Belgium - When Martin Schulz was re-elected President of the European Parliament and Jean-Claude Junker for the EP commission, DB Video was tasked with illuminating the seat of the European Parliament in Brussels, indoors for the Hemicycle, Passerelle, Agora set and Forum set as well as outdoor for the main entrance & Protocol entrance at rue Wiertz.

Lighting designer Thomas Boets was in charge of the light setting of this event, creating atmosphere in the several venues which also targeted the live broadcast for international television.

For the outdoor illumination Boets deployed SGM's P-5 wash light: four matrixes of each 16 x P-5 on scaffold towers and 24 luminaires to uplight the flags of the member states. In a different section, another 64 x P-5s washed the trees and some

USA - Originally an internationally best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time made its stage debut in London at the National Theatre and has since made its way to the streets of Broadway. The production, called one of the most fully immersive works to ever hit Broadway, relies heavily on pixel mapping technology and uses an ETC Eos Titanium (Eos Ti) lighting system.

The show follows the story of Christopher, a 15 year old boy with an unnamed form of autism, who attempts to solve the unexpected murder of a neighbour's pet poodle. Lighting designer Paule Constable faced a challenge: interpreting Christopher's subjective sensory experiences into something audience members can experience. "I imagined how Christopher would have made the show," says Constable. To bring Christopher's acutely attuned reality to life on stage, the show's creat

UAE - At this week's CABSAT 2015 in Dubai, Sennheiser Middle East confirmed a new partnership with Rycote, the award winning U.K. manufacturer of microphone windshields and suspension systems. While the agreement makes Sennheiser the exclusive Middle East distributor for Rycote's entire range of microphone and camera accessories, the company's main focus will be on promoting the recently launched Rycote Cyclone Windshield System.

Sennheiser is ideally suited to this role having been the distributor for Rycote in the UK for a number of years. "We are looking to extend our partnership to include the Middle East where the combination of our market leading microphones with Rycote's innovative protection accessories will help address many of the challenges that field production teams face," ," said Mig Cardamone, director of sales and marketing at Sennheiser Middle Eas

UK - The nominees for the Olivier Awards 2015 were announced this week by James McAvoy and Lesley Manville at Rosewood London. Technical nominations include:

White Light Award for Best Lighting Design - Jon Clark for King Charles III at Almeida theatre and Wyndham's theatre; Paule Constable and David Plater for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at Aldwych theatre; Howard Harrison for City of Angels at Donmar Warehouse; Jan Versweyveld for A View from the Bridge at Young Vic and Wyndham's theatre.

Best Sound Design - Tom Gibbons for A View from the Bridge at Young Vic and Wyndham's theatre; Matt McKenzie for Sunny Afternoon at Hampstead theatre and Harold Pinter theatre; Gareth Owen for Memphis The Musical at Shaftesbury theatre; Brian Ronan for Beautiful - The Carole King Musical at Aldwych theatre.

Eurovision Electro-Swing - Britain's entrant at this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be Electro Velvet, the BBC has announced. Consisting of Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas, the newly formed pop duo will perform Still in Love With You in Vienna on 23 May to an estimated global audience of more than 180m viewers, in what will be the 60th Eurovision.

Larke is currently lead singer of tribute act The Rollin' Clones. Nicholas appeared in the 1999 Johnny Depp adventure Sleepy Hollow before, at 15, deciding upon a career in music. She has since duetted with Will Young, performed for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and performed her debut solo single at the turning on of the 2011 Regent Street Christmas lights.

Described by the BBC as "an up-tempo electro-swing" track, Still in Love With You was chosen from hundreds of entries received by the BBC after

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

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USA - Martin Professional has appointed Brad Schiller as Business Development Manager of Rental & Touring for the United States. Schiller will be based in Austin, Texas and will report to Grif Palmer, Senior Manager of Rental & Touring - Lighting.

"Brad brings an extensive knowledge of the lighting industry and strong relationships that will be a valuable asset across the touring, TV, theatre and event markets," said Palmer. "Having worked with Brad in the past, I am confident his skills will not only strengthen our existing relationships but also help further develop our network of lighting influencers in the US."

Schiller's primary duties will focus on developing and strengthening relationships with designers and rental associates in the US. In addition, his background with product development will be utilized to support Martin's existing and emerging ran

Serbia - Clay Paky Sharpys lit the Serbian launch of BMW's latest model in the X-series, the X6. Taking place at the prestigious Crowne Plaza Hotel in the capital's business district, the event was technically produced by award-winning rental operation Studio Berar, who supplied 16 of the super powerful fixtures for the light show.

Working alongside Belgrade-based marketing agency M2Communications and creative director Miro Antic, Studio Berar was commissioned by Serbian BMW dealer Delta Motors to create a highly sophisticated and visually stunning environment for the guests. Lighting designer Marko Malesevic positioned the Sharpys on the floor to create a runway, where contemporary dancers performed and the car appeared through a smoky, coloured haze.

"Marko used the powerful beams of the Sharpys to pierce through the smoke and cross over to create 'X's, signifying the X

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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

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Germany - Fibre network solution specialists, Optocore, has increased the warranty cover on all devices - including those of sister company BroaMan - from three to five years.

Director, Tine Helmle comments: "Over recent years we have noticed a steadily diminishing number of returns. The proven reliability of our products has therefore given us the confidence to take this step - which will provide great reassurance for our customers.

"By extending the warranty period to five years, we're taking our mission statement - as being the pioneer in fibre network technology, and best provider of high quality fibre broadcast equipment - to an even higher level."

She believes that the reduction of returned products is the result of the enhanced quality control implemented by the company. "Since the very beginning we have set out to manufacture the highest quality d

Germany - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has announced the appointment of Detlef Eobaldt in the new role of regional sales representative for Germany - with immediate effect.

Detlef has more than 25 years of lighting experience working in various sales and managerial roles, including establishing himself as a leading industry expert in LED solutions over the past 15 years.

After spending seven years working in various product development, production, marketing and international sales roles for LED companies in the Netherlands and Germany, Detlef set up his own LED consultancy business in 2008 to utilise his extensive experience and global network of manufacturers to specify tailor-made solutions for client applications.

This previous experience makes him well placed to provide the highest level of local sales and support for the many exclusive and key technology br

USA - The recently opened Adoro Lei is a sophisticated lounge, restaurant, and pizzeria in the SoHo neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. NYC foodies will recognize its veteran owners and chef, who have gone to great lengths to give Adoro Lei - which means "I adore her" in Italian - a killer combination of irresistible food and a hip, but comfortable, vibe that will have customers bursting to tell friends how great the place is.

To that end, they imported a wood-fired pizza stove from Italy and hired New Jersey-based Essential Communications to design and install a music playback system that would avoid the indistinct mutterings typical of the average restaurant and replace them with solid, articulated sound that will set bodies in motion. Essential to Essential Communications' design are Ashly's new nX-8004 four-channel 800W amplifier and the four-channel nX

USA - Bandit Lites' family continues to grow with the recent hire of Brad Hylton as warehouse manager and the promotion of longtime Bandit employee Giff Swart to general manager.

Brad Hylton has been immersed in the world of lighting for years, having studied lighting at school before working at Dollywood. He then joined Bandit Lites and toured with LeAnn Rimes, Reba McEntire and Brian Wilson before working as a lighting tech for Carnival Cruise Lines, Dollywood and as an LD in Las Vegas. His new position as the warehouse manager will include daily operations, BanditBuys.com orders, assisting with sales and show prep in addition to inventory and shipments.

"Ever since I learned of Bandit Lites in the late '90s, I've wanted to work here," said Hylton. "I had the opportunity to work for Bandit early in my career and I learned so much, so I am excited to have this

Germany - Martin Professional will be exhibiting in Hall 9, stand A93 at Prolight+Sound 2015, taking place 15-18 April at Messe, Frankfurt.

On display and available for in-person demonstrations will be a comprehensive offering of classic Martin lighting fixtures like the MAC Quantum Profile as well as new ones like the Martin M-Touch controller and VDO Fenix creative lighting solutions. Several new additions to the RUSH line and the winner of Martin's annual Young Lighting Designer contest and will also be announced on the stand.

Martin is bringing a busload of new products to the show. PL+S 2015 will be the first opportunity for attendees to see a handful of brand new club-oriented RUSH products, as well as established Martin products.

Additionally, Martin will unveil the winner of its annual Young Lighting Designer Contest at PL+S 2015. The contest runs through the month o

UK - Award winning theatre designer Lucy Osborne and lighting designer Emma Chapman of Studio Three Sixty, will join James Grieve, joint artistic director of Paines Plough, and Gavin Green of Charcoalblue theatre consultancy at the UK Theatre's Touring Symposium 2015 to discuss Paines Plough's award winning, pop-up Roundabout Theatre.

Commissioned by Paines Plough's artistic directors James Grieve and George Perrin, Roundabout is an intimate, dynamic and socially democratic space. Conceived as a portable venue, Roundabout enables the forward-looking theatre company to take their own brand of production anywhere they want and maintain their own strong production values without a large technical staff.

Designed and delivered by a collective headed up by Osborne and Chapman alongside special effects and lighting designer Howard Eaton, the technical and space planning consultation

South Africa - Second year students from the Department of Performing Arts Technology at The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) visited DWR Distribution for an introduction to product training on 14 February 2015.

With a revamped syllabus, developed by Hardus Koekemoer (lighting lecturer at Department of Entertainment) and Wandile Mogodo (technical manager at the Breytenbach Theatre, the TUT training venue) this was the first time the 36 students were taken on a field trip, particularly to a lighting supplier to see the latest technology available.

"It's a matter of getting the students switched on," commented Hardus. Many students sign up for the three year diploma not fully aware of what the course entails. Some have never seen a live show before; others still have never stepped inside a theatre.

"That said, our retention rate is 99%, if not 100%,"

USA/Canada - With over a million albums sold, Canadian post-hardcore group Silverstein has defied expectations as well as easy categorizations. Moving seamlessly from reflective emo tunes to pop punk power chords, these young artists are bent on keeping their creative options open. This independent streak is enthusiastically shared by the band's LD Victor Zeiser.

Wanting to expand his creative direction as a lighting designer, Zeiser recently started his own rental company, Squeek Lights, and purchased his own gear so he could pursue his unique design vision. Included in this mix of fixtures are a collection of Rogue R1 Spot moving heads and COLORdash Batten-Quad 6 linear washes from Chauvet Professional.

Zeiser is using both of these Chauvet Professional LED products to stunning effect on Silverstein's current Discovering the Waterfront 10th Anniversary Tour. "After gett

USA - At SoundBox, the Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system plays a keystone element in the San Francisco Symphony's radical new strategy for attracting younger audiences to diverse live music. The brainchild of symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas, SoundBox has reshaped music discovery by removing the constraints of many typical classical music venues, including the acoustics.

"SoundBox is a new and experimental space for music of all kinds," Tilson Thomas explains. "Part of the experience of being in this space is to hear music of many different eras - from ninth century Gregorian chant to music composed today. Constellation from Meyer Sound provides the optimal acoustics for each genre and has helped us create a space where audience and musicians can explore a new kind of musical journey together."

SoundBox occupies Zellerbach A, a lofty, 7

South Africa - DWR Distribution has been appointed as the exclusive South Africa distributor for Quartzcolor and IFF.

"These products are truly standard setters within the television and film industry," said Dave Whitehouse of DWR Distribution. "The brands are synonymous with quality and will be a fantastic addition to our stable."

Quartzcolor was founded in 1954 and has since been a leading lighting brand with a strong reputation based on pioneering fproduct innovations that have now become common names and standards in the lighting industry such as Redhead, Blonde and Bambino.

IFF offers a comprehensive range of lighting suspensions, from simple telescopic posts to pantographs, self-climbing hoists and modular systems with a wide range of mounting brackets and accessories.

Massimo Cecchini, Cosmolight international sales director, commented, "We

UK - You Me At Six celebrated the conclusion of their 2014 Cavalier Youth" album campaign with a UK arena double-headliner with US pop punk band All Time Low, bringing an interesting fusion of genres and uniting thousands of enthusiastic young fans equally into both of them.

Lighting and visuals designer Louis Oliver from creative practice Okulus specified 18 x Robe BMFL Spots and 40 x Robe LEDWash 600s among other fixtures for this final leg of the tour which were supplied by lighting contractor Zig Zag Lighting from Leeds.

Zig Zag was the second rental company in the UK to commit to purchasing BMFLs, and the lights have been working hard ever since on a variety of shows.

The You Me At Six design evolved and was developed over the year according to the venues and the format of the shows, and for these final arena dates, there was a general up-scaling of the orig

USA - Florida Georgia Line have begun their Anything Goes 2015 world tour, in support of their latest album, with a large complement of Clay Paky lighting fixtures.

Lighting designer and programmer Scott Cunningham selected the equipment from the inventory of Morris Light & Sound in Nashville. He is deploying 40 new Clay Paky Mythos fixtures, 24 A.leda B-EYE K20s, 14 Sharpys and 24 Sharpy Washes in the lighting rig.

"I've been using Sharpys since I started to work with the band," says Cunningham. "They love a good bright, poppy show, and Sharpys really make themselves known in clubs and arenas. And they're a real workhorse."

Cunningham surrounds the stage with Sharpys, which act as floor lights to accent the sets; he also positions them on the thrust. "They fill out the space from ground to ceiling," he says.

The tour is his first carrying Sha

UK - Ahead of revised HSE guidelines for the new Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations that come into force on 6 April and will affect all event sites, an industry group has collaborated to create a new guidance document. Contributors include Serious Stages, StageCo, Star Events, Acorn Event Structures, Arena Group, Capita, Momentum, Symphotech, The Event Safety Shop, The Production Services Association.

The Guidance for the Management & Use of Stages and related Temporary Event Structures brings clarity to working practices within the temporary structures and staging industry.

The comprehensive guidance is freely available from contributors' websites to help anyone who has duties under the revised CDM regulations to prepare in advance of their introduction on 6 April 2015. It builds on the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) draft guidance issued on its we

Belgium - Barco has added two new indoor LED displays to its display portfolio for retail and advertising. Designed for fixed indoor installation in fashion retail, automotive retail, banking or transit advertising applications, the V4i and V6i feature 4mm and 6mm pixel pitch, respectively, and combine the renowned Barco image quality with excellent contrast.

"We offer an extensive portfolio of both indoor and outdoor LED displays with low, medium, and high resolution for all types of applications in the retail and advertising market," comments Carl Rijsbrack, vice president retail & advertising at Barco.

"With the addition of the V4i and V6i to our V-series LED displays, we are expanding our range of medium-resolution displays with cost-effective models. All around the globe, Barco products have proven their worth by offering exceptional image quality, ultimate

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