UK - Franz Ferdinand has been performing to sold out venues across Europe since the start of March.

The band's established lighting designer, Cormac Jackson helped to develop their artistic vision involving a different way video can light the stage. Production manager, Bob O'Brien approached long time friend Mark O'Herlihy of PRG Nocturne to supply the video and custom designed products for the creative video solution.

As on previous tours Franz Ferdinand show their personality by using various production elements. For this tour they chose to experiment with the way they use video on stage. There were three custom-fabricated screens made of a reflective UV material, Mark refers to them as almost like "rotating, vertical, venetian blinds". These were the main target for the projectors to hit. Adding to these reflecting screens, the backline amps were also covered with

UK - Five Production Arts students from City College Norwich recently lit the exterior of London's prestigious National Theatre during its 50th anniversary year, after winning leading British drama school Rose Bruford College's Junior Ready Steady Light competition.

The 'prize' was coordinated by the National's head of lighting resources, Huw Llewellyn - and a pair of SGM's G-Spot LED all-weather spots were ready to test the creative abilities of the fortunate students - selected by Llewellyn and provided by SGM UK.

The students were given advanced training to allow them to gain a more in depth understanding of the software used to light the iconic theatre on London's South Bank before being given full creative rein, as they lit up the Theatre nightly between 26 April and 2 May - in three-minute sequences starting at sunset.

Huw Llewellyn first saw the G-Spot immersed in wat

South Africa - For the second year running Pretoria based Blond Productions are supplying full technical production - lighting, video and sound - including Robe moving lights - and design for the popular South African TV talent competition, Clash of The Choirs.

The 10 'final' performance episodes this year involve seven hand-picked choirs performing several different pieces of work each week. The show is being recorded in the Victory Theatre, Orange Grove, Johannesburg and is broadcast twice weekly by Mzansi Magic. It is again expected to be one of the 'most watched' series on SA television and highlights the country's propensity for vocal talent.

Lighting for this year's show is a co-design between Peter Rieck - who did the first series - and Ryan Lombard, both of whom specified the Robe Robin MMX Spots and Robin LEDBeam 100s.

The Victory Theatre, built in 1929 is a

South Africa - Ultra Worldwide, one of the world's premier electronic music festivals, has hit South Africa with a colossal line up of dance music superstars and jaw dropping pyrotechnics controlled by LD Travis Yeatman using an Avolites Tiger Touch console.

The EDM extravaganza, headlined by Dutch producer and überstar Tiësto, was the eighth international edition of the festival and its first South African incarnation, with the chaos kicking off in Cape Town before moving on to Johannesburg. Fireworks for Africa teamed up with Yeatman to create explosive visual spectaculars that pumped up the party animal audiences, with Yeatman's Avolites Tiger Touch console as the control system.

The awesome pyro displays included the use of 12 Channel Red Back Dimmers for controllable hot power channels to trigger the CO2 jets and Stadium Shot streamer canons and the 6m flame units come

UK - Backstage Academy students are currently confirming work placements for the summer season and invite employers to get in touch if they need extra skilled people to support existing crew teams.

The students, who are half way through the Academy's 16-month FdA Live Events Production, are available to work in June, July and August and are seeking either ad hoc events work or three-month placements.

Most students have already gained experience at live events in a variety of backstage roles and all have completed modules in Introduction to Working in Live Events Production, Concept Design & Presentation, Staging, Live Sound, Lighting and Live Visuals.

During the Introduction to Working in Live Events module, students undertook a range of industry-based certificates to prepare them for working safely on site: Event Safety Passport; Emergency First Aid; Stage Pyrotechnics; Pra

USA - Bandit Lites has kicked off its busy 2014 festival season with the CounterPoint Music Festival, where more than 60 artists including Outkast, Foster the People, Pretty Lights, Matt & Kim, and St. Lucia performed on one of the events five stages across Georgia's Kingston's Down 5,000 acres.

The lighting coordination for the three day event was managed by 3srCreative, a new design firm comprised of designers Seth Jackson, Nathan Scheuer, Brent Sandrock and Jack Rushen, who had worked together previously on Selena Gomez's tour. CounterPoint provided a new set of challenges to overcome, as a tour typically consists of one artist, one concept, one designer and (hopefully) one cohesive vision, but a festival can have upwards of eight or nine of those each day.

"The lighting design for the music stages was designed to provide as much variety and flexibility as possible giv

USA - Christie Lites is opening a Chicago office in Fall 2014. Hard on the heels of a very successful first season for Christie Lites New York, the CL management team has committed to this new full-service warehouse location in the Chicago suburb of Woodridge, Illinois. Details will be announced as they develop in late summer.

This new location in its multi-office rental network marks #14 for this stage lighting and rigging rental company - a number that CEO Huntly Christie considers to be a very auspicious one.

With this addition Christie Lites is adding to an already impressive list of primary locations across North America, including major entertainment centres as Toronto, New York, Orlando and Las Vegas.

The new 50,000sq.ft Woodridge shop will follow the standard model set-up as the rest of its facilities. The design allows space for efficient equipment testing and maint

UK - Visual Productions has appointed Qeytek Ltd as its new distributor for the UK market. The first joint venture for the two companies was during a 'wonderful few days' at the PLASA Focus Leeds last month.

Qeytek a specialist distribution company was founded in 2012 by industry known Cally Bacchus, and with the recent appointment of Paul Turner joining the young company and experienced team, the Dutch manufacturer is confident that the technical sales and support knowledge on the range of software and hardware products are in capable hands.

Visual Productions with the support of Qeytek, enjoyed another successful product showcase, at PLASA Focus, of its lighting control products. These include Cuelux software and a preview of Cuety: lighting control for iOS (available Summer 2014) for the entry level and smaller clubs, bars and DJ / LJ markets. Also on show was the architect

The Netherlands - Leading lighting company ELC Lighting has used the official opening of its state-of-the-art premises as an opportunity to thank its distributors from around the world for their contribution to the company's success.

At an official and glamorous opening party on 9 May at the company's new headquarters in Gemert, Netherlands, distributors, customers, family and friends were treated to a night of music and celebration with the company's warehouse transformed for one night only into a nightclub complete with bands, DJs and free flowing bar.

ELC Lighting's sales manager Silvio Cibien identified an opportunity to extend his thanks to the people who have made the company the success it is today and enabled the move to premises of its own. He said, "I can hand on heart say that none of this would be possible if it wasn't for the commitment our distributors have

Slovakia - Lighting designer Martin Kubanka knows how to make many things look beautiful with his stunning lighting and visual designs, and this coupled with the Miss Slovakia beauty pageant as the subject matter and 150 Robe moving lights on the rig made this 2014 edition of the event extra special.

The show was staged at the Incheba Exhibition Centre in Bratislava, produced by live communications agency Forza and broadcast live on TV channel JOJ as well as being enjoyed by a live audience of 3000. Technical production - lights, sound and video - was supplied by Slovakia's biggest rental company, Q-99.

The fixture list included 72 x Robe Robin Pointes, 16 x Robin LEDWash 600s, 10 x LEDWash 1200s, 10 x MMX Spots and 44 x Robin LEDBeam 100s.

Kubanka drew on his vast experience of designing stage lighting and video for televised beauty pageants and took things to a different d

UK - Premium performance lighting solutions provider, Chroma-Q have announced their sponsorship of several British racing drivers in the high-profile BTCC and Lotus motor racing Championships.

Chroma-Q are a Premium Sponsor of promising UK racing driver, Jack Goff, in the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

Jack showed great promise in his debut season last year, including being second fastest for most of the race day at Silverstone and achieving a well-earned second place podium finish in the final round at Brands Hatch, after a climactic battle for position with outgoing BTCC champion Gordon Shedden.

A hotly tipped contender in 2014, Jack returned to the UK's premier saloon car series with RCIB Insurance Racing Squad / Team BMR, driving the Vauxhall Insignia again. It is promising to be an exciting season, with seven former BTCC champions, a cap

South Africa - Quite literally MGG Productions have done it again! Thanks to the success of a sci-fi concept they came up for a corporate conference held last year, MGG were asked by their client Eventworx to recreate the entire look for the same event hosted in January 2014.

MGG's newly appointed general manager, Denzil Smith, who joined the company in December, took the production to a new level. With a team of professionals at his side including lighting designer from MGG, Kevin Rieck, and the assistance of the impeccable system technician, Thomas Peters (known to drive people mad as he labels every piece of equipment and cable - and quite rightly this ensures a seamless production), the event was technically flawless.

This was no mean feat as the event, which ran off a grandMA2 full size, included 48 ClayPaky Sharpies (fourty more Sharpies than last year) and some 400m of

Australia - Neil Finn is on the road with his Dizzy Heights tour, a show full of lush aural landscapes and exotic arrangements complimented by evocative lighting and a large, fluffy tapestry backdrop created by Noel Crombie and partner Sally Mill.

Lighting designer David Harding began his relationship with Neil way back in the 80's when he was the Vari*Lite tech/operator for Crowded House. Over the years he has built a solid relationship with Neil who didn't even have to brief David on what he wanted for his lighting on the Dizzy Heights tour, such is their relationship.

"I opted for practical lighting for the band and Neil is quite minimalistic," explained David. "Colours are either in contrast, or, complimentary to how the backdrop is lit. The backdrop is the cornerstone for setting the scene. It reacts brilliantly and in a great number of ways to light

UK / The Netherlands - Avolites Ltd. and Avolites Media Ltd. have appointed Fairlight as their sole distributor for the Netherlands as of 1 May 2014.

Koy Neminathan, sales director for Avolites Ltd, comments, "I am very excited about working with Fairlight on an exclusive basis. We will now attain the resources necessary to promote our range of lighting and video control on a larger scale. Our relationship goes back well over 20 years and the foundations we have built allows us to hit the ground running. We have arranged dates for seminars, workshops and a comprehensive marketing campaign to expose the Titan and Ai platforms to the Dutch market. We're all very enthusiastic regarding the further integration of the powerful Avolites Titan software and the Ai video control platform."

Steve Warren, managing director of Avolites Media adds, "Fairlight have proven the

UK - When it opened its doors to the public in 1889, the Savoy Theatre was the first in the world to be lit by electric lights. Today, the Savoy continues that trendsetting legacy with a new energy-efficient house lighting system for the iconic performance space.

Recently installed by entertainment lighting specialists White Light, the new system - the first of its kind in London's West End - is based entirely on LED technology, which draws less power and produces less heat than the previous lighting system, creating huge energy savings for the space. The installation is also the first in the world to utilise the new ArcLamp fixture from GDS. Developed specifically for the Savoy Theatre project, it is designed to fit pre-existing fittings on installations where clients wish to keep existing lamp housings due to economic or design imperatives.

White Light completed the installa

Denmark - The real Eurovision song contest may be all finished for this year, but in Denmark, it just keeps on going, with Vi Maler Byen R°d: The Musical, which takes in 27 of the country's most famous and popular contest songs and turns them into a story.

Lighting director and programmer Mikkel Bedsted used ETC's newest control desk, Cobalt, at the Folketeatrets grand stage in Copenhagen, to programme a version of the musical, which closed the week before Austria's Conchita Wurst surprised and delighted audiences in equal measure.

The title, which refers to one of the country's best loved entries, means 'we're painting the town red', and refers not just to the raucousness of Eurovision, but also the craziness of the 1980s in general.

Bedsted was at the offices of Danish dealer Bico, when he mentioned that he might be interested in trying something other than his

Abu Dhabi - For 14 years, leading event production and management house Fonoon has been delivering exceptional services to the Middle East's top companies and clients. Keen to continue with the tradition the company added Showline's high performance SL BAR 660 and SL WASH 180 luminaires to its arsenal.

Fonoon has an impressive portfolio backed up with experience managing a broad range of significant events from corporate occasions and lavish weddings to large-scale concerts. From the production end, Fonoon takes charge of every aspect of an event, including the lighting, sound, staging, video and special elements such as lasers. In order to offer its clients original and exciting event concepts, the company ensures it stocks the latest in versatility and innovation, hence the investment in Showline LED luminaires.

"We actively look out for the most innovative products in

UK - Flashlight has announced the appointment of Alistair Smyth to the role of sales coordinator, joining their Manchester-based team.

Alistair joins Flashlight after working for various manufacturers & sales/rental companies, bringing 20 years of industry experience to the company. Having worked in a number of technical service & sales support positions through the years, his skills should add further firepower to Flashlight's team of industry veterans.

In his new role, Alistair will focus on delivering Flashlight's innovative products and renowned customer service to their new and existing portfolio of clients. With a significant amount of growth over the past year, the company felt that adding to their experienced staff was necessary to maintain attention given to their customers.

Alistair says, "I'm delighted to join Flashlight, their reputation and professionalism

New Zealand - The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular is a BBC Worldwide production based on the ever popular Doctor Who television series. Celebrating over 50 years, Doctor Who is one of the most widely broadcast drama series on the planet.

The live show is based on the music of the modern series, composed by Murray Gold and conducted by Ben Foster, a symphony orchestra plays live to video packages displayed on a large projection screen. This is combined with a cast of live characters from the series and enhanced by dynamic lighting interaction.

MJF Lighting was the lighting supplier for the Wellington event. Controlling the lighting system was MJF's new grandMA2 light with an MA onPC command wing working as a backup control surface. grandMA2 has become one of the most popular and sought after control systems in the lighting world.

Production and lighting designe

South Africa - One of Vuyani Dance Company's 2014 dance experiences took the form of an "out-of-this-world" dance piece called Full Moon at the Mandela stage at the Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg. Inspired by the mysteries of the universe, this dreamlike piece claims to take audiences "on an epic journey into the celestial realm and back to earth, riding the mysterious carpet of the time-space continuum in a magical flight of the imagination."

The visual possibilities for a show like this show proved irresistible for UK-based lighting and set designer, Declan Randall, who returned to South Africa specifically to work on the project. He used the diverse services of local theatre equipment rental supplier Gearhouse Splitbeam to help bring the concept to life.

"I have had a long and wonderfully collaborative relationship with VDC since the company be

USA - Elation's new SixPar Series of indoor and outdoor PAR colour changers features a revolutionary six-colour LED multi-chip that provides an expanded palette of colours, including stunning ambers, true whites and even ultraviolet. Useful for production applications or installations as a wash light, uplight, wall wash, truss warmer and more, the SixPar's high-power single lens RGBWA+UV LEDs provide a creative colour boost to the lighting designer toolbox.

Available in four versions - SixPar 100 (indoor), SixPar 100IP, SixPar 200IP and SixPar 300IP, with 7, 7, 12 and 18 x 12-watt LEDs respectively - all luminaires in the series are wrapped in a rugged die-cast aluminium housing and feature 15° beam and 25° field angles.

All SixPar luminaires house an electronic strobe and are capable of smooth dimming from 0-100% with excellent stability throughout the range. They als

UK - The latest creative stage luminaires from Philips Entertainment's four premier brands - Selecon, Showline, Strand Lighting, and Vari-Lite - will be on stand 55 at this year's ABTT at London's The Old Truman Brewery.

Following successful outings at Prolight + Sound and PLASA Focus earlier this year, Showline is exhibiting the SL NITRO 510C LED strobe, which adds full RGBW capabilities into the same compact size luminaire as the SL NITRO 510, while maintaining similar massive output, multiple zone control and continuous-on abilities.

Showline is also showing the SL WASH 350, a compact moving washlight with three independent zones of homogenized RGBW control. In addition, budget minded projects will appreciate the new SL ePAR 180 and SL eSTROBE 130. These two luminaires offer high output and innovative features in a compact size.

Philips Selecon will be on stand to demo th

USA - Elation products were again put to work across several stages at the 2014 Coachella music and arts festival but this year also fulfilled a new role as powerful site lighting

Elation gear has become a staple of the Coachella Festival as it has grown to become one of the largest and most successful music festivals in the U.S. This year, Coachella hosted more than 500,000 people over the festival's two weekends with headliners Muse and Arcade Fire, along with a list of surprise guests and more than 180 other acts, delivering another memorable event.

Elation dealers Visions Lighting, AG Lighting and Felix Lighting supplied an abundance of Elation lighting for this year's festival. Used all around the festival site including the Outdoor Theatre Stage (Platinum Beam 5Rs - Visions Lighting), the Sahara Tent (Platinum Spot 35s, Opti Tri 30s and Design LED 60 Tri-strips - AG Ligh

USA - Miami's Club E11even is a 24-hour hybrid club, operating as an intimate lounge space by day and a gentleman's club by night with an expanded space, Cirque Du Soleil acts, aerialists, contortionists and interactive theatrical characters. Recently, Miami-based iDesign installed Martin Professional lighting fixtures to be the centre of all parts.

With a total of 38 Rush Profiles (32 - main room, six - day room), 16 Rush Beams in the main room and three Hazers (two - main room, one - day room), Club E11even chose Martin for its power and, most importantly, its reliability.

"The design grew from a bunch of ideas," stated Michael Meacham, iDesign Productions. "We saw the new Rush line at the Prolight + Sound Show in Frankfurt and we were very intrigued. We knew we needed a fixture with the power and LED engine that could go nonstop and the Rush line was a great

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