Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

These elements are a vital component of Patrick Doherty's set design. They help set the mood for the UK's perennially popular series - now in its tenth season - which is broadcast live each week during BBC1's Saturday evening prime time, complete with a studio audience of 600.

For this series, around the bottom half of the set (below the balcony) the individual Pea Lights have been fastened in neat rows so they all line up. More, installed in the same way, are also used to line presenter Tess Daly's interview area on the balco

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14 March 2016

Five years have gone by since Noxx Antwerp first opened its doors to the public in September 2007, five years making history, making of Noxx one of the biggest clubs in Belgium, Europe even. Noxx is also a stylish venue which can accommodate up to 2500 clubbers in five different areas.

The management recently decided to renew the design of the Main Room with a spectacular 3D mapping projection driven by an ArKaos Stage media server. They also switched to another ArKaos Stage server for displaying visuals on the LED Web that covers the entire ceiling.

When entering the redesigned Main Room, your eyes will almost immediately point to the massive 3D sculpture, which forms the body for the revolutionary 3D mapping projection, unique in

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14 March 2016

The new edition of the Source Book is published not only in the usual German/French/English version, but also in an English/Spanish/Portuguese language version.

Featured new products include the Batten Clew, an ingenious alternative to expensive point hoist systems and the G-TWIST, for quick and easy ceiling mounting of the classic TRUMPF95 track system. These and many other news can be found in the new Source Book (2)

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The US crowd barricade specialists provided its largest single rental to date with the length of barriers supplied totalling over the height of eight Statues of Liberties. Its team designed and installed a bespoke configuration to keep the 100,000 festival goers safe as they enjoyed acts including headliners JAY Z and Pearl Jam.

Barriers were provided across all four stages and other sensitive areas throughout the festival site which was located in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a busy downtown location. The main stage was located in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

J.B Dolphin, Mojo Barriers US president, says, "We extended our crowd control barriers from the main stage across the street and into

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14 March 2016

The two day event - the fourth that Milos has undertaken in China - was modelled on the workshops that Milos regularly runs in Europe.

It was open for any interested parties to apply for places, and was attended by a wide selection of entertainment industry professionals including riggers, project supervisors, rental companies and designers.

The workshop illustrated "the high quality of Milos' trussing, roofing and staging products and emphasised the benefits of using the best products and always following safe working practices".

The Workshop was led by MILOS China's Chief Engineer Marek

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14 March 2016

Following on from the success of the first PLASA Riggers' Forum, held in London earlier this year, this new event is an opportunity for members of the rigging community in the North of England to share their views and experiences and to have their questions answered by a range of industry experts, including members of the National Rigging Advisory Committee.

The three-hour forum will begin at 2pm with a presentation about rigging competence, entitled 'The Dunning Kruger Effect -The Dangers of Unconscious Incompetence'. The presentation will be followed by an hour of chaired question time,

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14 March 2016

With action-packed performances from some of the UK's biggest names including Girls Aloud, Little Mix, One Direction and many more, Le Mark's self-adhesive studio floor once again stood up to the demanding non-stop requirements of a live show, says the company.

Le Mark's Leanne Baker commented, "It's amazing how much our Studiotak flooring can withstand when applied in situations just like the Children in Need event. Even after a considerable amount of dancing and performing over 7 hours the floor still looked impressive at the end. An incredible achievement from a floor less than 0.2mm thick. Even if the set designers used additional layers this is still a very impressive outcome. Studiotak is an excellent

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14 March 2016

Brilliant has worked on several stages for Muse including the highly successful 2009 Resistance tour and subsequent 2010 stadium tour, and the band's inspirational stage design for their Reading and Leeds anniversary shows in 2011.

Oli Metcalfe's design for the Second Law tour incorporates a semi-circular stage with a straight leading edge, from which projects a full width fore-stage and thrust, and which is inset with circular polycarbonate panels housing lighting effects. Tech bunkers flank each side and a curved runway circumnavigates the upstage edge. LED panels and moving heads feature heavily in the Brilliant Stages' design which

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14 March 2016

The Ventura, CA based CM distributor is now fully stocked with parts for both classic and new style Lodestars as well as the smaller Prostar unit. Parts that are carried on the shelf are available for immediate shipment from CA, with any non-stocked items available for dispatch directly from CM's own factory in VA. The parts now compliment Total Structures' existing large stock of Lodestar & Prostar hoists that are custom prepared for their customer's requirements at the Ventura facility.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

While the LTM office will still deal with a number of its UK customer portfolio such as stage engineering companies and professional rigging companies, top tier professional distribution companies like White Light, with its established distribution network, will ensure that the products get to end users helping LTM to keep up with the increasing demand that they have been experiencing of late, says the company.

Dan Holme, director of the LTM Entertainment Division comments, "The LTM Entertainment Division has enjoyed continued growth this year with the Lo

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14 March 2016

The venue - which provides theatre, art and music, and kids' entertainment in affluent Radlett - upgraded to Triple E's Unitrack following seven years of using outdated standard theatre tracks.

"The tracks we were using were bolted together with small nuts and bolts making them time consuming to change and move, the bobbins tended to get jammed in the joints and the whole thing was pretty unreliable," says the Radlett Centre's Myles Robinson. "I instantly saw the benefits of the Triple E track design: quick to assemble and dismantle, quick to move the entire track using G clamps to rig it rather than fixed bolts as with our old track; the joints are less of an issue due to the sturdy

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14 March 2016

Having automated the shows in London's West End and on tour, Stage Technologies has designed rental automation systems that allow both productions to repeat the magic for Australian audiences.

Before landing in Oz, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ran at the London Palladium from April 2002 to September 2005, and was followed by tours in the UK and internationally. Stage Technologies designed a sophisticated automation and control system to cover everything from simple scenery moves an

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14 March 2016

With a range of 183 colours, the new Vario Color line creates a whole new spectrum of possibilities for performance, touring, exhibiting, and other applications in which a hard-wearing, portable floor is required, says the company. Vario Color is available in matte and glossy finish and was among various new products Gerriets exhibited at LDI 2012 in October.

Vario Sparkle is an eye-catching new event flooring that has glitter embedded in the surface. Sparkle is available in six variations: white with silver or gold glitter; black with silver or gold glitter

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14 March 2016

The 30-year old stage was completely replaced, over 500 light-fittings were upgraded to LED, the orchestra pit was refurbished, and the entrance foyer was remodelled with a new box office, cloakroom, digital signage and new heat-efficient front doors.

Grant-making trusts and foundations contributed over two-thirds of the funds raised with significant generous donations from the Monument Trust (part of the Sainsbury Family Trusts), the Wolfson Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Foyle Foundation and The JP Getty Jr Charitable Trust. Twenty-one further local trusts were also supportive.

Funds were also raised from the corporate sector, including donations at events and dinners, totallin

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14 March 2016

E1.35 describes a method for measuring and stating the sharpness of the image projected by a stage and studio luminaire. It's meant to be a simple way to distinguish quantitatively between luminaires as to the crispness of their projected images.

For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's Technical Standards Manager, at karl.ruling@plasa.org

(Claire Beeson)

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14 March 2016

BSR E1.6-2 - 201x, Entertainment Technology - Design, Inspection, and Maintenance of Electric Chain Hoists for the Entertainment Industry, is part of the E1.6 powered entertainment rigging project. This draft standard covers the design, inspection, and maintenance of serially manufactured electric link chain hoists having capacity of 2 tons or less and used in the entertainment industry. This standard does not cover attachment to the load or to the overhead structure.

BSR E1.6-4 - 201x, Portable Control of Fixed-Speed Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry, is a standard for the controls ofte

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14 March 2016

The fan rally, which ran from 10am to 5pm the day before the main game, attracted an estimated 10,000 fans and saw cheerleading performances by both teams as well as the cheerleaders of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will be playing 'home' games at Wembley from 2013-16. Other entertainment

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14 March 2016

Following record attendance in 2012, the premier entertainment technology trade show in the North has attracted even more companies that are keen to access the 50% of visitors who do not attend any other trade show during the year.

Mark Priestley, project manager at Unusual Rigging explains the rationale behind their decision to book for the first time: "Although a committed supporter of PLASA, 2013 will see Unusual Rigging making its exhibitor debut at PLASA Focus. We have completed a lot of projects in the north of England and Scotland but we believe we will be able to introduce our range of services to new customers at Leeds. When we visited the show last yea

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14 March 2016

Sales director Linda Gibbons said, "It was a huge surprise and such an amazing achievement to win three individual awards. The Le Mark team have worked so hard this year with some amazing achievements, from supplying the 2012 London games with our portable flooring to amazing second-year results with our new Dirty Rigger range of tool pouches and rigger gloves. I'm incredibly proud and grateful to all of them."

Managing director Stuart Gibbons also commented, "What a way to mark 30 years in business - playing a vital role in the Olympics opening ceremony, gaining new distribution deals throughout the year and across the globe for our MagTape professional gaffer tapes & Dirty Rigger ra

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14 March 2016

Wearing elf ears and wizard hats, an estimated 100,000 fans waited patiently to greet their favourite stars including Cate Blanchett and Elijah Woods, who have both reprised their roles from Lord of the Rings.

Mojo Barriers worked with clients director Sir Peter Jackson's production company, 3 Foot 7 and Wellington City Council to install over 600m of barrier along the entire length of the red carpet which lined the city streets.

The barriers allowed fans to view and talk to the celebrities in complete safety as they made their way to the Embassy Theatre where the premiere took place. The carefully-designed configuration featured access gates to allow cast and crew cross over locations and

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14 March 2016

Ahead of their shows in Manchester, production manager Tony Gittins wanted the crew to be up to speed with the latest health and safety considerations whilst working on a live event.

He booked all the crew onto the one-day course at the Academy, which is based at the LS-Live rehearsal studios in South Kirkby, West Yorkshire.

He said, "For the larger tours I do, I always send all the crew to do their Event Safety Passport because it raises their awareness of health and safety when they are working around the set.

"When we booked the production rehearsals for The Stone Roses at LS-Live, I was pleased to learn that the facility no

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14 March 2016

Producing a range of shows, awards ceremonies and events, the 120 seat theatre is a fully equipped space with a flexible format, used by students on the Performing Arts and Technical Theatre courses.

Based only a few miles away, AWC contacted ACSP when looking for a wheelchair-friendly, flexible and safe method for their students to work on rigging technical production equipment at ground level.

The project was led for ACSP by project manager, Lance Bromhead, who worked closely with AWC's theatre technician, Jake Edmonds to provide a cost e

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14 March 2016

Gaffney joins Arena bringing with him more than 20 years specialist experience in the temporary seating installation and engineering industry with project responsibilities including The Open Golf Championship and Cheltenham Guinness stand. Qualified as a Chartered Structural Engineer, Gaffney was managing director and owner of Seating Contracts for 11 years, which then became a part of SGB Eventlink.

Brought in to help develop and manage the significant growth Arena Seating is experiencing following a £6m investment into 50,000 state of the art Clearview seats, he will be utilising his knowledge and understanding for the industry to implement and oversee a range of innovative solutions to new and existing clients.

Gaffney comments, "This year A

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14 March 2016

Based on Lawrence Kasdan's 1992 film and directed by Thea Sharrock, the show opened in London's Adelphi Theatre on 5 December 2012. In addition to the thriller storyline taken from the film, the show features dazzling musical scenes featuring songs from the Whitney Houston catalogue. Designer Tim Hatley references the show's cinematic roots with a "filmic" set in which scenes glide from one to the next through the use of a huge camera-like shutter.

Automation is present in every