USA - Eastern Lighting Design has been relying on Chroma-Q products for many years and many projects, including their most recent lighting design project for WGN’s News Nation studio. Specialising in TV and broadcast studios, Matt Gordon, president of Eastern Lighting, along with VP of design Mick Smith, and supported by Barbizon Lighting Company, worked through the COVID-19 pandemic to provide the lighting for the Chicago based facility. “Working through a pandemic has been a real learning experience and adjustment.” explains Matt “I am still surprised how quickly we were able to turn around the project within the given time-lines considering that most of the world was in lockdown. We opted to work during the night in order to practice social distancing from other trades.” News Nation is a new national newscast programme that was going into WGNs old, 3,500s
Denmark - Vejle Musikteater, in the fjord-side town of Vejle is usually a bustling hub for live entertainment, offering a mix of band concerts, dance and DJ events, theatre production and conferences, events and presentations. Like most venues, it closed as COVID-19 spread worldwide, stopping the industry in its tracks in March. However, far from becoming a ghost-like shell of its former self, staff, management and crew have been busy in the last six month overseeing a complete technical refit and the Musikteater has just cautiously reopened for shows and business to reduced capacities and a new set of COVID-compliant operational rules and regulations. During this long ‘dark’ period, the venue’s technical manager Rasmus Primdahl explained, they purchased 16 new Robe Esprite LED Profiles which have been added to the existing 16 x Esprites - selected after extens
UK - Arts Council England has opened its £18m Developing your Creative Practice (DYCP) fund to a wider pool of creative practitioners in light of the COVID-19 effects on the workforce. Able to apply for a grant this year will be DJs, performer/creators, arts and cultural educators, community practitioners/engagement specialists, movement directors, cultural conservators, creative enablers and creative technicians. “We know that COVID-19 has had a significant impact for individuals, and many will need to develop themselves and their work to respond to the new environment,” says the Arts Council. “We want to support as many people as possible to reshape and redefine their work and continue to make a positive impact on creativity and culture.” The grants, ranging from for £2,000 to £10,000, will be awarded for development activities from practitioners worki
USA - Some of the only ticketed live concerts in New York State in recent months took place 30 September - 4 October on Bannerman Island. Illuminance, a fundraising concert by the Daisy Jopling Band, received special permission from the State of New York to hold five nights of open-air concerts amid the natural surroundings and magical ruins of Bannerman Castle. Daisy Jopling is a classical/rock violinist who tours with her own band and also runs a music mentorship foundation. Illuminance featured performances by the Daisy Jopling Band, Michael Feigenbaum, Sal Lagonia, and local youth musicians with proceeds benefiting the Daisy Jopling Music Mentorship Foundation and the Bannerman Castle Trust. Five days of sold out shows, two shows per day with 20 lucky guests per show, were lit by New York City Lites using a lighting package of Elation Professional IP-rated
UK - Creative Technology (CT) has introduced some changes to its UK senior management structure that have been in development for a few years. Nick Askew is stepping into the role of head of corporate events and will have overall responsibility for CT UK’s corporate projects. Matt Eve is the new commercial director, focusing on the development and alignment of sales and marketing across CT. Dan Burgess has moved into the creative services division as head of creative services and Will Case is taking on the role of director of innovation, continuing to develop strategies and techniques that bring our client’s ideas closer to our services and technology. “We are pleased to see on-site event work picking up in selected markets as well as virtual and remote production that we moved into heavily over the spring and summer continuing to progress,” says Ma
France - The Ballet Preljocaj production Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is currently touring Europe. Created and choreographed by Grand Prix National de la Danse Award winner Angelin Preljocaj, the production, which debuted before a socially distanced audience at the Grand Théâtre de Provence, blends dance with narration in a contemporary arrangement of the classic work. Supporting the performance by the programme’s 27 dancers was a balanced Eric Soyer lighting design that featured Silens 2 Profile fixtures from Chauvet Professional. “We first discovered this silent fixture during a demonstration produced by RT-Events at the all-new SMAC in Aix in Provence,” said Luc Corazza, technical director of the Ballet Preljocaj. “There were five of us who saw the demonstration, and the response was unanimous. We were all seduced by its colour management, total ease o
UK - Events and creative industry professionals Mark Davies, Jerry Cleary and Edwin Higgins have joined forces to launch a new event production company, JEM LIVE. The new venture combines a physical event production offering with services such as live streaming, extended reality (xR) and social media amplification to enable organisers and agencies to expand the reach of their event. “We wanted to create a company which was fluent in virtual event technologies while not forgetting the importance of more classic elements of event production,” comments Davies. “High quality design, lighting, sound, staging etc. remain at the heart of live events but in the COVID-19 era we have to be willing to integrate virtual elements too.” Davies has more than 25 years’ experience in live events and entertainment architecture and is responsible for the commercial and
USA - Hunter Hughes and his crew at Scout Productions hadn’t worked on an event in well over six months, when they signed on recently to provide lighting and sound for a small outdoor country music show near Landsdale, PA. “Although 10 years of experience certainly hasn’t been forgotten, it was good to be able to go back to a gig with familiar gear like Chauvet DJ’s ShowXpress, and the ease of use that’s associated with it,” said Hughes. “We are really comfortable working with ShowXpress, so it was nice have it on our ‘return gig’. We use many different fixture profiles with ShowXpress software. Having it at this event enabled us to programme our show quickly.” Hughes worked his Xpress-Rack 1024 with a split power line that enables the unit to run without the need for a laptop by using pre-programmed cues with either the onboard buttons or via IR r
USA - More than 55m viewers watched as President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met for the final presidential debate at Belmont University. Bandit Lites supplied the university’s exterior and site lighting, illuminating the campus in striking patriotic and branded looks. Lighting designer Chris Lisle designed the exterior event lighting, working to up light and enhance any building or structures that would be seen as part of the televised broadcast, including the two main entrances to the Curb Event Centre (where the debates took place), the Bell Tower (the main focus point of the campus) and the historic Freeman Hall (which boasts high visibility from Wedgewood Avenue). Lisle contacted Bandit Lites vice president Mike Golden about a year prior, and even then he had a plan for the exterior. “To look back at that preliminary work seems more like a
USA - Signalling the start of the new NFL season, The Killers staged a special, highly symbolic one-off performance of their anthemic Mr Brightside on the rooftop of Caesar’s Palace for the Las Vegas Raiders who have just moved into the newly completed Allegiant Stadium. Produced for ESPN, the segment’s lighting design was created remotely by The Killers’ long-term lighting designer Steven Douglas, who included 43 x Robe MegaPointes and 14 CycFX 8 moving LED battens on the rig, supplied by lighting vendor LMG. Steven was working from home in Ireland, unable to travel due to international restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic. He received a brief about the look of the piece from director Dagen Merrill plus ESPN’s creative team, and his design was realised on site by lighting programmer and operator Josh Spodick and the LMG crew. The brief sp
Germany - Johannes Spieß, project manager from technical specialist MKM Event Show Technik based in Darmstadt, launched a new initiative of his own –Bergstraße leuchtet (Bergstraße Lights) – to highlight some of the famous Bergstraße mountain route’s monuments, historical buildings and public spaces. With events halted, normally busy rental company MKM had an abundance of lighting products including an extensive Astera inventory of AX3 LightDrops, AX5 TriplePARs and AX7 SpotLites sitting in the warehouse, so these were used to support all 12 of the lighting installations which were carefully crafted and delivered over a two month period. Astera AX7s were used at all locations, culminating with a spectacular and innovative event at St. Peter’s church in Heppenheim. “Everyone in the area knows and loves the highlighted buildings and spaces,” stated
USA - ETC has postponed any participation in traditional trade shows until July next year. “Out of concern for the safety of its employees and global community, ETC has announced that it will not participate in traditional trade show exhibitions until July 2021,” says a statement. “With the pandemic affecting many people’s ability and desire to travel, the company has instead decided to focus its resources on remote demos and online events.” The statement continues, “A major part of the trade show experience is the chance to see the latest gear and get one-on-one face time with product experts. With this in mind, ETC has been hard at work converting in-house demo spaces throughout the company’s offices into studios for online product demonstrations. Customers may now use an online portal to schedule live, one-on-one demos of some of the company’s newest fixtu
Spain - Producciones Yllana captures the swirl of emotions and music that surrounded violinist Niccolò Paganini’s life in Maestrissimo, a 90-minute show that is being performed before limited, socially distant audiences in Spain. Weaving together the action and music on stage, while also making performers comfortable in near-empty venues, is an immersive three-universe, 150-fixture lightshow created by Fernando Rodriguez Berzosa. A longtime ChamSys user, Berzosa programmed his show on a MagicQ with a PCWing. He is running the show at venues throughout Spain on his MagicQ MQ80, and notes that the compact size of this console makes it an ideal traveling companion. “Nowadays I always use a ChamSys for any project I am involved in,” said Berzosa. “My reason is simple: dependability. I can’t afford to have a console fail; that is why I always depend on my
Italy - The Arena di Verona recently hosted the RTL 102.5 Power Hits Summer 2020 while following the Covid-19 rules issued by the Italian government. The event was held on 9 September, celebrating the singles with most radio plays during the summer. Several famous Italian singers took part in the event, performing on stage and filling the arena with their music. Mod Srl, which is part of Rooster Srl, was in charge of the lighting project. Emilio Lombardi, owner of Mod Srl who oversaw the works, reports, “Because of the pandemic, the 2020 edition of the RTL Power Hits has been different compared to previous years. The stage was not on the south side of the arena. Instead, it was in the middle. The chairs that usually fill the grounds were removed to give us the chance to assemble the stage and to work safely. With those changes, it was equally important to mak
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced the addition of 10 free Live Workshops available for registration. From musicians and performers to designers and programmers, upcoming workshops feature audio and lighting experts who have extensive industry knowledge and experience. Collectively, the presenters have worked with various artists including Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Janet Jackson, John Mellencamp, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Lou Reed, Marilyn Manson, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Styx, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, U2, Van Halen and many more. The workshops open for registration include: The Art of Perfect Playback in Lighting Design with Michael Keller (27 October), A Brief User’s Manual For A Lighting Career with Benny Kirkham (28 October), The ABC's of Awesome Lighting Technology with Brad Schiller (2
USA - ETC has announced the addition of the Fresnel to the fos/4 studio family. With the addition of LEDs, however, many Fresnels became more about the technology and less about light. ETC’s fos/4 Fresnel ‘takes the most desired features of an incandescent Fresnel and adds in the nuanced colour mixing, smooth fades, and LED technology of ETC’s other professional grade fixtures. With fos/4, you get a true Fresnel with an LED engine, not the other way around’. The fos/4 Fresnel includes ‘all the features you’d expect from a standard Fresnel’. Adjust the 15°-50° zoom from either the front or the rear of the fixture. Use the accessory slot to add any number of beam-control accessories such as barn doors and soft boxes. The adjustable yoke enables easy balancing of the fixture after focus, and the homogenized optic gives you an impressively seamless beam of light
USA - Production and rental houses across the entertainment technology industry have had to think creatively in order to continue to serve the industry and stay in business. One of the more successful has been Synergetic of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, which has converted a portion of their warehouse to a professional TV studio for live streaming complete with a full Elation Professional lighting system. President and CEO at Synergetic, Jason Weldon, says that opening the studio has allowed them to pivot from their usual business of supplying entertainment technology gear for live events in the Mid-Atlantic region. “We’ve been able to offer customers the ability to hold a virtual event in a professional setting,” he says while acknowledging that the redirection to a live streaming and professional recording space has also been an economic lifesaver. “While we’re not 10
Mexico - At the start of 2020, Ana Casillas released Tú a tu vida y yo a la mía which roughly translates to ‘You To Your Life, Me To Mine’. It is an apt title for the Baja California born singer at this point in her career, as she sets out the path to interpret regional and traditional Mexican music in a bold new way. Drawing on her Michoacan and Jaliscience roots, she has worked with renowned composers and executive producer Juan Páez, Casillas to create a sound that builds on traditional music that celebrates the majesty and beauty of Mexican culture. Casillas’ new sound was on full display this summer when she recorded a video at the Morelos Theatre in Toluca. Reflecting her music with intensely dynamic and colourful looks was a lightshow that featured the Maverick MK3 Wash, Maverick MK 1 Hybrid, Maverick MK3 Profile, Maverick MK3 Spot and Rogue R3 S
China - A watch tower that overlooks China’s second-longest river - the Yellow River - is lit by Christie laser projectors for a light show aimed at promoting Yellow River culture and boosting the local cultural tourism industry. Located in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, the 90m high Yellow River Tower is the centrepiece of a night-time extravaganza titled The Great Lanzhou, which made its official debut on 29 September ahead of China’s 71st National Day celebrations. The outdoor show features 3D projection mapping, stage lighting, lasers, atmospheric effects and live performances to tell the story of the Yellow River basin - birthplace of ancient Chinese civilisation, and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. Projection is accomplished by Christie’s newly-appointed distributor Zhongqing Yingye Group using 32 Christie 1DLP and 3DLP l
Australia - The 2020 Parrtjima Festival of Light at Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territory provided a rare reminder of the community, camaraderie, magic and imagination evoked by lighting art. Moved from its original April slot to September, the 10-day event organised by the Northern Territories Major Event Company (NTMEC), and produced and curated by AGB, went ahead due to the state’s successful Covid-19 management strategy. Featuring a carefully picked collection of amazing and fun light artworks together with a spectacular nightly lightshow designed by Richard Neville from Mandylights delivered to a locally produced soundtrack, 80 x Robe MegaPointes were used to throw lighting and effects onto a section of the West MacDonnell mountain range. The lighting equipment was supplied by Melbourne-based MPH Australia, who have been involved as event sup
Germany - The Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre in Fellbach is the official Mercedes-Benz showcase for classic cars and is a must-visit for any car enthusiast. It offers original parts, repairs, restoration and information for historical Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have been out of production for at least 15 years. Mad Music Event Technology of Stuttgart was called on to upgrade a portion of the vehicle lighting at the Classic Centre and chose a large number of full-colour Elation Professional KL Panel LED softlights for the job. The KL Panel creates soft white or full-colour washes of up to 24,000 lumens at a 100° half-beam angle. According to Mad Music CEO Mathias Bremgärtner, the decision to go with the KL Panel was because of the "very good options for colour temperature adjustment, the very good CRI value, the excellent homogeneous coverage and the exact colour rende
USA - The oldest, continuously operating motor race track in the USA has seen its share of historic moments since it opened in 1904. But on 18 September, the Fairgrounds Speedway gave lockdown-weary Nashvillians a chance to ride off into the future when it served as the site of Tempo Presented By Eamotion, a 60-minute drive-through experience that engaged the senses with an immersive array of sights and sounds. Entering the track’s winding two-mile course, visitors were greeted by a dazzling mosaic of colourful images created by a sea of sparkling lights, along with over 2,000 video panels and 400ft wide projection mapped surfaces. Tying this panorama together was a matrix of laser light that seemed to envelop the entire course in its glow. Dustin L Derry programmed and ran the laser show on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console. “This was an exciting pro
Austria - With this year’s Summer Night Concert, an event that has been taking place since 2004, the Vienna Philharmonic wanted to send a signal of hope in the year of coronavirus. As a result, the concert went ahead - albeit with a small number of spectators on site - as a live broadcast event on the TV channels ORF2 and 3SAT. The concert production itself, under the direction of Valery Gergiev, and featuring soloist Jonas Kaufmann, had to be optimised for television broadcasting. With highly experienced DoP Jerry Appelt at the helm, the production was able to fall back on a proven concept. “The Summer Night Concert had already been broadcast on TV in previous years, so we didn't have to reinvent the wheel in terms of TV-compatible lighting,” stated Appelt. For the important white light, he opted once again for the GLP impression S350 and S35
USA - Now into its third year, Nights of the Jack is a Halloween experience which sees the historic King Gillette Ranch in the Santa Monica mountains of Los Angeles filled with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Arranged into themed displays, the pumpkins are further enhanced by colourful background lighting from ADJ IP65-rated LED wash fixtures as well as smoke and bubble effects from ADJ atmospheric generators. Named after King C. Gillette, founder of the Gillette razor brand, who owned and developed the land in the 1920s, the King Gillette Ranch is a 588-acre site in the Calabasas region of Los Angeles that is now owned and operated by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Having successfully launched in 2018 and experienced considerable growth last year, Nights of the Jack 2020 was put in jeopardy – as with so many events – by Covid-19.
