Australia - Multi ARIA award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Shark’s Cry Forever national tour kicked off in Newcastle this month and is one of the first arena tours nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour is the Gold Coast local’s most ambitious live undertaking yet in some of the largest venues Australia has to offer and it was down to the lighting designer Tim Beeston to create a show that looked big on a budget. “All of the design tricks had to be deployed and our suppliers delivered a high amount of value for a carefully balanced expenditure,” he says. “What we did use, I feel we used pretty well. The show had no content-driven video element which always makes an arena-size show more demanding to design.” Chameleon Touring Systems supplied the eclectic rig of Robe, Martin, GLP, Chauvet and Portman fixtures with Tim commenting that
UK - Broadcast on 26 April as part of BBC4’s Lights Up season, J’Ouvert is the second in Sonia Friedman Productions’ Re:Emerge season. Set amid the colourful backdrop of London’s Notting Hill carnival, it is the story of two best friends battling to preserve tradition in a society where women’s bodies are frequently under threat. J’Ouvert was first produced at Theatre503, before transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre, where it was filmed for the BBC prior to its West End run. Lighting designer, Simisola Majekodunmi, chose two Ayrton Karif-LT fixtures as major workhorses in her design. “The play takes place from dawn until dusk and has moments of realism and surrealism throughout, so I needed a fixture that could deliver a representation of the colour and vibe of Carnival as well as the sombreness and isolation of the spiritual moments,” she s
USA - Victor Zeiser has developed a natural feel for David Summers’ lighting style. For years, Summers has toured with rigs designed by Zeiser’s Squeek Lights. When Zeiser and his partner Steve Kosiba created a rig for Summers to use on a recent pay-for-view livestream by metal giants August Burns Red, they knew exactly what to do to bring out the best in his work. “Victor and Steve deserve a lot of credit,” said Summers. “The rigs they put together elevate your lighting. In my case, they know I love symmetry, so it’s there in the rig. Everything is done to facilitate the creation of big patterns, which is something I love to do.” Bigness and boldness were everywhere to be seen in the Saturday night livestream, which was done to mark the 10th anniversary of the band’s seminal album “Leveler.” Shot at Aurora Film's studio in Rock Lititz, the li
USA - The entertainment technical and production industry has risen to the pandemic challenge with so many prescient and imaginative responses of how to present art, entertainment and stimulate emotional engagement during a time of separation and isolation. None was more innovative than DesignSpace, the brainchild of John Featherstone of US-based design collective Lightswitch. DesignSpace was an immersive drive-through visual extravaganza of light and video art, presented and curated in close collaboration with John’s contacts at Arizona State University (ASU), and utilising over 160 Robe lighting fixtures, among others. Working in conjunction with Jake Pinholster, associate dean of ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design & The Arts, plus several student artists, designers, and technicians plus his own team at Lightswitch, John’s concept transformed four levels
UK - This year’s BRIT Awards was a landmark event for live music. As part of a government-led research programme to assess how mass-participation events can safely resume, a socially distanced audience of 4,000, consisting mainly of NHS key workers, took their seats at London’s O2 Arena for the first indoor live music event in the UK since the beginning of the pandemic. DiGiCo consoles were once again deployed at both front of house and monitor positions by the show’s long-time audio supplier, Britannia Row Productions. Britannia Row’s Josh Lloyd took on the audio design and FOH artist mixes, with Chris Coxhead in charge of presenter audio and Colin Pink assuming his recurring role as Live Sound Supervisor. “After 15 months of very few live events, The BRIT Awards returned to the 02 Arena as one of the governments COVID Test Events,” says Pink. “It
UK - A Cornish event production company has completed its busiest ever period, working simultaneously on seven separate events over the G7 Summit week. Liskeard-based JHAV was appointed to help deliver multiple events associated with the G7 Summit for clients including Spaceport Cornwall, Virgin Orbit, the University of Exeter, and surfing brand Finisterre. The team also created a press conference suite to be used by US president Joe Biden in the Spaceport Cornwall hangar at Cornwall Airport Newquay. JHAV managing director Jamie Hedges explains: “We’ve been involved in all kinds of events since starting JHAV, but working on all of these projects revolving around something as high profile as the G7 Summit has to be one of our biggest accomplishments to date. “The top-secret nature has meant we have been under embargo since the event, and I am so proud
Switzerland - Tempest enclosures have enabled an eye-catching lighting display for the public to enjoy in Zurich. In Tactile Lights (Tastende Lichter), designed by artist Pipilotti Rist, slow moving lights ‘float’ atop the picturesque city streets and buildings, drawing attention to the striking architecture and surroundings at Heimplatz square, ahead of the opening of the recent extension to the Kunsthaus museum. The lighting equipment - Martin Allure fixtures protected by five Tempest Tornado 1925 lighting enclosures - is housed within a vibrant, custom built 17m high mast structure, forming its own artistic focal point at the centre of the square. The project was funded by the City of Zurich and the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft art association. “One of the biggest challenges for us was where and how to place the moving light devices,” says Kaori Kuwabara, inde
USA - disguise has been selected among the technology partners for Illuminarium Experiences, an immersive entertainment initiative transporting you to the wildest corners of the world, from one location. The first venue opening on 1 July 2021 in Atlanta will take visitors on African Safari via a multi-sensory journey brought to life with the help of technology, including the latest disguise hardware. Illuminarium’s immersive venues will transport millions to places they can only dream of by placing them “inside” another world with techniques used in traditional motion picture production and virtual reality. Visitors can experience real-world, filmed content (like a safari) and authentic, re-created worlds in an immersive environment. Illuminarium has chosen disguise to provide media playback systems and video server technology - pushing 4K content on one of the l
USA - Will drive-in concerts fade away now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing? Anyone who automatically responds 'yes' to this question might want to drop by the Frederick Fairgrounds, MD on a weekend night this summer. There, they’ll find a large drive-in stage featuring the likes of The Disco Biscuits, Goose, Grace Potter, and Umphrey’s McGee, to name a few. It’s all part of Showtime At The Drive In, a series of outdoor shows sponsored by Showtime Sound and Auto Flex Entertainment. “We began this series last year as a way of bringing our community together through a socially distant movie and concert sets,” says Marc Chauvin, director of technical operations for Showtime Sound. “Based on the feedback we received from fans last year we’ve continued the concept this year.” Although continuing to operate under state and county guidelin
UK - The British and Irish Lions rugby squad taking on reigning World Champions South Africa in an upcoming summer tour was recently announced via live stream, across multiple global broadcast networks. Global integrated marketing agency, CSM Sport & Entertainment produced and directed the full show and appointed technical solutions specialist White Light (WL) to deliver the broadcast services, via their SmartStage XR studio in London. Working in close collaboration with FRAY Studio, a custom set was created using the Lions’ digital assets and imported into the Unreal Pre-Visualisation tool. This enabled the creative team to see exactly which shots could be achieved and make changes as needed to sponsor logos and other content, in advance of the live show. WL’s strategic partner SFL captured outside broadcast footage from Cardiff, which included the full-body t
USA - An island oasis in the Hudson River west of Manhattan, Little Island @Pier55 is receiving praise as an arts area and green getaway from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Made up of 132 pot-shaped planters suspended above the water, the park’s topography holds a lush landscape of rolling hills, walking paths and open lawns. Nestled among the island’s more than 390 species of flowers, trees and shrubs are performance spaces outfitted with Elation Professional IP-rated automated luminaires. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and landscape architecture firm MNLA, the 2.4-acre artificial island park, funded by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, is a new public park with performing art as an integrated component. A 687-seat amphitheatre with views across the Hudson, a smaller stage for 200 visitors, and an open plaza, are all designed to host a range of progra
USA - When the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, relocated from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, the city of Worcester built Polar Park as the home field for the now Worcester Red Sox. The Polar Park design team hired consulting firm WJHW to design the needed sound system. Central Communications was awarded the installation contract and they selected Fulcrum Acoustic products for the bulk of the project. Polar Park requested an efficient system with a full range of sound and strong intelligibility. WJHW created a distributed design, requiring high output, high fidelity, and good pattern control from a compact system. Central Communications mounted 17 of Fulcrum Acoustic’s FH1566 Full-Range Coaxial Horns along the sunshade, wrapping around the stands from first base to third base. The FH15s produce high output using a single amplifier chan
USA - Orchard Hill Church, located north of Pittsburgh in Wexford, offers a striking architectural design around its 1,200-seat auditorium. And just as modern is the church’s new sound technology, L-ISA by L-Acoustics, integrated as part of a $1.3m design-build renovation of the main worship centre. “It’s been clearly shown that when we can connect what we see with what we hear, the technology disappears,” says Josh Maichele, L-Acoustics application manager, house of worship. Specifically, he says, our eyes want to watch a pastor on stage but our ears draw our vision towards the PA speakers reinforcing their voice. L-ISA technology effectively disconnects the sound from the sound source, allowing audience members to focus their attention on the stage, immersing themselves in the content. “L-ISA makes the connection between sight and sound more natural, and i
USA - The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2021 March Madness tournament is a single-elimination college basketball tournament played each spring with 68 teams competing for the national championship. It has been lit - seven courts across six venues in total - for the last three years (preceding 2020 which was cancelled due to COVID-19) by broadcast live events specialist, Bill Brennan. The 2021 Final Four was staged at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Bill specified 60 x Robe BMFLs - a combination of BMFL Spots and BMFL Blades - for the supplemental rig this year, which were supplied, together with other lights, by Nashville-based Pulse Lighting, whose Paul Hoffman was also the event’s lead lighting programmer. Pulse has been working with Bill since 2007 on a diversity of sporting events. Naturally, everyone was delighted to be b
Germany/UK - Last month, SUSE made its initial public offering debut on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In response to the limitations of physical events brought on by the pandemic and in lieu of being at the Deutsche Börse in person, SUSE reinvented the entire listing day experience with a digital-first approach. SUSE collaborated with Deloitte Digital, using technical solutions specialist White Light (WL’s) SmartStage in London, to create an entirely virtual experience that could reach its global audience. Bespoke virtual worlds, and overall storyline, created by Deloitte Digital / ACNE, together with their production partner NSYNK, using Unreal Engine, were seamlessly integrated into the SmartStage environment and remotely edited via VPN from Frankfurt. The environment was further enhanced with extended reality (XR) features, such as a virtual drone to visual
New Zealand - The Stardome Observatory and Planetarium recently upgraded its cinema and live performance venue with a complete Harman Professional networked surround sound system comprised of JBL Professional, Crown, BSS and Soundcraft solutions. The Stardome’s observatory opened to the public in 1967, while the planetarium - the largest in New Zealand - launched in 1997. The venue features a panoramic theatre with a full-dome concave screen, laser projectors and IMAX angled seating for an immersive 360-degree viewing experience. Doubling as both a cinema and live performance venue, the Stardome needed a versatile sound system to support a wide range of events. Additionally, since a range of staff members and volunteers operate the facility, ease of use was a top priority. Stardome organisers hired AV Integration company Avid Automation and Harman distributor JPRO t
The Netherlands - This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been recognised as a pivotal moment in the return of large-scale entertainment events in a post-COVID world. Performed in front of a live audience of 3,500 plus delegates in the Greenroom on the arena floor, ESC captivated both the live audience and the 183m watching on television from 234 countries worldwide. The entire event was under the supervision of Eurovision’s head of production, Erwin Rintjema. At the heart of lighting designer, Henk-Jan van Beek’s dynamic design were the tools to guarantee that the Multi-camera directors received all the key lighting required to bring the performers to the small screen exactly as they would wish. The Netherlands-based Follow-Me 3D SIX remote tracking system (as part of the lighting specification delivered by the official technical supplier, Ampco Flashli
USA - For all six seasons of Fox’s award-winning television series Empire, lighting programmer Jared Moore used a variety of Hog control products for the show’s diverse performance settings and other scenes. The American musical drama was one of the most-watched series during its long run through 2020. After a quick run on the US shoot for Warner Brothers The Batman, Moore next turned his focus to work on Power Book IV: Force, Starz's spin-off based on original Power character Tommy Egan. Jared began his career in 2002 as a freelance LD in Chicago, coming of age through the theater scene and designing for a modern dance company on ETC desks. In 2013 he transitioned into television and film work, where he learned of the Hog platform. He says, “I was told by another programmer that all the film guys used Hog. I worked on the ABC show Mind Games where
UK The landmark Nottingham Castle reopens this month following a £30m refurbishment which started in 2018. Part of the new look is an Anolis exterior LED lighting scheme illuminating all four sides of the building, comprising 17 x Anolis Divine 160 fixtures which was designed by Ian Forrow of IJF Lighting and commissioned by On Event Production from Castle Donnington. Electrical installation and fixtures were supplied by Amptron Electrical Services who were the appointed electrical contractor for the whole project which included the external lighting. The original fortified castle dates to Medieval times but that structure was largely demolished by the mid-17th century, with a mansion built on the site in the 1670s by the first and second Dukes of Newcastle. This was burnt down by rioters in 1831 and rebuilt in the 1870s to house an art gallery and museum which remain
USA - The Kridel Grand Ballroom at the Portland Art Museum is a historic 9,000-sq.ft. space with soaring ceilings and rich architectural details that has played host to many of the city’s premiere events for decades. With its full proscenium stage, sound, lighting and projection systems, the venue is tailor-made for elegant gala fundraisers, corporate meetings, and weddings. Chris Pitale, senior AV tech at the museum, oversaw a recent lighting upgrade in the Grand Ballroom that included Elation Professional Fuze Pendant LED downlights and Netron data distribution from Obsidian Control Systems. “We set about planning an upgrade with Netron hardware and simultaneously had been eyeballing our aging house lighting system for upgrade,” Pitale explains, referring to an old system of 32 recessed 250W incandescent par cans that cast bad shadows due to placement of a trus
USA - The outdoor stage at the Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham, AL, was smaller than the ones Pigeons Playing Ping Pong normally plays on, probably not much more than 30ft in length. But adaptation is the order of the day as live music returns throughout much of the USA. The size of the stage didn’t matter much; breaking rules and flying off in wonderfully unexpected creative directions can take place in any space. The popular jam band provided proof of that recently when they improvised their way through two upbeat sets filled with energy and original musical turns. Flowing with them on this freewheeling journey was their long-time lighting designer, Manny Newman. Described by the quartet as “the fifth member of the band”, Newman also proved that limited space is no obstacle to limitless ideas. His expansive show filled the stage and the entire venue with
Sweden - Geijerskolan, a school surrounded by forest, deep in the heart of the Swedish countryside in Ransäter, Värmland offers a wide variety of music-based education alternatives including music production, last year it opened a new analogue studio with the Audient ASP4816 desk at its heart. The studio and two rehearsal rooms are housed in an old-fashioned red wooden house typical of the area, whose rustic exterior belies the technology found within its walls. “It’s important that the students can work with a real analogue console. They need to make their own mistakes as well as finding their way around a ‘real’ studio,” says Stefan Deland, one of the teachers at the school. He underlines the school’s ethos of giving students the freedom to evolve in a creative community and ‘learn by doing’. The music production programme is a mixture of studio pro
Belgium - Adapting in order to overcome adversity is nothing new to Van Marke Plumbing Supply. Founded on the eve of the Great Depression in 1929, the family-owned business has met challenges, from stock market crashes to war over the past nine decades, as it’s grown from a single location in West Flanders to a global leader in healthy water and heating solutions with operations in Benelux, France, Malta, Switzerland and the United States. In keeping with its philosophy of adapting in the face of adversity, the company is livestreaming to reach its 1,300 global employees during the lockdown. This initiative began with a colourful and entertaining event produced by Flexivent. Contributing to the open and friendly atmosphere of the livestreamed event was an engaging lighting design by Cedric De Reu that drew on the colour-rendering prowess of Chauvet Professional COLOR
Singapore - At the end of last year, The Lion City became home to the country’s largest extended reality (XR) stage, created by Singapore-based creative content development agency in events and media production, AUX Media Group. AUX Immersive Studio features an XR facility, with Brompton Technology helping merge physical and virtual events with its Tessera processing and Brompton HDR. Powered by AUX Media Group’s partnership with UK-based creative technology company disguise, and Japanese audio-visual leaders Yamaha and Panasonic, AUX Immersive Studio is a collaboration between leading brands and technologies with a common goal, “to create experiences that allow our creatives to tell their stories in a way never done before,” explains Choong Chyi Kei, CEO at AUX Media Group. “In 2020, amidst the worldwide pandemic, many industry players pivoted to virtual an