UK - Art and artistry appear fundamental to a live performance by Bon Iver. For lighting designer Michael Brown this is reflected in the reliance on white light, shade and contrast. With that in mind, when the band asked production manager James Dean to prospect for an IMAG system, he sought more than just good technology. “Although it’s not the first time we’ve used video for the live show (we have had video walls for content before now) it is the first time we’ve thought about using a full camera package for IMAG. We knew we would be playing bigger rooms and we wanted the audience to have the best experience possible. One of the great things Video Design offered that many others didn’t was a range of robotic cameras. Not having camera operators intruding on stage is important to the band and their stage performance.” Dean took a four camera PPU from Video
USA - Opened in 1892, Ryman Auditorium in Nashville is best known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast between 1943 and 1974. Its age and cultural significance led to its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In partnership with Opry Entertainment Group, JBL, and Yamaha, AV integration company Clair Solutions recently completed a significant overhaul of the Ryman’s sound reinforcement system, which required a lot of upfront due diligence and testing, sensitivity to the venue’s historic interior, and a deft installation to work around the Ryman’s packed calendar. “We installed the Ryman’s previous sound reinforcement system over a dozen years ago,” says Dan Heins, regional vice president at Clair Solutions. “It was a first-generation JBL VerTec system that served them well, but loudspeaker, amplifier, and DSP technolog
Germany - The International Automobile Exhibition (IAA), which took place in Hannover on 20-27 September, is the one of the world's most important trade fairs for mobility, transport and logistics. This year saw two of the show’s biggest names - DAF Trucks and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles - rely on Absen’s Polaris products to ensure that their respective booths packed a visual punch. DAF used its stand to showcase 90 years of vehicular innovation. This was illustrated by the classic DAF A1600 from 1967 through to the future DAF CF Electric Innovation, while a prominent position was taken by DAF’s latest LF, CF and XF ranges. The stand was based around the theme, ‘Proud of our Heritage, Leading Today, Ready for the Future’. Providing the striking 30m x 4m video wall for the 2,500 sqm DAF stand was Netherlands-based rental and sales company, Bazelmans AV, whi
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has provided a range of video solutions, including an additional Hippotizer V4+ Media Server to Illuminate Lighting, to expand their rental stock offering. Illuminate Lighting was founded by entrepreneur Jonathan Pask to provide lighting control systems exclusively to rental houses. Since then, he has expanded their offering to include video control systems. Jonathan has deliberately kept the focus on these systems and credits that to the business’s strong growth. He commented: “I think what makes us successful is that we offer a concise range of services. Rather than offering everything, we strive to excel at what we do offer. “Green Hippo Media Servers are our preferred choice because of their power, reliability and ease of use. They are the perfect tool for our diverse range of clients.” Alongside th
Canada - RealMotion, the new technology venture stemming from award-winning experiential design firm Float4, has announced the market introduction of the next generation of its transformative RealMotion content generation and editing platform which now supports full integration with Notch software. According to director of RealMotion Geoffrey Platt, the second generation updates stem from user requests and research, and they underscore the company’s commitment to make the RealMotion platform the most powerful, flexible and creative content generation and delivery system available for entertainment purposes today. “We listen to our users,” Platt emphasized, “and we want to evolve RealMotion into a platform that optimizes workflows in the way that creative professionals work in entertainment today. By adding full integration support for Notch, we are directly ad
Christie has announced the launch of the Christie Mirage SST, a high-performance RGB laser projection solution featuring Christie TruLife electronics. Featuring an ultra-compact, fibre-coupled projection head, the Mirage SST is suitable for complex, demanding applications including theme park attractions, dome theatres and planetariums. Weighting just 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and with its small form factor, the Mirage SST projection head enables installation where space constraints have previously been a barrier. The remote light source allows the chilling equipment to be placed away from the projector head, saving space and ensuring a whisper-quiet experience for audiences. With TruLife electronics, the Mirage SST delivers 4K resolution at 120fps, or, with an optional license, 480fps at 2K resolution. High frame rates remove blurring and strobing effects in fast-moving imag
Ukraine - Kiev-based visualisation specialist LC product has adopted a new trading name - L8 LLC - following ownership changes at the organisation. The company is now fully owned by the development team, with Dmitriy Giventar, the product developer, acting as a founding director. Existing Lightconverse users will continue to receive direct support from L8, which will exclusively develop, support and sell LC product. The company says in a statement: “We have made this significant step in LC’s development to improve our support and supply the most technologically advanced product in visualisation world. We will continue to provide our customers and dealers with support and sales worldwide from our new offices.” Lightconverse (LC) integrates and visualizes multiple show-related disciplines including lighting, video, laser, pyrotechnics, and moving object.
USA - Known locally as The Rock, M.M. Roberts Stadium is home to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Golden Eagles football team. It originally opened in 1932 with 4,000 seats and has since expanded to hold 36,000-plus Southern Miss fans. Its most recent expansion happened a decade ago, and although the expanded infrastructure and seating is in great shape, the sound reinforcement system that went in didn’t fare as well. After an overhaul installed by AV integration firm Sound & Communications, of Flowood, Mississippi, M.M. Roberts Stadium now commands a full Danley Sound Labs loudspeaker, subwoofer, and amplifier/DSP system. “The old system didn’t stand up to the elements, and pieces of the speaker cabinets and components were failing,” explained Jeff Crowe, director of operations with Sound & Communications. “The coverage was going, the high end wa
The Netherlands - Christie Digital’s latest HS Series projectors are currently in use at the GLOW Eindhoven international light art festival in Eindhoven. A total of 12 Christie D20WU-HS projectors, provided by Christie partner Sahara Benelux, are utilised in a video mapping installation on the face of the 19th century Catharinakerk, a neo-gothic Roman Catholic church located in the centre of Eindhoven. “We’re delighted that Sahara Benelux has chosen to invest in our latest HS Series models, and it’s rewarding to see them already being used in high profile global events like GLOW Eindhoven,” says Miles Donovan, senior channel development manager, enterprise, EMEA, Christie. “The HS Series is an excellent choice for a wide range of applications, delivering high brightness and vibrant colours in a lightweight and compact form factor. It’s our pleasure to p
UK - Production Services Ireland (PSI) capped a busy Halloween period by supplying technical infrastructure and support for Belfast City Council's Halloween Monster Mash and Samhain Live Halloween TV special, which was filmed in Derry/Londonderry. PSI specialises in lighting, rigging, audio and video - for sale and hire. In the build-up to Halloween, the company also supplied riggers for the visiting U2 and ELO productions at Belfast’s SSE Arena, and full technical production for Harlem Gospel Choir at the Ulster Hall and a major public event in Lisburn. Monster Mash afforded PSI an opportunity to deploy its Adamson PA inventory, which the company acquired in April when it became a certified reseller and rental partner. It also supplied lighting, video, rigging and staging for the themed event that welcomed thousands of people to the Titanic Slipways. Sound re
USA - As part of the LA-based Legends Football League, the Nashville Knights are a 7-on-7, tackle football team that incorporated into the league in 2018. Playing their inaugural season in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, the Knights wanted to offer an in-game experience that would create a lasting connection with their fans. Needing to supplement the production gear inside the multi-purpose event venue, the Knights worked with Elite Multimedia Productions who oversaw a complete game-day audio, video and lighting design. “We try to design our in-game experience to be similar to what they do in the NFL to heighten the experience for our fans and provide a deeper connection to the action on the field,” says Candice Leisengang, operations manager. “When we started looking for production companies, we really needed someone who had the ability to do live audio, ca
UK - The UK entertainment technology industry is valued at £1.28bn in 2017/18 and its value is predicted to grow over the next five years, according to a new research report by PLASA. The study - said by PLASA to be 'the most comprehensive study of the entire entertainment technology industry in many years' - is available to download from plasa.org. It delves into each market sector’s performance and also looks at the effects of macro-environment trends and employment. According to the findings, all sectors have experienced growth, particularly AV and audio, which represent 38% and 27% of the market share respectively. AV is currently valued at £490m and has an increasing presence in many sectors including architectural and retail. Audio is valued at £340m due to its
The Netherlands - ROE Visual has appointed Emmanuel Pezant to the role of technical sales support. An experienced LED technician, Pezant has worked as a video technician for over 15 years. Pezant has worked as LED and video technician for notable partners in the French market. “Combining his practical skills with a commercial flair, Pezant will support our French speaking clientele in both their commercial needs as well as the occasional technical support. We are very pleased to have him joining our team,” states Auke Meijer, operations & sales director for ROE Visual Europe. (Jim Evans)
UK - Celebrating the world of entertainment, the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards recognises some of the UK’s unsung heroes alongside stars of music, sport and screen. The live event, held at the SSE Wembley Arena, fronted by Greg James, Mollie King and Maya Jama, featured a host of acts including Little Mix, 5 Seconds of Summer and Sigrid. Working alongside gaffer Richard Gorrod and PRG, LED Creative assisted in building the vast ‘neon’ archways and circular truss system that spanned the areas above both the stage and the audience. The installation allowed the team to create a truly immersive viewer experience that extended beyond the main performance stage to fill the entire venue with a spectacular array of shape and movement. LED Creative also provided a range of proprietary products, including the company’s Pulse Wands and Sigma Fairground fixtures paired with BYT
South Africa - Cape Town’s first Green Hippo Amba+ was put through its paces at the Shoprite Super Service Awards held in at the ExecuJet Hangar at Cape Town International Airport, with one third of the 2400sq.m space used for a jet plane parked inside. Solid Group were appointed by Venturescapes Events to supply the full technical at the awards, attended by 600 guests. They took ownership of the Hippotizer Amba+ a few days before the event. “We initially came up to visit DWR Distribution purely to attend the L-Acoustics Kiva demo with Richard Smith,” Alex van Dyk, owner of the Solid Group, explains. “Luckily we set aside enough time so that we could go through all the toys. Dylan Jones spent time with us on the Green Hippo, and we completely fell in love with it. Even having the baby Amba+, it’s incredible how powerful such a small unit can be, and this is t
Europe - Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular (read report in LSi November) is a $20m production based on the award-winning TV programme of the same name. The show benefits from major improvements to animatronics, which have enabled the life-like dinosaurs to 'eat' and 'breathe' - and live arena experience has already been seen by over nine million people in more than 250 cities globally. Experience and expert technical knowledge has been essential in executing the brief, and South Wales-based Sonalyst was called upon to deliver. The audio, lighting, BlackTrax system and comms for the production were all provided by Sonalyst. Project manager George Pakenham explains: “Being a
Columbia - DirectOut has expanded its worldwide business network with the appointment of VCR as its sole distributor for the Colombia market. Based in Bogota, VCR will handle distribution of the full DirectOut product portfolio and provide technical and sales support. Hernan Suescun, VCR’s CEO comments: “As a company, we aim to offer our clients the most advanced technologies available to the AV world, especially now that new IP technologies are rapidly developing. DirectOut has the best solutions in terms of audio networking, routing and conversion along with a well-known quality and reliability.” Lorenzo Sassi, business developer at DirectOut, adds: “A few months after we met with VCR for the first time it was quite clear to us that both companies had a common interest in developing their business together. VCR not only has skills and a deep knowledge o
Argentina/USA - Over $10m worth of equipment has been seized from a black market organisation in Buenos Aires following a two-year undercover operation. The equipment was retrieved on 13 September in a joint operation between Argentinian police forces, the NYPD major crimes squad, the FBI and the US embassy. The authorities said 10 raids had been carried out, with the kit believed to have been stolen from the USA and rented out to film and TV production companies on the black market in Argentina. ESTA’s Production Equipment Rental Group (PERG) worked closely with the police to coordinate the identification of the recovered items via its searchable online database for missing equipment, Rental Guard. Martin Pastor, NYPD major case squad detective, comments: “We have recovered over $10m in stolen equipment thanks to Rental Guard. I urge anyone who suffers a th
World - L-Acoustics has released a plugin to enable interoperability between its P1 processor and QSC’s Q-SYS designer software. The integration will enable users to control and monitor L-Acoustics’ P1 through Q-SYS. Jeff Rocha, director of product management for L-Acoustics, comments: “Following the successful introduction of a Q-SYS plugin for LA4X and LA12X in June, accompanying the P1 release with a complementary plugin seemed essential.” The L-Acoustics P1 plugin for the Q-SYS platform as well as the LA4X and LA12X Q-SYS plugins are available from the L-Acoustics website. (Jim Evans)
UK - Festival Elrow Town took over London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park this summer, bringing eccentricity and an expanded two-day schedule of dance and DJ line-up to match the hot temperatures. CPL was asked to provide “an eye-popping large format projection system” for the main and second stages. Mike Radford led the CPL team after they were asked onboard by technical services provider Production Hire from Brackley. Giant inflatables, mad puppets, massive confetti blasts and lots of fun-filled mayhem abounded and immersed Elrow’s ever-ebullient fanbase in a megamix of fun, fantasy and sheer visual extravagance. While CPL’s roots lie in the rave and party scene, the company has grown into one of the UK’s fastest expanding full technical production specialists, working across all sectors and more recently building a great reputation in the ‘
UK - Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and LED screens for the Wave Goodbye concert by UK synth pop duo Soft Cell, who reunited after 17 years for one final show at London’s O2 Arena. Award-winning lighting designer Rob Sinclair helped build the ambience and vibes for this sold-out pop music moment for the band who’ve occupied some hypnotically catchy and viscerally emotional space in the slightly darker echelons of 1980s synth pop. Once he was confirmed on the creative team along with set designer Ric Lipson from Stufish, Rob started imagining the lighting. It was also being streamed live to cinemas around the UK and Ireland and recorded for a live CD and DVD/Blu-ray release in 2019. Both Rob and production manager Kamal Ackerie agreed early on that they wanted Colour Sound to be involved in the event, “We needed a London company that
Canada - Solotech has appointed Marie-Josée Primeau as business development director. In her new role, Primeau will work closely with the management of the sales and integration division to identify and develop new business opportunities. She has held multiple roles in sales over the last 25 years in companies such as Canon Canada and telecoms firm Telus. She also pursed her career for a few years with the Canadian Business Council in the United Arab Emirates and recently worked at Cognibox International Sales. (Jim Evans)
South Africa - Cape Town-based Audio Engineering took delivery of their new Absen LED Screens just in time for the Lamborghini Urus launch, followed by the launch of the new Porsche Studio situated at the Cape Town Waterfront. “We didn’t even have a moment to unbox the panels at our offices,” says Marcel Bezuidenhout, owner of Audio Engineering. The Absen gear, comprising of 84 panels, four senders, two scalers and flying gear, went straight to the Lamborghini dealership in Century City, where DWR Distribution’s Bruce Riley and Bradley Bruchhausen were on site to help set it up for the first time. DWR are the distributors of Absen in South Africa. “Once the Absen was up, everyone was over the moon,” adds Bezuidenhout. The positive feedback continued at Audio Engineering’s next event, the launch of Porsche’s new home at the V&A Waterfront, and a coup
USA - The winners of the inaugural Knight of Illumination Awards USA (KOI-USA) have been revealed. An independent jury picked 18 lighting and video designers who were ‘knighted’ for their creative talent across Theatre, Live for Broadcast, and Concert Touring & Events at a gala ceremony attended by 300 professionals in Las Vegas on 20 October. The winners are as follows: Theatre The DTS Award for Projection Design: Finn Ross & Adam Young for Mean Girls The ETC Award for Dance: Al Crawford for Victoria The Altman Award for Plays: Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer for The Iceman Cometh The Elation Professional Award for Opera: Joe Levasseur for Cellular Songs The Robe Lighting Award for Musicals: Tyler Micoleau for The Band's Visit Live for Broadcast The Phil
