USA - Philips Lighting stage lighting fixtures were chosen to meet the strict lighting demands on the set of 2017's popular feature film, Pitch Perfect 3. With eight performances filmed across four locations, in both day and night shoots, the design team, including production lighting designer Trevor Burk and lighting directors Zach Matusow and Mat Stovall chose to use the Philips VL4000 Spot, VL3500 Wash and VL550 Wash, due to their quality of light output, colour range and versatility. Burk says: "The VL4000 Spot performed well as a key light in the aquarium scene and in the finale. It was really important to have high-level colour control and the super even field of the VL4000 Spot. In addition, we used the VL3500 Wash as a big, straightforward cannon of light in the aquarium scene, while for the festival performances at the airforce base, it was obvious we
Germany - SKALAR is a compelling piece of immersive kinetic light art created by artist / designer Christopher Bauder and musician / composer Kangding Ray. Ninety Robe Pointes, 65 x double sided mirrors suspended on 195 special motors each with a perimeter ring of 180 addressable pixels feature in one massive cathedral like industrial landmark building. Kraftwerk in Berlin is the still magnificent shell of a derelict power station that once electrified central East Berlin when the city was divided by cold war politics. SKALAR “juxtaposes technology and imagination in a cerebral dichotomy to engage the mind and soul in generating the very human reactions of profound emotions”. While Christopher’s conceptual starting point was renowned American psychologist Robert Plutchik’s ‘wheel of emotions’, his physical one was Kraftwerk itself
USA - Having previously been involved with putting together the lighting design for James Arthur’s club/theatre tour in early 2017, LD Michael Straun has moved up to lighting the larger arenas for the artist — again using GLP fixtures extensively in his toolkit. He was invited by Meggan McKenzie, creative director of production company, The Live Dept, after previously working with the company on shows with Tinie Tempah and Katy B. He and McKenzie worked closely to evolve the concept. “She would send me ideas which I would adapt and add lighting elements. We wanted to move away from custom builds so we used different fixtures in different ways to create the stage set,” said Straun. “James was also involved throughout the entire creative process. The key was to make the show look big and impressive - and the wall of JDC1’s did this.” This is GLP’s new lo
Canada - After over 30 years of service, two ageing consoles at Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) were put out to pasture and replaced with two Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition desks. As part of the facilities’ upgrade, they were chosen not only because they supported the curriculum, but also because they came in at the desired price point. Head of audio production curriculum, Dean Nelson was pleasantly surprised when he first heard the brand new British consoles. “The first thing that jumped out - and this was the cherry on top - was the tone. I’d read the specs, was aware of the Stereo Bus 990C Mix Amps with the switchable Retro Iron transformers and Dave Dearden’s design history, but hearing is believing. “The Heritages have a nice clarity and punch, but when you want you can drive the pre’s and it saturates quite nicely; the stere
Europe - The combination of sound and sight is very evident in Marilyn Manson’s current Heaven Upside Down tour of Europe and North America, both in its music, which opens with a cover of The Doors’ Vietnam-era song The End, and in its richly evocative lightshow that designer Nico Riot controls with his new ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console. “There is a strong theatrical element to a Marilyn Manson show,” said Riot, the co-owner of Nantes, France-based Chirac Design. “We create a moody, immersive look on stage with saturated colours, lots of strobes and blinders, a large abstract cross of lights, and V-shaped configurations on either side of that cross to draw attention to Manson.” Riot’s 15-universe show also features a variety of up-lighted backdrops. Not surprisingly, given the artist’s iconoclastic nature, Marilyn Manson’s shows
UK - As the want of returning sound designers has become more adventurous by the visit, and sound designs and PA systems have grown in complexity, so Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre has stepped up to match the requirement by expanding its existing TiMax SoundHub to provide an impressive 48 x 48 analogue and MADI inputs/outputs. The upgrade also included a new Digico SD10T main console and QLab over MADI. TiMax has been integral to the theatre’s sound control for just over two decades and the main productions appearing at the Royal Exchange have long benefitted from the advanced spatial programming that can be achieved effortlessly in TiMax. Head of sound, Sorcha Williams, who oversaw the last upgrade in 2014 to TiMax2 SoundHub, when the theatre’s original system came to its end of life after 16 years, notes that sound designers accompanying productions from elsewh
UK - With a prime site off London’s Leicester Square, Studio 88 has opened as a new concept in entertainment, billed as “a non-stop, audience requested, live music experience”. The brainchild of Alan Lorrimer, founder of The House of Song, the venue features a stage that has been equipped with a premium Martin Audio sound system by W1 Productions, using a variety of the company’s components and control. Every night, two piano vocalists and accompanying musicians form a six-piece band who play a non-stop repertoire of music through the Martin Audio system - decided only by the customers themselves who populate the 350-seat restaurant. Both W1 Productions MD, Stuart Turvill, and operations manager, Alan Beck, have wide experience in using Martin Audio systems in their various guises, the latter having first encountered the legendary Philishaves and split b
UK - A dazzling array of lighting exhibits and artworks brought London to life in January when Lumiere London took to the capital to bring the biggest ever festival of light to the city's streets. Running from the 18-21 January, it showcased London's spectacular and iconic architecture and streets with more than 50 works created by international and local artists. Once again, event organiser Artichoke has worked alongside Unusual – both the services and rigging division – to make the event possible. Unusual’s Jim Dugan explained: "Lumiere is always an amazing project for us – Unusual has worked with Artichoke on this for some years now –Unusual Services handles the technical production element of Lumiere (this encompasses all technical aspects of an event from power to building permissions and road closures). Unusual Rigging provide the rigging expertise. W
USA - Ilusio, Magic on Ice, a riveting spectacular created by and starring Steve Wheeler, has played to millions of people in more than 4,000 performances across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. To help light the show when it appeared last fall at The Berglund Centre in Roanoke, Virginia, lighting designer Emiliano Morgia chose Claypaky Sharpys and Sharpy Washes supplied by Lee Hartman & Sons in Roanoke. 24 Sharpys were mounted on four custom trusses built by Wheeler Productions over the show’s ice rink. Ten Sharpy Washes were placed on the floor as back lights. “Sharpys are unique beams lights. There is nothing in the market that can compete with them – my choice was obvious,” says Morgia. “Claypaky is without doubt my favourite brand in the industry, not only for the high quality of the hardware and the quality of the light beams.
Nigeria - With an audience estimated at close to three quarters of a million people, The Experience is an inter-denominational gospel concert held annually in Lagos. Convened and hosted by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the colossal event debuted in December 2006 and is now the largest musical concert in Africa, featuring guest artistes from numerous countries leading the crowd in worship and praise. Lagos-based CyTech World Communication provided the serious audio infrastructure necessary to deliver speech and music to the vast crowds. Such is the success CyTech have achieved at this unique event that 2017 is actually the fifth consecutive year in which they and their Outline loudspeaker systems have been entrusted with the technical responsibility for reaching every corner of the enormous audience area within the huge 280m × 200m Tafawa-Balewa Square. A long-standi
South Africa - Two concerts organised by AMP Events at the newly-opened, 10,000-capacity Sun Arena in South African capital Pretoria were chosen to record a live DVD for American rock band LIVE. LIVE was one of the first bands to tour free South Africa in the mid-1990s after the end of apartheid, and have a loyal and enthusiastic fan base in the country. The DVD shoot was designed and lit by LIVE’s LD, Synapse Design partner Graham Hicks using nearly 100 Robe fixtures which are part of the house rig. These are looked after by a team from SA production company, MGG, who provide the venue’s in-house technical services. The two sold-out arena shows were part of the band’s Reunion World Tour, which saw the original line-up back together in 2017 after a lengthy hiatus, and has included a mix of headline dates and high profile festivals like Lollapalooza
USA - There’s a sense of magic one feels upon entering the century old Ogden Theatre. It’s not just because Harry Houdini appeared there soon after the stately building on Denver’s Colfax Avenue opened its doors in 1917. The transformative aura comes more from some of the special acts that the theatre has hosted over the years, like the two shows that Prince performed in Ma, 2013 (his last in Colorado). Closing his concert by leading the audience through the chorus of “Purple Rain,” the rock great asked, “Does that feel good?” Then answered, “It’s like medicine.” The healing power of music, along with ample amounts of magic, were in the air at the legendary theatre in late December, when world music collective Nahko and Medicine for the People performed a blend of music that seamlessly wove in elements of jazz, gospel, rock, reggae and other genres. Fitti
UK - In one of the company’s biggest ever projects in the UK, J&C Joel, helped keep sound in check by installing their acoustic solutions in the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s performance spaces. The £57m facility is an international music and drama academy, which is part of Birmingham City University. It has over 500 students on undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes, as well as a junior department of over 200 students. In 2015, renowned cellist and conductor Julian Lloyd Webber was named as Principal. The Conservatoire has moved to a new building adjacent to Millennium Point, where Birmingham City University already has a campus. The new building includes The Concert Hall – a 500-seat concert hall with a large stage, to accommodate a symphony orchestra. Other venues include The Recital Hall with retractable seating, The Lab, a cutting edge,
Namibia - Jazz and soul singer and songwriter Joss Stone visited Namibia for the first time - and for one night only - as part of her on-going Total world tour, making an appearance in the intimate environs of the Warehouse Theatre in vibrant capital Windhoek. This much anticipated, high-profile and instantly sold-out gig – which saw Stone play a duo set accompanied by acoustic guitarist Leon Michael King – needed to be lit beautifully and appropriately, a task for which the theatre called on the talents and creativity of LD Ramon le Roux of A&R Technologies. Ramon chose to augment the house rig with Robe moving lights, supplied by Windhoek based rental company dB Audio, and he specified 12 x Robe Spiiders for the main wash fixtures and seven 600E Spots for the hard-edged luminaires, all rigged on the house trusses. Ramon’s industry career starte
USA - The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, Christian music’s largest annual tour, is travelling the East Coast with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. The evening of worship and fellowship features performances and messages from Christian music’s top artists and speakers including Skillet, Kari Jobe, NewSong, Jordan Feliz, John Crist, Nick Hall, KB and Building 429. Due to the number of acts taking the stage, production manager Jerry Holcomb designed a lighting system that offered plenty of options for various looks, while balancing budget and flexibility. “Because Winter Jam allows each artist full access to the rig, we need to have enough depth and variety to allow for different programming styles,” said Holcomb. “Also, because Winter Jam is seated end stage 360, leaving open sight lines in always a concern.” Bandit Lites provided more
USA - Charlie Puth hasn’t had much downtime since the release of his debut album, Nine Track Mind, in early 2016. The breakout pop singer hit a number of major markets for the first time on his most recent North American tour alongside Shawn Mendes, and utilised Adamson Systems Engineering’s E-Series and S-Series loudspeakers. The tour marked FOH engineer Liam Clifford’s first outing with an Adamson system. He says: “I loved the vocal clarity in the E-Series more so than any other box I’ve mixed on. That’s the most important thing to me, especially when mixing a pop artist. The other big plus is the amount of headroom we had. FOH was often between 140ft and 160ft from the PA every day due to a B-stage located where FOH would typically go. Even at this distance, it felt like the PA was right in front of me.” The typical configuration on the trek, w
South Africa - DWR Distribution’s initiative SOS Charity Fund helped secure bedside lamps and other lamp fixtures for The Hope School in Westcliff, Johannesburg. The school provides education for around 200 students - from the age of three to those in grade 12 – with physical disabilities and disadvantaged backgrounds. Recently a company approached the Hope School to assist them with the refurbishment of the hostel bathrooms. They then took it a step further and generously decided to upgrade the girls’ dormitory with new furniture, bedding and curtains. All that was needed was mattresses and lamps. The receptionist at the school, Val Rogers, who assists with fundraising, was set to task and sent out e-mails to various companies. She wrote: “Our school tries as best we can and we do have a programme, which enables families with a need. On Fridays, the id
UK - An investment in a pair of 7,000lmPanasonic projectors has enhanced the University of Birmingham’s drama students’ adaptation of the book Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy. With the requirement for a projector that could achieve a high level of output to cut through stage lighting plus project onto two different surfaces during performance, the University of Birmingham went to Stage Electrics for guidance. Stage Electrics’ Paul Lucas liaised with the Universities Drama Department to interpret their requirements. He says: “It became apparent that the department wanted to acquire professional technical equipment that exposes students to the leading brands and technology. They needed projectors that could be used for full performances, delivering a high-quality presentation whilst still being portable enough to move between their various spaces and
USA - Dallas-based technology design firm Idibri was chosen to design a new sound system for the Alamodome, the City of San Antonio’s 65,000-seat multi-purpose facility. The PA specified was the L-Acoustics’ K2. Installed by LD Systems’ integration division, the new system is now composed of 76 K2 boxes and a dozen KS28 subwoofers powered by LA8 and LA12AX amplified controllers, with fill support from X8 coaxials on the club level. “The Alamodome is a huge venue with some very real acoustical challenges, but you still want to give every seat the same great experience,” says Ray Givens, sales engineer and project manager for LD Systems, on the Alamodome sound system renovation. “The K2 lets us get excellent coverage and meet the SPL requirements of every game, including the Final Four - which will get really loud - without sacrificing speech intelligibility.
USA - Despite record-setting freezing temperatures, professional football fans had a lot to cheer about during Super Bowl 52 as incumbent champions the New England Patriots faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles for the coveted national title - which drew over 100m viewers and 67,612 live audience members. Pink set the tone for the evening with a dazzling one-minute, 53-second rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, sung through her Sennheiser Digital 6000 wireless microphone system. On a night brimming with excitement and anticipation for the two teams and fans around the world, Pink exuded both confidence and class, sweeping listeners through an unforgettable performance of the US national anthem - with every emotional nuance of the famously difficult 19 semitone song captured in detail by Sennheiser’s Digital 6000 wireless system. “For an artist
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET) has supplied Dynamic Audio Device (D.A.D) loudspeakers to the Victoria Theatre, Halifax to provide high fidelity professional stage monitoring for performers during the venue's diverse programme of shows and other live events. Built in 1901, the 1,512-seater venue caters for everyone; from no-holds-barred rock 'n' roll, chart-topping pop, ballet and opera, to comedy, family shows, musicals and the annual pantomime. The speakers were supplied as part of a full upgrade to the theatre's audio system, with the sale handled by Steve Eaton, senior sales executive in AC-ET's dedicated audio division. Following a site visit to discuss the client's technical needs and budget, Steve recommended the D.A.D speakers as a very cost-effective solution for delivering stage monitoring to complement the high performance of their
USA - Famous lives are often the focus of exhibits at The National Museum of African American History and Culture and its neighbour, The National Museum of American History. But rarely do these two prestigious institutions, which are part of the Smithsonian complex, roll out the red carpet for heroes quite like those who were honoured this January at DC in DC. Held over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, the two-day event celebrated super heroes with the world premieres of the Black Lightning television programme and the animated Batman film Gotham by Gaslight. At the after party for the pop culture extravaganza, lighting designer Elizabeth A. Coco set an appropriately festive and glamorous tone with a sparkling atmosphere. Adding to the ambience was the colourful uplighting she did at both museums with a collection of Chauvet Professional WELL Fit
UK - Using SGM’s P-5s, director of Teknique Systems Ltd., Tony Kennedy, created a magnificent colour changing lighting system on the exterior of the most popular museum in Glasgow, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. “We chose to add 18 SGM P-5 fixtures because we wanted to use a quality LED fixture that was reliable, energy saving, and compact,” said Kennedy, who worked on the installation together with City Building Glasgow. With over 40 years of industry experience, Kennedy designed a new cost-effective lighting system with a wireless pre-programmed control system, enabling the staff to easily colour change the building for special events. “Our vision was to upgrade the existing lighting to a new modern LED system that would allow our client to keep the lighting colour temperature the same as the old fixtures, but have the advantage to be able to
Europe - In 2018 the Ehrlich Brothers are once again touring large arenas in Germany, Luxemburg, Austria and Switzerland with their latest show Fascination. The two brothers, Andreas and Chris Ehrlich, have developed a spectacular show featuring illusions in which high-tech stage equipment plays a major role and that is packing some of Europe’s largest halls and stadiums. On their current tour, for example, the Ehrlich Brothers are making an eight-ton, 2,000 BHP monster truck materialize on stage out of nothing as well as "teleporting" individual spectators right across the hall. To realise a production of such complexity, the Ehrlich Brothers have been relying on chain hoist systems and controllers from Movecat. To replace the kinetic systems previously used, Ehrlich Entertainment GmbH invested in Movecat‘s VMKS chain hoists, V-Motion-E variable motion con
