India - The synergy between two leading lighting brands took centre stage when Claypaky and ARRI teamed to light music videos from the Bollywood film, Dream Girl 2. Dream Girl 2 is a new Hindi-language comedy-drama about a man who creates chaos and confusion when he disguises himself as a woman. Director of photography C.K Muraleedharan was challenged to create music videos for two item songs, upbeat dance numbers featuring the hero in his female disguise; one song with a club dance vibe; and a festival celebration song with the lead actors – all shot at different locations. Equipment rental company Light Craft & Sound provided Claypaky Tambora Batten Square, Sharpy X Frame, HY B-Eye K25, and Mythos2 fixtures as well as ARRI SkyPanel S60-C lights for the shoots. The lighting equipment was chosen for “the amount of trust we have in the brands
USA - Throughout the summer, a lighting rig comprised almost exclusively of ADJ IP65-rated fixtures was used to illuminate the Grand Performances series of free concerts in Downtown LA. California Plaza was illuminated for the weekly Saturday evening concerts by ADJ’s lime-infused Encore series of static LED wash fixtures, complemented by Hydro Wash X19 moving heads. In addition, key lighting and Gobo projections were handled by ADJ’s flagship Hydro Profile IP65-rated automated profile luminaires, which sat at the heart of lighting designer Edgar Gonzalez’s extensive rig. Grand Performances is a non-profit organisation that provides free access to global performing arts, made possible thanks to generous support from the LA City Department of Cultural Affairs and LA County’s Department of Arts and Culture. Its mission is to inspire community, celebrate diversit
USA - Popular rapper and producer ИF just finished a massive US leg of his Hope world tour which featured lighting and production design created by Chris Denholm (also production manager & musical director) and Clay Joiner (also lighting designer & programmer, as well as operator on the European leg). The pair have worked together for some time, and extol the advantages of having two brains, imaginations and sets of experience - both contrasting and converging - to boost the creative dynamic they bring to the table. Prominent on the lighting rig was a selection of Robe products including 160 Robe Spikies, 26 BMFL WashBeams and two BMFL FollowSpots running on two RoboSpot systems, together with other luminaires. Chris and Clay had also successfully collaborated on the previous ИF tour in 2021. This one played bigger venues reflecting the artists
UK - Impact Production Services (IPS) has bolstered its vast inventory of stage structures and lighting fixtures with the first 100 new impression X5 IP Bars from GLP, available for hire. Large quantities of these were immediately dry-hired to two high profile events, the Glastonbury Festival and the Oppenheimer film premiere at the Odeon in Leicester Square, London, as well as making a high-profile appearance with Afrobeats star Wizkid at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (with inventory provided by Entec Live). IPS owner and key account director, James Mason, along with managing director Karl Saunders first saw the new fixture on demonstration at this year’s Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt and were sufficiently impressed to place an order, making them the first company in the world to have them in hire stock. The fully featured impression X5 IP Bar is an IP
Singapore - Lighting designer Gabriel Chan chose to run lighting for an innovative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) for the 2023 season of Shakespeare in The Park (SITP) on a full grandMA3 system. This production was staged at Fort Canning Green within Fort Canning Park, ran for four weeks, and was directed by Guy Unsworth, featuring an industrial inspired ‘Athens’ set design by Richard Kent. Gabriel’s starting point for lighting the show was the impressive cityscape set, which comprised 17 scenic chimneys and resembled a giant industrial complex with flourishes of futurism and some nods to classicist architecture, and, naturally, the special outdoor location. With approximately 226 lighting fixtures on the rig, 6,321 parameters of control plus five smoke and haze generators, Gabriel chose a grandMA3
Italy - The semifinals and final of the 2023 Men's European Volleyball Championship, held at the PalaEur in Rome, shone brightly thanks to the innovative use of Prolights' Sunblast 3000FC The entire lighting system for this event was provided by Europroduzione s.r.l. and conceived by lighting designer Dario Risolo. The lighting project involved the strategic installation of 110 units of Prolights' Sunblast 3000FC inside the arena, showcasing their extraordinary versatility. Risolo remarked on the crucial importance of the Sunblast 3000FC in creating the desired lighting effects. "I chose them for both special effects like strobe and colours and as reinforcement for the game's white light," Risolo stated. Prolights' strobo blinders were strategically positioned on hanging rigs and on the third ring of the Palalottomatica, ensuring illumination in every corner of
USA - Anaheim, California-based FP Rentals continues to expand its lighting inventory adding 24 more Ayrton Diablo S fixtures. The company acquired 48 Diablo S last year in its first Ayrton purchase. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America. FP Rentals offers an extensive inventory largely to AV service providers. Its sister company is BYFP, a distribution firm. “We had seen many new brands come onto the market in the last few years, but they were not building quality, innovative products,” says Steven Lu, president of FP Rentals. “I was pleasantly surprised when ACT’s Eric Abad [western regional sales] first put Ayrton Diablo in front of me, and I fell in love with the fixture. It’s lightweight, the balance was right and it’s a beautiful light. It was the whole package.” Lu sees the Diablos replacing mid-si
UK - GC Live, a new event organiser has launched into the UK event sector with a nationwide portfolio of seasonal lighting trails and firework festivals. Powered by leading event service suppliers, 21CC Group, the new event organiser will spearhead the design and delivery of events, large-scale creative illumination trails and seasonal festival celebrations across the UK. Geoff Crow, director of GC Live said: “In close partnership with our dedicated supply chain, we are perfectly placed as a team of experienced event professionals and seasoned creative producers to innovate, design and fully event manage a suite of events and experiences nationwide.” Confirming an ambitious line-up of eight major events this year, GC Live will deliver a series of illuminated trails at historic venues including Wondrous Woods at Gosford House and Starry Nights Dean Castle in
Estonia - To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Estonian Olympic Committee, president Urmas Sõõrumaa hosted a reception for hundreds of guests that took place at the Adila Retreat Centre near Tallinn. The event was organised by Global Productions with equipment supplied by funTIME Showservice. Guests were greeted with drinks and had the chance to mingle with each other before listening to presentations from speakers who stood on a stage that was put together using Showgear’s Mammoth Dex. Surrounding the stage, televisions mounted on Milos Pro-30 Step G trusses showed great Estonian sporting moments. To enhance the atmosphere, eight Showtec Studio Beams and twelve Showtec LED Light Bar 8s were used. After the presentations, guests were treated to an extensive tour of Adila’s 10-hectare grounds with information directly broadcast to individuals through DAP’
USA - The all-in-one KL Spot IP is a radiant and rugged static luminaire that can also function as an LED Profile by adding the optional motorised framing module, creating a lighting fixture that's both handily adaptable and primed to set your creative spirit on fire. Additionally, its IP65 rating means it is suited to both indoor and outdoor spaces. Elation has embarked on a journey toward simplifying automated static lighting with the KL Spot IP, a venture that began with its companion, the KL Profile FC. The days of being boxed in by limited options are over, says the company. Need to relocate fixtures on the fly? With an integrated zoom lens spanning from 7° to 50°, you can place the KL Spot IP anywhere and still capture the perfect beam size - no extra lens tubes required. This translates to reduced costs, streamlined setups, and unprecedented flexibility for every pe
Spain - The Megapark in Mallorca, the largest open-air beer garden in Europe, has incorporated the new Ayrton Zonda 9 FX among its lighting fixtures. The Megapark space has a capacity of 5,000 people, blending elements of an open area with the influence of a coastal zone. It features a small stage that required powerful lighting capable of working in daytime and nighttime settings. In its design, several features have been taken into account to create an appealing ambiance in which the Zonda 9 FX lights have played a crucial role in delivering a unique experience. The latest acquisition and investment for this significant venue was the new Zonda 9 FX by Ayrton, a lighting fixture that has stood out for its advanced technology and creative possibilities, thanks to the versatility of its features and optical effects. Megapark has chosen to place them at the rear of the s
USA - Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has recently had a complete redesign of the lighting rig in its 4000-seat main auditorium, which was created and delivered by 46 Entertainment of Nashville, TN, a team of engineers and technical creatives specialisng in event production, design and management. At the centre of the current production lighting design is a 40ft diameter circular truss on a six-axis Kinesys automation system, which is rigged with 64 equidistantly spaced Robe LEDBeam 350s. “Transformation Church has been a client of 46 Entertainment for the last 13 months,” explained project manager, Noah Wilbanks. They work with 46 to reimagine the lighting and technical design every six months or so; a task that is achieved utilising a collection of the church’s own kit purchased from different companies over the years, together with some renta
Germany - “The spectacle of nature is always new,” wrote Goethe. The great poet, philosopher and playwright undoubtably felt this way in 1820 when he first encountered declaring that the massive, irregular formation of granite rocks created “an impression the like of which I have never come across on all my walks.” The evocative beauty of Luisenburg-Felsenlabyrinth (the Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth) has always appealed to creatives, especially those connected to the world of theatre. Plays were being staged at the site as early as the 16th century. Building on this tradition, the Luisenburg Festival was born here in 1890. The festival has grown to become one of Germany’s most renowned annual theatre events. When lighting the Luisenburg Festival, one must deal with resin from the surrounding tall trees, which can cause LEDs to overheat. Also, the weather i
USA - “So how is my English?” Ishay Ribo asked the audience at Madison Square Garden. Not waiting for a response, he said cacha, cacha, the Hebrew term for “so-so.” The multi-platinum artist might not have nailed his English, but there was nothing middling about his performance this September when he became the first Israeli artist to headline a show at the “world’s most famous arena.” Ribo created a transcendent atmosphere that resonated throughout the big arena. Enhancing the experience for the 15,000 in attendance was the lighting design by Tal Frid. Working with an Audio Spectrum supplied rig that was anchored by 146 Chauvet Professional fixtures, the Israeli designer created a soaring 24-universe, mostly timecoded, show that mirrored the essence of Ribo’s deeply moving music, while also reflecting the excitement that the charismatic star brought to
UK - Belimo is a market leader in the development, production, and sales of field devices for the energy-efficient control of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. Their UK office, located in Shepperton, Surrey, wanted to create an experience centre that would display their products and services, as well as provide a space for training, meetings, and events for their customers and partners. Belimo approached Marquee One, part of Marquee Installations, and based on the same business park, to design and install a bespoke AV solution that would meet their needs and expectations. Marquee One Director, Luke Nowacki, welcomed the enquiry and arranged a meeting with Richard Steel, the Belimo UK technical manager. Nowacki needed to find out exactly what was required and how they wanted to use the room, to design a specific, tailored solution. Steel explain
South Africa - Jade Manicom from DWR Distribution recently delivered comprehensive Vectorworks Spotlight training over a two week period in Johannesburg and Durban. With the live events industry in the midst of a busy season, the classes were small but allowed her to provide personalised one-on-one training. “The training went very well,” said Jade Manicom. “People were engaged and were asking questions. Having chatted with them afterwards, I could tell they had gained something from it. In Durban, only one delegate had used Vectorworks before, while the others were new to it. They were impressed with what it could do.” The Johannesburg session took place from 28 August to 1 September at DWR, offering a range of training levels from basic to advanced. The curriculum encompassed various subjects such as layouts and palettes, basic tools, classes and layers, Sp
Austria - Since 1979, international artists have been pouring their magic over the Upper Austrian city of Linz for the annual Linzer Klangwolke. This is when the Donaupark, situated between the Lentos and the Brucknerhaus, is transformed into a gigantic performance area for what has become the city’s flagship event. The week-long festival always begins with the so-called Visualised Sound Cloud (Visualisierte Klangwolke), which attracts around 100,000 spectators and is therefore the largest staged open-air event in Europe with free admission. This year, director Francesca Zambello and assistant director/choreographer Eric Sean Fogel created Odyssey. A Journey Through Worlds, denoting a journey on the river of life taken by a little girl, the only survivor of an apocalyptic catastrophe. Internationally famed Austrian lighting designer Manfred Nikitser (S
USA - A popular Michigan tradition for over 40 years, the 2023 Detroit Jazz Festival featured over 60 performers, spontaneous late night jam sessions, and 350,000 attendees; online viewership of the festival topped 2.5m live views. Now a division of The Display Group, Fantasee Lighting has been providing lights and design to the festival for over 20 years. Celebrating his tenth year as Jazz Fest lighting director, Jon Weaver specified High End Systems SolaPix and Lonestar fixtures for this year’s event. Before COVID shuttered the physical festival in 2020, the festival would stream the headliners on the mainstages, and broadcast three sets on local TV every year. When Jazz Fest returned to a live event, Weaver insisted that the event be lit as a broadcast show outdoors. The lighting rigs were designed to be able to overtake the sun, and still be impactful on televisi
Belgium - James the Musical is a new Belgian live broadcast concept – and runaway success – staged at the NT Theatre in Ghent and produced by Dedsit. The show was originated by James Cooke – also the host – and each episode pays tribute to a Flemish celebrity via the construction of five elaborate ‘musical scenes’ depicting key moments in their lives, uniting all the drama and emotion of live television with the spectacle of musical performance. To quote James himself, “Everybody deserves a musical” and with this format he wants to promote the drama and enjoyment of musicals generally to a wider audience. Luc Peumans of Genk, Belgium-based creative studio Painting with Light was asked to design lighting and video, and he chose 42 x Robe T2 Profiles to provide the essential key lighting and specials for the shows. Also on the rig were 38 x
Italy - A large consignment of Ayrton Cobra laser-sourced fixtures accompanied the successful a Tuttocuore tour from Italian singer-songwriter and musician Claudio Baglioni, which started on 21 September, 2023 from the Foro Italico in Rome and continues throughout Italy until February 2024. The high-level rock-opera is presented in three huge spatial dimensions, extending its reach horizontally, vertically and in depth. The show, which has as its central theme the heart as the one and only reliable clock, integrates different artistic disciplines, bringing together hundreds of artists, performers, choristers and dancers, as well as a strong lighting component, projections of landscapes, faces, shapes and silhouettes. Everything is intended to help give the audience a direct connection, not through the mediation of screens, but through authentic sensory perception. Illu
UK - Solotech delivered a comprehensive audio and lighting package for Feist during her recent UK-EU tour leg. Her performance at the Roundhouse in London was described by The Guardian as “one of the best live shows of the year,” showcasing Feist's outstanding musical talents. “I’ve never seen a show like it,” wrote journalist Shaad D'Souza. “[It was] one of the most masterly rock shows I’ve seen in a long time.” Feist supplemented her performance with top-tier audio and lighting solutions to create a memorable experience. The team at Solotech, with their extensive expertise in audio, video, and lighting honed over many years, certainly rose to the occasion, providing a cutting-edge package tailored specifically to deliver Feist's amazing vision. Technically, the audio package included: Allen & Heath dLive S5000 at FOH, with a complemen
UK - Orbital Sound and Nemesis Research have supplied the recently launched OSCA show control hardware range to a major scare attraction theme park – Farmaggedon’s October Fear Fest. For the past 17 years, the tranquil rural corner of Downholland near Ormskirk in Lancashire has awoken to a frightful force, as Farmaggedon opens its doors for another season. For 2023, this ghoulish entertainment is being triggered by a new power - Nemesis Research’s OSCA Range. Combining an immersive experience with sound, lighting, lasers and flame effects, creating the total experience for the Zombie War Zone relies on perfect and tight control. For the technical team involved once again in helping to create Farmaggedon 2023, Infinity Technical & Production Services, a core element of this year's brief was to find a new way to deliver complete control via a simple system, wi
Germany - Salz21, a Salzburg trade fair for startups and new technologies, was illuminated by the dynamic lighting setup designed by Revolution Rental, featuring an innovative LED array of Prolights fixtures. This vibrant collaboration not only heightened the ambiance but also amplified the visual appeal of this influential gathering. The main stage, a showcase of innovation, shone brilliantly with 22 Astra Wash7Pix and four Astra Wash19Pix fixtures. These Prolights lighting solutions bathed presenters and performers in radiant illumination, crafting a dynamic and immersive environment. For an equally significant yet more intimate side stage, Revolution Rental harnessed the power of 18 Prolights EclExpo Flood300VW fixtures, delivering precise lighting control that added depth and focus to smaller sessions and presentations. Complementing the two stages, Prolights
Germany - 01099 are currently one of the most successful up-and-coming rap/hip-hop acts from Germany. In 2021, the successful EP Dachfenster was released, and the following year the four musicians from Dresden (01099 is the postal code of Dresden Neustadt) produced the LP, Altbau. Recently, their almost completely sold-out tour, Schnelle Brille, came to an end. Designer Felix Seidel developed a simple but very adaptable light and stage design for the 01099 tour, using the creative possibilities of the GLP JDC1 and impression X4 Bar 20. In the spring of 2023, he first exchanged design ideas with the band and developed various ideas from them. “My goal was to design a stage that creates a unique and captivating atmosphere that immerses the audience in the musical universe of 01099,” he explains. Ultimately, when building the set, he decided
