USA - BriteShot, a vendor of LED lighting solutions for television, film and events, has shifted its manufacturing strategy to help venues re-open safely amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Making the most of its resources during these challenging times, BriteShot is now specialising in coronavirus air filtering and decontamination products. “At Briteshot, we aim to have our decontamination technology be a factor in helping entertainment venues, restaurants, and more, reopen their doors in a safe and effective way,” says Roy McDonald, co-founder at BriteShot. “It’s been a difficult year within the entertainment space as facilities have been forced to close their doors or reduce capacity, greatly impacting revenue and job security across the board. “To help ease customers back into business, we dedicated countless hours in production and testing to provide a solutio
South Africa - Brent Sauls of Magic Arm Lighting is a freelance gaffer and cinematographer from Cape Town - currently based in Johannesburg - whose professional career has encompassed 15 years at the forefront of making a diversity of commercials, movies, and TV series. Last year he invested in a set of eight Astera Titan Tubes, purchased from distributor, DWR and these have been working constantly ever since. Brent noticed that Titan Tubes were becoming increasingly frequently requested by a variety of DoPs, especially on commercials. As a gaffer, it is advantageous to be able to offer certain specialist lighting elements and products to a production. “It’s all about having the right tools,” he stated, and this drove the purchase by Magic Arm Lighting, which Brent co-owns with two other cinematographers, Quinton Fredericks & Ebrahim Hajee. He wa
Germany - Lighting designer Jerry Appelt and Matthias Meyert have set up their own pre-programming studio under the name Salty Dog, in his home town of Hamburg. Eight GLP impression FR1 TM (Trackmount) can be found in the new premises, set in the historic Zippelhaus. “Our planning office, Beacon GmbH, has been based in the Zippelhaus in Hamburg's old town for a number of years,” explains Jerry. “So far, we have rented various studios for pre-productions, which apart from the technical equipment, usually don't offer a lot of com-fort. With Salty Dog we wanted to create a really appealing alternative in a prime location, which we of course use ourselves and also rent out. “In the Salty Dog Studios we have integrated everything that we often missed in other studios. In addition, there is the attractive location directly opposite the Speicherstadt, with a large sel
USA - For the 2020 filming of Netflix musical, The Prom, Hog programmer Scott Barnes worked alongside director of photography Matthew Libatique and CLT Jeff Ferrero, with High End Systems Sola Series fixtures and Hog 4 control becoming central figures behind the scenes. The creative team employed SolaFrame Theatre, SolaFrame 3000 and SolaHyBeam 3000 fixtures in many of the performances; all luminaires featured High CRI engines and were supplied by Lux Lighting. When production commenced, Barnes says they already knew the SolaFrame Theatre and SolaFrame 3000 would be their ‘go-to’ movers. Barnes says, “The SolaHyBeam 3000s were not available until about midway through production, but they soon became our powerhouse fixture. The SolaFrame Theatre was especially helpful because of its ultra-quiet performance. “After the first week of production, we realised
Russia - Robe luminaires were selected for another cultural project, this one at the Said-Galiev Cultural Centre in Derbyshki in Kazan, the capital of the Russian semi-autonomous region of Tatarstan, an area renowned as a lively melting pot of Russian and Tatar heritage. Robe’s Russian distributor LTM - with branches in Moscow, Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg - delivered the order of Robe Pointes, LEDBeam 150s and ParFect 150s for its client the Altin Group. LTM also undertook all the related installation and commissioning work for the Robe moving lights and other elements of the venue’s lighting that were extensively updated in this project. The ornate Said-Galiev Cultural Centre has two main auditoriums, a main one seating 560 and a smaller 120 capacity hall and was originally built in 1959. This latest technical upgrade, which also included audio, flexible riggi
UK - The Martin MAC Aura PXL has a rich feature set of internal FX macros allowing maximum versatility even when time is of the essence. Created as a resource for lighting designers, Martin's UK distributor, Sound Technology has published a complete video reference library of all of them. There are six categories of Macros in the PXL - Beam Intensity FX, Beam Colour FX, Aura Intensity FX, Aura Colour FX, Beam and Aura Combined FX, and Full Fixture FX. Each category has its own video, time-stamped in the YouTube description with each individual effect. Utilising the MAC Aura PXL's 141 Aura LEDs and 19 Main Beam LEDs, each effect can also have speed, colour, zoom range & output level manipulated simultaneously, and both the Aura and the Main Beam effects can be active at the same time.
UK - With esports rapidly becoming one of the world’s most popular spectator sports, one of the challenges for the industry is to ensure that audiences in studios and stadiums see every detail of the gameplay on the large screens at the same time as the players. Any lag or juddery visuals can ruin the immersive experience, and Panasonic’s latest high fame rate (HFR) upgrade kit (ET-SUK10) for the Panasonic PT-RQ35K projector addresses these issues, bringing stadium and studio spectators closer to the action. The HFR upgrade delivers higher quality images with rapid and smooth movement and less image lag by enabling the 30,500 lumen, three-chip DLP laser projector to accept and output 240Hz HD signals using just one cable. The improvements delivered by the upgrade are significant. As well as enhanced images, latency can be reduced to just 5ms - compared to 82ms using pre
USA - When full-service lighting company Squeek Lights converted part of their new facility in Middlesex, New Jersey, into the Ruby Stage last July, the space, which featured Elation Dartz 360 and Artiste Picasso lights under NX2 control, quickly attracted music clients for livestreams and video productions. Ruby Stage has now been updated with a new design that offers clients an enhanced professional setup for even better on-camera looks. “The stage had been up for a while and had served our clients well, but we wanted to mix it up with a new design,” stated Victor Zeiser, founder and managing partner at Squeek Lights. “We were able to come up with a more compact floor package and move the drape back which gives us more stage depth for a wider shot and better camera angles. It’s a sleeker design which makes the space bigger and works really well for the camera.”<
UK - Bill Harkin, designer of Glastonbury Festival’s iconic Pyramid Stage, passed away on Sunday 7th March. He was 83. Harkin grew up in Liverpool, attending secondary school in Sefton Park before embarking on painting and 3D construction studies, “with the occasional lunch time Beatles gig for 1 shilling at the Cavern.” Soon, Harkin was showing his work at The Liverpool Academy’s shows at the Walker Art Gallery as well as in art and architecture exhibitions for Liverpool University and The John Moores Painting Prize. “Then, somewhat briefly, I started a course in architecture,” he revealed in memoirs on the Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival website. “The tedium of course work was more than I could take, I was much more excited by the theatre and the new fabric structures of Frei Ott
USA - The soft, sweet, infinitely soothing sound of the flute, with its delicate phrasing and gentle pacing may seem worlds away from the growling intensity of metal music, but both are guided by passion. And, under the right circumstances, the power of that passion can be amplified by lighting. Chris Brodman, Cody Lisle and the creative team at LIT Live! demonstrated this recently when they produced Tribal Flute a 56-minute livestream by noted flutist Keenan Perry. Although it was radically different in style from their usual metal and EDM fare, the LIT Live! crew supported Perry’s performance, with visuals that wrapped themselves seamlessly around his ethereal music. Working with a studio rig that was anchored by Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot, Rogue R2 Wash and Rogue R1 Wash fixtures, lighting designer Jack Watson created a diverse mix of colours a
The Netherlands - Podiumtechniek B.V. has signed a contract with Nationale Opera & Ballet for the supply of 162 LED spotlights from the German brand JB-Lighting. Deputy technical director Pieter Huijgen explains: "After years of searching for worthy replacements for the current halogen spotlights and spotlights with a discharge lamp, developments in LED stage lighting had progressed to such an extent last year that it was possible to make the switch to this form of sustainable lighting." JB-Lighting's moving heads were also recently supplied to leading venues such as De Doelen - Rotterdam, Philharmonie - Haarlem, Schouwburg Ogterop - Meppel, De Nieuwe Schuur - Herpt and the AFAS Theater - Leusden. Many renowned stages in Germany, Austria and Scandinavia have already started using JB-Lighting LED spots. The tender of Nationale Opera & Ballet includes JB-
UK - Throughout February, LSi and PLASA hosted a blind auction for an industry-related number plate reading ‘A1 DMX’, donated by a prominent TV lighting director who has chosen to remain anonymous. The aim of the auction was to raise funds for the #WeMakeEvents campaign, with the winning bid coming in at a generous £2,500. #WeMakeEvents, LSi and PLASA would like to thank everyone who took part. Every penny from the auction will go to the #WeMakeEvents campaign and their chosen charity, Backup which supports industry professionals and their families through times of ill health and financial crisis. Backup also allocates #WeMakeEvents funds to a number of specialist charities, including: Acting for Others, Music Support, Stagehand and #MakeItBlue. The number plate’s original owner comments: “I’m very grateful to everyone who bid for my number plate, and esp
USA - Northern California’s In Motion Fitness boasts 16,000 members. The heavily themed five-acre Mediterranean fitness resort features a wide variety of spaces used for different activities and classes, each with their own different interior design. Its latest addition is a space-themed spin studio which features multiple ADJ mirror balls and LED lighting fixtures. Located in Chico, CA, the resort is dedicated to continually expanding and renovating the facilities available to its members. The latest chapter in this expansion was the renovation and re-theming of a former dance studio to create the Out of this World Galaxy Spin Studio, which officially opened on 1 March this year. The space allows gym members to ‘escape from their current reality for the duration of a spin class and boldly go to a place that could easily be what a dance club in the Star Wars universe may
Germany - Illusionists The Ehrlich Brothers should have recorded their Dream & Fly show for DVD and TV in March 2020. Everything was already set up in Munich when production was prohibited by an order from the Bavarian state. But the Ehrlich Brothers would not be the Ehrlich Brothers if they simply left it at that. And so Andreas and Chris Ehrlich started planning the two-part TV show Factory of Dreams together with Gerdon design in May. Also included in the set were 24 of the new JDC Lines from GLP, which would serve the two show magicians well. Factory of Dreams was finally produced on 2 and 4 October in a hall on the premises of Ehrlich Entertainment GmbH in Bünde, North Rhine-Westphalia. The show was a mixture of new and known illusions as well as some highlights from the past few years. Gerdon design from Wiesbaden came on board as
The Netherlands - De Vooravond is a new talk-show broadcast on the Netherlands first national TV channel NPO 1, presented by Renze Klamer & Fidan Ekiz covering a mix of politics, sport, music, and culture - often with some live performance spots. The current and second series is being lit by LD Jeroen van Geffen using Robe moving lights including T1 Profiles, Esprites and Spikies. LD Jeroen works for production company Chain which is part of the Rentall group’s operations specialising in broadcast lighting and audio. He initially lit the first pilot for this series – which takes inspiration from the De Wereld Draait Door (The World Moves On) ‘magazine’ programme that ran for 15 years – at the end of 2020. It was such a success that the second series started in the new year. The creative brief was to present a fresh and contemporary l
Germany - rental company Gahrens + Battermann has been active in events and entertainment since 1983 by offering innovative technical solutions, having eight locations throughout Germany. Gahrens + Battermann has invested in numerous Prolights EclPanel TWC recently, as part of a growth of inventory and business strategy. Dennis Rudolph, head of the lighting technology department, comments, "In terms of output and light quality, the Prolights EclPanel TWC has completely convinced us. In addition, there are several points that make it stand out in my eyes compared to other product solutions. For example, the device has an integrated power supply and W-DMX, which is a great advantage in terms of mobility. “Also, the panels are in a black housing, which of course makes integration into sets etc. visually easier. All in all, I can say that all features are convincing an
UK - The WACKIT Contest organisers - CAST Group of Companies, Claypaky and Durham and Jennie Marenghi have announced the winners of the virtual lighting competition held over the past few months and judged by the LD panel of Paule Constable, Davy Sherwin and David Bishop, chaired by Durham Marenghi. WACKIT comprised two side-by-side competitions for professional and student lighting designers from UK and Ireland to create a virtual video of their work from a model of the Royal Albert Hall. Winner of the Professional section is Nick Humphrey, second is Kris Goodman with David Howard taking third place. Commenting on the winning entry, the judges said, “Builds well – the cueing through it was good and the progression of ideas well delivered and it pulls back to the organ – so story keeps going – pretty realistic, good movie – lots of falling effects – well t
Switzerland - Chauvet continues to expand its presence in Europe. The company has just announced that it will begin providing direct sales and service support for its products in the Swiss market through its French and German offices. Chauvet France will be responsible for the western section of Switzerland, and Chauvet Germany will look after the rest of the country. Renens, Switzerland-based Radio Matériel will continue to be a reseller and service support centre for Chauvet in the region. The new programme applies to Chauvet Professional, Chauvet DJ and Iluminarc products. Martin Fournier, Chauvet’s European sales director will lead the expansion effort, while Aland Mahieu of Chauvet France and Alexander Rexforth of Chauvet Germany will oversee their respective regional markets within Switzerland. “This is an exciting development for us,” said Stéphane
USA - Denmark based professional lighting manufacturer SGM Light A/S has announced that Jason Osterman has joined the SGM team as architectural solutions manager. Osterman, who will remain based in the USA, previously served in various management roles within the architectural and theatrical lighting industries in both the USA and UK. “I am thrilled to be joining the team at SGM, particularly during this exciting time of creativity in the architectural lighting and media integration sectors. SGM is vastly experienced at creating powerful, top-quality solutions for outdoor environments. Working together with the teams in Denmark and the US, I’m looking forward to developing the next generation of lighting solutions for lighting and media designers,” says Osterman. By establishing Osterman’s role, SGM is expanding its global team focused on the development of s
Belgium - Although he was in the clothing business, Luc Provost always wanted to own a theatre. Not long ago, fate gave him a reason to turn this aspiration into reality, when he acquired 10,000 pieces of theatrical costumes from a Dutch company. Looking for a place to store his newfound collection of clothing, he purchased a former school building in the East Flanders town of Mater. Attached to that structure was a small theatre. For Provost, it was a building of dreams. “I had the costumes and venue,” he recalled. “So now I was ready.” On 2 January, 2020, Provost shared his dream with the world when, outfitted with a new rig of Chauvet Professional fixtures, the Cultuurcentrum Maskerade staged its first show. Unfortunately, it was also the last live show at the 220-seat theatre for the year, as the coronavirus pandemic brought public gatherings to a gri
USA - Passion Church, a thriving 400-congregant, multi-generational and multi-ethnic church in Casa Grande, Arizona, was in need of a complete audio, visual, and lighting systems overhaul to effectively equip its growing ministries into the future and chose Elation Fuze Pendants as part of the solution. In early 2020, Passion Church reached out to 5 Words Media, an AVL production company based in Phoenix, to inquire about a full AVL system design. A day later, 5 Words Media sales engineer Brandon Cole met Pastor Romeo Leal on-site at Passion Church to walk the space and strategise an ideal AVL system to support their current and future needs. “I wanted to hear the dreams Pastor Romeo had, not just for the AVL aspects of Passion Church, but for his church overall,” stated Cole. “Designing a system with the overarching vision and mission of the church in mind help
Spain -At the end of 2020, singer Mónica Naranjo launched a special re-issue of her third studio album Minage originally released in 2000, which paid tribute to Italian artist Mina. Fast forward 20 years, and Puro Minage features a full complement of the exact content that Naranjo had wanted to include in the project from the start. Marking the occasion, she played a special concert in front of a live audience - with COVID rules in place - at the Palau de Les Arts, Valencia. Lighting designer CaCo García has been working with the artist and her management team for around two years, and he chose to use 66 Robe moving lights to be at the centre of this show, which he helped deliver working closely with video director Alberto Arias. CaCo discussed the moods and ambience that Mónica Naranjo wanted to evoke throughout her performance and then designed lig
USA - The 750sq.ft performance space that owner Evan Kirkendall and GM Steve Wozniak created inside Harford Sound’s warehouse in Joppa, MD, features a rig that includes over 75 Chauvet Professional fixtures and a massive 18’ by 10’ video wall made with F4IP panels. The Harford Sound team and lighting designer Kyle Ryman attempted to replicate the hard-driving intensity of a mega-venue stage for the arena rock tribute band Glamour Kitty. “Performance spaces like ours that have cropped up since COVID aren’t the biggest, but with a solid band and talented LD, they can create settings that come across great at conveying largescale energy,” said Wozniak. “Kyle did a great job making this performance come alive so it could really speak to viewers.” Going with dramatic, synced hits, Ryman was able to create punchy vistas that captured the spirit of Glam
UK - Set in a thickly wooded area and set off by manicured gardens in Thronton Hough on The Wirral, The Red Fox restaurant started life as a manor house in the late 19th Century. For a period this February, the stately landmark took on a more contemporary appearance when it was bathed in brilliant green by a collection of Chauvet Professional LED fixtures. Scott Cooper of ASG Entertainments donated the use of the lighting fixtures, along with his expertise, to the Red Fox for the benefit of the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, whose cancer treatment facilities serve patients in Cheshire, Merseyside and the surrounding areas including the Isle of Man. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the suspension of many things, cancer has not taken time off. This is why the Clatterbridge Centre initiated a Let’s Go Green campaign to raise funds and a
