UK - Kinesys automation system was used for the fourth year running on this year's Brit Awards - to raise and lower a large video screen on stage left to allow access for between-band backline and set changeovers.

The high profile event was staged at Earls Court in London and broadcast live on ITV 1. The screen - measuring 12 metres wide by 7 high, made up from Lighthouse R16 LED panels, weighing approximately six tonnes and supplied by XL Video - was rigged on eight Kinesys-adapted 1 tonne CM Lodestar motors.

All rigging was undertaken by Outback, with the overall operation co-ordinated by head rigger Dave Morrell, working closely with production manager Mick Kluczynski and his team from MJK Productions. The Kinesys system - run by its proprietary Vector software - was operated by Mylan Lester.

Kinesys' Dave Weatherhead says: "It's a great show and good to be ba

UK - The Single purchase counterweight flying system at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, has been refurbished in the short space of only six days between two productions in the venues' very busy current season.

The project was comissioned to Hall Stage Limited, who also installed the original systems in the theatre when it was built in the 1960s.

The flying system has been upgraded to the highest professional standard, providing an increased number of flying bars - up to 42 x 14m ladder bars, with a far quieter, safer performance.

Jon Woodley, Abbeys stage production manager says: "A tremendous amount of work was achieved in a short space of time, all thanks to an excellent team of skilled people working very hard.

"I could not be more happy with the project and I am most grateful to all involved, and highly praise the level of expertise and professionalism displayed

UAE - Two giants of control automation have again given their backing to PALME Middle East in May - and will be exhibiting a range of systems aimed at both the residential and commercial sectors.

Crestron will be demonstrating its 'Every Room Connected' philosophy, with new products including the Media Processing System (MPS), the latest generation of facility-wide network control software (RoomView 7.0) and the latest Isys i/O WiFi touchpanel, the TPMC-8X.

"We are looking forward to the opportunity of showcasing our single platform solution and related product portfolio to decision makers at this, the most important AV event in the Middle East.," explains Vincent Philippo, regional director, Crestron Middle East. "We will be able to demonstrate that Crestron can deliver the only complete control and connectivity solution for every room, every application and ev

USA - The ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes announces the first two Challenge Grants during the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo. I. Weiss and Sapsis Rigging will both be sponsoring $5,000 challenge grants at the upcoming USITT Raffle, March 15 - 17 in Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks to both companies coming forward after the announcement of the Challenge Grant Program, every dollar donated at this year's USITT will triple in value.

Established challenge grant slots are still available for the Behind the Scenes / Long Reach Long Riders 2007 USITT Raffle, March 15 - 17 in Phoenix, Arizona at $5,000 each (four openings left) and The Long Reach Long Riders 2007 New England Charity Ride, July 29 - August 6 at $10,000 each (two openings).

David Rosenberg, president of I. Weiss, explains that it was an easy decision for his company. "We believe that we should be supportive of th

UK - 5 Star Cases has supplied Warwickshire-based conference production and installation company, Insight Presentation Systems, with a range of bespoke flightcases to house a wide variety of equipment - including lighting fixtures, TFT Screens, projectors, microphones and many more elements. Insight first encountered 5 Star at PLASA 2006 - drawn into the stand by their eye-catching fish-tank flightcase - and were immediately impressed with the diversity of 5 Star's ranges and the rugged build quality of the trunks.

Since then, 5 Star has manufactured and supplied a steady stream of cases to the AV specialist. These have been selected from 5 Star's recently-launched lightweight EX brand through to their robust and popular Tour Grade specification, and has also included bespoke cases for Doughty stands, PAR 64 floor cans and HP printers. The EX range is particularly suited to ligh

Dubai - Formed in August of last year, SGMedia's Live Events division has immediately made an impact on the UAE's events market, the company reports. Started by UAE-based businessman Steve Graham and production manager Nick Groves, the business stemmed from a need in the market place for a more personal touch within the live events market. "Our clients expect and require more than just a crew and equipment; they like to know that we are on the end of the phone 24/7 and are willing and able to assist them with all of their production needs," states Nick Groves, the managing partner of the events and special projects division.

"I think that the recent success lies in the personal touch. We take on the brief and follow it through from concept to completion. We then sit down with the client post-event and do a thorough 'post mortem'. It enables us to constantly improv

Russia - ChainMaster, the German manufacturer of chain hoists and chain-hoist controllers for stage and show use, has designed a VarioLift chain-hoist system for the Chekhov Theatre in Moscow capable of being used either as a mobile system or a fixed installation.

It is built around twelve of ChainMaster's new 250 kg VarioLifts, which are capable of speeds up to 35 metres per minute. For the project, ChainMaster is working in concert with the Rock Stage Agency, its local distribution partner.

The VarioLift from ChainMaster came onto the market in 1998 after an 18-month development and test phase. It offers maximum precision and reproducibility in the positioning of chain hoists, the company reports. The lift is based on an integrated, vector-controlled frequency converter, supplied by a high-impulse incremental encoder and operates with a positional accuracy of 0.2 millimetres

USA - If you watched this year's Super Bowl on 4 February then you saw Tait Towers outwit the elements. Tait Towers built and installed a deployable roof and grid structure for the broadcast booth on field at Super Bowl XLI in Miami. Since the weather decided not to cooperate-it rained long and hard throughout the game-the structure kept the crew, cameras and lights dry. The structure also incorporated a rain gutter to channel the water off to the sides and away from the camera shots.

The Tait structure was a 4,000lb, 48'x32' unit that rose up 25' holding the lighting grid and a roof to keep everybody dry. It was used during the pre-game broadcast, half-time, and post-game coverage and had to deploy and retract in minutes. "From the time the game clock goes to zero at the end of the half, we then had the first commercials to deploy everything for a thirty seconds spot that

UK - Lift Turn Move (LTM) has staged its first CM Lodestar Motor School of 2007. This was attended by 16 people from the UK and Europe, representing numerous industry sectors, and including leading hire companies PRG, DBN, A-Tech and Skan PA, plus representatives from fabric and draping specialists, J&C Joel.

The course was presented by LTM's Dave Ward and John Jones, and follows on from the first one staged by LTM at the end of 2006. The intention is to hold two more UK-based Motor Schools at LTM's Wirral HQ in 2007 - on March 21-22 and October 2-3.

John Jones says: "There's a stronger demand than ever for Motor Schools, and we're responding to that. Others who have presented them in the past are no longer doing so, and there's a definite need for these courses." He adds: "All our clients want their staff and regular crews to be comprehensively clued up on the

UK - The Stagemaker Division of leading French manufacturer, Verlinde, has announced a new distributor in the UK - Hoist UK, based on The Wirral. Hoist UK is a new company founded by ex-Tomcat general manager Tony Dickson, and ex-Tomcat technical manager Paul Jordan. Tony and Paul have in excess of 30 years' experience in the design and installation of specialist lifting equipment for the entertainment and industrial sectors.

This latest deal to extend the Verlinde network in the UK was negotiated by Verlinde's UK sales and marketing manager, Simon Rothechild, who said: "Tony and Paul have a wealth of experience in specialist lifting, particularly in the entertainment industry where their expertise and overall offering is second to none. We are delighted to welcome Hoist UK as a Verlinde distributor in the UK and wish Hoist UK every success with its UK launch."

Hoist

UK - HRH The Earl of Wessex will visit the Wakefield offices of Litestructures GB Ltd. on Thursday 1 March to officially open the Litestructures Studios rehearsal arena and film studio.

Litestructures Studios is a purpose-built, music tour rehearsal and film and television production facility in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. With over 17,500sq ft of floor space and a height of 54ft the studio is able to accommodate even the largest music tours and film productions. For the live music sector it sets a new standard of excellence for rehearsal space while for film and television production it is a significant addition to the UK's facilities and is a viable option for major film production in the North.

"We are honoured to welcome The Earl of Wessex to open The Litestructures Studio," says Litestructures managing director Adrian Brooks. "Since we built the Studio in 20

UK - SPS, one of the UK's largest live event companies, is adding to its team with the appointment of Lee Rennie to the role of creative producer for its solutions division. Rennie joins from George P. Johnson Company, where he worked across a variety of projects creating inspiring experiences for events. Preceding this, Rennie spent seven years working at Project Worldwide.

In his new role, Rennie will be working alongside SPS event producers and production managers to administer creative solutions that work flawlessly with technical solutions, in order to communicate the client's needs.

The solutions division of SPS provides creative services for events through the latest computer graphics, digital video and other innovative technologies. It concentrates on delivering client's messages effectively with bespoke solutions which look vibrant and appealing to the audience, rathe

UK - For the fourth successive year, Hawthorns were contracted by the East Midlands Conference Centre (EMCC), based on the Nottingham University Campus, to provide the technical solution for the Xerox Annual Year Start Conference. The Conference took place over four days and attracted 1700 delegates.

"This year, Xerox and the EMCC were looking to do something completely different and less corporate, whilst maintaining the Xerox Corporate Brand and the ability to use their standard PowerPoint presentation content," said Hawthorn's project manager, Oliver Moores.

The Hawthorn solution in the main auditorium was to provide a 24m x 7m cyc white backdrop as a massive projection screen, utilising a triple projection system driven by Barco's encore system. This gave the ability to use many creative and interesting backgrounds, both static and animated, with an infinite numb

USA - Stage Technologies has announced that Jack Suesse will be assisting them in worldwide projects as special projects advisor. After working with entertainment technology company J.R. Clancy for many years, Suesse moved on to form J Suesse & Associates LLC in 2005.

With over 30 years' experience designing and coordinating a wide variety of projects, Suesse specialises in stage rigging and motorised stage equipment. In 1993 he was elected to be a Fellow of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and is a committee member of ESTA (The Entertainment Services and Technology Association). In 2004 and 2005 he was appointed as a Rigging Subject Matter Expert for the Entertainment Technician Certification Program Council (ETCP). For the past several years he has been an instructor at the IAAM Backstage Boot Camp, instructing facility managers about the operation an

UK - Sunday 11 February was a great day for royalty as The Queenand The Last King of Scotland scooped the BAFTA Film Awards at London's Royal Opera House. Vertigo Rigging gave the stars a suitably glamorous entrance with a specially designed and built roofing system that spanned the breadth of Bow Street outside the theatre's main entrance - commissioned by event production company West Design and Production on behalf of BAFTA (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts).

Briefed to create a glitzy grand entrance to the red carpet evening at London's Royal Opera House, the Vertigo team designed and built a 660sq.m. roof on Bow Street, using Vertigo's UK-exclusive Libera Flat Truss system to create the roof and supported on 68 Thomas Supertruss legs. The structure had to be designed to allow access room for the public to buildings on Bow Street.

The temporary

UK - Yorkshire's historic Scarborough Spa Complex has unveiled the first phase of its £3.75 million pound renovation programme, with a team from Fagan Electrical heading a massive technical refurbishment designed to place the venue firmly on the touring map. The project is headed by Fagan Electrical, lead contractors for the entire technical refurbishment programme, with the audio system design and installation carried out in close co-operation with Lo Humm Audio.

This major undertaking was funded by Scarborough Borough Council, the Yorkshire Forward regional development agency and the European Regional Development Fund. The 1,924 capacity Grand Hall, at the heart of the Spa Complex, has already reopened for business with brand new production lighting, audio and video systems.

Aside from the new, installed lighting rigs, most of the new production systems have been fligh

UK - In an effort to cut fixed costs, The English National Opera (ENO) has announced it is to cut 10% of its staff - around 45 jobs - which will include both performers and technical staff. BECTU, the union representing those working in broadcast, film, theatre, entertainment and leisure, has said it will "strongly" fight any cuts, and representatives will shortly be meeting with ENO management.

ENO says it fears reduced funding if government money to the Arts Council does not increase. ENO chief executive, Loretta Tomasi, was quoted on the BBC News website as saying: "Many options have been considered to achieve increased flexibility and a decrease in these 'fixed' costs and, whilst we believe it is vital that ENO retains a strong core of staff, the contractual overhaul includes the potential loss of around 45 jobs across the company."

Commenting on the co

UK - Simon Battersby and Mark Logan have been appointed as operational directors of Showsec. Both have both worked with Showsec for over a decade, and started their crowd management careers working as stewards whilst attending university and worked their way up to become Showsec's Regional Managers.

Both were among the first in the UK to be awarded the foundation degree in Crowd Management at Buckingham and Chilterns University, in line with Showsec's ongoing training and development programme for all staff.

Showsec managing director Mark Harding comments, "Over many years of dedicated service to Showsec, Mark and Simon have proved themselves to be both great leaders and team players, with unrivalled passion for their work. The loyalty and commitment they have shown, combined with their continuous influence on the progression the company, has left no doubt in my mind that

UK - Lighting designer Steve Douglas is using an Avolites Diamond 4 Vision console to control lighting for Las Vegas-based The Killers' Sam's Town world tour which is currently playing UK arenas.

Dublin-based Douglas has used Avolites consoles since the start of his professional career. He used a D4 on the previous US leg of the tour, "so it was a natural choice to continue" he says. He's also the show's programmer and operator, so he wanted a powerful desk that he knew was fast and easy to set up. He adds that with their schedule already including a festival season in the summer, "Features like Fixture Exchange are really invaluable".

Equipment for the European section of the tour is being supplied by Siyan. The stage features some spectacular red curtains, borders and legs, with monitor and guitar worlds onstage also wrapped in matching red materia

UK - Drapes and scenic specialists J&C Joel has launched its line of 'Brusan', described as "a revolutionary new innovation for the entertainment industry" and made by LDC International. Custom-designed with set builders in mind, Brusan is produced by laminating aluminium and textile together to form a flexible, distortable fabric - with no elastic return.

J&C Joel's Fiona Blackett states, "We chose Brusan to complement the diverse range of theatrical fabrics that we already offer. It's unique and also highly practical for our industry, allowing set pieces to be made quickly and easily. It is also reusable which is perfect for touring companies or those with limited storage space for sets from past productions".

Brusan's flexibility enables endless possibilities in terms of the quick and easy creation textures, three-dimensional shapes and special effects,

UK - Star Events Group Ltd (SEGL) has added significantly to its portfolio with the acquisition of The Rigging Partnership which provides custom-made solutions for the concert touring, theatre, exhibition and television industries. Its blend of off-the-shelf technology and innovative thinking means that it has the likes of the Harry Potter films, Take That's comeback tour and a variety of West End shows on its list of credits.

The staff is retained in its entirety and current managing director Gavin Weatherall continues to run the company, which will now trade as a specialist subdivision of Star Rigging focusing on theatre and trade show/corporate work. He will also take up a place on the board of SEGL as a director and shareholder.

"The inclusion of The Rigging Partnership's team of highly trained technicians undoubtedly gives us the finest collection of event rigging an

UK - Among the many companies honoured at this year's Total Production Awards ceremony was the Birmingham based Total Solutions Group. "We were absolutely delighted and proud to receive the award for 'Favourite Stage Set Company'," said managing director Chris Cronin. "It's a tremendous 'thank you' to our dedicated and hard working team who are always prepared to take on the next unusual challenge that this industry constantly issues."

Hosted by Suggs, of Madness fame, a record 1,200 people from the live entertainment industry attended the ceremony. "It's a great honour to be recognised as an industry leader by your own peers," said a clearly delighted Cronin.

Over the year, Total Solutions provided staging for Kylie, Il Divo and George Michael along with a host of other top artists. The Company specialise in blank paper design challenges such as

UK - Lifting and rigging sales specialist Lift-Turn-Move (LTM) will show a range of their standard products at ProLight&Sound, Frankfurt. LTM will also highlight its latest training initiatives, an element that key individuals in the company have pioneered and actively promoted in the industry for the last 12 years.

LTM offers an extensive range of lifting and rigging equipment including the Lodestar and Prostar electric chain hoists which will be promoted at the show. Also on show will be the compact CM Prostar hoists, with increased capacities and speeds. This higher speed version will lift at 6 or 10 m/min (increased from the industry standard 4m/min). A small, lightweight 250kg at 4m/min version is also available.

LTM started manufacturing hoist controllers a year ago and has constructed systems for both direct control and low voltage controlled hoists. The past twelve mon

UK - Kinesys automation and control systems have been specified for several recent high profile concert tours including The Killers, The Feeling, Muse, Nelly Furtado and Keane. The Kinesys system is being increasingly chosen by lighting designers to add a new visual dimension to their creative canvas, says the company.

A 14-way Kinesys system - along with all rigging and crew - was supplied by Summit Steel for the UK section of The Killers tour. This was a sub-hire to lighting rental contractors Siyan. Lighting designer Steve Douglas' upstage truss featured four contemporary chandeliers - consisting of steel wire rope drops of lights - rigged onto a truss flown on two Kinesys motors. This was brought in and out at the appropriate moments.

Downstage were three box shaped lighting pods, each suspended on four Kinesys motors - all half tonne CM Lodestar JJs running at up to 21-me

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