USA - Each year, WinShape Camps attracts over 30,000 students to its Christian-led summer camps across the U.S. but like most outdoor camps were forced to cancel in-person events this year due to the Covid pandemic. In order to relieve the disappointment and give kids a fun and engaging experience, WinShape has been working with Stacked Hearts Productions to create an engaging virtual experience, ON, that brings the fun of summer camp directly into homes. The virtual experience broadcasts live eight hours a day, five days a week from a gymnasium on the WinShape campus in Rome, Georgia. Peter Streiff, president of Stacked Hearts Productions, a full-service events and production firm based in Atlanta, has worked with WinShape Camps for a number of years. He and his crew have stayed busy through the five-week camp by broadcasting a morning show, an end-of-day show, worsh
Spain - Chauvet Professional has appointed Eusebio ‘Sebi’ Romero Garcia as product specialist for Spain. An experienced lighting and stage technician, Garcia will be working closely with the company’s Spanish distributor, Barcelona-based, ACSON, to coordinate product training and roadshows throughout the country. “There are exciting opportunities for us in Spain,” said Michael Brooksbank, general manager of Chauvet Europe. “Sebi’s experience and talent make him a valuable addition to our team as we continue to work with ACSON to build on our success and develop our brand in this vibrant market.” Garcia will be based in Madrid, but will coordinate his activities closely with ACSON in Barcelona. He will report directly to Sam Bowden, Chauvet’s European product manager, but will also work closely with the Stéphane Gressier, international sales director,
New Zealand - Every year, Wellington’s Botanic Gardens is transformed into Gardens Magic featuring a free concert series with a mix of music from over 100 performers during 18 nights. As the sun goes down, the Botanic Gardens transform into a wonderland of lights, with colourful installations and displays created by MJF Lighting. This year, MJF Lighting deployed Firefly LED Festooning Lighting to add extra sparkle to the popular event. “We did have some festoon lighting but it was the old school version so it was definitely time for an upgrade,” comments Blair McLaren, MJF’s Wellington operations manager. “Having festoon lighting with an outdoor rating plus LED technology makes all the difference.” Blair added that an important factor when choosing Firefly LED Festoon was the fact that they didn’t have to lamp or de-lamp the strings of festoon
USA - The Behind the Scenes Mental Health Initiative has rolled out a number of suicide prevention tools as part of joining the #BeThe1To campaign run by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and its partners. These tools are available at btshelp.org/bethe1to. A BTS survey of the industry revealed that most people want to help if they see someone at risk for suicide but they don’t know what to say or do, or are afraid they will make things worse or damage their relationship with the person. Evidence shows this is not the case and it is critical to reach out. The first part of the campaign is called Know the Warnings Signs because the more familiar someone is with the warning signs of suicide the more likely they are to recognize them. BTS has created posters listing some of the key warning signs in English, Spanish and French and they are available for dow
LED lighting manufacturer Astera has launched the NYX Bulb - a name inspired by NYX, Greek Goddess of the Night. NYX Bulb - the same size as a standard LED bulb - is billed as the first colour-tuneable LED bulb for professional film, stage, and event productions. It comes complete with a CRMX receiver for wireless DMX, plus RF and Bluetooth modules for control via the Astera App on a smartphone or Tablet. NYX Bulb is designed for gaffers, DoPs, lighting and set designers, visual artists and anyone needing feature lighting bulbs. In addition to movie shoots and television studios, it is designed for theatrical sets and for scenic elements on tour shows and live events. Sized like a regular LED bulb, NYX Bulb can be powered via an E27 socket (E26 in the US version) or with a standard power bank. Due to its compact form, it is the first Astera light source with external ba
France - Driving up from Paris on A4, one of the first things the visitor sees upon entering this ancient city of Reims is the Manège de Reims with its distinctive 16-sided polygon circus. Completed in 1867, the stone building is a bustling hub of cultural activity, serving the community by hosting theatrical performances, dance recitals, concerts and other events, including circuses, for which it was originally built. Supporting the diverse mix of productions at the popular facility is a versatile lighting rig that features a collection of Chauvet Professional projectors supplied and installed by Avant-Scènes. Working with Cédric Barbillat, lighting director of the Manège de Reims, who decided upon the specific fixtures, the Avant-Scènes team outfitted the 1,000-seat facility with 16 COLORado 2 Quad Zoom, six Maverick MK1 Spot, and 10 Maverick MK2 Wash units.
USA - Christie Lites has added Elation Professional’s new Paladin Panel to its extensive inventory of lighting gear. The versatile flood and effect light is available for immediate rental from Christie Lites locations across the US and Canada. “Once again, our partners at Elation have come up with an innovative, durable and economical fixture which will support our mission of providing lighting designers the highest value available in the industry,” comments Ken Alexander, VP rentals at Christie Lites. “Christie Lites is proud to continue our long-standing relationship with Eric Loader and the Elation team and to deploying our new stock of Paladin Panels on a multitude of different events over the months to come.” As an increasing number of shows are staged outdoors, Elation has again expanded on its line of multi-environmental IP65-rated products with the m
France - Eventlive-Group, an AV equipment and service supplier in Biarritz, has added a complement of Claypaky Mini-B fixtures to its extensive lighting inventory. Eventlive-Group has a wide range of clients from seminars of all sizes, public events and big music festivals to permanent installations in bars, clubs, shops and sports venues. “Clients come to us for our technical skills as well as our creative mindset,” says Hugo Malatray, lighting designer with Eventlive-Group. The company recently invested in 16 Claypaky Mini-Bs, which Hugo calls “small, silent, bright, fast and precise”, adding, “There hasn’t been a small wash light like it for the last decade.” Mini-B is the smallest LED moving light ever made by Claypaky for the professional market. Although it weighs just 7 kg and measures only 34 cm, Mini-B features advanced, modern optical and
UK - Robe UK worked with a number of companies, organisations, venues and individuals to light 10 significant buildings and landmarks in and around its hometown of Northampton for the #LightItInRed lighting action campaign on Monday 6 July. Robe UK’s head of marketing Theresa Gibson coordinated all the permissions required to light these key Northampton sites as well as dealing with logistics and sourcing fixtures for which Robe UK partnered with rental and production company Clearsound Production from Shipston-on-Stour. MLE Pyrotechnics lit the town’s famous National Lift Tower, a 127.5m former test tower for Express Lifts which is the tallest building in the town and is now grade II heritage listed. The front façade of the magnificent stately home of Althorp House - home to the Spencer family for the last 500 years - was illuminated in striking scarlet wit
UK - Trending in Twitter’s top 3 on the night, the #LightItInRed campaign saw over 670 buildings, monuments, landmarks and structures all over the UK illuminated in ‘Emergency Red’ on 6 July (Monday) to highlight the vast challenges facing the live events, music and performing arts sectors. The action was organised by Steven Haynes from Clearsound Productions and Phillip Berryman from The Backstage Theatre Jobs Forum. It energised theatres, arts centres, live music venues, technical production and rental companies and associated individuals and freelancers everywhere, who were able to enjoy the camaraderie of working together once again on a massive national event with real purpose, after many months of the industry being closed and shuttered. On the eve of the event (Sunday) the government announced a £1.57bn financial assistance package for arts and culture in
UAE - AO Drones, specialist provider of drone light shows, recently played a key role in an unforgettable event to thank Dubai’s frontline workers for their heroic service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conceived and produced by AO Drones’ producer, Marco Niedermeier, the event combined a stunning aerial display from AO Drones’ sophisticated drone fleet, plus a special message from emergency services vehicles arranged to spell ‘Thank You’, in both English and Arabic. The whole event was captured in a short film, shot in the style of a dramatic action movie, and shared widely on social media. To realise the event, Niedermeier called on the help of friends from Dubai’s event production network, including Done Events, GTV Film Productions and Brand Dubai. Together they secured support from Government of Dubai and authorities including the Dubai Police Force, th
UK - The interactive installation, Scream the House Down by artist Marcus Lyall is going down well with the public around the world: London, New York, Hong Kong, Russia and beyond - so due to demand it has been extended it by a week, to 11 July (Saturday). With social distancing still in place and tensions continuing to rise, London-based artist Marcus Lyall and not-for-profit arts organisation Illuminate Productions, have transformed a soon-to-be-demolished office block in London Bridge into an interactive public artwork. In this new site-specific work, Lyall invites you to join a Zoom call where you can scream or otherwise vocalise your feelings. A monumental light installation instantly illuminates the building in response to your voice. The louder and longer your outburst, the bigger the response from the building. The building interprets every voice a
USA - Bandit Lites returned to the picturesque countryside of Blackberry Farm for Boards and Boats, where guests of the resort could spend a weekend partaking of wakeboard, wakesurfing and boating. In addition to tips and demonstrations from MasterCraft, the weekend concluded with a dinner and a concert featuring Americana artists Chatham Rabbits. Bandit Lites supplied a lighting package comprised of Chauvet Freedom Pars, GLP X4 Atoms, and Gantom lights as well as the event’s staging complete with Edison bulbs, conjuring a mood of rural elegance. “The Chauvet Freedom Pars were used to control the colour of the room environment itself by placing them along the walls of Bramble Hall,” explained Bandit Lites Nick Brown. “The GLP X4 Atoms were used as our front light, and the Gantoms served as a low backlight.” Even with the fickle Tennessee weather of t
Germany - Düsseldorf’s 240m high Rheinturm tower was the setting for a sky-high laser projection and light show in June to promote Deutsche Telekom’s extended 5G network. The telecommunications company worked with German event management agency DO IT! to realise the show, and they in turn commissioned AO Creative to help conceptualise, design, supply the fixtures and technology, and execute the display. Overseen by AO Creative’s Marco Niedermeier in collaboration with JALD Jerry Appelt Licht Design and Beacon, the project brought together AO’s team of design and technical specialists based in Germany. The team included lighting designer Jerry Appelt, who created a detailed scheme to light the concrete Rheinturm in a beautiful wash of magenta - Deutsche Telekom’s brand colour. Alongside, Laserfabrik facilitated laser-projected branding on the ‘trunk’ of the to
UK - TSL Lighting joined the Light It In Red campaign on 6 July (Monday), bathing its Gatwick and Basingstoke premises with light as part of the ‘red alert’ initiative lobbying the government to ramp up support for the arts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Light It In Red galvanised the entertainment technology industry to come together to warn that without financial aid, the supply chain for live entertainment and events is threatened. The initiative took place as the government announced a financial aid package worth £1.57bn for the arts after months of pressure. “It’s vital that we show solidarity with industry and raise awareness of the dire situation,” comments TSL’s Loz Wilcox. “The supply chain does so much for theatre, TV and events and it
Russia - Croatian-born DJ Solomun has been a regular visitor to Russia since early on in his career. Synonymous with contemporary electronic music, and attracting vast throngs of fans, his most recent performances have been at the popular Adrenaline Stadium in Moscow, where SETUP Studio developed and implemented a hi-tech lighting rig, with GLP fixtures as the centrepiece. SETUP Studio is constantly searching for new creative concepts connecting sound and light. The team has been collaborating with Solomun for several years and has implemented many different setups for the DJ. The last two performances at the Adrenaline Stadium were not only notable in the scenic and lighting design worlds, but also became undisputed favourites of the studio itself. Back in 2018, they had the idea of implementing kinetic winches, but because of the high cost and sophisticated design, t
USA - ADJ has announced the immediate availability of the latest addition to its Focus series of LED-powered moving head luminaires. The Focus Spot 6Z has become the new flagship of the range. It is desigmed for event production, rental and touring applications as well as installation in churches, concert venues and large nightclubs. The Focus Spot 6Z features a potent 300W cool white LED engine that offers a 50,000-hour operational life. This is paired with a precision-engineered, high-quality optical system to deliver punchy output, allowing for sharp aerial effects and crisp GOBO projections. Offering 50% more LED power than the 200W Focus Spot 4Z and 5Z models, the 6Z has an output of 10,500+ lumens, which represents a significant step up for the Focus Series. In addition to the brightness, the Focus Spot 6Z is also the most feature-packed model in the range. It of
USA - Whether it was at a stop on one of their many appearances on The Warped Tour, or a festival appearance, The Word Alive have always managed to forge a direct laser-like connection with crowds. Waves of fans invariably push up against the barricades at the band’s shows - and the metalcore band send the magnetic force right back at them. It is impossible to replicate this connectivity completely in all of its power in a livestream show, but Chris Brodman, Cody Lisle and their creative team came close when the band performed a pay-for-view show at LIT Live on 20 June. Helping them accomplish this feat was a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures that included the Maverick MK 2 Spot, Rogue R2 Wash, Rogue R1 Wash, and STRIKE P38, as well as the Vesuvio II fogger. “We had no physical crowd in the room, so our big challenge was to recreate the sense of intimacy
UK - Having cancelled their live London Executive Summit due to COVID-19, coaching organisation Vistage sought an innovative and fully digital solution enabling them to deliver this flagship event. To help bring the new digital format to life, technical solutions specialist White Light (WL) utilised its SmartStage studio in Wimbledon. Formed over 60 years ago and comprising of 24,000 members from SMEs around the globe, Vistage annually connects more than 200 CEOs, MDs and senior business leaders for their live summit. Following cancellation of the London event, Vistage required an advanced technological solution to deliver a series of expert-led coaching workshops to their audience, conducted safely online via a professional platform. Hiring WL’s SmartStage facility enabled the live presenters to access a safely isolated location and work together from a social dista
Germany - The Arberger Mühle foundation village is located in the middle of the old town of Arbergens near Bremen. It was built in 1803 and is a Dutch mill set in impressive grounds. It is the oldest preserved mill in Germany, and has been a heritage listed building since 1973. As part of the extensive renovation of the mill, Illumination Physics were asked by the owner whether to participate in the development and implementation of a lighting concept for the outer facade of the mill. The owner's aim was to integrate the mill into the cityscape as an outstanding building, but, as the premises are also used for events, to be able to change the colour of the lower part of the façade on special occasions. This, however had to be achieved with the lowest possible energy consumption. What looked simple at first soon proved otherwise. The ground plan and the ar
UK - Last night (6 July), some of the UK’s most iconic venues and landmarks were lit up in ‘emergency red’ as part of the #LightItInRed campaign to draw attention to the critical condition of the live events and entertainment industry. A glimpse of hope was given to Britain’s arts industry on Sunday evening (5 July), as £1.57bn was pledged by the government – yet the supply chain behind the production of live events and festivals, including many freelancers, is still awaiting clarification as to what support they will be offered. Unlike other industries, live theatre, outdoor events, concerts, festivals and performances have been unable to safely resume due to social distancing guidance and other restrictions. Many predict these events may not resume until 2021. The #LightItInRed campaign aims to draw attention to the
UAE - The Afterlife series of worldwide electronic music festivals arrived in Dubai for the first time in February at the Hangar 4 industrial warehouse event space. Lighting designer Pascal Bach of VEM Visionemotion GmbH utilized 100 Claypaky Sharpy fixtures to deliver the evening’s signature Afterlife look within the monumental space. Italian DJ duo Tale of Us were the hosts of the show, which featured performances by Âme, Mind Against, Fideles, Kas:st and Innellea. Pascal Bach created the lighting design and handled the operation of lights and lasers during the show. “The main part of the design was a 60m truss in the centre of the 100m hangar. The truss was filled with 50 Sharpys and additional wash lights,” says Bach. “The idea was to create a massive array of light beams that behaved as one single object in an organic way. In general, the Afterlife sho
Iceland - At 75m high, Hallgrimskirkja Church in the centre of Reykjavik is the largest church in Iceland and one of the tallest buildings in the country. Its sweeping frontage and steeple dominate the skyline of the city both with its height and its dramatic architecture. The design is the work of state architect, Guðjón Samúelsson, who was inspired by the crystalline structures of the basalt rock that is so prevalent in this volcanic country. First commissioned in 1937, the edifice took 41 years to build with the spire completed in 1974. On 16 January 2020, Hallgrimskirkja formed the stunning backdrop for the celebrations marking the centenary of the Icelandic Midwives Community. Icelandic full-service sales and rental company, Exton, was called upon to illuminate the huge façade of the church for the evening with a brilliant white light that would symbolise the
USA - Chicago -based Charles Ford and his business partner Brandon Clark from Creative Live Control have been busy using creativity and lateral thinking during the coronavirus pandemic to help maintain positive energies. First off, the two have been helping light up different areas around Chicago embracing the Unite at Night initiative, with Robe moving lights from their rental partner, JRLX. This nightly sing-along, make-some-noise and DIY lightshow - interpreted as bring what you can fairy-lights, glitter-balls, LED battens, etc. - started spontaneously in and around the city to bring communities together in uncertain times and celebrate the efforts of all heroes on the frontlines helping to keep everyone safe. Immediately when Charles and Brandon saw what was happening they thought . . . “let’s do this and get some real lights out and about!
