbow scrollers and Cadenza EP effects projectors with custom disks in White Light's VSFX motor units. Control will be from a Strand 500-series console. The Moving Light Company will be supplying the production with 12 Strand Alto Pi
