USA - Elation Professional's new ART-1024 touch-sensitive DMX wall-mount controller is an advanced and affordable architectural lighting control solution that lets users run all of a building's DMX fixtures and different lighting zones from one compact keypad unit.

The ART-1024 comes with its own proprietary software that makes it simple to programme shows and scenes from a PC. Then, once lighting programmes have been created, they can easily be uploaded and triggered on the ART-1024's convenient touch-sensitive keypad.

Designed as a single-controller solution for all types of DMX lighting, the ART-1024's programming software includes built-in effects for multi-categories of fixtures: LEDs, moving lights and dimmers. It features 2 DMX universes, providing the capacity to control a total of 1,024 channels.

In addition to different types of fixtures, the ART-1024 can take comm

UK - Television lighting designers are increasingly turning to GLP's Impression compact LED RGB moving washlight to provide fast moving colour changes to elements of their stage sets, says the company.

LD's such as Mike 'Sooty' Sutcliffe, Gurdip Mahal and Darryl Noad have been sourcing their luminaires from the Broadcast & Event division of production rental company, Panalux, headed by managing director Ed Pagett, and business development manager, Simon Roose.

Containing 90 Luxeon K2 high-power LEDs (30 x RGB), the Impression boasts a higher light yield than that of a conventional 575W discharge lamp. And with its rapid 660° of pan and 300° tilt, it is suitable for the television sector - particularly large location spectaculars and reality shows.

Additional advantages of durability, low energy, low heat dissipation, light weight and interchangeable lens are currentl

The Netherlands - D&M Installation (DMi) has announced the signing of an agreement between D&M Europe B.V. and Control4. The agreement provides D&M with access to Control4's digital home automation technology to produce a range of Escient home control products. The Escient branded products will be available in over 50 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

"The Control4 control platform is a comprehensive complement to the Denon, Marantz and Escient product lines," said Bert Kiggen, brand director of DMi. "This agreement is a further milestone in our objective of providing custom installers with best in class, end-to-end system integration solutions for whole home entertainment, and environmental and security control. We look forward to working with Control4 in extending our system integration offerings throughout the EMEA CI markets."

Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has appointed Lotta Schiefer as sales manager for Europe/MiddleEast/Asia. Schiefer brings over 15 years of experience in the entertainment lighting industry including Vari*Lite Production Services and Barco, with technical knowledge in just about every discipline.

"I'm very excited to be part of the Wireless Solution team," says Schiefer, "The brand is well respected and has been involved in some very impressive installations worldwide. I am really particular about working with quality brands."

(Jim Evans)

USA - NSCA's latest Market Intelligence Briefing (MIB) report, Recruit and Retain Quality Staff: Organizational Issues and Structure, highlights how employee training, staff involvement in organizational strategic planning, and participation in staff reviews can enhance your company's employee recruitment and retention efforts.

This latest report provides resources to assist in organisational development by comparing what other successful companies in the industry are doing to retain, develop and recruit staff. Simple processes such as the development of organizational charts, job descriptions and employee reviews, can promote the strengths of your employees, overall value and employee satisfaction.

"A good company can become great by using these strategies to find, develop and retain talented and dedicated staff," said Jodi Montgomery, NSCA senior director of

USA - The Joint Training Initiative of The ESTA Foundation and USITT has announced Eos Console Training for Basic/Intermediate Programmers. This two-day course, offered 1 and 2 June 2009, is designed to help beginning and intermediate level programmers advance their professional proficiency with the Eos console. The course will be held at the Century Theatre at Electronic Theatre Controls in Middleton, WI and will be conducted by Anne Valentino, Eos product manager and Steve Aldrich, southeast field project coordinator.

This event is limited in size and will be open to ESTA and USITT members only. Sessions will be hosted and co-produced by ETC. Attendees should have prior experience with automated luminaries and a general familiarity with lighting consoles (Eos experience is not necessary). In addition, they should have working knowledge of the DMX 512 communication protocol, fi

UK - Jan Booth, managing director of Sunbaba has been welcomed as a new council member of the National Outdoor Events Association. NOEA is the leading trade body for organisers and suppliers in the UK outdoor event industry and Booth joins them with two decades of experience in event signage and branding.

John Barton, NOEA general secretary said: "For many years Jan has supported the association and attended conventions and regional conferences. She is well known throughout the industry for her passion, commitment and good ideas and we are excited about her joining us to become involved in the future development of the association."

"I am delighted to have been elected as a council member. Having been in business for 21 years I feel that I can represent small /medium business in the outdoor event industry," said Booth. "We know that the next few years

Neanderthal News - A musical experience with a difference is being previewed at the National Museum Wales in Cardiff - an attempt to recreate the sound of the Neanderthals. Jazz composer Simon Thorne was given the task of creating the "soundscape" to provide a musical backdrop to some of the ancient exhibits on display. The musician says the work is "probably the most unusual" he has undertaken.

There has been strong interest in the composition and it will go on a separate live tour later in the year. Neanderthal man existed side by side with early homo sapiens before becoming extinct some 30,000 years ago. Despite having a reputation for lacking intelligence, recent research suggests the Neanderthals were a lot more resourceful and innovative than was first thought. Thorne said: "Given that Neanderthal man's brain was about the same size as ours, and mu

UK - LSI Online has learned the sad news of the death of Harry Greenaway, a well known figure in the sound industry and former managing director of TOA. Here, Terry Baldwin of Baldwin Boxall remembers his close friend:

"Born and brought up in Blackpool, Harry spent most of his working life in the sound industry, majoring as managing director for the Japanese-owned company TOA. It was Harry who introduced the "Golden Ears" awards for his best distributor - a most difficult decision as all his best distributors were his best friends! He took his top companies away on "conferences" to boring places like Majorca, Japan and other such locations. (I knew they were conferences because I saw pictures of them all at the bars!)

Harry was also Past President of The Blackpool Magic Circle. I think we all knew he was a "magician" with the tricks he played

UK - PLASA's forthcoming AGM and Members Lunch is expected to attract a strong turnout in June, on the back of another influential year for the organisation.

PLASA's momentum is certainly growing: its membership base is expanding, its range of services is strengthening and its member networking events are increasing, making the AGM and Members Lunch an important event at which members can come together to discuss solutions and approaches to the current situation.

PLASA is highly active at an industry-level too: its political policy continues to give the entertainment and installation technology sectors a strong profile in Government circles and the organisation is about to announce the next stage in its skills strategy, focusing on the development of a portfolio of qualifications designed to enhance the skills-base of the sector.

It is also just a few months away from the la

UK - Ben Tubb recently joined the Global Infusion Group management team as Head of Finance. He had previously worked for Absolute Taste Ltd (part of the McLaren Group) where he held the same position.

His experience in the events and catering industry will stand him in good stead in his new role, say. He has control of the financial, legal, HR and IT areas and is helping to initiate the strategic direction for the company internationally. With new developments in China and the Middle East continuing to expand, Ben's international experience is invaluable as Global Infusion Group continues to grow from its current offices in the UK and US.The Global Infusion Group includes tour, production and location catering specialist Eat to the Beat, as well as Upbeat Event Design and e2b Logistics.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Recent industry news headlines claiming that Ofcom has made assurances to the PMSE (Programme Making & Special Events) sector about its future use of spectrum, as well as promises of compensation for equipment made obsolete by the changes, have been greeted with caution by PLASA.

The claims in the news give the impression that Ofcom will make suitable alternative spectrum available UK-wide for the PMSE sector, and that compensation or 'funding' will be made available so that users of the spectrum do not have to bear the costs of replacing radio microphone equipment.

However, PLASA's technical resources manager Ron Bonner, a member of the BEIRG (British Entertainment Industry Radio Group) steering committee which is campaigning against Ofcom's proposed measures, says that we should remain very wary of Ofcom's plans. He told L&SI: "The recent headlines should be treate

USA / UK - 2008 was a successful year for Eat to the Beat Inc, part of the Global Infusion Group. From becoming the in-house caterer at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, and the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore to the ATP festival in upstate New York. Several major tours of the US were also undertaken. The company has truly established itself as the caterer of choice for the discerning palette.

Coldplay- international touring artists utilized the company's services twice in '08. Long-standing Eat to the Beat team member Heidi Varah, led the catering crew. Along with her were Darren Shead and Jesse Davies creating "delicious and inspired meals" daily.

These meals were complemented by the work of Pauline Austin and Sarah Money with salads and freshly made desserts. Rounding out the team on the front line, Jessie Collins and Peter Kostandelos looked after t

Australia - Rigging specialists Pollard Productions, based in Sydney, Australia has invested in a Kinesys automation system. Kinesys is a European market leader for flexible, user-friendly, precision automation solutions.

"We'd been following the development of the system for some time," explains James Ring, managing director of Pollard Productions, who reveals that they were eagerly awaiting the release of the latest K2 3D programming and visualizing platform, and had also seen Kinesys in action on several concert tours throughout Australia. "Kinesys came highly recommended by many of the touring riggers we know".

Pollards' system consists of eight 1 tonne Liftket and twelve 0.5 tonne Liftket double brake chain hoists with 20m of travel, 20 Kinesys Elevation 1+ variable speed hoist controllers, a 24 channel Kinesys Array PD-ES and two 6 channel Mini Array

UK - Under the direction of Mick Anderson, business development consultancy MAC is expanding, adding to its client list and recruiting new specialist skills to the team.

MAC has been signed up by the German loudspeaker manufacturer CODA Audio to develop its export sales direction on a global basis, and assist CODA's owner Svetley Alexandrov in positioning his company to take best advantage of the international market.

Anderson comments: "We're delighted to be joining the CODA operation. This company is driven by highly credible technology and has a proven ability to produce the goods, from manufacturing operations entirely based in Europe.

"CODA Audio is a vertically-orientated company, producing all elements of the sound system - drivers, hardware, enclosure, even the inductors and electronics - and thus keeping extensive control of quality, There are very few com

USA - Following lengthy industry speculation, ETC is to enter the LED luminaire market, having acquired the Selador product line from Selador co-founders Rob Gerlach and Novella Smith.

"We didn't want to make a 'me too' RGB or RGBA product that didn't provide the kind of significant innovation in lighting we strive for," says ETC CEO Fred Foster. "With its exclusive x7 Color System, the Selador product line produces a far superior quality of colour and light to anything that we had seen before in LEDs. We also benefit from the brainpower of Selador LED experts Novella and Rob - great people who will join our ETC team."

The Selador x7 Color System finds its perfect counterpart in ETC's control products, says the company. ETC's marketing manager David Lincecum explains: "ETC brings to the table a unique capability to make the control of LED luminaires ea

UK - Solutions Group (UK) Plc recently opened the doors to its brand new product demonstration auditorium - The Solution - to a specially invited audience.

Bucking the current economic trend, Solutions Group has invested in excess of £100,000 in creating what it believes to be the UK's first club-sized room for the demonstration predominantly of professional sound and lighting equipment, distributed to the trade through its specialist operating division Impact Products (Europe) Ltd.

As the events of the day went on to show, however, the versatile 100sq.m auditorium will offer a host of other applications to the Company and its customers.

With the room laid out as a retro-style Bistro, the congregated crowd was literally led down the red carpet for the official ribbon cutting by the Mayor of Northampton, councillor Brian Markham.

With staff dressed as 1920s gangsters

UK - The PLASA Technical Resources Office invites PLASA and STLD members to forget the worries of the credit crunch for a day by blasting around the Silverstone race track.

The event is organised by PLASA's Technical Resources manager Ron Bonner: "If you have ever wanted to drive your own car above the legal 70 MPH limit to see what it is capable of without being snapped by a Gatso - then this may be your big chance. The PLASA Technical Resources Office has reserved Silverstone for a day to hold a day of fun on the track. Included in the day is lunch and if you need it, tuition on how to drive your car in this environment. (Additional tuition fees apply)

"The day is provisionally booked for Friday June 26th 2009 - just a week after the British Grand Prix has been decided - and it is estimated that the full cost of the day and lunch will be in the region of £210

No Show - Peter Gabriel has pulled out this week's Oscar ceremony after learning his performance as a best song nominee would be limited to just 65 seconds. The singer, co-nominated for Down To Earth from Wall-E, said he had hoped to perform the song in its entirety. The three shortlisted songs will be performed as part of a medley. "It's a bit unfortunate," said Gabriel in a video on his website, adding that he was "an old fart" who could afford to "make a little protest". The Academy had no comment.

In a change to previous years, producers - eager to bolster viewing figures for the Oscar ceremony later this month - have chosen to cut back on song performances. But the British singer, nominated alongside American composer Thomas Newman, said songwriters "deserve a place in the ceremony as well". "The songwriters are a v

UK - As reported on LSI Online last week, fears over the future of the entertainment and broadcast industries' use of radio spectrum continue, in the face of Ofcom's vague and inadequate assurances of protection and compensation.

At a meeting on 13 February, representatives of the programme making and special events (PMSE) sector agreed their common position on Ofcom's latest proposals for the future of the 'Digital Dividend' spectrum. These stakeholders included equipment manufacturers, end users, rental users and trade associations.

Alan March, representing manufacturer Sennheiser, is a member of the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG), the sector's campaign group formed to represent the interests of PMSE users to Ofcom. He said it was "unfair, unreasonable and impractical" of Ofcom to expect the industry to move to "new spectrum which is undete

USA - NBC Universal has accepted a seat on the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) Council. The Council is the governing body which manages the development and implementation of ETCP, the industry-wide certification programme for entertainment technicians.

Paul Jordan, vice-president, production safety will be representing NBC Universal on the Council. "This is a great opportunity for NBC Universal to work closely with this Council and its diverse partners. We look forward to the work ahead," said Jordan.

ETCP chair, Tim Hansen commented: "The ETCP Council considers NBC Universal's involvement with the programme invaluable because they are truly a powerhouse in film, television and performing arts productions; their wide ranging experience will bring a unique perspective on safety to the table."

(Jim Evans)

Eurovision Update - Georgia has chosen an entry which takes a swipe at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for May's Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. But disco-funk song We Don't Wanna Put In, a play on the politician's name, could fall foul of Eurovision's rule against political content in entries. A contest spokesman told BBC News some lyrics are "sensitive", but any action would be deferred until next month. Russia and Georgia went to war last year over the region of South Ossetia. Relations between the two countries have been tense for several years.

Tout Control - A new website has been launched to try to help fans buy secondary gig tickets more safely. The Concert Promoters Association (CPA) has developed the website and says it is in response to a lack of government action on touts. Anyone will still be able to use the site, but the CPA

UK - With just 10 weeks to go, the first PLASA Focus event has grown to fill two halls at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th April 2009 - and has announced its first, comprehensive, seminar programme.

To ensure the show is as valuable as it can be for busy visitors, a packed two-day seminar programme in a purpose built auditorium will cover a broad array of topics, including health and safety, rigging, sustainability and more.

Six seminars have so far been confirmed (with two more still to be announced). These cover 'Tallescopes - Friend or Foe?', 'PPE for Working At Height - Clearing The Mist' and 'The Theatres Trust - Open Forum' (Tuesday 28th); and 'Sustainable Events - Making BS8901 Work For You', 'Freelancing In The Industry' and 'Regulatory Reform - Fire Safety' (Wednesday 29th).

All seminars are free to attend and tackle a wide spectrum o

UK/China - A partnership between the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing and the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills and the Royal Opera House, respectively, was sealed yesterday at the Royal Opera House, ensuring closer links between the UK and China in supporting the development of backstage and offstage production skills.

The agreement is designed to facilitate the exchange of contemporary and state-of-the-art techniques for running a successful and prosperous theatrical industry and establish a practice of exemplar training that can create a greater skilled workforce in theatrical production industries.

Tom Bewick, chief executive of Creative & Cultural Skills said: "By working cross-culturally, we are able to share the strong and specialised musical theatre skill set we have here in the UK with China. The new National Skills Acade

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline