UK - PLASA has responded to the UK government’s pledge of £1.57bn funding for the arts with the following statement from its MD, Peter Heath: “While PLASA is pleased to see the government deliver a generous rescue package to arts institutions across the UK, they have only addressed the tip of the iceberg. We hope that the government will announce further support for all the manufacturers, suppliers and freelancers who help make the UK a global leader in events. “Theatres and venues are absolutely essential to the cultural fabric of the UK, however, they only represent the public face of a vast industry. Each arena concert, musical show, arts installation, or corporate event relies on a complex supply chain, often involving hundreds of professionals. To put on a single arena show requires an average of
USA - To complement its growing line of special effects machines, Magmatic atmospheric effects is offering ‘a complete line of high-quality fluid’ called Atmosity. Atmosity universal fluid has been specially formulated for use in Magmatic’s Magma and Thermatic haze and fog machines, Polar snow machines, Rocket CO2 cryogenic simulation effects, and other specialty effects products. Atmosity is a professional fluid series formulated for use with all types of effect machines. Rigorously tested for consistency, Atmosity fluid is treated, filtered and then quality checked for purity, colour, density and acidity. The result corresponds to a purity level equivalent to water used by medical laboratories specialising in the production of vaccines. Magmatic atmospheric effects are designed, engineered and exclusively distributed by Elation Professional.
USA - The new ADJ Vizi Beam 12RX joins ADJ’s popular Vizi Series of professional moving head luminaires as its new flagship beam model. The fixture is designed ‘to generate piercing mid-air effects for concert stages, dance events and large-scale nightclubs’. Beam fixtures based on the popular Philips Platinum 5R lamp, such as ADJ’s Vizi Beam 5RX, have been staples of most concert, festival and superclub lighting rigs for the past decade. Now, the ADJ Vizi Beam 12RX ups the ante with a fixture that is not only noticeably brighter (while still maintaining a relatively low power draw) but also packs in an enhanced feature set to give lighting designers unprecedented creative potential, says the company. The Vizi Beam 12RX harneses the power of a 260W Philips Platinum 12R LL lamp, which features an innovative reflector design to generate an extremely high-intensit
China - The award-winning Christie Pandoras Box is delivering visual experiences to visitors at a newly completed five-sided 3D immersive visualisation chamber in Qingdao, a major sub-provincial city in China’s Shandong province. Powered by two Pandoras Box Quad Servers and a Pandoras Box Dual Server installed by Christie’s partner Marvel Vision, this visualisation showcase - known as The Light and Shadow Cube - is an initiative by the Qingdao Municipal Government to spur the growth of 5G high-definition video applications. The Pandoras Box servers are used for the demonstration of spectacular DCI-8K video displayed on LED walls, achieving a total resolution of 8192 x 4320 pixels. This high-tech installation also features a number of technologies such as an active 3D system, a scent-generating system, a 7.1 multi-channel surround sound system, as well as 8K@
Croatia - For centuries, Trg Rijecke Rezolucije has stood as the town square and cultural hub of this bustling port city, hosting events, concerts and rallies. But with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing ban on public gatherings, the picturesque plaza fell silent. All that changed recently, when it hosted All For Our Kids, an annual charity concert that raises money for the medical care of children. The crowd was small, and people sat 1.5m apart in observance of social distancing rules, but music rang out, followed by cheering, laughter and applause at the historic venue for the first time in months. Supporting the on-stage performances with a rich mix of hues and soft glows that played off against the lemon meringue masonry background of the Municipal Palace, a former Augustinian monastery, was a supple a varied Mateo Kustić MattGarret design powered by
UK - Entertainment and architectural lighting control manufacturers Zero 88 and iLight have consolidated and streamlined the production facilities and processes at their shared factory in Cwmbran, Wales. This is to generally boost efficiency and ensure full compliance with the new post COVID-19 health and safety at work directives related to social distancing and general hygiene. Products from both brands - Zero 88 for entertainment and iLight for architectural / built environments - are fully designed and manufactured in the UK. With both brands now operating under the Cooper Lighting Solutions umbrella, this recent reorganisation offers complimentary ranges of lighting control solutions for a diversity of projects, scenarios and applications. Having the fully integrated workspace in Cwmbran means Zero 88 and iLight product volumes can quickly and easily b
UK - The UK skyline turned into a beacon of blue as venues across the country were illuminated on 4 July (Saturday), the eve of the NHS anniversary. Among the hundreds of buildings to light blue were the Royal Albert Hall, the O2 Arena, Harrogate Convention Centre, Bai360 in Brighton and Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. Participating sporting and mass entertainment venues included Twickenham Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley and Lords Cricket Ground. The #LightItBlue illuminations paid tribute not only NHS staff but to those that have helped the organisation during its most challenging period since its 1948 inception. #LightItBlue was created by the events and entertainment industry to show a united display of gratitude for those risking their own health to look after Britons who are ill with COVID-19. The initiative began on Thursday 26 March when
USA - With the travel, gathering and distancing restrictions that come with the COVID-19 pandemic, Elation Professional’s sales team and product specialists are demoing some of Elation’s newest lighting products from the comfort and safety of their own homes in a video series called Virtual at Home Demo. Published each week on Elation’s YouTube channel, each video provides an overview of the key features and benefits of some of Elation’s newest lighting products, a demonstration that gives lighting pros an opportunity to assess if a luminaire is right for their needs. Products showcased in the series include the Fuze Spot, Fuze Pendant, Fuze Profile, Fuze SFX, Smarty Max, Artiste Van Gogh, Artiste Monet, Dartz 360, CW Profile HP and WW Profile HP ellipsoidals,
The Netherlands - Visitors to the Zuiderzeemuseum can take an immersive journey into this region’s nautical past at this extensive indoor and outdoor facility that makes this vanished world come to life. Among the evocative attractions of the museum complex is the Sea of Stories, an audio/visual exhibition in its Ship’s Hall that vibrantly captures the essence of the Zuiderzee region long ago. Helping to wash away the years and draw visitors into life on the great bay is a captivating Frank Hulsebosch lighting design that features COLORado and COLORdash fixtures from Chauvet Professional supplied by Lichtpunt Theatertechniek. Hulsebosch and his company, 50LUX, were introduced to Sea of Stories by Perspekt Studios, which was responsible for the design and construction of the exhibit. He explained why the decision was made to go beyond standard museum l
South Africa - Play It Forward a new live show by South African rockers Oooth, was part of a dynamic live stream designed as a fundraiser for tattoo artists across the country and freelance technicians via #FeedOurCrew who have been left without any income during the COVID-19 lockdown. The broadcast - on YouTube and Facebook Live - also included interviews, features and panel discussions, and was staged at SA rental company MGG’s Studio B facility, one of two such facilities at their HQ in Johannesburg, complete with a full Robe lighting rig. Reaching around 6,000 fans, whilst Play it Forward was airing, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the following day tattoo artists and studios would be able to re-start their businesses. On hearing this news, they in turn made a collective decision to donate the proceeds to #FeedOurCrew, an NGO
UK - Technical solution provider White Light (WL) and leading AV production supplier SFL have announced their intention to launch a strategic partnership. Under the new partnership, both companies will continue to trade separately and keep their existing bases but will now share equipment and personnel when delivering a full production service. They will work on corporate events, conferences, festivals, ceremonies, concerts and any other form of live entertainment, as well as supporting events which take place within WL’s approved and managed venues as well as other opportunities as they arise. WL MD Bryan Raven comments: “At WL, the question we always ask ourselves is how can we provide the very best service possible for our customers? Therefore, when the opportunity arose to form a strategic partnership with SFL, we knew this was something we couldn’t turn dow
UK - Artists including Sir Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Cure, Radiohead, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Annie Lennox, PJ Harvey, The 1975 and Blur are among the names demanding immediate action to save live music in the UK by signing an open letter to the UK government's Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden. The move is a bid to “show the vital importance of the UK’s live music industry, ensure the Government cannot ignore live music and make noise to get the public and financial support the industry needs to survive”.
The full letter reads as follows: “Dear Secretary of State, “UK live music has been one of the UK’s biggest social, cultural, and economic successes of the past decade. From world-famous festivals to ground-breaking concerts, the live music industry showcases, supports, and develops some of the
UK - ChamSys has expanded its MagicQ series of consoles with the introduction of the MagicQ MQ50. Compact and lightweight, but powerful, the new console brings the same level of flexibility to the installation market that the MagicQ MQ70 has brought to touring, says the company. As part of the MagicQ series, the console works with advanced features such as MagicVis and MagicHD connectivity. The console’s show files are compatible with all products in the MagicQ range. The MagicQ MQ50 offers six universes of control and supports four assignable physical DMX outputs, MIDI and audio in and out, to open new creative possibilities for programmers and designers working at mid-sized theatres, clubs, schools, houses of worship or any similar installation. Easy to operate, the new console features an intuitive high-quality multi-touch HD display and 10 full Cue Stack pl
USA - The Gray Room at Special Event Services’ headquarter facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is usually abuzz with activity as the live production and touring company preps gear for upcoming tours and festivals. With the COVID shutdown in March however, the warehouse area turned eerily quiet. Nevertheless, the downtime provided Special Event Services vice president and co-founder Jeff Cranfill the chance to realise a long held ambition for the space. “I had been looking at this spot in our warehouse for literally 30 years,” Cranfill shares, “an area with wood columns and brick wall, thinking how beautiful it is. Over the years, I always thought that if you light it up the right way, it would look really cool, an ideal space for an intimate performance. When our social media and marketing director Rebekah Carney came to me with the idea for music sessions in
USA - When the coronavirus pandemic first hit earlier this year, ADJ began to broadcast regular Facebook Live videos to stay connected with customers through educational content and in-depth product overviews. These proved popular, so the ADJ team has planned a series of further Stay Connected videos to run over the summer. Hosted from ADJ’s Los Angeles HQ by members of the company’s in-house team of technical experts, each of the new video broadcasts will focus on a different lighting technology or application. The presenters will showcase the latest ADJ products, explain their features and discuss ways in which they can be creatively deployed. Broadcast via Facebook Live, the videos will also feature interactive elements allowing viewers to ask questions directly to the product specialists on camera. “Every day, I am hearing more positive stories from li
USA - E2i Design’s Josh Holowicki had no hesitation in specifying GLP’s X4 Bar 20 as an essential component in a major technological upgrade at Church of the Highlands’ Grants Mill broadcast campus in Alabama. E2i has been a partner with the Church since 2012, providing solutions for their broadcast and extension campuses with lighting and LED video technology. But this latest project was a year in the making due to their determination to select the very best fixtures and build flexibility within the already constructed worship facility. In their determination to create a ‘tour grade’ technical infrastructure, the visual upgrade to the stage space is an exciting and ongoing process. “Ultimately the technical and visual directors of the Ministry wanted the ability to re-configure their stage design any way they wanted without limitations,” Josh Holowicki
USA - Needing to adapt to the challenges of how to produce a live event in conjunction with social distancing, the design team at Elite Multimedia Productions launched a virtual event production studio directly from their headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. “Our owner Jeremy Byrd had kicked around the idea a while ago, so as we started to build-out our demo room with LED video, we decided to add in some of our lighting inventory as well,” explains Kenny Mason, production manager Elite Multimedia Productions. “Once the shutdowns happened, we saw that live streaming was going to be a vital component to keeping the production industry going and we needed to find a way to take advantage of that. Since we already had this new demo room with production gear ready, it was a natural progression to transform the space into a virtual production studio.” As the team at
USA - After finishing his NYE show for Bassnectar in Louisville, Justin Casey was gearing up for a busy 2020. For a couple of months things played out that way for the owner of Helm Projects. There were shows at the Okeechobee Festival and Holy Ship Wreck; a concert at American Airlines Arena with Snoop Dog. The list went on - until the COVID-19 lockdown brought it to a sudden end. After spending a couple of weeks “decompressing,” Casey elected to pivot his business. With live events on hold, he suddenly had all of his gear in the Chatanooga, TN warehouse for the first time in five years. Rather than let this equipment gather dust, he made the decision to put it to use by creating a combination learning laboratory and livestream studio. “We have lots of cameras, switchers, and audio gear, along with lighting that’s normally out on shows available to us,” says
USA - Garth Brooks returned to the stage in a co-ordinated live concert delivered to over 300 drive-in theatres across North America. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the special event, where more than 350,000 fans were entertained while safe in their own vehicles. "This time, I was the fan and the people were the entertainment. Watching people all night from coast to coast, in Canada and here in the US, laughing, dancing, and singing, made me smile," says Brooks in a statement. "It reminded me how much I miss the crazy, happy, and unpredictable life we lead as entertainers. For one night, things seemed right." The event was produced by Encore Live and recorded in Nashville with a full band. Brooks’ long-time lighting designer David ‘Gig’ Butzler modified his original in-the-round lighting design from Brooks’ current world tour, all at a breakneck pace w
UK - Follow-Me, the creator of the eponymous Dutch software solution for remote followspot control and performer tracking, has partnered with Collaborative Creations (CC) in the UK. CC director Tom Wilkes will be the UK point of contact for lighting designers or production companies interested in demo’ing the technology. “We’re very excited to be partnering with Follow-Me as the company looks to grow its presence in the UK entertainment technology market,” Wilkes comments. “Their products have some unique capabilities in a competitive industry and we encourage anyone interested in learning more to get in touch for more information and a demo. I particularly like the ease of use and ability to track up to six performers from only one system, along with its ability to control unlimited fixtures from any manufacturer.” Follow-Me co-founder Erik Berends adds
Italy - Artistic Licence has announced a distribution agreement with Molpass S.r.l. in Italy. With an emphasis on the theatrical market, Artistic's lighting control infrastructure products will augment other premium brands in the Molpass portfolio. Founded in 1995, Molpass is a technical solutions in the entertainment sector, with a particular focus on the audience experience. Recognising the demand for a high-quality dimming product for replacement LED bulbs, Molpass approached Artistic Licence for a trial of their award-winning sunDial trailing edge mains dimmer. Following a positive response from a number of prestigious Italian theatres, a broader distribution agreement was the next logical step. Giorgio Molinari, CEO of Molpass, comments: Professional venues simply cannot accept the poor low-end response typical of many dimmers that are claimed to be LED co
USA - While some members of the entertainment lighting industry have busied themselves with drive-in shows during the COVID-19 lockdown, Jordan Chance has opted to take a slightly different course. The owner of Luxe Productions, a popular live event company in Chicago, Chance is following a “drive-to” approach to reaching new customers. With his company’s box trucks idle because of the prohibition on the indoor events that were once the mainstay of his business, Chance converted three of these vehicles into movie screens on wheels. The trucks are rented out to clients who want to hold safe, socially-distant compliant events that involve film showings. The idea for these Movie Truck Nights started when Chance’s partner brought a truck home to use as a screen for a community movie showing for his family and some neighbours to enjoy as they sheltered in pla
USA - When The Wharf entertainment district in Orange Beach, Alabama, reopened in time for Memorial Day, visitors were treated to a spectacular, new lightshow by Cue 13 Design that uses Elation’s IP65 luminaires. Located on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, just across the border from Pensacola, Orange Beach is a quaint but upscale southern beach town. The Wharf, which opened in 2006, offers outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment at special event venues including a Live Nation amphitheatre. A nightly light show called Spectra has been drawing visitors to The Wharf’s Main Street since 2013. Ryan Stumpp, founder and Principal at Cue 13 Design, and a 15-year theme park design veteran, was subcontracted to work on the original design seven years ago and was called on to redesign the light show for 2020. “Many people come to The Wharf in the evening for the l
France - Lucas Enguerrand and his brother Quentin, who both work at French lighting and visual production and rental company FL Group, based in Morangis 15km south of Paris, wanted to keep morale high and their passion for music and lighting alive in a meaningful way during the COVID-19 lockdown. With the full permission and support of FL Group owner Francois Lamberdière, they activated a plan to utilise the company warehouse and other available resources like equipment, and with a little help from their friends, have started producing spectacular ‘full production’ live streams working with a number of contemporary French artists. When the French live event and production industry ground to a halt in March, as with all the rental companies, all FL Group’s immediate work was cancelled, the country went into lockdown to contain the virus and all the staff found t
