General

The Week in Lighting & Sound

Details: 14 December 2016

Fighting Talk - Culture minister Matt Hancock has pledged to improve access to the creative industries and build a stronger relationship between technology and culture, as he sets out his main priorities for the role. Hancock, who succeeded Ed Vaizey in the position in July, also said he would fight to ensure government support for arts and culture in his first keynote speech as minister.

Delivered in front of an audience of creative industry professionals, Hancock used his first speech to set out his three main priorities, which he described as "backing success, access and synthesis". After praising the creative industries as "absolutely central to our post-Brexit future", Hancock said he would "fight to ensure that the creative and digital industries are at the heart of this government's industrial strategy." The minister went on to pledge that creative sector tax reliefs wo

A Summer's Tale with Gravity

Details: 14 December 2016

Germany - A Summer's Tale proved worthy of its name. For the event, which is nestled in an idyllic forest and moor landscape presented much more than "just" a top-class music programme from 10-13 August. The cultural summer fairy tale south of Hamburg also included yoga, cooking, dancing, acting, canoeing, slackline balancing and many more activities. "Try out things in beautiful nature" is part of creative happenings organisers' festival philosophy.

This philosophy also extends to the top-class music programme. On several stages, around 12,000 visitors enjoyed shows from international stars spanning several different music genres. The festival's highlights included shows by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Garbage, Amy McDonald, Nada Surf, Sigur R

BTS announces Fred Foster Scholarship Fund

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - The Behind the Scenes Foundation has announced the Fred Foster Scholarship Fund. Board members had long been seeking a way to honour Fred's innumerable contributions to our industry and, in particular, his unwavering support of the charity since its inception.

The purpose of the fund is to assist the children of Behind the Scenes grant recipients with continuing their education which may otherwise be in jeopardy due to their family's current financial situation. BTS frequently assists individuals whose children are unable to remain in school because the family can no longer afford tuition.

The BTS Grants Review Committee will be responsible for identifying appropriate candidates from among the families of grant recipients and awarding the scholarships which may be used for any accredited post-secondary education program or vocational training.

Rick Rudolph, chair

Knight of Illumination Awards 2016 winners

Details: 14 December 2016

UK - Lighting and video content design ceremony Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) announced the winners of the 9th edition during a prestigious ceremony at London's Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on Sunday 18 September.

The well-attended ceremony saw almost 500 professionals come together to celebrate the achievements of lighting and video designers working on shows across the UK.

The event was hosted by Australian actor, television presenter and comedian Mark Little. The winners have been revealed as:

THEATRE

The ETC Award for Dance: Michael Hulls for Conceal | Reveal, Russell Maliphant Company, Sadler's Wells

The Hawthorn Award for Musicals: Mark Henderson for Sunset Boulevard, English National Opera

The Robert Juliat Award for Opera: Joachim Klein for Saul, Glyndebourne Festival

The Elation Professional Award for Plays: Jan

The Week

Details: 14 December 2016

Challenges & Opportunities - MPs have launched an inquiry into the impact Brexit is likely to have on the arts. The culture, media and sport committee said its inquiry would examine the "challenges and opportunities" that leaving the European Union would bring. In particular, it is looking at whether the creative sector will be able to "attract and retain talent" across the world when the UK leaves the EU as a result of June's referendum, and whether "onerous visa requirements" could see a drop in the number of people coming to the UK after Brexit.

The inquiry will also examine what impact the loss of EU funding could have on the sector and whether the government would replace these funds. News of the inquiry follows concerns raised within the arts that Brexit will have negative consequences for the sector.

Last week, former Ambassador Theatre Group chief executive Rosemar

Airstar balloons at Festival de Cine de Lima

Details: 14 December 2016

Peru - Light4Brands, the exclusive dealer of Airstar lighting solutions in Peru, deployed several lighting balloons for the 20th edition of the Festival de Cine de Lima, which took place at the Gran Teatro Nacional del Peru from 5-13 August 2016.

For the fourth time in a row, Light4Brands (L4B) was selected to manage the lighting for the festival red carpet. The Airstar lighting inventory was made up of two 90cm wide Crystal balloons, flanked on both corners of the theatre building and a pair of three-metre-high air ventilated Towair cylinder towers, placed on the top of the stairs to welcome the lucky few during the show nights. To complete the lighting of the event, an impressive three-metre-wide, helium inflated, Lunix LED balloon was anchored and proudly displayed the event logo 15 metres high.

The Lima Film Festival is the most important cinema event in the country an

Tightrope signage at La Crosse Regional Airport

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - To keep time-pressured travellers fully informed, the La Crosse Regional Airport in Wisconsin recently deployed a Carousel digital signage network from Tightrope Media Systems consisting of more than 50 custom displays strategically situated throughout the passenger terminal, including check-in and baggage claim areas.

The network is an integral part of a $14.2m infrastructure upgrade; importantly, Carousel Digital Signage Software also drives airport revenue generation through advertising initiatives.

The varied digital signage displays-including a large, welcoming video wall and two interactive touchscreen kiosks-give travellers just-in-time information about flights, arrivals, departures, gates, security, television, digital marketing and local ads, as well as news, weather and other real-time data feeds. The flexibility of Carousel network, in conjunction with Br

The Week

Details: 14 December 2016

Remains of the Day - The remains of the theatre where Shakespeare's Hamlet was first performed has been granted legal protection by the government. Archeological remains of the Theatre, which dates back to 1576, have been added to the National Heritage List for England, alongside the ruins of another Elizabethan playhouse near London's Bankside. Shakespeare and his acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Company, were strongly associated with the Theatre - the remains of which were discovered in Hackney in 2008. Scholars believe Hamlet was performed for the first time at the venue in 1595, and it is also thought to be where Marlowe's Doctor Faustus was first staged.

The Hope playhouse - which doubled as a theatre and bear-baiting pit - has also received legal protection as a historic site. Close to both the Globe and Rose theatres when it was first built, th

sE Electronics triple launch in Los Angeles

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - For this year's AES Show in Los Angeles, sE Electronics is introducing the X1 A, a new entry point to their X1 Series designed to be the best-in-class offering on the market for home recordists and bringing the heritage of the X1 Series to an expanded user base worldwide.

On the live sound front, sE has also announced a pair of dynamic microphones - a first for the company, known primarily for their industry standard Reflexion Filters and hand-crafted condensers. According to sE, the new V7 supercardioid dynamic and V3 cardioid dynamic offer "exceptionally low handling noise, a more natural sound, and higher gain before feedback than other mics in their class".

The X1 A utilizes a newly-developed acoustic design with a carefully selected condenser capsule, low noise electronics, an integrated windscreen, and a gold-plated XLR connector. Just like the acclaimed X1 con

Rupert Neve Designs debuts Shelford Channel

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - New for AES 2016, Rupert Neve Designs has announced the Shelford Channel.

The Shelford Channel is built around Rupert Neve's first new transformer-gain, class A mic preamp in over 40 years. This new preamp design is complemented by the "best-of-the-classics" 1073- and 1064-inspired inductor EQ section from Rupert Neve Designs' existing Shelford 5051 and 5052 modules, a bold and powerful new diode bridge compressor inspired by the 2254 with additional functionality, a new dual-tap transformer output with high- and low-headroom outputs, variable Silk/Texture transformer saturation, and twice the operating voltage of Rupert Neve's vintage modules.

Says the company, "For decades, Rupert has often been asked to create a new design based around the same mic pre, EQ and compressor technologies that comprised his classic console modules. With the Shelford Channel, he and his

Successful launch for the Analog Way Academy

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - Analog Way has been named an official InfoComm International Renewal Unit (RU) Provider. This will allow thousands of professionals who hold InfoComm International's Certified Technology Specialist credentials to earn renewal units toward their certification by completing Analog Way training programmes.

Certification Programmes for LiveCoreTM series of premium AV video processors, including Ascender, NeXtage and SmartMatriX Ultra units, and Vertige Premium Show Controller, can now be completed for RUs.

Both Certified Technology Specialists (CTS) and the specialized designation Design (CTS-D) will get 12 RUs when training for LiveCoreTM and nine RUs for VertigeTM . Analog Way has always been committed to helping customers become experts of the brand.

Training AV professionals is part of Analog Way's main commitment which resulted in the creation of Analog Way Acad

SL Live in the mix with the Pope in Mexico

Details: 14 December 2016

Mexico - During a recent week-long tour of Mexico, Pope Francis addressed record audiences at five venues around the country, accompanied by SSL Live L500 and L300 consoles in a variety of roles.

Miguel Angel Tapia Trujillo was the Front of House engineer at the Parque Chamizal in Ciudad Ju

Powersoft helps boost Bardentreffen's island theme

Details: 14 December 2016

Germany - Powersoft's flagship amplifiers were out in force recently at the annual Bardentreffen Festival in Nuremberg - one of a number of successful deployments around the world during the busy festival system.

For the second consecutive year, Powersoft partner Barowski AG provided sound reinforcement for the main stage, situated on the Hauptmarkt in front of the city's main town hall, bidding successfully for the contract, issued by organisers, the City of Nuremberg.

Billed as "Germany's largest world music festival", and attracting more than 200,000 visitors over the three days, for its 41st edition, Bardentreffen focused on a variety of music from around the globe under the theme Sounds of the Islands.

Barowski AG had first fielded their X8 racks for the 2015 edition, but according to Michael Barowski, chairman of the board, they increased their inventory for this

Elation Cuepix Panels go mad in Madrid

Details: 14 December 2016

Spain - Mad Cool Festival is a new rock and pop music festival in Spain that debuted 16-18 June at the Caja Magica tennis grounds in Madrid. With a line-up that included Neil Young, The Who and The Prodigy, and a three-day attendance that topped 100,000, Mad Cool is off to an impressive start.

Madrid-based PRG Spain was responsible for the audiovisual production for the festival's three main stages and incorporated Elation Professional's Cuepix Panel LED matrices into the design for Stage Three, a 10,000-capacity stage located inside the main tennis court arena.

"The Mad Cool Festival has been one of our biggest productions this summer with 98 staff from PRG Spain, one full day of set-up and another of lighting, video and sound rehearsals prior to the three days of concerts," said PRG's Francisco 'Pako' Palazon, head of production and lighting design for the three main sta

The Week in Lighting & Sound

Details: 14 December 2016

Crucial Opportunities - Policymakers in the UK and China are being called upon to exploit possibilities for cultural collaboration, as part of a report claiming "crucial opportunities" exist for both countries. The report, published by the Department for International Trade and cultural organisation BOP Consulting, claims that the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote has moved collaborations with non-European countries such as China further up the UK's agenda.

However, fostering short-term or profit-led relationships are unlikely to succeed, the report argues, highlighting the emphasis should be on building a long-term, sustained collaboration between the two nations. Recent projects to build collaborations between the UK and China have included a Chinese-language production of War Horse, produced by the National Theatre of China in collaboration with the UK's National Theat

Hawthorn invests in d3 server technology

Details: 14 December 2016

UK - Creative technical production expert Hawthorn is continuing to expand its video department and increase its presence in the dry hire sector with a recent investment in d3 server technology.

Due to an increasing demand for projection mapping and large-scale content, Hawthorn has added four d3 4x4pro media servers to its already extensive hire inventory, representing an investment of £200,000.

The d3 4

5 Star opens manufacturing facility in China

Details: 14 December 2016

China - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases has opened a new factory in Fenggang Town, Dongguan City, Guandong Province, China.

Established to run in parallel with the UK manufacturing base in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, the new 5 Star China operation will primarily service the burgeoning domestic Chinese and wider Asian markets which are demanding high quality products - for which it's simply not practical to ship from the UK.

The idea has been on the horizon for some time explains 5 Star's MD Keith Sykes, but several elements needed to fall in line before the plan could be successfully implemented.

Running the new 1000 metre plus production facility will be 5 Star's local business partner James Zhang, a well-known, respected and highly successful entrepreneur who manages other manufacturing companies in the town, including travel bag / handbag and polythene carrier bag

Wenger Corporation in talks to acquire SECOA

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - Wenger Corporation of Owatonna, Minn., and SECOA, Inc. of Champlin, Minn have announced that they are in advanced talks to combine the two companies.

Under the proposal, the combined entity would be wholly owned and operated by Wenger. The shared vision of Wenger - including its subsidiary J.R. Clancy - and SECOA is to "provide a superior value proposition featuring the highest quality products and services for all stakeholders in the performing arts industry".

A statement continues, "After conducting exploratory conversations, the leadership teams of both organizations became excited about the synergies that exist, both strategic and tactical, with the combination of the businesses. By aligning the SECOA, Wenger and J.R. Clancy brands, Wenger expects to reinforce its position as a unique global provider of the broadest array of solutions in the industry. This transa

Suzanne Wynne joins Gerriets GB as head of sales

Details: 14 December 2016

UK - Gerriets GB Ltd has appointed Suzanne Wynne to its London office as the company's new head of sales.

A familiar face to many, Suzanne has over 20 years of experience within the industry working with textiles and associated products, servicing theatre, hospitality, special projects and the Event sectors.

Gerriets GB Ltd based in London are suppliers of theatrical curtains and flame retardant fabrics, track systems, screens and stage equipment.

(LSi Online)

The Week in Lighting & Sound

Details: 14 December 2016

Sold Out - Glastonbury 2017 sold out in 50 minutes on Sunday morning - with a reported 2m applying for the 135,000 tickets available - and the usual complaints regarding problems in access-ing the ticket website. "We have, once again, been blown away by the incredible number of people from around the planet who hoped to come to the festival, with demand significantly outstripping supply," said the organisers in a statement. Next year's event will take place from 21-25 June, with the line-up not being announced by organisers until early 2017. Daft Punk and Kraftwerk have been tipped as potential headliners.

Old Gold - The first leg of the much-hyped Desert Trip festival took place over the weekend, with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney and Neil Young taking to the stage in California. Organised by the people behind Coachella - and dubbed #Oldchel

Penn Elcom expands cable & rack manufacturing

Details: 14 December 2016

UK - Penn Elcom has expanded the capacity of its specialist cable and 19 inch rack manufacturing facility in Hastings, east Sussex, UK, with a substantial investment in new cable cutting and stripping machinery from market leaders Schleuniger. This will bring the cable technology and production up to the highest levels.

A bespoke built laser etching machine has also been designed and installed for adding logos, letters, numbers and other customisations to aluminium and steel rack panels, giving Penn the ability to offer further flexibility to its clients.

The move is in response to an increased demand for both standard and bespoke cable and rack manufacturing products and services after the launch of the Penn Elcom Online global web portal in January of this year. A boost in international business is seeing cables, leads and racks being shipped worldwide.

"We want to e

Claypaky launches new brand image

Details: 14 December 2016

Italy - Claypaky has launched its new image - a brand new logo and new way of writing the company's name (Claypaky rather than Clay Paky). The first public event Claypaky will attend with its new identity will be LDI in Las Vegas from 21 to 23 October.

"The need for modernity sometimes requires a break with tradition," says CEO Pio Nahum. "This does not mean betraying the ideals with which the company was founded and has grown in the past forty years. However, the way we see it, it does mean being in step with the times including purely from the point of view of brand image, with our eyes firmly fixed on technological progress, innovation and the future."

(Jim Evans)

The Week . . .

Details: 14 December 2016

Serious Impacts - Theatre figures have condemned the "catastrophic" reduction of arts education in schools, claiming it is having serious impacts on the diversity of the theatre industry. Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster led criticisms of the shrinking emphasis on creative education, claiming that "pathways" in place several decades ago have now disappeared. "Twenty-five or 30 years ago . . . in schools there were teachers who were encouraged, because of a curriculum, to share these great plays, these great stories. There were drama clubs, dance classes. Drama GCSEs and A Levels, theatre studies - these were subjects that the teachers were able to teach freely and speak about passionately, and have value for the students," Foster said. He was speaking as part of a panel on training opportunities at a diversity conference held in Leicester, at Curve. Foster continued, "It s

Robe enjoys busy award winning LDI

Details: 14 December 2016

USA - Robe enjoyed an action-packed LDI expo in Las Vegas, this year all the more memorable for collecting a 2016 Parnelli award in the indispensable Lighting Technology category for the successful BMFL WashBeam luminaire.

Robe highlighted two new products for the first time at a U.S. exhibition - the Spiider LED wash beam - "the next big thing" from the Czech manufacturer, and Halo, an ingenious new LED 'pixel technology' device. Also new was the Spikie, a small, super-fast LED wash beam.

The full BMFL range of high powered signature moving lights, popular in the US, were also prominent on the stand, together with the elegant DL series of potent LED luminaires designed specifically for the demanding worlds of theatre and performance. The arty and scenic PATT range of retro-styled tungsten lights additionally made an impact.

Much anticipated, 42 x Spiiders and 31 x Spi

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