USA - Country music artist Morgan Wallen is relatively new to the music scene, having released his debut album If I Know Me in late April of this year. His star is clearly on the rise however as Up Down, his lead single from the album, was recently certified gold. Wallen has been on the road since February with an Elation rig that includes the new Artiste DaVinci, and will be out all summer opening up for Luke Bryan. Lighting design and event production studio, Genetic Productions, provided the lighting gear for Wallen’s inaugural headlining tour, Up Down, which played dates February-April across the US Genetic’s Zac Coren served as lead LD and programmer for the tour, which was designed using Capture Nexum software. “At Genetic, we do a wide range of events, from corporate meetings and high-end social events to touring, so we needed a fixtu
UK - GLP’s impression LED fixtures recently demonstrated that in addition to raw power, the advantages of multi-functionality and subtlety are paramount when it comes to lighting dramatic performance in smaller theatre venues. A specialist in this genre, designer Lee Curran was originally exposed to the German company’s lighting catalogue at Shakespeare’s Globe where the X4 Bar 20s were specified as part of the new lighting rig at the time. “I remember demoing the units with Malcolm Rippeth and Victoria Brennan, and being surprised at what they were capable of,” he states. Then shortly before embarking on the production of The Lady From The Sea at the Donmar Warehouse, he used a single X4 Bar 10 on English Touring Theatre's production of The Weir, to provide a variety of light through a window in a very tight space with almost no throw distance.
USA - Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) has announced that the LA Opera, located in the Music Centre's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles has invested in the company's new LED-based Philips Vari-Lite VLZ Profile fixtures as part of its stage lighting rig. LA Opera's current production of Verdi's Rigoletto, with lighting design by Robert Wierzel, is the first production in its history lit with a predominantly LED lighting rig. Jeff Kleeman, LA Opera's technical director, says, "We already hold a stock of Vari-Lite VL3500 Spots and Washes, VL3000s and VL4000 BeamWash fixtures, so we were very interested in the VLZ Profile when they became available recently. "Initially we were drawn to the impressive 24,000 lumens output - they are bright, even brighter than our VL3500s. We've had zero issues with the exceptional light source, which creates
UK - The recent adaptation of Frankenstein at Manchester’s Royal Exchange by celebrated playwright April de Angelis, marked 200 years since the publication of Mary Shelley’s famous gothic horror. To help maintain the suspense and ratchet up the tension, lighting designer Johanna Town, used four MAC Encore Performance WRM, provided by HSL, in her armoury of effects. The whisper-silent performance of the warm white fixture was critical for the in-the-round space, as she acknowledged. "Since the Royal Exchange Theatre is in the round, and the audience sits amongst the lighting fixtures, we needed a moving light that was super quiet - and I have to say we were extremely pleased with the Martin MAC Encore. The lantern has a beautiful tungsten feel to warm white but at the same time is also able to be used for cold attack effects. The beam has a really nice
USA - Bandit Lites’ crew headed out to the Hangout Music Festival, the one of a kind weekend where nearly 40,000 people flock to the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico to hear artists such as The Killers, Zedd, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Logic, Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, Foster the People and Sza. The festival may be in its ninth year, but each year boasts new elements with this year’s additions including a roller rink, full salon, and added water stations along with returning favourites such as beach volley ball, an ocean side Ferris wheel, yoga sessions, wedding chapel and VIP poolside lounging. Bandit provided the lighting for three of the festival’s stages, including the mainstage, taking careful consideration of supplying a variety of gear that would accommodate the wide swath of artists traveling with their own packages. “Hangout is the official sta
USA - Back in 1840, local people discovered the medicinal benefits of the sulphur springs outside a small trading post in south-central Indiana. This led to the emergence of what would become a nationally famous spa in the town of French Lick (named for a French trading post built near a salt lick). This spa eventually gave rise to an early 20th century resort, which attracted a diverse range of famous visitors, from Joe Louis and Franklin Roosevelt, to Irving Berlin and Al Capone. Years later, the town would take a further step into the limelight with the opening of the French Lick Resort Casino. Recording artists like Willie Nelson, Styx, Joan Jett and Eddie Money routinely journey to this remote section of Indiana to perform at the popular resort. Lighting their shows, as well as the high-profile conferences that take place there, is the house LD Alan Hamilton, who
Australia - The Roundhouse at The University of New South Wales Kensington campus has been hosting major rock gigs, corporate functions, and student parties for five decades. Recently re-opening after a major refurbishment, the heritage venue now sports an updated and refreshed lighting rig driven by High End System’s flagship Hog 4. Sydney integrator The P.A. People were responsible for helming the fitout, ensuring that lighting, audio and AV were integrated for seamless control. “The Roundhouse wanted industry standard equipment and consistency,” said Chris Dodds, managing director of The P.A. People. “That’s why they now have a d&b audiotechnik PA, DiGiCo audio consoles, Shure microphones and a Hog 4 lighting desk. The Hog 4 has integrated nicely with the UNSW’s existing inventory of Hog family consoles, meaning their regular operators don’t need to lear
Sweden - Lumini is a lighting rental company in Billesholm just outside Helsingborg, that is owned and run by Peter Johansson and has recently invested in 28 x Robe LEDBeam 150 fixtures and also DL4S profiles. The LEDBeam 150s are the newest purchase, and will be used primarily for illuminating tables during conference and dinner events, especially when the venue has low headroom. The eight DL4S’s were an earlier investment for multiple reasons, with the near-silent operation being a big consideration, especially useful for some of the high end corporate work in which Peter is regularly engaged. Peter loves the LEDBeam 150s. “The zoom range and the excellent colour mixing are ideal for the style and format of many of the events that I light,” he stated, adding that the incredibly light weight of just 6Kg is perfect for rigging in all sorts of places when t
Poland - Painting with Light was commissioned by interactive and media-based attractions specialist Alterface to light the new Bazyliszek dark ride which has just opened and is creating a buzz at the rebranded Legendia theme park in Katowice. Alterface, Jora Vision and ETF partnered to create this one-off experience in Poland’s oldest family amusement park. Painting with Light had previously worked with Alterface, also based in Belgium, on the Comics Station project in Antwerp. Luc Peumans led the project for the Genk-based creative lighting and visual design practice. He worked closely with Alterface project manager François Danhaive and their overall ride producer Benjamin Walravens, plus Jora Vision’s art director, Simeon van Tellingen and project manager Robin van der Want. Luc capitalized on his extensive theatrical lighting experience to create
UK - Specialist LED lighting manufacturer GDS has announced the creation of a new service department. By offering bespoke service contracts to end-users of its installed products, GDS aims to ensure that systems run smoothly and reliably and that potential problems are pre-empted by its onsite engineering team. Service contracts will extend existing product warranties and are offered at affordable rates which guarantee onsite fixes, emergency cover and replacement parts. The support offered by the GDS service department also includes help and advice regarding all other existing systems and consultation in respect of upgrades or new LED installations. (Jim Evans)
USA - Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) has announced the appointment of entertainment lighting executive Brian Friborg as head of its Entertainment Lighting Group. The appointment of Brian, an experienced leader with a deep understanding of the unique requirements of the entertainment lighting business, is a clear signal of the company's commitment to this specialist sector, says the company. Danish by birth and a United States resident, Friborg has over 25 years of business experience, including 14 years at Martin Professional in North America where, as president and CEO, he had an outstanding track record in developing sales performance. After the company's acquisition by Harman, he played a key management role in the integration and in establishing the Martin by Harman brand. "I am excited to join Signify and to help fulfil its enormous potential in our wonderfu
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will demonstrate its extensive portfolio of leading theatrical technologies - including new lighting, rigging, audio and video products from Chroma-Q, Spotlight, Follow-Me, Sixty82, BroadWeigh, Tourmate, Sennheiser, Shure and Green Hippo - at the ABTT Theatre Show 2018 this week. Highlights include: Lighting: Chroma-Q's premium performance Color Force II LED cyclorama & effects light, and Inspire XT RGBW LED house light - both multi award-winners - and new Studio Force II high output variable white fixture; ProLights' Eclipse LED Fresnel in a choice of white colour temperatures, plus various effects lighting models; a preview of Spotlight's Hyperion 6-colour LED Profile and Fresnel, alongside many other theatrical LED fixtures; Follow-Me's remote follow spot control system for harnessing multiple moving lights from any brand i
UK - The PLASA 2018 Members’ Day and AGM took place on Thursday 31 May at the Royal College of Physicians in Regent’s Park, London to reflect upon a year of specialist projects, industry collaboration and growth. Members and guests enjoyed a productive day with an insightful AGM, followed by a networking afternoon in the venue’s unique ‘physic’ garden. The lively guest speaker, Caroline Russell from The Ideas Centre Group, encouraged audience participation with her creative approach to problem-solving, then attendees were invited to stay for drinks into the evening. PLASA Treasurer Mark Surtees presented the 2017 accounts and announced that PLASA is in a place of financial stability, highlighting an increase in profits due to commercial growth within Events and Media. Newly elected Chair, Adam Blaxill, added later that all profits funnel back int
USA - On the press junket for the premiere of special effects-laden Pacific Rim: Uprising, David Kane and Brian Fisher of Kite & Key Technologies used a special effect of their own: the new High End Systems’ SolaFrame Theatre. Kane and Fisher, working with production company Junket Productions, Inc. were blown away by the quality of the light, its extensive gobo pack, and the fixture’s biggest superpower: its quiet operation. “Typically, any place where sound is critical - such as the shooting suites at press junkets - are a no-go zone for automated fixtures,” says David Kane. “But the SolaFrame’s dead silent operation allowed us to put the fixtures right next to the talent, and the sound department never even knew they were there.” Press junkets are one-on-one sessions meant to create a sense of intimacy between the interviewer and
USA - St Paul held its annual Winter Carnival from 25 January to 10 February, a winter tradition the Twin Cities area has marked annually since 1886. This year’s celebration was especially well attended as it happened to coincide with the throngs of guests in the area to celebrate the 2018 Super Bowl. The St Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation of Minnesota brought event production company Showcore in to design and run the event’s nightly light shows, which included illumination of a 70ft tall ice palace using Elation Professional IP65-rated lighting. The massive St Paul Winter Carnival Ice Palace was built out of ice blocks harvested from a lake in Minnesota and constructed in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul. Showcore used Elation SixBar 1000 IP LED battens within the structure to glow the palace walls; IP65-rated Proteus Beam moving heads to shoot moving pi
Germany - Christian von Kaphengst, Till Brönner, Wolfgang Haffner, Torsten Goods, Bruno Müller and Ida Nielsen are just some of the well-known German and international artists to have graced the stage at Musik Kontor in Herford – a high-profile club that has been making waves on the Nordrhein-Westfalen music scene since opening its doors in 2012. Looking to stay on the cutting edge of entertainment, the club recently updated its visual presentation with a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures. Emphasising movement, intensity and vivid colours, the new lighting package includes Rogue R1 Spot fixtures, with Amhaze Whisper foggers added for atmospherics. “We arrived at a point earlier this year when we decided it was time to inject more feeling into live performances with a set of dedicated moving heads,” said Musik Kontor’s Christian Eder. “The combina
World - American rockers All Time Low know how to deliver high-impact, adrenaline-fuelled arena shows. Backed by a huge, fractured LED screen and stadium-scale lighting rig, their current world tour is a blaze of eye-candy glory. The band's long-time lighting designer, Jeff Maker, is armed with an Avolites Sapphire Touch console networked with a bank of media servers for complete lighting and video control. "I'm obsessed with getting things perfect - I needed to programme a punchy and exacting lighting design that worked with the video wall for maximum impact," says Maker, who collaborated with the band and video content creator Oliver Hutchinson to achieve a slick, solid and synchronised show aimed squarely at enhancing audience experience. For the tour's recent UK leg, ZigZag Lighting supplied Maker with the Sapphire Touch. The LD is a big fan of the console'
China - PR Lighting has released a new weather-proof LED wash luminaire, Polaris (PR-6805). An IP67-rated fixture, Polaris has seven 15W RGBW 4-in-1 SMT LED lamps, with a colour temperature of 3200K-10000K. Each pixel is independently controllable. Other features include: electronic strobe (0-25fps, with preset strobe pulse effect); dimmer (0-100% linearly adjustable); Rainbow, Wash, Beam Spot modes (swirl, kaleidoscope), with many macros and unlimited mixed colours; 4°-40° light angle; bi-directional and continuous rotation of front lens module; 14-channel control (standard mode), 39 channels (extended mode); DMX wireless control function; overheating protection. The net weight of Polaris, is just 8.4Kg, and the first batches are expected to ship in mid-June. (Jim Evans)
Germany - The 2018 edition of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS) featured another eye-catching lighting design created by the show’s long-term LD Manuel da Costa and Jonas König of MDC Lichtgestalten, utilising over 100 Robe Pointes which were supplied by Magic Light+Sound from Cologne. Manuel has been involved with the top TV series since the very start in 2002. It was again recorded in studios 30 and 31 of the Coloneum complex in Cologne and broadcast on RTL’s Saturday night prime time. Now the 15th series, DSDS has become one of the most successful shows on German TV. The set was designed by Florian Wieder of Wieder Design who also has a long-standing relationship with the series. He always produces a spectacular, multi-layered environment fusing interesting structural and geometric elements with innovative video and digital aspects. This year
UK - With a string of recent hits such as Chewing Gum, The Best You Had and Somebody Special, Swedish-Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt has earned critical success both in the UK and throughout Europe. After a successful string of US concerts, Nesbitt recently returned for a UK tour. Lighting designer Ollie Wilkinson, managed to craft equally catchy visuals with the help of Chauvet Professional Maverick MK Pyxis fixtures supplied by Arranpaul. After searching for a fixture to complement his existing rig, Wilkinson decided to utilize the Maverick fixture’s dual beam and wash features to provide something special to round off his lighting concept. "I wanted a fixture that could be used to fulfil a number of practical functions in addition to providing eye candy," commented Wilkinson. "After considering a number of options, I decided to give the Pyxis a
UK - MBSi, the Pinewood MBS Lighting innovations think-tank, has collaborated with Chroma-Q in the development of the Brute Force - a new LED alternative to a quarter Wendy light. Extending the Chroma-Q range of energy efficient products, this new fixture has been rigorously tested by PMBS in a variety of ‘real world’ scenarios to ensure optimal functionality across a variety of applications. The technical teams at both companies worked closely together to create a true LED full colour RGB-W lamphead that draws just 15 amps @ 240V. Robustly designed and fully dimmable, the Brute Force has an extended CCT range between 2,000K and 10,000K. Each unit features 96-way mappable pixel control with RDM, DMX and optional wireless operation. For greater flexibility, the on-board multi-point fixings allows units to be easily combined to form a full Wendy. Although devel
UK - ETC and High End Systems will be side by side at the upcoming 2018 ABTT Theatre Show, marking the first time that High End Systems has exhibited at ABTT since joining the ETC family last year. Visitors can indulge in the renowned ETC ABTT Theatre Show hospitality on stand B40, while speaking to representatives about the many products on display. There will be an opportunity to see several new releases, including the Element 2 console and ColorSource Pearl luminaires. The affordable and easy-to-use Element 2 offers the award-winning Eos software with an interface and price point that is accessible to a broad range of users and venues. ColorSource Pearl fixtures feature cold and warm white LEDs for a seamless colour temperature range, from 2,700K to 6,500K. Available in PAR, Spot and Linear configurations, they boast the same user-friendly interface as their established
Portugal - The Eurovision Song Contest lighting designer Jerry Appelt, working alongside stage designer Florian Wieder, specified a total of more than 600 GLP lighting fixtures for the mega event. Among the most impressive elements of the show were eight rings, set within truss circles over the audience area, for which Jerry Appelt used the KNV Arc modules from GLP for the first time on TV worldwide. "The most secret light in the world", as production manager Ola Melzig described the modules, at the same time making no secret of how powerful these modules really are. "They're damn bright,” he said, describing his first impression. “It's best to put on the sunglasses before these things come on." GLP product manager, Michael Feldmann, explains: "The KNV is a modular LED system and combines strobe, blinder and pixel block. There are two basic shapes, the cube-shaped
UK - Europe’s largest digital marketing conference, the Adobe Summit EMEA 2018 returned to Excel London earlier this month. Creative technical event production expert, Hawthorn was once again chosen by agency Taylor Bennett Partners to deliver the full technical design and production for the two-day event. Focused on the future of digital marketing, over 5,500 delegates from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa gathered to hear the latest’s updates from Adobe Marketing Cloud and its partners. Led by group creative director Pete Harding, Hawthorn was tasked to bring Taylor Bennett’s impressive vision to life, delivering the technical production for the main conference plenary, exhibition space, break-out rooms and the Summit Celebration evening event. Hawthorn collaborated with Cinimod to create a spectacular 6m interactive projection mapped globe that
