Cyprus - A virtual charity event recently took place on the island of Cyprus to help families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring local DJs and performers, United We Can was filmed on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city of Limassol. A lighting rig comprised exclusively of ADJ fixtures was used to not only illuminate the performers, but to fill the whole sky above the city. Cyprus relies heavily on tourism to fuel its economy, which means that it has been seriously impacted by COVID-19, resulting in many families struggling to pay their bills and feed their children. In direct response to this situation, the United We Can fundraising livestream took place last Friday evening (29 January), which not only collected donations for those in need but also provided entertainment for a community under strict lockdown measures. Broadcast by Cyp
USA - When the new Biden-Harris administration asked New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander to play You Get What You Give at their 20 January virtual Parade Across America, producers ESM Productions and A/V provider Synergetic stepped in to help make it happen. “Scott Mirkin, president & CEO of ESM Productions, had seen our new studio streaming space and called just a few days before the Inauguration as he thought the stage would be a good setting for the New Radicals performance,” comments Jason Weldon, president and CEO at Synergetic. “When he came in to refresh his memory, as soon as he walked in he said he knew the space would be perfect.” Last summer, Synergetic converted a portion of their warehouse in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, to a professional studio for live streaming complete with a full Elation Professional lighting system. As the tra
USA - Utah-based tenor trio Gentri recently performed in a socially distant livestreamed concert at Salt Lake City’s Maverik Centre, where Nicolas ‘Murph’ Murphy supported their evocative cinematic-like performance with an artful blend of bold light and shadows. Relying on sharply focused beams and a variety of light angles, Murphy sculpted the three tenors on stages, amplifying their charismatic qualities. He also endowed the stage with greater depth by balancing bold swaths of light with shadows, and mixing reds and greens with vivid ambers, blues and other hues. Murphy, the owner of Murphy’s Production Services, pre-programmed this 11-universe, 82-fixture show, which he ran on his MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console, in a few hours with help from his ChamSys MagicVis software. “The group’s production manager is an old high school friend of mine,” he sa
South Africa - The South African State Theatre in Pretoria’s 550 seat Drama Stage hosted both the rounds and finale of the 2020 edition of Idols SA, complete with a lighting design by Joshua Cutts of Visual Frontier and technical production delivered by Dream Sets for SIC Entertainment. This, the sixteenth series of Idols SA was directed by Gavin Wratten and broadcast on the Mzansi Magic network. The show would usually have shifted to the 3000 capacity Carnival City Big Top Arena in Johannesburg for the finale, however this time, due to COVID-19 restrictions, everything remained at the State Theatre, and Josh drew on some imaginative and original lighting techniques to keep all the broadcasts looking fresh, interesting, and spectacular. He devised a selection of special visual treatments, some of which were based around utilising Astera Titan Tubes which Josh
UK - ITV’s This Morning is one of the longest running daytime programmes on British television. The show is broadcast from Television Centre in White City, West London, and is hosted by some of the UK’s leading presenters. Airing live, This Morning features a wide spectrum of topical material, from current affairs to showbiz, health, style and beauty, food, gardening and more. The show attracts around one million viewers per day, and this year reached its highest ever audience share of just under 30% of viewing. During the first few weeks of December, the show featured a number of segments broadcast from outside locations at Television Centre. Head of Lighting for ITV Daytime, Matt Carter and his team used ETC fos/4 Panel lights (launched early in 2020) for the first time and were very impressed. He comments: “We had two 24 x 24 size with the Daylig
China - Hundreds of GLP’s JDC1 hybrid strobes were deployed by lighting designers Mat Stovall and Trevor Stirlin Burk at the new Pudong Football Stadium in Shanghai for the League of Legends World Championship 2020 Finals - the pinnacle of the eSports community and the concluding event of the season. Organised by Riot Games and ConCom Inc, the event took place on a massive scale. ‘The Worlds’ was broadcast in 16 languages and across 21 platforms setting a new record; an indicator of eSports’ increasing appeal. The live event saw 888 active JDC1 heads in use - corresponding to a lucky number in Chinese numerology. All pieces were sourced from Christie Lites, and were supplied via main contractors, CT Asia Pacific. Christie Lites’ account executive was Robert Roth, and senior project manager was Bobby Braccia; both worked closely with CT Shanghai’s Aaron Ross
UK - The popular children’s Christmas show at Salisbury’s Salberg Theatre went ahead thanks to the efforts of the Wiltshire Creative team. Moving the holiday production from its usual 149-seat studio to the 517-seat Salisbury Playhouse Main Theatre, and cleverly rearranging the audience area, the creatives at Wiltshire were able to offer local youngsters the chance to enjoy this yuletide tradition in comfort and safety as they staged a production of Little Robin Redbreast. “Because of the devastating effect of COVID-19, we were unable to put on our usual pantomime,” said Matt Bird, senior lighting technician at Wiltshire Creative. “However, we were determined to provide families with entertainment this year in a socially distant and safe fashion, so we moved to the larger space and limited seating to 148.” The move to the Salisbury Playhouse Ma
USA - Nautilus Entertainment Design, Inc. (NED) has announced that after 30 years in business, the company founders Laura and Jim Tetlow, are selling their stock to the company ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan.) With this sale, the company will become 100% employee-owned. Jim Tetlow will continue in a consultancy role as principal consultant and lighting designer for select shows and projects in an effort to provide NED’s clients with a multi-year seamless transition. Jim Tetlow comments, “When we started the business 30 years ago, our focus was on lighting design for TV and live events. At that time, it never occurred to us that we would expand into so many more disciplines including architectural lighting design, A/V system design, and theatre consulting. One of our proudest achievements is the fact that we have built a team of professionals that excel in their wor
UK - If you’ve ever fancied owning an industry-relevant personalised number plate, now’s your chance! The plate, which reads A1 DMX is currently owned by a prominent lighting director, who would prefer to remain anonymous. It has been kindly donated to LSi to be auctioned in order to raise funds for the #WeMakeEvents campaign. The LD says: “Some of us working in TV and film studios are fortunate enough to have kept some of our work since the COVID pandemic closed the majority of our industry last March. So many of our friends and colleagues, particularly in music, events and theatre, haven’t had any work at all during that time and have had little or no support from the government.” “I would like to try to help out in a small way. I know many reading this in LSi will have homes and offices cluttered with old equipment and industry memorabilia. Some
USA/China - The World Championship (Worlds) is the crowning event of Riot Games’ League of Legends. Last year, like many other productions, the world’s most watched esports event migrated to the virtual realm and was broadcast live for over 240 hours using the most advanced and pioneering XR (Extended Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality) technologies, relying heavily on Brompton’s Tessera 4K SX40 LED processors to ensure quality image reproduction on its LED video set. League of Legends tournaments have traditionally featured a host country, with teams touring different cities for each round of the games. However, with the challenges posed for both travel and live audiences, Possible Productions, a creative developer agency that has been working with Riot Games since 2016, looked for a solution that would give a sense of evolution to the tournament while broadcasting the e
Belgium - Countries worldwide welcomed 2021 in many different, creative and Covid-safe ways, recognising the highly symbolic temporal roll-over from a year where everyone everywhere has been impacted dramatically by the pandemic. Brussels’ Laser Lights – which featured Robe moving lights among others and 12 custom lasers – was designed to be enjoyed from the comfort and safety of people’s homes, uniting everyone in spirit, feeling and determination during these extraordinary and restricted times. Fundamental to the project was that, while being a streamed event, Laser Lights should contain some core human elements relating to real life and not just be in a virtual digital environment. This special light art event at the Heysel Plateau in Brussels was instigated by the Mayor of Brussels, Brussels Major Events (the city’s public events organisati
Finland - Sirkus Finlandia, Finland’s biggest touring circus, completed a successful tour of the country late last year with a lighting rig composed almost entirely of Ayrton fixtures. The Ayrton products were supplied and supported by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Finland, Oy Lafoy Ltd of Helsinki. Established in 1976, Sirkus Finlandia is a family run business with an international reputation. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Sirkus Finlandia had planned a 250-date tour across 115 cities from April to November, with audience capacities of 1600. The pandemic may have delayed its plans but it certainly didn’t stop them. Determined to keep the show on the road, the company still managed to bring its colourful, uplifting show to the Finnish people over the summer, performing 108 shows in 23 cities to reduced audiences from the beginning of June until the st
South Korea - Arthur, Robert Juliat’s new 800W LED followspot, made its global debut at Big Eoul Madang (Yongin Cultural Foundation) in Seoul, which became the world’s first venue to receive the new followspot. Arthur is an 800W LED followspot with a 5.5° - 15° zoom that has been designed for long throw applications in larger venues. Complete with all the ergonomic, optical and maintenance benefits expected from Robert Juliat products, Arthur is already becoming a firm favourite with opera houses and theatres around the world. The first two Arthur followspots were shipped to Big Eoul Madang in late summer 2020, having been supplied by Robert Juliat’s exclusive Korean distributor, C&C Lightway. The pair were specified by the venue’s lighting designer, Mrs So-Jin Kang, who chose them as the perfect match for Big Eoul Madang after seeing them at LDI 2019 in
USA - Chauvet Professional has introduced the Maverick Force 2 Profile and Maverick Force 1 Spot. “We developed the new Maverick Force series to address the demand for compact, but powerful fixtures that our touring and broadcast customers have been asking for,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “Smaller framed, easier-to-handle fixtures are especially well-suited to today’s social distancing environment where limited set-up crews are expected to do the jobs that were once performed by more people.” The units are not only designed to be lightweight and compact, their output also has force from power-packed advanced LED engines. Weighing in under 60lbs (27.2kg), the Maverick Force 2 Profile is powered by a 580-watt LED engine that produces an intensely bright 21,000 lumen output. Tipping the scales even less than its stable mate, the under 50-lb (22.7 kg) M
Europe - The next Elation Coffee Break sees hosts Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif examine three modern-day ellipsoidals from Elation Professional. With the WW Profile HP and CW Profile HP the traditional tungsten Leko has been re-engineered from the ground up with efficient LED engines, while the Fuze Profile CW takes the evolution even further with more features and fully automated performance. These LED framing fixtures, all with high CRI and outstanding output, are designed for applications where a top quality ellipsoidal fixture is required. The Elation Coffee Break on modern-day ellipsoidals will air live on Thursday, 4 February at 11:00 a.m. CEST. Join at www.facebook.com/ELATION.Pro.Europe/live - no registration is required. The Elation Coffee Brea
USA - ETC’s F-Drive LED power system has been expanded with the addition of F-Drive W1 Chroma. The wall-mounted LED driver is compatible with Navis 100 RGBW luminaires, offering a new solution to control colour-mixing LED fixtures. F-Drive makes the critical components controlling an LED system accessible, utilising familiar category type cable with RJ45 connections. All F-Drive solutions control your LED luminaires via DMX with RDM configuration, management, and monitoring. For simple connection to Navis RGBW, the W1 Chroma offers a single output for up to four uniquely addressable luminaires. The driver is convection cooled, making it ideal for noise-sensitive environments. With the addition of W1 Chroma, F-Drive now has more options for locations where a centralised driving solution is not required. Together, F-Drive power controls and Navis luminaires offer one r
Sweden - Harman Professional Solutions recently teamed up with Swedish lighting supplier LiteNordic and lighting designer Johan Moritz to revitalise Malmö’s Parking House Anna with a cutting-edge lighting design. Built in 1978, Parking House Anna was the first public parking garage opened in the Swedish capital of Malmö. In 2019, the aged building was renovated with a new façade made of sheet metal, plant walls and solar energy panels. The renovation was ordered by the municipal company Parkering Malmö and designed by NIRAS Arkitekter. In order to visually enhance the building’s new façade with bright and dynamic colors, Parkering Malmö hired Johan Moritz to create a fresh design using Martin Exterior Dot-HP fixtures supplied by regional distributer LiteNordic. “The goal was to revitalise the iconic Parking House Anna with organic, beautiful lighting
Zimbabwe - Gospel singer Janet Manyowa launched her new EP, Sounds of Victory with a streamed performance at Harare International Conference Centre, supported by a colourful lighting design. Blessing Bero and his team at Events Evolution served up a procession of looks for the occasion with help from a Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot, Rogue R2 Spot and Rogue R2 Wash run through Net-X 2 via sACN . Drawing on the versatility of these fixtures, Bero balanced the demands of lighting for the event’s pay-per-view livestream audience and the limited number of VIP guests invited to the launch. “Our primary focus was on the livestream viewers, but we also wanted to create a dynamic show for those who were present,” he explains. “This required a degree of flexibility from our relatively small rig.” Since Bero had only a limited number of fixtures at
Germany - As was the case for many churches around the world, COVID-19 had a significant impact on the recent Christmas celebrations at the historic Katharinenkirche in Oppenheim. The attendance capacity for some services had to be limited, while others were hosted exclusively online. However, the church found a new way of serving as a beacon of hope for the local community through a lighting project that saw the building vibrantly illuminated on the outside throughout advent and the Christmas season. The Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine’s church) is regarded as one of the most important examples of Gothic church architecture in the country. While continuing to serve the local United Protestant congregation as an active church, the imposing structure is a popular tourist attraction for visitors from across Germany and even further afield. It is also the town’s most recogn
Europe - Robe has revealed its new website, at www.robe.cz with ‘a fresh contemporary look that is action-packed with useful information and resources for all’. The site has been co-ordinated to coincide with the launch of a series of new products from Robe that are being revealed throughout the first half of 2021. Robe.cz is designed for speed, convenience, and ease of viewing, optimised for use with mobile devices. Faster access to a greater amount of product-related information is a cornerstone of the new architecture. The site is curated to offer a lively mix of interesting data and multiple layers of technical depth for those needing to drill down further into the complexities of products and Robe’s use of new technologies. An Innovation section will highlight Robe’s constant development and interest in harnessing new, emerging and more sustainable
USA - Last November, rock band Dance Gavin Dance performed their new album Tree City Sessions 2 in its entirety on Tower Bridge in Sacramento, California, a setting that provided a visually stunning framework for the introduction of their latest music. The PPV concert, executive produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, was lit by Justin Wade and Sacramento Production & Lighting (SPL) using a rig of Elation Professional luminaires. Formed in 2005, Dance Gavin Dance hail from Sacramento and are local favourites. Last February, the band had just started a tour to promote a new album release when the shutdown hit. Tour manager Travis Wade and Dion Cook of SPL decided to see if there was a market for pay-per-view streaming of the band, a project that culminated in a successful July PPV concert from a recording studio set up in a converted space in SPL’s warehouse.
USA - The DALI Alliance (DiiA), the global industry organisation for DALI lighting control, has announced the winners of the inaugural DALI Lighting Awards during a virtual ceremony. Held in association with arc (the international architectural lighting design magazine) and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), the awards celebrate the best use of DALI control solutions in international lighting projects as well as recognizing the value of delivering quality illumination to clients and end-users. A broad range of commercial, architectural and industrial lighting projects linked with DALI technology were nominated. The competition selected winners in different categories for indoor and outdoor lighting alongside a separate category for projects employing outstanding use of certified Zhaga-D4i products. Judges for this year’s DALI Lighting A
USA - Throughout the fall and into the holiday season, Showtime Sound and director of design and production Aaron Kovelman staged Showtime At The Drive-In, a series of concerts coproduced with AutoFlex Entertainment. Held at an improvised drive-in venue at the Frederick Fairgrounds, Frederick MD, the series featured popular artists such as moe, Grace Potter, KIX, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Goose, Dark Star Orchestra, Mt. Joy and Blackberry Smoke. Holding over 300 cars spread out over a wide area, the drive-in offered an experience that’s far from the ideal concert setting, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. “All of us are determined to provide people with the best possible show, regardless of the circumstances,” said Kovelman. “With everyone so spread out at this site, we had to create visuals that were very bold and looked good from any
UK - One of the UK's longest established safari park attractions, Longleat, recently became home to a temporary spectacular seasonal experience, The Land of Light. The Land of Light was a journey through several different areas and featured a host of bespoke creations. Longleat partnered with production and hire company, Zeal, who helped design and bring to life this experience. Steve Hough, Zeal’s managing director comments: “We partnered with Longleat in May 2020 after they had to postpone their regular Festival of Light. The goal was to create a new unique experience from scratch that took consideration of coronavirus during the installation and the event itself. From there, we developed concepts and went on to design, build and produce an experience focused on stimulating the senses that allowed people to immerse themselves in real li
