UK - Seventy four of Colour Sound Experiment’s AquaBeam moving lights, rigged on a 25.5m diameter circular truss supported by an eight-legged ground support system, were an integral part of Nest, an immersive lighting, sound and sensory installation experience. Nest was imagined by artists Marshmallow Laser Feast, in Lloyd Park, Waltham Forest, as part of the Mayor of London’s first ever London Borough of Culture event Welcome to the Forest. The lights were choreographed to run with a special ‘transcendental soundscape’ created by composer Erland Cooper, who compiled a series of ‘sonic murmurations’, working with over 1000 participants including local choirs, schools and musicians. Matthew Button of Buttonlight was the lighting designer for this project, one of a carefully curated collection of works celebrating ‘Radicals, Make
UK - East of England Arena Events Centre (EEAEC) has announced a collaboration with Pearce Hire. The EEAEC is one of the UK’s top event venues, hosting over 300 events, conferences and meetings a year. The multi-purpose events complex sboasts over 9,000sq.m of indoor space and over 250 acres of outside space. With significant and ongoing investment in the venue and its infrastructure, the venue has appointed Pearce Hire as a preferred contractor working throughout the complex. “With our HQ based in Peterborough we are ideally placed geographically to offer an outstanding level of service and support to the venue, to the organisers putting on events at the venue, and to the exhibitors at all the major trade and consumer exhibitions which take place here throughout the year,” observes Shaun Pearce, managing director, Pearce Hire. “Having provided services for man
Slovenia - Lighting designer Gregor 'Grga' Smrdelj helped create a high-profile show by Slovenian vocal group Perpetuum Jazzile at the Arena Stolzice in Ljubljana. Grga works full time with Event Lighting, one of Slovenia’s leading rental specialists and the show’s lighting equipment provider. Grga integrated LED and video into his proposal for the stage and production design. It was at the first production meeting that he suggested having the singers on the three different levels, which everyone liked, so they went with it. “I wanted to make a statement, and the idea was that the full profile of all 44 singers could be seen rather than just the front row and everyone else squeezed in behind with only their heads showing.” Up in the roof of the Arena Stolzice, the Event Lighting crew installed seven straight trusses for lighting positions. Ladders were us
France - Robert Juliat has reported the passing of Jean-Charles Juliat, aged 76. Joining Robert Juliat in the 1960s, Jean-Charles became company manager in 1972 and was a driving force behind RJ’s move into theatrical and entertainment lighting. “This is a very sad news for all Robert Juliat family and friends,” says a joint statement from François and Frédéric Juliat. “We cannot find the words to express the deep sadness that overwhelms us as we pay tribute to our father, Jean-Charles, who passed away today at the age of 76. “Blessed with a curious spirit, a passion for the entertainment world and its lighting, and a strong personality, Jean-Charles raised us with the same spirit and made Robert Juliat into an enduring family business of which he can be proud. The flame of his presence will continue to shine in our hearts forever.” (Jim Evans)
USA - ADJ has announced the expansion of its Focus series of compact and affordable LED-powered moving heads. The new Focus Spot 4Z becomes the most powerful mover in the range, offering considerable versatility thanks to an expansive feature-set that includes motorized zoom. The Focus Series is popular with a wide variety of users, from mobile entertainers to production companies, to applications in bars and nightclubs and houses of worship. With the addition of the Focus Spot 4Z, the range can satisfy the demands of even larger venues and bigger productions, says ADJ. Harnessing the power of a 200W cool white LED engine, paired with carefully-designed optics, the Focus Spot 4Z generates a striking beam of intense light. Its LED light-source has a 50,000 hour rating, removing the need for regular lamp replacements required for halogen and discharge lamp-based fixtures
USA - Metal band Five Finger Death Punch is famous for forging close emotional connections to fans at its shows. This was very evident on their recently completed arena/amphitheatre tour with Breaking Benjamin, which featured memorable sing-alongs accented by warm audience lighting from Chauvet Professional STRIKE 4 fixtures, supplied by Christie Lites. John Santos, the lighting designer for the band, had 10 of the STRIKE 4 LED fixtures spread out evenly on the downstage truss during the tour, which ended in mid-December. “They were my primary source of audience lighting and my blinders,” says Santos. “The show is designed around the skull over the drum kit and the two bats crossed in the back. My general lighting is very raw and aggressive, like the music. I try to create a look that matches the rhythmic and percussive feel of the music to accentuate the heavy h
Malta - The X Factor landed on Malta for its first season at the end of 2018, culminating in a live final to find the country’s Eurovision 2019 entrant. The TV series proved to be a big hit on the island, with the ultimate show broadcast live in January from the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre. Lighting designer for the series was Ismael Portelli, with Duminku Attard and Juan Vella taking care of the programming. Anton Borg Olivier joined the team for the finals, using an Avolites Arena as his master console to give the last rounds of the contest an ‘extra kick’. “The Arena has a large surface, with a good number of faders and executors, making it perfect for a demanding lighting show like The X Factor,” says Olivier. “And as well as being powerful, it’s also reliable, which is required for a high profile show that’s being bro
UK - Event hire and production company Colour Sound Experiment has invested in Chroma-Q's award-winning Space Force and Color Force II 72 LED fixtures. The Space Force fixtures were recently utilised on the E-sports gaming tournament FACEIT Major London 2018, which culminated in a live final at the SSE Arena, Wembley in front of 10,000 fans and a global TV audience of millions. Haydn Cruickshank, Colour Sound MD, comments: "As an LED fixture, Space Force’s cool running and no fans means no noise, which makes it perfect for the demands of film and production work. Color Force II has, in my opinion, significantly raised the performance bar again for an LED alternative to traditional cyc, wash and effects lighting sources. “Colour Sound has been using Chroma-Q LED fixtures for more than a decade. With innovative products such as theirs, we've built up an extre
USA - When Knoxville-based Shoreline Church, Hope Fellowship Church and City Church came together in December for a night of scripture and song called Lessons & Carols, Harmonic Audio and Concert Productions of Chattanooga accentuated the evening with mood-generating lighting using their inventory of Elation Professional lighting. “Chuck Hooten, worship pastor at Shoreline Church, wanted to create a new tradition in Knoxville and came up with the Lessons & Carols concept, which combines teachings from the story of Christmas with music,” explains Harmonic’s Drew Hornback, production designer for the event. “It was an inaugural event and we turned to our Elation lights to accent what they were doing.” Held in Knoxville’s historic Bijou Theater, Harmonic was called on to create a ‘massive look’ with lighting as the stand out element of the
USA - ETC has announced that Fred Foster, its co-founder and CEO, has passed away at the age of 61. Foster started ETC in 1975 with the goal of installing the first memory lighting-control system in the New York Metropolitan Opera House. He went on to develop a wide range of innovative products including Mega-Cue, perhaps the first console to utilise digital multiplexed data over two conductors between the desk and dimmers; the Concept console that led to the Expression / Express line of control desks; the Obsession Console and the Sensor Dimming System. He also contributed to the design of the Eos, Congo and Ion desks and led the commercialisation of what became the Source Four family of spotlights. A statement from the company reads: “Foster was a visionary, an innovator, and a role model. The ETC culture of family, support, and encouragement is attributed to Foster and
USA - At the recent NAMM show, Westview Productions presented a cheque for $5,162.32 to Behind the Scenes as their first donation to the charity as a new Pledge-a-Service Partner. Westview is an entertainment, energy, and immersive technology solutions firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Their project process encompasses all aspects of design that integrates with all construction trades to ensure a cohesive and seamless project experience. Westview has global experience in lighting, motion control, audio and AV systems, media, and architectural systems allowing them to provide comprehensive services as a sole solutions organisation. On presentation of the cheque, Eric Bloom, president, states: “I feel so strongly about the Behind the Scenes Foundation’s efforts, that it’s a great pleasure to be able to support the foundation this way. Helping to support our c
USA - The Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s long history began with its first production in 1852, launching decades of dramatic productions that cut across genres and that reflect the nation’s journey from before the Civil War to the present. Shortly after its 100-year anniversary, the Fulton Theatre earned designation as a National Historic Landmark. Despite its age, the building has only undergone a handful of major renovations, the last one occurring between 1994 and 1995 and the one previous to that occurring in 1908. Constrained by outdated stage rigging and lighting, the Fulton Theatre worked with AVL integration firm Clair Solutions on a $1.3m upgrade. Bill Simmons is Clair Solutions’ senior lighting designer and the person who led the project at the Fulton Theatre. “I first worked at the Fulton Theatre in 1979, when I was a freshman at Frankl
Columbia - The Colombian entertainment technology and production industry is full of colourful personalities, and one of those is Andres Chamorro, entrepreneur event producer who has been an industry trailblazer for 25 years. His very successful rental company is Chamorro Iluminación and his most recent ventures include opening two major live event venues – both called Chamorro City Hall – one in his hometown, the bustling metropolis of Bogota and another identical space in the vibrant commercial hub of second city Medellin. Andres has invested in Robe moving lights to ensure that clients can receive the best and most comprehensive lighting packages when they are utilising these landmark venues which are unique in Colombia. The 4000 capacity Bogota Chamorro City Hall is located in the north of the city and it’s already been a huge hit; an open space offe
UK - Nigerian music star Davido wowed 20,000 adoring fans with his epic production at London’s O2 Arena, lit by show designer Anthony Hazelden using Claypaky’s Mythos and A.leda B-EYE K10 fixtures. Briefed with creating a production on the same scale as a Nicki Minaj or Drake concert, Hazelden took to WYSIWYG to plan a show for the artist, which included a catwalk and a flying stage. “I knew Davido wanted the production to be enormous,” Hazelden says. “As soon as I understood his vision, I began to draw out the rig to make it work for the different areas of stage.” The set heavily featured video content displayed on a 10m x 4.8m video wall. “The Mythos were the main fixture over the stage,” explains Hazelden. “I needed a bright fixture that could punch through the video wall. I used Mythos’ gobos to create a number of different looks, and for each t
Belgium - For The Oh! dance music club night in Belgium, a tried-and-tested formula of world-class DJ sets and a string of high-profile singles is proving to hold the key to its popularity and longevity, which recently reached the quarter century milestone. To celebrate 25 years of The Oh!, both old and new generations of Belgian dance music lovers were united in a recent anniversary party that reflected all of the excitement and energy that have made the club famous. Tasked with providing energetic visuals for The Oh! once again was Belgium design house CRS Rental Solutions, which designed an immersive stage set-up with a Chauvet Professional rig that included 32 STRIKE P38, 12 Maverick MK2 Spot, 19 Rogue R2 Wash, 46 COLORdash PAR H12IP and 24 Rogue RH1 Hybrid fixtures. In order to build the visual centrepiece upon which artists could perform, Thomas Vandekerkh
UK - Danish sensation Myrkur captivates audiences by weaving wildly different musical influences into a single performance experience that is as beautiful in its simplicity as it is unsettling in its complexity. On her 2018 northern European tour, which ended in December, the gifted multi-instrumentalist dramatized the breadth of her musical vision by dividing her show into two distinct parts: the first devoted to traditional folk music, the second to black metal. Despite this stark contrast, the show flowed seamlessly, driven by the artist’s passionate performance and supported by a multi-faceted production design by David Howard with a lightshow that was run on a ChamSys PC Wing. “The show itself is split into two,” said Howard. “It starts with Folksange, a set of folk music from all over Europe played on traditional instruments. Afterwards, the stage falls
USA - Cornerstone AV has invested in High End Systems’ Sola series of automated LED luminaires, adding 50 flagship SolaFrame 3000s to its rental inventory. The HES gear was deployed immediately, illuminating three nights of A Kurt Bestor Christmas in nearby Salt Lake City. Michael Frantz, Cornerstone’s lighting department supervisor company, said their third time lighting the Christian singer’s holiday show was “the best ever.” LD Matt Endicott, Cornerstone’s lighting designer for the Kurt Bestor shows, agreed: “It is the total package: shutters and the even output, along with its primary function of colour temperature consistency for key lights. That is what aced it for us: the uniform field, shutters and ability to light a big arena show. Everything else was icing on the cake.” The SolaFrame 3000s were used for all purposes, for key light, floo
South Africa - Lighting designer Joshua Cutts was thrilled to drive a grandMA3 light for the Idols South Africa 2018 finale hosted at Carnival City in Johannesburg. The team worked together for the ninth consecutive year and comprised Dream Sets, the full technical supplier headed by project manager Eben Peltz; lighting and set designer Joshua Cutts from Visual Frontier; with Gavin Wratten once again the executive producer and director. The broadcast was aired on the Mzansi Magic Network. Deciding that Idols would be the ideal opportunity to test the grandMA3 light, Cutts approached Duncan Riley of DWR Distribution, the MA distributors in Africa. Cutts comments: “Still running on grandMA2 software, it’s still the same desk for now but with new hardware. It worked out pretty well because I broke my arm before we loaded in, and only had one arm to program wi
The Netherlands - ISE 2019 (5-8 February 2019, Amsterdam RAI), marks GLP’s first appearance with lighting products from Ehrgeiz, the company that joined the GLP family at the beginning of the year. Under GLP’s own brand, ISE marks the official EMEA release of the impression FR1 track-mount version. The compact LED moving head offers a soft pencil beam, fast movement and continuous pan rotation for eye-catching 3D multi beam designs. Now modified to fit into 3-phase tracks, the popular FR1 provides a versatile solution for fixed installations, in particular museums and retail stores. Control is via wireless DMX. Key account manager Oliver Schwendke comments: “For us, ISE provides a great start to the year as the show continues to grow and integrate all the visual technologies. We´re looking forward to seeing many important customers and designers over the four d
France - Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting, video, rigging, special FX plus a snow-loving crew to various entertainment venues and events associated with the Varsity Trip 2018 in Val Thorens, the highest ski resort in the French Alps at 2,300 metres in the beautiful Tarentaise Valley, Savoie. The Colour Sound team of four was led by Steve Marley and working for Zero Degrees Events who designed and produced a busy series of Varsity Trip events running throughout the week. Marley and their managing director Neil Cranston have collaborated on many previous projects, and with Tom Williams from Zero Degrees running things on the ground, the mission ran like clockwork. The main music venue for the week was the Centre Sportif de Val Thorens, which featured three full-scale DJ performances – including Rudimental’s DJ set - with numerous other smaller venues hostin
USA - TMELED – the equipment rental division of creative event and production specialist Time Matters Entertainment (TME) – has made a significant investment in over 50 Robe moving light fixtures. Based in Plano, north Texas and headed by Randy Cline, TMELED purchased the fixtures from Robe North America, bringing Robe’s Tarrantula LED wash beams, MegaPointes, DL4F Washes, DL7S Profiles, LEDBeam150s and BMFL Blades, together with a RoboSpot remote follow spotting system and LightMaster kits which convert BMFL range fixtures into manually operated follow spots. Cline’s lifelong friends and production industry colleagues Eric Wade from Crossfade Design and Jim Waits from Communilux were instrumental in him making the decision to go with Robe, which was based on the “quality, popularity and future” of the products and “the team behind the brand”. Time Matt
Spain - Madrid is currently hosting some of the most famous musical shows from Broadway, in which French manufacturer Ayrton’s Ghibli spot fixtures are delivering quality light and colour whilst ensuring energy efficiency. 22 units of the popular moving head fixture have been incorporated into the popular and acclaimed musical West Side Story at Madrid’s Teatro Calderón, in a richly-coloured lighting design by Carlos Torrijos and Juan Gómez Cornejo, with lighting production by Proyect-Arte. In this ground-breaking show, the Shakespearean story of Romeo and Juliet is transported to New York, where the Montesco and the Capuleto are transformed into two gangs fighting for control of the streets. In the precisely defined box set, Ghibli’s compact dimensions and pin-sharp framing system provides the ideal complement for this classic of Broadway, full of colo
UK - Canary Wharf event venue, East Wintergarden, welcomed Celebrity Cruises and 40 trade partners to celebrate the Travel Agent Appreciation Awards. Celebrity Cruises recognised the efforts of the travel trade at its fifth annual Travel Agent Appreciation Awards, whilst marking the successful launch of Celebrity Edge – the first new vessel from the luxury cruise line in six years. The ceremony was attended by 40 trade partners with 13 awards handed out by host Jo Rzymowska, vice-president and managing director for UK, Ireland and Asia along with Gavin Smith, senior vice president for parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises. Nicola McNeish, head of sales, Celebrity Cruises UK & Ireland said, “2018 was a remarkable year for Celebrity Cruises with the launch of the game-changing Celebrity Edge. The UK travel trade has been at the heart of Edge’s success an
USA - Southwest Georgia-based S&L Integrated Systems chose an Avolites Sapphire Touch for a recent upgrade at First Baptist Church in Thomasville, Georgia. “When the church was renovated a couple of years ago, the lighting and sound systems were updated to accommodate small performances, as well as hosting professional touring acts,” says S&L’s Clay Byars. In 2015, S&L consulted on the design for worship spaces in the main sanctuary, high school, and children’s ministry areas. “The lighting console had to be a proven workhorse and something that included industry-standard features and protocols,” he continues. “There are a wide variety of lighting fixtures that the console controls at the church, including LED ellipsoidals, movers, wash lights, and some conventional lighting fixtures, and the Sapphire manages all of their functions extremely w
