Germany - The 10th anniversary edition of the iHeartRadio Music Festival took place recently in Los Angeles. Among the cast was Usher, broadcasting from a red-lit stage. Both his 20-minute set, and the generic lighting rig at the iHeartRadio Theatre LA, were studded with GLP fixtures - supplied by locally based Volt Lites and put to work by LD Matt Ardine and programmer Mark Butts. While the generic rig itself contained a ceiling of 36 GLP X4 atoms - described by Ardine as “an inexpensive way of making the lighting rig look large” - along with 77 discreet GLP FR1’s, Usher’s set featured GLP FR10 bars, at the request of the artist’s design team, Eric Gorleski and John McGuire from TrasK House creative agency. “We wanted Usher’s set to feel different than the other performances at the theatre, with a more intimate, but still 6ft socially distanced feel that
USA - Drone show technology specialist Verge Aero recently provided its expertise in drone swarm technology to a US television show, the History Channel’s Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigations. The show follows Luis ‘Lue’ Elizondo - former director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Programme (AATIP), the secretive Pentagon unit that studied UFOs - as he investigates reports of unexplained aerial phenomena. Last December, sightings of large drone formations flying over Eastern Colorado and Nebraska sparked considerable press attention. However, extensive investigations by state and federal authorities including the FAA, DOD, and FBI failed to find an explanation for the presence of the machines. Elizondo met Verge Aero’s experts to find out more about its proprietary drone ‘swarm’ technology, and consider whether this
Poland - Bedoes is one of the most popular rappers in Poland and boasts many collaborations with popular Polish singers. On 18 September, he held an open-air gig in Warsaw, the last date on the Opowieści z doliny smoków (Tales from the land of dragons) tour. “The tour started in January 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were forced to postpone the last two shows until the end of summer” said Szymon Płotkowski, lighting designer who oversaw the project. “While designing a lighting plot for this tour, I wanted to reflect the dark atmosphere of the album (medieval, fantasy references), adding some glamour when needed. That's why I used Prolights SunBlasts 3000FC in the basic plot. These fixtures gave me the opportunity to have ‘dirty’ wash sidelight, fancy pixel effects and powerful strobes. A huge range of amazing effects all from one fi
UK - Scottish lighting trail Wondrous Woods has secured a corporate sponsor for their relaxed performance evening in October. The lighting trail, being organised by Edinburgh event company 21CC Group opens its gates at Hopetoun House on 21 October promising “2km of beautifully-lit woodland trails and a magical safe night out for families”. Organiser, Geoff Crow of 21CC Group says: “We understand that the multi-sensory nature of the environment may cause sensory overload in those with Autism or other sensory processing disorders, so on Tuesday 27 October we are reducing capacity, decreasing the sound levels, and increasing the lighting levels to ensure the best possible experience for our guests. All of this is only possible with the support we have secured from Walter Scott; we are delighted that they are on board with us, allowing us to bring this event to those who m
USA - Rod Sintow, vice-president, Solotech sales and systems integration division, has announced the appointment of Brad Nelms as sales director of Solotech's Las Vegas office. Nelms will be responsible for the leadership of the Las Vegas sales team, with the objective of establishing Solotech’s business position and growing revenue and market share in the region. He will oversee the development of key existing accounts in the live performance and entertainment sectors, while ensuring a strong diversification strategy to penetrate other high-promising market segments. With over 15 years’ experience in sales management and operations, namely at ACT Lighting, VER and 4Wall Entertainment, Brad Nelms has considerable customer service skills and a strong background in personnel management, training and organisational development. “Brad’s certifications and qua
USA - High End Systems has released the new HPU hardware for Hog 4, along with an update to Hog 4 OS with v3.14 software. HPU replaces both the DMX Processor 8000 (DP8K) unit and the Rack Hog 4 in a modern, 2U rack mounted unit. This processor unit can be run in either console mode or in processor mode with a 64 universe capacity. The new Hog 4 OS v3.14 software includes several advancements in functionality in addition to bug fixes. A new patching structure allows users to patch to internal universes, which then get mapped to outputs on consoles, DP8Ks, Widgets and Gadget II units, sACN and/or ArtNet. Individual patch universes may be mapped to multiple outputs as needed and can be moved from one output to another without universe cloning. Adjusted keyboard shortcuts include additional mappings to make programmable USB keyboards function more smoothly. Finally, OSC/MI
USA - The Proteus Lucius IP65 moving head is available and shipping. The fixture is designed for use in any production environment, indoors or out, and due to its all-purpose functionality can be used anywhere in a rig. “The Proteus Lucius is truly the perfect profile fixture,” comments Elation product manager, Matthias Hinrichs. “High output, compact and comparable in weight to older generations of fixtures, it is jam-packed with features while being fully sealed from environmental influences. Never before has an IP fixture delivered so much in this form factor; there are really no compromises. It can be used on touring productions or any type of event, and is perfectly at home on long-term installs like themed environments. It does everything well with outstanding performance while having the added benefits that come with the IP65 rating.” A compact brother
Germany - Decisions often involve a trade-off, as taking steps to address one challenge may complicate another. Philipp Reister, the event technician at the famed Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, understands this issue first hand. Reister values the flexibility of moving fixtures, especially since changing lights on the Z Bridge at the school’s performance hall is a time-consuming process involving a mobile crane. On the other hand, the moving fixtures that had previously been installed at the school, while providing the desired flexibility, raised the issue of noise. In the past Reister and the team at Hochschule für Musik Freiburg have worked diligently to balance these issues. This summer they enlisted the help of a new “partner” to their cause: the Chauvet Professional Maverick Silens 2 Profile. “We needed to improve our flexibility because our hall
USA - The iHeartRadio Music Festival marked its tenth anniversary virtually this year recording its headline artists live, with no audiences, in Los Angeles and Nashville. Lighting designer Matthew Ardine handled the LA portion of the show, which hosted Miley Cyrus, Migos, Alicia Keys, Swae Lee, Khalid and Usher at the iHeartRadio Theatre. He utilised an array of Claypaky fixtures, which are part of the theatre’s rep plot. The two-day mega-concert was live streamed on 18-19 September and viewable on The CW app; it was broadcast on The CW and iHeartRadio stations nationwide. Ardine has been one of the iHeartRadio Theatre’s lighting designers for about six years. He designed the base rig for the 2020 festival then worked with each individual artist’s team to create a look for the performer’s brand. “For the main iHeartRadio Festival design, two of my goal
Canada - North America’s National Hockey League (NHL) returned to play without live audiences but with massive enthusiasm, determination and impressive TV and online followings - for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoff series which had been suspended in April during the coronavirus pandemic. Lighting equipment was supplied by Solotech and included over 200 Robe moving lights - a mix of Pointes, Spiiders and Tarrantulas used by lighting designer Tom Kenny. The 24-team playoff format (comprising Eastern and Western Conferences) was staged in two Canadian hub cities - Edmonton and Toronto - over two months, running as two complete Covid-secure ‘bubbles’ for production teams, players, coaches and other associated personnel. Tom was asked to design lighting for the two arenas - Scotiabank in Toronto and Rogers Place in Edmonton - working closely with production design
USA - When explaining how he designed Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK, Frank Lloyd Wright described it as a “tree-like mast” supported by a central trunk of four elevators shafts anchored by a deep central foundation. The arrangement made it possible for the building’s 19 concrete floors to extend outward like cantilevered branches of a tree reaching over 220ft to the sky. Today, 64 years after its completion, the only skyscraper designed by Wright inspires as powerfully as ever, reflecting its creator’s belief that “all fine architectural values are human values”. This spirit was celebrated in September when the noted building glowed in vivid colours in honour of Pride Month with help from a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by GW Illumination. “This project was initiated by the Bartlesville Chapter of Oklahomans for Equality for Pride
Poland - Brzeg Cultural Centre is a local institution which offers a number of artistic and interdisciplinary activities, such as dance, theatre, music and sculpture classes, as well as a lot of cultural events. At the end of August 2020, it was fully equipped with a spread of Prolights products. Kuba Czarnik, production manager for Show Design, Prolights distributor for Poland said: “Brzeg Cultural Centre is, like any other community centre, very important for the district, where it is located. It is here, where social awareness and sensitivity to art and culture are built. We are glad that we were able to help in the development of this institution with Prolights. “So, we decided to make use of a lot of Prolights solutions to light up the hall. In particular, we installed eight Luma 1500SH with animation module as front lights and above the stage, four Diamond 19
UK - With the demand for virtual events rising during the Coronavirus pandemic, lighting and audio specialists Audio Visual Live (AVL) have created a multi-purpose studio space, with Vista by Chroma-Q handling all of the lighting control requirements. The new AVL Studio is located in Slough, Berkshire and offers a well thought out studio space, which can be used for a simple rehearsal right up to a full music video or corporate presentation. Normally used to servicing the corporate events and live performance sector, AVL managing Director Kristian Ardley comments: “With the pandemic in full effect we wanted to put our professional inventory of lighting, video and audio equipment to good use and add another revenue stream to the company. The studio was the obvious choice.” The 9.5m x 6m black box studio ‘house rig’ features lighting products from well-kn
UK - disguise’s latest software release, 17.4 combined with its new RenderStream software, rx and vx hardware bundle creates the complete solution for hosting real-time content from render engines, Unreal Engine and Notch. disguise has recognised the demand for immersive real-time production and their latest release, 17.4, showcases features that were identified through the Netflix's virtual production initiative NLAB, with partners Lux Machina and Fuse Technical Group. The knowledge gained from experimentation and feature testing has optimised their already market-leading workflow for virtual production on set. RenderStream is a proprietary video-over-IP protocol that synchronises and transfers content between render engines and final composition machines. It provides low latency, uncompressed video transfer and sends control metadata to sync camera tracking between
USA - The award-winning ArcLamp LED solution from ETC has received an upgrade with the addition of a new Flicker variant as well as new driver options. Designed for use in themed environments, the specialised Flicker lamp creates a 2700 K Fade to Warm effect by flickering randomly to imitate candlelight. Flicker lamps can also be used at constant brightness by changing the DMX value on its single control channel. New ArcLamp driver form factors are now available, including wall mount and rack mount options for the 350 and 700 versions. Along with the ArcLamp updates, ETC has added the ArcSystem Pro Four-Cell Pendant to its family of architectural LED luminaires. With this solution, the line now features both Four-Cell Round and Pendant options, depending on a facility’s mounting needs. The popular Four-Cell Round offers a choice of hanging hardware, such as a
USA - Bandit Lites and Moo TV are offering another collaboration at Bandit’s Venue One space, complete with a full lighting and video setup. With 10,000sq.ft of open space, clients will have access to the industry’s best in lighting and video. The lighting system is comprised of six 20ft curved towers each loaded with Chauvet R2X wash, Chauvet R1 FXB and Chauvet RH1 Hybrid fixtures topped with an Elation Smarty Hybrid. The front 25ft truss has GLP X4 wash units and a BMFL spot controlled by the Robe RoboSpot system, while a rear centre Robe BMFL spot is also on the RoboSpot system. In the centreis a 10ft circle loaded with more Chauvet R2X washes and Ayrton Magic Dots as well as a 36” mirror ball on its own chain hoist. The entire system is laced with 500ft of TMB LED programmable festoons. Base Hazer Pro units provide the haze, and all of this is controlled with
Singapore - The Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore has taken its first-ever stock of Ayrton LED moving heads with the recent addition of Ayrton Khamsin profile fixtures to its lighting inventory. Forty-four Khamsin-S and 6 Khamsin-TC fixtures were supplied to the landmark venue by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the region, Total Solution Marketing. The majority of its new Khamsin profiles have been installed in the 5000-seat Star Theatre, The Star Performing Arts Centre’s key venue, which prides itself on its state-of-the-art stage technology. The Star Theatre hosts a wide range of amplified music and speech events, including large scale, high-profile conferences, pop concerts and dance performances, and recently hosted the Singapore National Day 2020 Concert. “The Khamsins are mainly rigged on overhead fly bars and FOH trusses from where they facilita
Spain - It’s approaching a year since Spanish lighting designer Juanjo Llorens first compiled his design for Circo de Hielo 2, the latest winter show from Madrid-based Productores de Sonrisas (Smile Producers), creators of large scale multidisciplined extravaganzas like Circo de Los Horrores and many others. The newest arena show, directed by Suso Silva, played in a bespoke 1,800-capacity circular tent that was erected for the run of shows at IFEMA Madrid that combined premium ice skating with acrobatics, breath-taking stunts – including a skater fighting with a violinist playing live - and heaped with theatricality, pumping live music and visuals. Juanjo chose 40 x Robe LEDBeam 150s, 24 MegaPointe and 24 Spiider moving lights to be central to his lighting rig, and these were purchased for the run of shows by Productores de Sonrisas. Right now
Belgium - During a career that has seen him work on TV specials like European Commission’s Presidential Debate, and popular programmes, including Dancing With The Stars Belgium and Liefde voor Muziek, Michiel Milbou has built a reputation for his key lighting. However, in his recent project, Belgium’s version of The Masked Singer, Milbou got to depart from his usual concerns about getting the talent’s face lit “just right”. “There were no faces to light in this show, since everyone was wearing a mask,” said Milbou, the founder and owner of Never Fear Shadows. “That was very different, and in many ways a nice change, since it opened up many creative possibilities. It allowed us to go with colours that matched the masks without worrying about key lighting faces. So, if there was a character with blue mask, we could hit it with various
Europe - General Device Type Format (GDTF) founders MA Lighting, Vectorworks, Inc and Robe lighting have transitioned the GDTF website to VPLT - the German Entertainment Technology Association. This migration will ensure a compliant platform for the exchange and future development of GDTF, which offers manufacturers and users a better way of planning and controlling complex productions from design to implementation for an event. “On behalf of the three founding companies, we are all more than pleased to move the GDTF website under the roof of the VPLT, an independent association,” said Gerhard Krude, managing director of MA Lighting Technology. “This step is actually underlining what was always the intention of the original website, which is a barrier-free entity for serving the entire ligh
World - In a collective show of solidarity, live events professionals from all corners of the world held peaceful demonstrations to once again raise awareness of the dire effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector and its workforce. The #WeMakeEvents #StandAsOne Global Day of Action held yesterday, 30 September, was the single largest coordinated global event to take place since the campaign launched in the summer. Just as with the regional events that preceded it, the demo saw thousands of cultural buildings being lit up in red, whilst the #WeMakeEvents and #LightItInRed hashtags trended on social media. Campaigners have continued to push for state support for an industry that’s been unable to resume sustainably due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. After more than six months of uncertainty, the future of a once-thriving sector and its workforce has
Germany - MA Lighting has introduced new products for its grandMA3 onPC range: the grandMA3 onPC fader wing and the grandMA3 onPC xPort Nodes DIN-Rail. The grandMA3 onPC fader wing is designed as a hardware playback expansion to the grandMA3 onPC software. In combination with this free of charge software, the grandMA3 onPC fader wing offers the full playback capabilities and adds 2,048 parameters to the grandMA3 onPC parameter count. The range of grandMA3 onPC xPort Nodes DIN-Rail are specifically designed for the ever-increasing demands in fixed installation applications to build a reliable and stable backbone of synchronized data transportation. All Nodes are remotely configurable from any console or onPC station within the session to provide easy access to DMX output or DMX input. The grandMA3 onPC range offers powerful and easy to use solutions that are a co
China - The new Dyno Series softlights from Nanlux has been developed for film, broadcast and media applications for both studio and location work. Backed by almost 30 years of experience operating at the cutting edge of lighting technology, the Nanlux family of professional LED products are amongst the most innovative, versatile, energy efficient soft sources available. Built using state of the art LED technology, the Dyno Series has been expertly engineered to combine stunning levels of ultra-efficient, low energy illumination with complete control, allowing users the artistic freedom to innovate and explore. The Dyno Series allow precision management over every aspect of their output. Flicker free, fully tuneable between 2,700K and 20,000K and dimmable from 0-100% in ultra-precise intervals of just 0.1% (1-100%), whether choosing tungsten, daylight or from over 16 m
Europe - The Claypaky MINI-B PARLED Aqua is a weather-resistant, mini par fixture with 40W RGBW LEDs. With the increasing demand for weather-resistant fixtures for entertainment and architecture applications, Claypaky’s MINI-B PARLED Aqua fits the needs for size, output, and features, says the company. With its seven Osram 40W RGBW LED engine, this little fixture makes it one of the brightest available. MINI-B PARLED Aqua is a static version of the recently introduced MINI-B that is IP65 rated. This fixture has the same optical and electronic features as the MINI-B: a motorized 4° to 55° zoom, independent control of the central LED for effects, 2500K to 8000K colour temperature control, 16-bit dimmer with four different dimming curves, 25 flashes per second electronic strobe and Ethernet access. This fixture is compact and lightweight and complimentary to th
