Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Lighting

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UK - Visitors to PLASA Focus Leeds (14-15 May, Royal Armouries) who stop by the ChamSys Stand (N-B23) will have the opportunity to see something that will “take them to an entirely new place,” the company says.

ChamSys is promoting the UK debut of its new MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console at PLASA Focus Leeds with the slogan ‘Go Where No Other Console Has Gone Before’. The latest addition to the company’s MagicQ M series is capable of supporting 400 universes directly from the console without requiring external processing.

Along with showcasing this powerful tool in the UK for the first time, ChamSys will also be opening new vistas to show-goers with a series of educational sessions, including a guest LD session by Ed Warren, who has run shows by The Strokes, Interpol, Mumford & Sons and many other artists on ChamSys consoles.

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Norway - Robe has announced Oslo-based Prostage as its new exclusive distributor for Norway. Michel Arntz, Robe’s key account manager for Europe states: “Norway is an important market and in Prostage we have a strong and proactive partner to move our business forward to the next level and are looking forward to a long and successful relationship with the team there.”

Prostage AS was established in 2008 by CEO Gunnar Waldemar Naas to offer quality and cost-efficient professional lighting, sound and stage products. A full-time staff of 22 manage a streamlined operation, including a large showroom, and expansive warehouse facilities incorporating a service centre.

Prostage co-owner Carl Tidemann says: “We are super-excited to be working with Robe. We have watched the brand for some time and seen it become a market leader and a constant innovator

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Luxembourg - Rockhal Club is amongst the latest to have taken stock of Ayrton Mistral S and Levante S fixtures, which were supplied to the venue through Ayrton’s Belgian distributor, FACE.

Situated in the Centre de Musiques Amplifiées on the Avenue du Rock’n’Roll in the industrial heritage area of Belval in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, Rockhal has two main venues amongst its rehearsal and creative studios. The 6000-capacity Main Hall has seen many bands and performers pass through its doors, including Mariah Carey, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bryan Adams and Rammstein. Meanwhile, the 1,500 capacity Club has a fully-loaded and equipped stage with a fixed lighting rig and sound setup. As of now, a large part of this fixed grid is equipped with Ayrton fixtures, which replace outmoded stock.

“We have 20 Ayrton lights installed as perma

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USA – Jazz musician Brian Culbertson is out on his Trilogy Tour with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Named for his Red, Blue, and White albums, the tour features a mix of songs from the albums, as well as the greatest hits from his catalogue.

For the tour, lighting director Terese Fensler sought to create looks with negative space and loads of energy, saying: “Brian's show is very funky for a jazz artist. With all the instrumental hits and solo moments, I tried to pull back some so that those short moments were bigger and had a time to shine.”

Bandit Lites provided Elation Smarty Hybrids, Elation CuePix WW4 Blinders, Elation Seven Batten 42, Martin Sceptron VDO 10 as well as a grandMA2 Ultralite for control. Towers were outfitted with the Sceptron VDO 10s and topped with Smarty Hybrids.

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USA - Elation has introduced ColourTune Technology, a lighting fixture software that allows for “unprecedented control over output and colour accuracy” across Elation’s range of full-spectrum LED lighting fixtures.

“With ColourTune, users can customize lighting output to meet their exact needs, whether emphasizing brightness or colour fidelity. It offers a comprehensive suite of features, ensuring adaptability and colour precision for the highest quality lighting designs,” the company says.

Bob Mentele, associate product manager at Elation, was instrumental in ColourTune’s development. He remarks: “Our team has dedicated over a year to research, development, and testing to bring ColourTune Technology to life. This advanced software represents a significant advancement in lighting control and precision and will be a great benefit to the

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Canada – Montreal-based PixMob has been bringing its immersive crowd-lighting experience to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) since its inception. PixMob already engaged more than 14,000 fans at the three home opener games in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal with its LED wearables. Now, the company is gearing up for the historic game between Montreal and Toronto on 20 April at the Bell Centre, where a new women’s hockey attendance record is expected to be set.

The partnership was born out of PixMob’s dedication to bring the same big league experience the company has created for the NHL, Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, NBA, and numerous other top level Pro Sports teams and events to the PWHL. By putting a spotlight on the under-represented talent of the PWHL’s athletes, PixMob’s lighting tech gives players and fans the electrifying experience

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USA - More than a few people sitting close to the stage during Beartooth’s recently concluded 40-city North American tour, reportedly felt they were in an arena once the band’s 75-minute show started, even though they were actually at 1,000 or 2,000 capacity club venues.

Early in the planning stages of the tour, Caleb Shomo, frontman and founder of the metal band, told Victor Zeiser, head of Squeek Lights, that he wanted to hit the road with “an arena level production that works in clubs.” Zeiser and lighting designer-programmer Ben Jarrett duly delivered.

With its centre stage video wall displaying a seemingly endless stream of multi-layered images from Luke Shomo, the show created an arena-like vibe at every club, regardless of its size. This feeling was amplified by pyro effects and confetti cannons evoking powerful moods, laser patterns f

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Europe - Owing to the continued growth of the business, and the imminent move to the new HQ in Colne, Bradley Jeffrey has recently been appointed as group operations director at Prolight Concepts.

In this new role, Bradley will help bolster the business logistically and strategically. Bradley has been in the business for over 10 years, and has worked in all areas, which has provided him with the knowledge and understanding to streamline and grow the business with other directors, managers and workforce.

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Germany - The new Avolites Diamond 7 (D7) lighting console was shown publicly for the first time at PL+S in Frankfurt, with two variants on the stand – the D7-215 and the D7-330 – both running on Avolites latest Titan v17 software.

This initial product launch has enabled the Avolites team to gauge reactions and glean valuable feedback ahead of the full launch, planned for later in the summer.

The reactions were “overwhelmingly positive” stated Avolites MD Paul Wong, delighted with the comments and enthusiasm he’d received from Avo users who came from all over Europe as well as further afield like Asia, Australia, South Africa, and Latin America.

Avolites benefitted from additional footfall of people visiting the Robe stand, especially to catch the live <I>Power of Imagination</I> performance show which was also programme

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South Africa - Cape Town based Rainbow Lighting has invested in new lighting fixtures from Astera. The company was started by freelance gaffer Desmond Gqitekaya in 2020. At the time, he was working mostly on major movies and feature films being shot in South Africa and was lucky enough to also start picking up commercials and music video work through his contacts, for which there was always a demand for thinking quickly and ‘out-of-the-box’ when it came to lighting. This soon led him to Astera.

His first purchase was Astera Helios Tubes in 2022, and this has quickly expanded to also include Astera’s workhorse Titan Tubes, HydraPanels and NYX Bulbs.

He was first inspired to look at the wireless LED brand after seeing other film lighting professionals using them on set and in the studio, and observing how some lighting set ups struggled to make l

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USA - When design group Lightswitch debuted Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, in 2012, not only did they curate a series of attractions, they ushered in a whole new kind of experience.

As one of the nation’s most beloved light displays, Lightswitch works with the arboretum each year to develop new lighting elements for the wintertime walk in the woods and all-weather Elation luminaires continue to form the foundation of the magical lighting scheme. Lightswitch works closely with Intelligent Lighting Creations (ILC) on the Illumination project and again this year the Illinois-based design and rental house supplied the lighting fixtures.

As guests journey along a one-mile paved walking path amid festive music and lighting effects, they pass through enchanting woodlands and landscapes filled with dramatic l

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Spain - Brigada Tech is a new Spanish TV series presented by Luján Argüelles, directed by Eva Castillejo, and lit by Manuel Ricoy. The format sees ‘digital mentors’ and popular ‘Social Media influencers’ assisting people with limited access to the information superhighway in tackling assorted digital challenges that can benefit their day-to-day living.

Each episode was recorded at a different location around Spain, including Avilés (Asturias), Laguna de Duero (Valladolid), Tudela (Navarra), Canas de Morrazo (Galicia), Altea (Alicante), Torrelavega (Cantabria) and Puertollano (Castilla la Mancha) – facilitating a pop-up studio segment, for which Manuel was DoP and LD.

He chose a selection of Robe moving light products – 12 x Fortes, eight MegaPointes, 12 x Pointes, 16 x LEDBeam 150s and 12 x LEDBeam 350s – which were supplied

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Europe - Last November, Obsidian Control Systems initiated Train the Trainer workshops aimed at training its European partners on the specifics of the intuitive Onyx lighting control platform. The sessions, specifically designed to springboard an Obsidian awareness campaign and grow the Onyx community, are bearing fruit as trainers across Europe amplify the platform’s reach by training other partners and end-users.

One of the youngest participants in the Train the Trainer sessions, held at Obsidian’s European headquarters in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, is 16-year-old Martin Pokorný from the Czech Republic. Martin completed the training sessions in February alongside Obsidian’s three-day Onyx course and is now training Obsidian users in the Czech Republic.

“For young people just entering the lighting control market, I think Onyx is the best pl

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USA/Europe - TMB has launched an initiative to help production companies in Ukraine. As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, Zinteco Productions, a cornerstone in Ukraine's entertainment production community for over 25 years, needs help.

The ongoing conflict has brought the Ukrainian entertainment industry, like all normal life, to a standstill, and Zinteco’s operations have been severely impacted. TMB has collaborated with Main Light LLC to make some of Zinteco’s Solaris Flare Q+ fixtures available to cross-rent in the U.S. market. One hundred per cent of the rental revenue generated will pass on to Zinteco, whose principals, good friends of TMB for many years, still live in Kyiv and whose time is now 100% devoted to supporting Ukrainian refugees and defence efforts.

Events like the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, supported by

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UK - TV, broadcast and event lighting rental specialists, Version 2 Lights has announced the promotion of Joe Marter to general manager.

Marter joined V2 four years ago this week as a project manager, and has since worked on a number of high-profile productions, most notably the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

"Interestingly it was also this week, 10 years ago that Joe joined Aurora as a technician," the company says. "The progression is a testament to Joe's hard work, dedication, broad skill set and attention to detail which has seen him come through the ranks. Joe’s new role at V2 will see him assume full day to day internal responsibilities at our Childs Court Farm Campus. Joe will continue to project manage a small number of long-term clients, with Simon Perrott taking on a senior role within the rental team."

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Portugal - 512 LiveDesign, a prominent lighting design studio specialising in live events, dance, theatre, and live performances, has announced its continued dedication to using CAST Group’s WYSIWYG in their creative process.

Led by Rui Daniel and Marco Dias, the company has been at the forefront of innovative lighting design for the past decade in Portugal and abroad, consistently relying on WYSIWYG as an indispensable tool in their projects. WYSIWYG technology has significantly streamlined the workflow at 512 LiveDesign, empowering their team to deliver immersive lighting experiences to audiences worldwide.

Rui Daniel, founder and lead designer at 512 Live Design, comments, "For the past decade, WYSIWYG has been an integral part of our design process. Its intuitive interface and powerful capabilities have enabled us to bring our creative visions

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France - Things do not always go as planned with outdoor affairs, and the Kandahar, Chamonix FIS World Ski Cup was no exception. Unseasonably warm weather caused the cancelation of the widely anticipated downhill competition that was scheduled to take place over the first two days of the three-day event.

However, not all was lost. Those who stayed for the entire three-days got to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of this resort, located at the base of Mont Blanc, the highest summit in the Alps. They also enjoyed a breathtaking bit of skiing history, at the La Verte des Houches slope, as Switzerland’s Daniel Yule became the first FIS Alpine skier ever to win a slalom race after staring out in 30th (last) position.

Another thing that generated excitement and raised spirits at this famed resort (the first Winter Olympics took place here in 1924), was the

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Portugal - Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe recently held a workshop on lighting at the Teatro Ibérico in Lisbon.

In the tenth edition of the seminar Lighting The Stars, Patrick Woodroffe, who has designed the lighting for the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, the London Olympic Games and numerous other events of international significance, shared his most notable and thrilling experiences, including a touching tribute to Michael Jackson, with whom he was preparing a tour mere days prior to Michael's early demise.

He then proceeded with a live practical exercise, in which he created a lighting design for a musical piece chosen without his knowledge, revealing some of the secrets of his art and technique.

The event was organised by SLS, Claypaky's distributor for Portugal, with the support of Claypaky itself, which was present with an extens

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Ireland - PSI Production (PSI), a lighting, visuals and rigging production specialist with offices based in Belfast and Dublin, recently made a significant investment in Martin Professional MAC Ultra Performance fixtures through Ireland’s official Martin distributor, Entedi.

This new addition to PSI's inventory complements last year’s investments in the MAC Aura XIP, MAC Aura PXL, and MAC One.

"The acquisition of the Martin MAC Ultra Performance units not only elevates our portfolio but assures our clients that they are working with a company at the forefront of live production capabilities," said Brian Reilly of PSI. "I was particularly impressed by the impactful punch and striking beams that are sure to redefine audience experiences at live events."

Brian further commented, "It is always a pleasure to work with the Entedi team. Their to

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UK - The Profile Awards, a new lighting design awards programme, has launched in the UK. Created and coordinated by Durham and Jennie Marenghi in association with the ABTT, the ALPD and the STLD, the awards recognise lighting design excellence in Theatre and Television in the UK and will take place at the Alexandra Palace theatre on the 6 June 2024.
Alongside eight Theatre awards and six TV awards there will be a Student Virtual Lighting Design competition and the Richard Pilbrow Lifetime Recognition Award in the name of Richard Pilbrow, by kind agreement with Richard’s family and sponsored by Theatre Projects.
The Theatre Awards are judged by UK theatre critics and are not open to nominations, whereas the Television Awards are judged by broadcast professionals and can be nominated by anyone. Winners will receive special trophies - Patt 23M fixtures on

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USA - Bandit Lites has announced the promotion of Craig Richter to project manager- designer. With more than 14 years at the company, Richter began his touring career at Bandit as a lighting technician on Rascal Flatts, and then progressed as an LD for various artists, including Seether, Miranda Lambert, Chevelle and Halestorm. He’s also acted as crew chief for countless productions such as Bonnaroo’s Main Stage, Firefly Festival Main Stage and Nashville’s NYE Mainstage.
“One of the best things I have always liked about working at Bandit is the stability and ability to grow through the company,” said Richter.
“Craig and I have worked closely during his entire tenure at Bandit,” said Jake Tickle, Bandit’s vice president of business and innovation. “He brings bold ideas, a truck load of passion and well-seasoned knowledge base that will help Bandit to

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UAE - The 2023 UAE Union Day Ceremony is one of the highest profile annual spectacular events staged in the United Arab Emirates, created by the event’s creative director, Es Devlin at Dubai’s Expo City.
Lighting was crafted by Bruno Poet working with project co-lighting designer Max Narula, and the event reunited most of the technical and production team that had delivered the highly successful 2022 event.
Bruno and Max decided to run this show, directed by Fransisco Negrin and Gavin Robins, as an all-grandMA3 control system, running mode 3, making use of several features to improve the complete production workflow, from drawing to remote updates on stage.
The system comprised six grandMA3 full-size consoles (three pairs each with fully redundant backup) and three grandMA3 lights which were used for technical desks, running with 11 grandMA3 processing unit

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UK - Busking Tom Odell’s Black Friday Tour on a ChamSys MagicQ 250M Stadium console, Joe Beardsmore of Phosphor moved seamlessly in sync with the Brit Award winning singer-songwriter and his seven-piece band, blending shadows and brightness, silhouettes, and distinctive light angles to underscore the heartfelt narrative of this roughly 90-minute show.
Helping him accomplish this was a collection of Chauvet Professional COLORado PXL Curve 12, Color STRIKE M and Maverick Storm 4 Profile fixtures, which like the rest of the kit, were supplied by Colour Sound Experiment. (Phosphor supplied two ChamSys consoles.)
Beardsmore positioned 32 of his PXL Curve 12 fixtures around the top of his flared truss. He then arranged 28 additional units on the floor. The fully pixel mappable motorised battens with 12 independently controlled heads helped him achieve his vision

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USA - Illuminate Production Services (IPS) once again played an integral role in creating the visual magic that is The Thorn and once more enhanced the drama using a large package of Elation lighting.
The Thorn is a modern-day passion play, a theatrical depiction of the life and death of Jesus, yet with a modern touch. The immersive theatrical show combines modern dance, music, martial arts, aerial acrobatics, and emotionally powerful performances, with lighting and visuals. This year’s spring tour kicked off in early February and travels to venues across the U.S., ending in early May in Miami, Florida.
This year, IPS provided audio, video, lighting, staging and special FX, their 11th year working with this production. Caleb Franke, IPS vice president of design & operations, has been entrusted with lighting the show since he was 14 and again served as lea
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  2. Schouwburg Gouda switches to LED with Robe
  3. ARRI introduces L-Series Plus LED Fresnels
  4. Stage Electrics supplies LIPA with LED upgrade
  5. Kansas anniversary tour rolls on with Bandit
  6. Robe Footsies crack it at Orlando Ballet
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