Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

The ETCP Council understands that there is a certain amount of fear surrounding the exams because many candidates have not taken an exam in quite some time and/or may be unfamiliar with computer-based testing. The 50 question practice exams will provide candidates with a valuable tool for self assessment. There is no application process with the practice exams; so any interested candidate will be able to take the exam privately at home, at the office or on the road whenever it is most convenient for him or her.

"I speak with candidates every day who

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14 March 2016

The suspension beam system, which can travel along the inside flanges of two I-beams, or mounted to bespoke brackets which interface with an existing house system, allows two or more adjacent systems to pass by each other without obstruction. The Rig Beams can also be removed and repositioned onto other beams elsewhere within the venue using the telescopic option.

Anti-crab rollers, wheel guards, a fail-safe clamp system which locks the beams into position, support of multi-directional forces for rigging bridles, 3D

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14 March 2016

On August 8th in a field in Horam, East Sussex, Gary Moore will top the bill, supported by Mo Foster and local legend Ray Russell. There will also be a special guest appearance by Geno Washington of The Ram Jam Band fame and Chris Difford from Squeeze.

Vibes from the Vines '09 follows the first hugely successful festival in 2006, when organizers raised an impressive £32,000 for Cancer Research UK. This year, with a much bigger show and substantially improved production facilities organizers will be loo

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14 March 2016

The Compacta AG60 and MR30 models are now available with a double brake to meet the industry's stringent safety standards. These products are suitable for powering the movement of stage curtains, lighting and stage elements.

As its name suggests Compacta is appropriate where space is at a premium. Its smaller dimensions and the low weight are achieved by the use of a spur and worm gear transmission combined with performance-optimised motors.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

As often occurs, a chance conversation at a trade show in 1989 between Stuart Gibbons - Le Mark's MD and a Customer led to the invention of the now well travelled, reusable Flight Case or Road Case Label. "Correctly termed a PAL (Plastic Adhesive Laminate) Label, these ultra heavy duty customized 'stick and forget' items have become the label equivalent of a 'sticky work horse" quotes Stuart."Simple yes, underrated perhaps, however they are highly effective at getting specific Entertainment Industry items preped', packed, shipped and arriving on the right (or left) part of a stage," says the company.

"There are now very few Country's that we have not at some time built and shipped our case labels too.

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14 March 2016

Stage Technologies provided rental equipment for the spirited opening show, semi-finals and the live final in Moscow's gigantic Olimpiskiy Indoor Arena, which was built for the 1980 Summer Olympics. A combination of point hoist winches and an Illusionist control desk were used to create a number of performer flying effects to captivate a live audience of thousands and a worldwide audience of millions.

Four winches were used for the opening sequence: one winch was rigged in the arena above the audience to fly a performer in a net, two were rigged above the front of the s

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14 March 2016

Summit also provided specialist rigging consultancy, and custom designed and developed a lifting system for one of the show's most spectacular movement cues that involves moving a large set piece weighing 6.5 tonnes.

Summit's senior project manager Chris Walker worked closely with production manager Chris Vaughan from The Production Office and with the tour's head rigger Phil Broad. "This element was easily the biggest challenge for us," says Walker who was involved right from the early design and concept stages, and worked on it since last September.

The band started the show on the B stage, whilst a large circus tent set piece was in-situ on the main stage. Built by Brilliant

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14 March 2016

The process began two years ago, when Gearhouse Power (GHP) was approached by The Power Company(TPC) - an Austrian based power distribution company who specialise in sporting events - to create a partnership for the FIFA 2010 World Cup and German-based Match Hospitality, the organisation responsible for all official FIFA hospitality areas.

GHP and TPC supplied technicians and stage hands at all four of the stadiums , while GHP's Antony Sackstein and TPC project manager Mike Knezevic spent a hectic two weeks floating between all four venues taking care of last min

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14 March 2016

Three days of Hard Rock Calling were headlined by Neil Young, The Killers and Bruce Springsteen, with some smaller shows on stage two preceding the Blur homecoming shows and Wireless Festival featuring Basement Jaxx and Kanye West.

At the most practical level keeping crowds cool was achieved by Showsec staff constantly distributing gallons of water to fans. Beyond that there were numerous strategies and approaches implemented to maintain calm and secure all areas of the Royal Park venue, from perimeter fence, to pit, to artists and VIP areas.

The companies head of security for the events, Simon Battersby explained: "This is the best team and security operation I have worked with in Hyde Park. We have really seen th

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14 March 2016

Technical manager Dene Turner, who originally chose the system more than eight years ago, is still delighted with what Metrodeck offers him both for services and concerts in different parts of the Cathedral.

"We use the very versatile Metrodecks regularly in the Cathedral itself and also outside in the Cathedral Close for choral and orchestral concerts. I also use them for temporary liturgical focus such as Nave Altar platforms and Nativity/Easter dramas" says Turner.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

TRP worked with the band for their Come to Town Christmas TV Special which previewed the tour's circus theme. After rehearsals at 3 Mills Studios the TV show was shot at Granada Studios in Manchester. Given that multiple effects were needed in a tight space, TRP opted to use Navigator software from FTSI (Fisher Technical Services) with their MOD winch system. This allowed the crew to rig multiple effects off individual winches and also to achieve the speed and acceleration required to make the effects look alive and "not like a tired old corporate show".

Once planning on the tour started TRP were brought in

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14 March 2016

During his career at the Royal Opera House, Jeff worked with Paul on numerous occasions, a typical example of which would be the installation of heavy duty point hoist winches sandwiched onto the fly galleries for the Ring Cycle and used to operate Paul's engineering design for a lifting, hinged, turning platform.

Paul Sadler specialises in modern theatre hydraulics and is now acting as associate engineer for Delstar Engineering, the company which he founded in 1978. Since its formation, Delstar has been a major contrib

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14 March 2016

When the show's producers, Globo Balear, took over the Gran Casino Theatre to host the show, the 1,500-seater custom-built theatre had never been used before for such a technically ambitious production. They therefore appointed broadcast and production specialists Three Media Creative as technology consultants when the show first went into pre-production planning.

James Baker, Three Media Creative Show Technology Consultant and his team had the remit of desig

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14 March 2016

Stage One was responsible for both the manufacture and installation of this innovative structure, which follows the shape of a Moebius band and was built using natural fibres - naturally derived resin and cork from sustainable sources. The company has unique experience in working with complex shapes and unusual materials, along with a broad palette of problem solving skills. In this instance well-known synthetic products were substituted with new biological and re-useable materials, many of which had not previously been used

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14 March 2016

JR Clancy's international sales manager Charles Shatzkin comments: "ADT told us that the client was looking to motorise their rigging system and wanted a fast, safe, reliable and quiet powered hoist. The Clancy Automated Rigging System has a variable speed capability up to 0.6 m/sec and produces sounds no louder than those heard in a whisper-quiet library.

"The theatre also specified a SceneControl 500 - a powerful control console which provides a 3D visualisation of the performance space. The SceneControl is virtually unmatched in features and price: its functio

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14 March 2016

Candidates who wish to take multiple exams will receive a discount for the second exam. Interested applicants must submit their application, along with supporting materials and fee, to the ETCP office no later than 6 October 2009.

Rigging examinations are given daily at over 190 computer based testing centres across the US and Canada.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Although eyewitnesses said the collapse happened slowly enough for some of those below to get out of the way, a 53-year-old French worker was killed outright. A number of other people were injured in the accident, some of them seriously, including a 32-year old British man who later died after undergoing emergency surgery for severe head wounds. A US citizen was also seriously injured, while around 30 people in total were treated for minor injuries and shock. French Police have begun a criminal investigation.

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour was in Udine

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14 March 2016

Dave Carmack, entertainment product trainer for Columbus McKinnon, led the training sessions along with Adam Beaumont, sales manager for the A.C. Rigging division, at the company's Leeds premises. Course attendees were taken through various levels of training, from the basic course covering overcoming daily scenarios, to an advanced two-day course covering inspection procedures and certification of the Lodestar and Prostar motors.

Trevor Hanna, senior technician for Production Services Ireland, commented: "Having attended the advanced course, it has now provided me with greater knowledge and confidence to work on CM Lodestar chain hoists. The methods and instruction from David

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14 March 2016

The stage design involves a multi level 'necklace' stage composed of two curved arms sweeping down from a back walkway to the main promoter's stage and forward into the audience to a B stage, giving several performance areas on different levels. With so many venues on the tour, the stage dimensions and construction needed to be flexible to allow for different configurations within each venue.

Access to the main stage is via access stairs situated towards the rear, down which the four singers descend to the mid-air walkway level, a

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14 March 2016

Charles Criscenzo, a 53-year-old French worker, was killed outright in the accident and Charles Prow, a 23-year-old from Headingley in Leeds, died in hospital. Technicians had been setting up the stage at the city's Velodrome stadium when the partially-built roof fell in on Thursday, bringing down a crane.

Madonna paid tribute to the technicians at her concert in Italy on T

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14 March 2016

The stage's four legs arch out to embrace the audience, giving fans unprecedented and extensive access to the superstars on the pitch, while its gargantuan proportions carry the band's performance to every seat in the house.

This is one of the largest stages ever toured in any field of entertainment. The structure's central grid is raised 28m high, with legs traversing the width of the famous soccer pitch and a central antenna reaching as high as 5m.

The Stageco steel structure weighs 220 tons, excluding both the 90 tons of steel ballast that travels with each system and the rigging loads. Stageco has produced three identi

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14 March 2016

Jason Carlton, head of business development (events division), says that the new division is concentrated on developing a range of innovatively designed products to meet customer requirements coupled with working in partnership with a small number of key distribution partners. "We are not simply modifying scaffolding equipment, but are focused on providing bespoke products for technically demanding clients", declared Carlton. "At the same time we aim to provide the best possible after-sales service. Th

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14 March 2016

Ed Barnes, WSCTC vice president of operations, stated, "We began the process to certify all riggers working in our facility for the safety of the centre's guests and everyone working behind the scenes. Having rigging installed by ETCP Certified personnel provides the most reliable and efficient way for us to verify the level of knowledge and

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14 March 2016

Named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise the product developers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the equipment and tools that enable our entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

The process of identifying the winner by peer voting will again consist of two distinct phases, but with a few subtle changes.

In the Nomination Phase, industry professionals will again be asked for their choices, but will also be asked to identify the specific product contributions that make that nominee a worthy contender. Based on the nominations received, a panel of industry expert judges will then be asked to decide