USA - Global nutrition company Herbalife honoured its top performing sales force and distributors in an awards event staged at the Los Angeles Convention Centre in March, a streamed show that was executive & technically produced by Raj Kapoor Productions & Steffan Jones for CG Creative Studios. Tom Sutherland from DX7 Design designed the lighting and Julio Himede from Yellow Studio was tasked with the scenic design, and Tom’s lighting design featured 1,145 Astera AX5 battery operated wireless LED PARs - one of the largest Astera installations worldwide. The luminaires were amassed by lighting vendor Felix Lighting.. Tom’s starting point for the lighting was Julio Himede’s production design which featured a 160ft-wide black gloss stage and four massive modernist style moving LED video arches. Tom decided to surround and accentuate this epic look wit
Estonia - Rental company Strikken supplied the lighting design and production design and equipment for the Power Stage Live TV podium, which welcomed the 2020 winners of Rally Estonia event - part of the World Rally Championship - and was set up close to the final stage finish line, near Rally Estonia’s HQ in Tartu. They relied on the power and versatility of Robe moving lights including LEDWash 300s, LEDWash 800s and MMX Spots to deliver spectacular looking results. The luminaires were picked for their compact size, light weight, and brightness, and all rigged on the stage ground support structure together with some outrigged pipes facilitating the front positions. The event was broadcast in 155 countries worldwide, and the Power Stage podium featured a 20m-deep by 30m-wide platform with two drive-on / off wings at the front and a substantial LED screen upstage. Li
Costa Rica - The elegant Teatro Nacional Costa Rica in San Jose, completed in 1897, is the jewel of the nation’s capital city and one of the most beautiful concert halls in the Americas. Leading up to this famed structure, the visitor can gaze on sculptures of poet Calderón de la Barca and composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Further down the entry walkway are statues of Frédéric Chopin. The message delivered by this external artwork is clear: inside is a venue that treasures artistry from around the world! Recently, the Costa Rican Philharmonic Orchestra reaffirmed this commitment by performing a virtual concert at the site. Supporting their performance and making it more vivid to viewers was the colourful light from the theatre’s newly installed Chauvet Professional COLORado 3 Solo fixtures. The 60W RGB LED fixtures were installed just prior to the show, when
UK - Dream is a multi-layered mix of movement, music, visuals, cool technology and narrative magic, an immersive digital performance fusing the drama of Shakespeare with the dynamic worlds of gaming and theatre in a production by the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company in collaboration with Manchester International Festival, Marshmallow Laser Feast, and the Philharmonia Orchestra (read a full production report in the upcoming issue of Lsi, out early May). Staged physically in the Studio at Portsmouth Guildhall and inspired by the classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the characters were played by six real actors utilising Vicon motion capture cameras, their avatars and effects appearing onscreen - centring around the antics of cocky and capricious mischief-maker Puck. They run amok in the virtual Midsummer forest, hellraising and spoofing four other sprites during
Spain - The public regional television station Telemadrid has recently added 75 EclPanel TWC soft light panels by Prolights to their studios in Madrid. The fixtures are used in programmes like La Redacción, a daily live news programme. Telemadrid decided to make a new investment to modernise its facility and cut their energy consumption through use of LED technology. The fixtures were acquired through public tender, and later supplied and installed by Fluge Audiovisuales, a Spanish AV integrator. “We decided to specify the EclPanel TWC soft panel because it provides a high luminous flux, a homogeneous diffusion, and includes a range of white colour temperatures, from daylight to tungsten tones, achieving a superior light quality with high CRI, TLCI and TM-30. All the features are exactly what we needed for broadcast environments,” said Alejo J. Arce, techn
Germany - Singer-songwriter David Vidano would have imagined the launch date for his debut album Slo-Mo to be something different. However, on the release date itself, the world was in the middle of a pandemic that did not treat young artists particularly kindly. The tour had to be postponed until autumn 2021, but the album release is an event that needs to be celebrated, and so Vidano gave a small concert, observing the strictest health guidelines, in the rehearsal hall of TTL Event Solutions in his hometown Ochtrup. The event was also recorded. Vidano’s lighting designer, Jens Hillenkötter, works globally as a designer and creative producer. For the artist's release show, he also took on the role of DoP, and for the first time deployed the GLP Creative Light1 Plus. Forty pieces of the compact, flexible LED fixtures augmented the artist's set. “These were still
USA - Audiovisual and lighting integrator Icon Media of Georgia is transforming a sanctuary space at Lighthouse Church in Ventura, California and has used Fuze Pendant downlights from Elation Professional for the first phase of the project. Wanting to address their sanctuary lighting before Easter, the church initiated a house lighting overhaul as the initial step in a larger refurbishment project that will entail audio, video and lighting. Icon Media, specialists in integrated systems for houses of worship and an Elation dealer, was contacted by church leadership and strategic planning consultant’s GrowMentum to handle the project. “We have a staff that understands the specific nuances of this market, how it operates and is structured,” states Icon Media president Brian Gore. “The HoW market requires a special approach, specific skills and sensitivities that
USA - Altman Lighting has promoted Tom Casazza to senior regional sales manager. Casazza has been with Altman for more than a decade, and his promotion will allow for enhanced mentorship of new sales associates. “Tom’s promotion will allow us to improve customer support on a national level,” says Nicolas Champion, vice-president of sales and marketing. “I’m looking forward to growing our capacity to serve Altman customers nationwide, through my direct work, and particularly mentorship,” says Casazza. Altman Lighting recently relocated from Yonkers, New York to Denver, Colorado during the coronavirus pandemic. “We will always pivot as necessary to serve our clients to the best of our ability. The show must go on. We are grateful for Tom’s leadership as we continue to grow,” says Champion.
USA - Located on the Jamul Indian Village reservation, 20 miles east of downtown San Diego, the Jamul Casino attracts visitors from across southern California. In addition to gaming, it offers multiple restaurants, bars and lounges, the newest of which is The Rooftop. Developed on the roof of the main casino building, it provides 360° views of the surrounding valley and is used for private parties as well as regular live music performances and theme nights. Having initially rented lighting for special events, earlier this year the casino’s management invested in a permanent house rig comprised of 80 ADJ fixtures. For a number of years, AV support for the casino has been provided by CBC Technical Inc., located in nearby Temecula, CA. The company originally rented a lighting system to the casino for live music performances and special events at The Rooftop, following
USA - Since its official opening in 1930, the stately structure that is today known as the James L. Whitten Building, home of the US Department of Agriculture, has stood out. Not only was it the first large scale example of Beaux-Arts architecture in the US capital, and the city’s first governmental structure made of reinforced concrete, it was also (and still remains) the only “working building” on the Federal Mall that is not intended for the general public. From 18-21 April, the building held another distinction, being the only federal structure in the capital to be lit in green. Radiating in emerald against the Washington sky, the USDA home office commemorated the International Year of the Plant in stunning fashion. Endowing the James L. Whitten Building with its green glow was a lighting design by Atmosphere, Inc.’s Sparky Hopkins that featured a collectio
Singapore - Harman Professional Solutions recently partnered with Light Collab to outfit the atrium at Parkroyal Collection, Marina Bay with a Martin Professional lighting solution. Parkroyal is a garden hotel in the city’s central business district with close proximity to many major Singapore landmarks. The hotel offers ‘contemporary design and eco-friendly lifestyle experiences to conscious and mindful travellers’. In order to enhance the guest experience, the hotel hired Light Collab to implement a cutting-edge Martin Professional lighting solution to provide dynamic visual effects in the garden atrium. Light Collab reported that the hotel requested an impressive lighting system for an immersive treetop experience, including a short light show that could be programmed for performances every hour on the hour. The hotel’s goal was to transform the garden atriu
USA - Artists continue to be creative and inventive in presenting themselves during these pandemic times, and musician, singer and songwriter Todd Rundgren’s new virtual ‘tour’ concept is no exception. The 25 shows were broadcast live over a five-week period from Radius Chicago, a new 3,800 capacity live performance venue in an old Pilsen steel factory. Each day was orientated towards a particular city, complete with special locally related video content, and people living in the relevant area able to access advanced tickets before the box office was opened further. Lighting designer Hans Shoop utilised Robe BMFL Spots, Spikies and a RoboSpot system controlling three BMFL Follow Spots to great effect on the rig – among other lights – fulfilling a brief to create as much normalcy as possible for a live band show. They specifically didn’t want the production
Poland - Jacek Chojczak and his team from Polish creative production design company Green Beam Design (GBD) utilised 82 x Robe MegaPointes for a high-profile outdoor installation in central Warsaw marking the 29th anniversary of WOSP (Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy) – The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity – which is the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organization in Poland raising money for paediatric and elderly care. Each year, Jacek explains, WOSP stages a major outdoor concert in central Warsaw called Light to Heaven, but this year due to Covid-19 restrictions this could not happen. Instead, the organisers decided to build a large scenic pyramid which was 21m wide and 12m high, designed by set specialist Giorgos Stylianou – in the square adjacent to the Palace of Culture and Science. Jacek’s lighting scheme ensured that th
Italy - In late January, the people of Aosta gathered, as they have every year since the start of the first millennial, to celebrate the life of their patron saint. The streets of this ancient town were lined, as they always have been on this occasion, with artisans showcasing their world-famous Valdôtain artwork. It was one of the last such moments, the people of the Aosta Valley would enjoy, before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public gatherings were still prohibited this January when the time came for La Fiore de Sant’ Orso, but the townspeople were still able to enjoy this tradition virtually, as Fumasoli Audio and Lights Rental worked with local officials to create a livestream version of the two-day event. Produced at the improvised warehouse studio, created by Fumasoli early in the pandemic, and broadcast on television, the livestream served up a rich
USA - Despite the pandemic, and all the restrictions it has created, Gerry Dintelman has been in a groove of late, firing up hard-hitting livestream looks for metallic heavyweights like Fister, Dead Pilgrim and Chaos Collective. Recently, he had to change gears and focus his creative vision in a softer, more romantic direction, when he lit a Valentine’s Day ‘love-stream’ for indie/rocker Le’Ponds. He welcomed the opportunity. “It’s always fun to mix things up a bit,” said Dintelman. “Our last livestream was designed around hard angles and industrial looks. To reflect the mood Le’Ponds was after, we had to do things differently so we could arrive at a more intimate place.” That “place” was a captivating romantic dream come to life, with sharp edges replaced by smooth flowing natural forms that seemed to spring organically out of the stage, and j
Finland - Design and production house Sun Effects offers out-of-the-box visual designs and full-service concept-to-execution solutions from offices in Helsinki and Tokyo. When the company sought a line of outdoor-rated moving head luminaires that could withstand Finland’s brutal weather conditions but also be an effective tool for creative expression, they turned to Elation’s award-winning Proteus line. “There aren't many companies that take their gear into the types of environments we do,” said company founder and artistic director at Sun Effects, Matti Jykylä. “We’re a good benchmark and only go for top quality gear. We needed a reliable outdoor automated moving light with good design options and came to the conclusion that the Proteus is the best out there.” Sun Effects has enjoyed consistent growth over its 25-year history, covering projects from sp
Croatia - Popular duo 2Cellos released a new music video together with a hi-energy rendition of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer this month which was recorded in an abandoned military warehouse near the Croatian city of Pula. Lighting was created by the band’s long-term LD Crt Birsa of Blackout using an all-Robe moving light rig. Lighting was the critical and only visual technical element for the dramatically stark, moody noir-style video directed by Kristijan Burlovic and as such it became almost a fourth band member joining Stjepan Hauser, Luka Šulić and drummer Dušan Kranjc. Crt chose 38 x Robe MegaPointes as the key lighting fixtures, creating a tunnel effect down the length of the 33m tube like space which was pitch black inside. His design also used 16 x Robe BMFL Spots, three LEDBeam 150s and 10 x LEDWash 600+s, all supplied by Pula-based rental co
USA - New York quintet Lousy Sloughter delivered their Couch Tour from High Peaks Event Productions’ livestream studio in early April. For 50 minutes, the band wove its way through a blend of blues, funk and jazz. With them every step of the way was a fluid, artfully crafted lighting design by Christine Sharp that drew on the colour and gobo rendering prowess of over 30 Chauvet Professional fixtures. “The looks I create are pretty varied depending on the genre of music, even and down to the song being played,” said Sharp, who runs High Peaks with her husband Roger. “For a low-keyed show, or an acoustic performance, I try to create an aesthetic frame around the musicians on stage. If I know the vibe of the song, I saturated the stage with colours that reflect the feelings, at least as I interpret them.” Following this design approach, Sharp kept the area
UK - Rental production company, Neg Earth has added the new Prolights EclPanel TWC LED softlight to its rental fleet. On recommendation from a number of top lighting designers, Neg Earth decided to demo the new EclPanel TWC and was impressed with its performance and notable list of features. Neg Earth’s Sam Ridgway commented; “After several recommendations for the EclPanel TWC, I had high expectations and I am pleased to say the fixture certainly lived up to them. The fixture’s output is brighter than a number of competitors products at only a fraction of the cost. The performance and features of the EclPanel TWC really set it apart. Its quality whites and rich colour capabilities make it a truly versatile product.” The EclPanel TWC has individual pixel control enabling the colour and output to be varied per section. In addition, the EclPanel TWC comes wi
USA - Chroma-Q has been pre-production testing in collaboration with Green Voltage zero emission generator units. Working with a selection of Brute Force lampheads, the crew, plus Green Voltage director and experienced operator Adam Baker (Wonder Woman 2, No Time to Die) tested the LED Wendylight alternative, together with Green Voltage’s 5kW VOLTstack E-Gen remote power systems. The Chroma-Q product range has become a regular feature on lighting lists the world over, delivering low energy illumination to all manner of productions. Deceptive in both stature and output, the Brute Force draws just 15 amps @ 240V making them suitable for use in conjunction with the GV power units. With the Brute Force running at full power, the generators provided over 2.5 hours operation. The fully dimmable LED fixture, with its extended CCT range between 2,000K an
Czech Republic - Robe Lighting has unveiled its new T2 Profile luminaire, offering “an array of innovative technologies and the sought-after colour finesse of Robe’s successful Multi-Spectral LED (MSLTM) light engines”. Crafted for multiple applications - theatre, television, auditoriums, stages, concert environments - the T2 Profile produces over 17,500 lumens measured at the front lens - via its 850W MSL source, to throw high-quality light over long distances. The fixture’s quietness is suitable for scenarios where noise is crucial including classical concerts or recitals and dramas. It has also been designed as a throw partner used in conjunction with Robe’s smaller T1 series fixtures, as both feature the MSLTM LED engines and therefore produce an identical multi-spectral colour mixing consistency. The T2 Profile technologies linclude adjustab
USA - LED lighting solutions specialist BriteShot has shifted its manufacturing strategy amidst the global pandemic and now specialises in COVID-19 decontamination products. BriteShot’s decontamination solutions include its AirAffair air filtration system and BriteShot decontamination tent. “To help venues re-open safely amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, we have dedicated our R&D resources to design groundbreaking innovation in air filtration and air purification,” says Roy McDonald, co-founder at BriteShot. “With more than a decade of knowledge and experience working in the entertainment space, we aim to have our decontamination technology be a factor in helping entertainment venues, restaurants, schools, houses of worship and more, reopen their doors in a safe and effective way.” BriteShot’s AirAffair system uses scientifically backed technologies to effe
UK - Version 2, which specialises in lighting hire specifically for the television industry, has expanded its stock of MDG products with the addition of two ATMe haze generators. “Our clients trust us to specify the right products and we know that MDG produces the best haze for the television market,” says Nick Edwards, managing director of Version 2. Edwards has 25 years of dedicated television lighting experience, having held technical, commercial and management positions at PRG, Panalux and Aurora, after his training at the flagship training facility in BBC Wood Norton, prior to founding Version 2 in 2016. This experience puts him in a strong position when it comes to choosing the best products for his clients, many of whom have worked with him for years and trust his technical know-how. “All our equipment investments have been rigorously researched and teste
USA - SPH Engineering, a multiproduct drone software company, has released a Drone Show software update which allows users to run a drone swarm show with up to 1,000 UVify IFO light show drones. The technology was upgraded in partnership with UVify and is only available with UVify IFO swarm light show drones. The software was developed from managing from 500 to 1,000 UVify IFO swarm light show drones, with performance being upgraded to improve the ability to control large scale fleets. While scaling a fleet, the software allows preflight checks to guarantee safety during the show based on a dual geofence principle. “2020 was a turning point in outdoor entertainment history as drone light shows were almost the only activity that could be safely enjoyed by the public from a distance,” says Alexey Dobrovolskiy, CTO at SPH Engineering. “Options varied from small 20-
