Lighting

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14 March 2016

Penso worked with a smaller-than-usual stage for this type of show and to design lighting for the audience in the venue and for TV. Trying to find suitable lights to work around the low ceiling at Hotel Intercontinental in Caracas, Penso tested Chauvet Professional Q-Wash 560Z-LED fixtures -provided by VLPS of Venezuela - and decided they were perfect for the show.

"The colours and the brightness are spectacular," Penso said. "They change colours very fast, have great saturation, and perform in sync all the time. The Q-Wash 560Z-LED moving yokes were the only lights in the show that didn't fail."

Penso also took into consideration that the Miss Venezuela P

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14 March 2016

The rig houses only Vari-Lite moving lights: forty-four VL2500 Spots, 22 VL2500 Washes and five VL3500 Spots whilst conventional lighting consists of over 200 ETC Source Four fixtures. It's a fairly straight forward rig that was, according to Hamilton, expertly prepped at PRG, easily hung and there were very few problems to overcome.

"The overhead trusses go spot, wash, spot, wash, spot, wash and the ladders are all VL2500 Spots," explained Hamilton. "It's a great rig because you can put anything you need where you need it, plus it's quick

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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

The one day event, which takes place today (30 November) at the Royal Opera House, will give visitors the opportunity to take part in workshops delivered by skilled professionals from across the arts, and to meet representatives from more than forty exhibiting theatres, training providers and education institutions. Topics up for exploration include producing, stage management, make-up, lighting, marketing, theatre journalism, sound, directing, costume design, playwriting and design.

Now in its seventh year, TheatreCraft aims to provide essential information and advice to young people interested in working behind the scenes of the entertai

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14 March 2016

The Clay Paky A.LEDA Wash range offers three models, all incorporating high output RGBW LED engines with a massive zoom range (14°-70°) and unprecedented output. In addition to these features, the Italian manufacturer has also incorporated the capacity for individual pixel mapping. Lightsmiths has invested in a notable number of all three models.

These fixtures are a viable alternative to traditional discharge washlights, and offer a full range of vivid colours that are impressive even in the brightest daylight. As was demonstrated when Lightsmiths used the fixtures at the recent Berkofest event - Berkhamsted's annual music and comedy festival.

"We've been known locally up until now for supplying festivals, pro

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14 March 2016

Lighting fans were not put off by the circumstances that made travelling difficult on the day: flooding, blocked streets and motorways, transport strikes and street demonstrations. The event's appeal - the only one of its kind in Italy - overcame every obstacle and drew people from every region of the country.

Patrick Woodroffe retraced the greatest moments of his career in the splendid setting of the Auditorium Antonianum, made even more impressive by the lights installed by Clay Paky. He particularly focused on the preparation he did for the recent London Olympics and Michael Jac

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14 March 2016

"The Vipers really came through for us with their intensity and zoom," Robinson commented about the award-winning 1000 W profile, supplied for the event by Upstaging. "I used them as aerial effects and as my backlight / keys for the band members."

In order to stay out of the large upstage video wall, Robinson had the Vipers trimmed at a considerable height. "They had all the horsepower we needed for camera and to cut through the video," he said. "They had all the stop I needed and more, even after I added gobo's and colour correction."

The MAC Viper Profile is the first fixture i

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14 March 2016

"The increased appetite for Robert Juliat profiles and followspots is very evident," says Pacific Lighting (HK) Ltd director, Hugh Chinnick. "We have experienced almost unprecedented non-project sales in the last few months, with some very high profile venues choosing to replace their old lantern stock with Robert Juliat fixtures or augmenting their existing RJ inventory with further additions."

The Hong Kong Cultural Centre's 1734-seat Grand Theatre, which already boasts four RJ Cyrano 2500W HMI followspots, has replaced a number of fixtures in its main rig with 42 RJ 710SX2 2500W tungsten zoom profiles. "The Grand Theatre's front of house rig was in severe need of r

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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

CAST's Beta testing programme aims to uphold the highest level of dependability and robustness for which wysiwyg is renown by enlisting typical Members to test drive it in the field under real conditions. CAST carefully monitors the Testers and ensures a reasonable cross-section of uses in order to optimize the usefulness of the feedback. While Testers have come to expect a superior inventory of new features, R30 should serve up some surprises they never expected.

R29, released earlier this year, still continues to receive praise with its improvements that helped prove that wysiwyg is the invaluable tool that designers can't live without, and not just

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14 March 2016

These were specified by technical manager Jason Rooney and join 16 existing Robe ColorSpot 250E AT moving lights, which were added to the rig in an upgrade of the whole lighting system earlier in the year.

The idea is that the GH Hotel can offer the best quality technology and production values for all its shows, and averts the need for any visiting artists and performers to bring in their own lighting and sound equipment.

The GH is open five nights a week offering a lively schedule of entertainment. This currently includes high-energy stage shows like Boylesque and Saturday nights with 'The Classics', together with DJs, dance events, bands, acous

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14 March 2016

Significant upgrades have been made to the stage and backstage facilities whilst the foyer and auditorium have been upgraded to improve the public experience, all under the watchful eye of theatre consultants Marshall Day Entertech.

Jands worked closely with Marshall Day Entertech to supply a comprehensive staging system including a Gala Spiralift motorized stage platform 3.6m x 10.0m. The Spiralift, the world's most compact lifting system, employs a coiled, flexible, flat steel spring (slinky) that expands with the insertion of a thin, ve

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14 March 2016

"All of ECTO's gear is brand new and working great and we couldn't be happier with them," says Jefferson, who also handles lighting direction on the tour. "The Viper was the obvious choice," he says of his decision to use the 1000 W profile. "I find the sharp focus of the aerial gobos to be my favorite feature, in addition to the brightness of the beam and the lightweight body."

The American jam band played a large variety of venues across the U.S. this fall from Austin City Limits to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to the newly renovated Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

With such

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14 March 2016

The project started at the end of 2009 - installation work began only this year 2012 - and was, says Jørgensen, a long process with many special items included in the specification. Norwegian law says that system specifiers cannot stipulate any individual pieces of equipment or manufacturers, but instead have to state its purpose and what it should be capable of doing. This led, according to Mark Ryan of Theatre Projects Consultants, to a long and detailed tender doc

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14 March 2016

The group attracts 47,000 people per week to shows in New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando, with a new Las Vegas production now open at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.

According to BMG show director Bill Swartz, the effects illustrate the group's creative idea that a hybrid space exists between real life and the technical world of phones and texts. "We call it 2.5D space," he says.

The modular 320mm x 160mm digiTHIN tiles are fixed to the performers using magnetic mou

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14 March 2016

The Alnwick Garden is a public attraction founded by the Duchess of Northumberland and the new LED lighting is the first phase of Sparkle, a new permanent lighting installation conceived by the Duchess herself. The £100,000 project completed by Marl is specifically designed to focus on the central area of the garden, the Hornbeam Arbours and the Grand Cascade, which are the most prominent features when visitors first enter the garden. There is also lighting all the way up the central part of the garden from the steps, through to the dramatic archway at the very top of the garden, which can just be seen from the Pavilion area, abo

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14 March 2016

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is currently in place, after a week of violence in Gaza last month. But tensions still run high. This week's gala concert supports an organisation which raises money for Israeli soldiers and their families. Wonder said the United Nations had recommended cancelling his performance because he is an official UN Messenger of Peace.

Festivals 2013 - Rihanna and Mumford & Sons have been announced as headliners for next year's T in the Park festival. The event, Scotland's biggest festival, is celebrating its 20th year in 2013 and will see US singe

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14 March 2016

Capable of projecting a dense, hard-edge beam with stunning mid-air aerial effects, the MAC III AirFX's unique optical system allows it to adjust from a tight beam to a radiant wash instantly for greater design flexibility.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Staged on water, the set comprises a 'floating' orchestra pit, the stage and a system of underwater catwalks. Although Heinz has designed for a number of large-scale operas performed in stadiums and arenas across Europe, working on water in a protected area presented a number of never experienced before challenges.

"We worked closely with ecologists to ensure the natural environment wasn't damaged by the production in anyway. In terms of the lighting we worked under very stringent rules. Our nighttime working hours were rigorousl

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14 March 2016

All fixtures from the product portfolio, RGBaW, Variable White and Static White fixtures, will now be available with integrated CRMX technology.

RGBaW colour changing fixtures employ a combination of red, green, blue, amber and white LEDs for a full range of output options. Through its proprietary design, not only can RGBaW create beautiful saturated colours, but it can also produce earth tones and pastel colours that are rarely achieved by LEDs.

Variable White fixtures have a colour temperature range of 2700K-5600K, which a

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14 March 2016

The band are very much into big chorus rock looks with smooth verses. Dara had specified 28 Alpha Beam 1500, 24 Alpha Profile 1500 and 16 sharpys. "The power and beam from Clay Paky fixtures I find unparalleled at present and their reliability is fantastic. The fire power chosen had the ability to go from slick smooth looks to iris beam chaos without haste and the beams go for miles."

The design incorporated three straight lighting trus

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14 March 2016

A chorus of Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash and VL3000 Spot luminaires worked in harmony with the Gospel Choir to create an ethereal atmosphere, bathing France's favurite singer - and judge on the French version of hit TV show The X Factor - Julie Zenatti, in a veil of sculptural light.

Lighting was supplied and designed by the French rental house Pan Pot, Var, co-owned by long-time Vari-Lite fans Laurent and Serge Begnis. Lighting was rigged and programmed in such a way as to build a cathedral of light around the performers giving them a transcendental quality.

Equipped with the Vari*Brite mode, the VL350

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14 March 2016

These were specified by Cardiff and London based Lighting Designer Steffan Jones, who designed lighting and video for the raft of programmes, many featuring live artists. He was working for production companies Boomerang PLC in association with Alfresco TV and Apollo TV, and co-producers Mr. Producer.

HSL's TV and broadcast specialist Sean McGlone co-ordinated the project. He comments, "It's always a pleasure working with Steff. His drive, enthusiasm, imagination and keen visual eye are refreshing and invigorating, and his designs always interesting."

NEPC is the largest OB

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14 March 2016

"Jands represent leading audio brands such as JBL, Crown, BSS and Shure, which collectively provide a premium solution to audio contractors and installations. Increasingly these systems need control, and further, contractors and customers alike are looking for a one supplier solution to guarantee compatibility and performance. After a long search, Jands is excited about finding the perfect partner in Aurora." said Paul Mulholland, Jands managing director.

"The quality of the product, the integrity of the company, value for money and ease of programming will excite the market. The fact that the company is stronger in video distribution products is a bonus and allows Jands to further extend our solution offering."

The Jands technical team has started to get the