USA - Robe Lighting rocked Las Vegas this weekend - presenting its largest booth at any LDI expo to date, complete with its first major new product launch at an LDI show with the BMFL Wash and BMFL Wash XF luminaires.

Robe upped the stakes at the popular U.S. entertainment technology exhibition to reflect the surge in growth of its business in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

The eye-catching stand was busy from the moment the show opened, where visitors could enjoy an action packed program including comprehensive demonstrations of all Robe's technology new to the U.S. market.

This included the powerful and refined DL7S Profile, an LED fixture built for theatres and TV studios; the Square, a 5x5 zoomable LED matrix for video projection, pixel animation, beam effects plus a highly effective wash and cyc light with continuous pan/tilt rotation movement; the ColorSt

UK - Russell Howard is about to start filming his 10th series of the hit show Russell Howard's Good News. At first it was made at Riverside Studios but when they closed the show moved to Shepperton. For this 2015 series it is based at The London Studios on the South Bank.

Filmed for BBC Two by Avalon Television, the topical comedy show looks at his unique perspective of some of the big stories dominating the news that week. Good News includes sketches and guest appearances as well as stand up from Russell.

Lighting director Martin Kempton has updated the rig and it now includes a mix of MAC Auras and Martin Stagebar 54s with a few MAC 700s and VL1000s, all supplied by RML. He explained that the Auras are the perfect wash light for this show. "Behind Russell are three giant projected images relating to the topic he is discussing. The stage floor is lit with a

USA - Lighting designer Benoit Richard, of Millennium Lighting Design, Inc, chose his first use of Ayrton MagicDot-R fixtures for the video shoot of NBC's spectacular NFL Sunday Night Football Open, employing 60 units in his design.

The Sunday Night Football opening sequence is the official introduction to America's prime time Sunday night programme and features Carrie Underwood for the third year running. Filmed in June on Stage 23 at Warner Brothers, Burbank, the Open was first broadcast nationwide on 13 September 2015, with weekly updates tailored to feature each Sunday's rival teams.

This year marked a style change - described as Nashville meets Hollywood - with the creation of a large virtual video backdrop and a new arrangement of the famous theme tune, Waiting All Day for Sunday Night, which Underwood performs in front of a live audience, amid real and projected

Republic of Congo - Brazzaville had the honour of celebrating the 11th edition of the African Games in September 2015, marking not only the 50th anniversary of the Games (held every four years) but also the return to Brazzaville, which hosted the very first edition back in 1965.

Organized by the African Union (AU), this multi-sports event drew in participants from 54 nations with a programme of 22 separate sports disciplines plus two additional disability sports.

GL events Audiovisual, a subsidiary to GL events Group, was tasked with the exceptional closing ceremony of the Games. From design to production, the teams focus was fully on guaranteeing top-quality service within sound, lighting and video. To achieve the best possible light installation, they selected 18 G-Spot LED moving heads from SGM with an IP-rating of 65.

French lighting designer, Vincent Mongourdin, worked

UK - The new Zero 88 FLX lighting console by Eaton made a massive difference to the power and control that lighting designer Guy Thatcher had at his fingertips on the main stage at the 2015 Tilfest event - a popular annual real ale and music festival staged in a marquee in the grounds of the White Horse pub in Tilbrook, Cambridgshire.

Technical production - including all lighting and sound - for Tilfest 2015 was provided by Phantom Power headed by Clive Nicholes, a Cambridgeshire based rental and production company supplying festivals, live events, dance and theatre shows.

The FLX console is a new purchase by Phantom Power that was supplied via Impact Products in Northampton.

Guy first saw the FLX in action at a Zero 88 product information day - Phantom Power already owned a Zero 88 Solution console, which everyone liked, but when Guy received the FLX demo, it really stood o

Italy - Next to Normal has been one of the most successful musicals on Broadway in recent years. The production has now arrived in Italy thanks to the far-sighted planning and production of the STM (musical theatre school) in conjunction with the Compagnia della Rancia (Rancia musical theatre company).

The musical made its debut as a preview on 7 March 2015 at the Teatro Coccia in Novara with a cast of professionals from the Compagnia della Rancia directed by Marco Iacomelli. The scenery was designed by Gabriele Moreschi, costumes by Carla Ricotti, choreographies by Gillian Bruce, and lighting by Valerio Tiberi.

Next to Normal started in 1998 in the United States as a workshop lasting just 10 minutes. Ten years later, it was a short step from the first Off-Broadway performance to its final seal of approval on Broadway itself. The musical made its début at

UK - PLASA (the Professional Lighting and Sound Association) has outlined its current position in the wake of various recent changes, and asked for Members' feedback on its next steps as it moves forward into a new phase of its existence.

Speaking at a meeting for PLASA Members held during the PLASA Show, John Simpson, PLASA Governing Body chairman and chairman of the White Light Group of companies, said, "Without doubt our major issue this year has been that of diminishing profit, which has led to a critical cash-flow problem for the organisation.

"We have taken action in implementing cost-cutting measures across many parts of PLASA, including reduction in staff, putting the Eastbourne office up for sale and a substantial restructure of the organisation. We have overcome the immediate cash flow problems for 2015, but will be limited in services we can provide during

USA - Chauvet Professional created a lot of buzz at LDI, drawing healthy crowds eager to see a collection of breakthrough products that included a five-colour LED ellipsoidal, as well as a single source RGBW IP65-rated wash and a new touring version of its popular ÉPIX Series.

"We were very pleased with the widespread interest shown in our products," said Berenice Chauvet, vice president of Chauvet. "I think the response we experienced at LDI this year speaks to the diversity of our product line."

Among the new products attracting attention was the ÉPIX Tour Series, 20mm bars and strips with RGB SMD LEDs that were built for life on the road and engineered to deliver dynamic looks with or without pixel mapping.

Another LDI success for Chauvet Professional was the Ovation E-910FC, a new five-Color RGBA+Lime LED ellipsoidal. Bringing a new leve

Germany - GLP has announced a record month for sales in its native Germany as an increasing number of event production and rental staging companies invest and reinvest in the evolving LED family of X4 fixtures.

The 66th edition of IAA Cars, the world's largest motor show, saw one of the biggest collections of GLP impression LED moving heads ever assembled under one roof.

Taking place over 225,000sq.m of stand space at the Messe Frankfurt, leading manufacturers and their creative teams chose GLP impressions from right across the X4 range to deliver mission critical solutions.

Leading the charge was Volkswagen, where the team from lighting design and technical conception company, rgb gmbh specified a massive 430 of GLP's new X4 L heads and 300 X4 Bar 20, (part of an overall complement of more than 2,000 fixtures) with the inventory provided by PRG Germany, who had been nominat

USA - This past weekend, Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG) took home two big wins on Saturday night while exhibiting at LDI 2015 in Las Vegas, NV.

Following an enthusiastic response and non-stop crowds in the PRG booth all Friday and Saturday, the LDI team was awarded the LDI Best Debuting Product - Staging and Rigging for the new PRG GroundControl Followspot System. Presented at the LDI Awards event on the show floor and accepted by PRG product manager for Luminaires Chris Conti, who thanked PRG's Technology Development team, based in Dallas. He also thanked the industry colleagues who contributed feedback during development, especially Lighting Designer Bob Barnhart and the Full Flood team for their inspiration towards developing this revolutionary product.

The PRG GroundControl Followspot System allows the spot operator to be in a remote location up to 2,000' away whi

USA - Following a wildly successful year including a packed festival season, massive world tours and premier installations, Bandit Lites once again took home Lighting Company of the Year at the 15th Annual Parnelli Awards.

Dizzy Gosnell accepted the award, which was held at the Rio Resort and Casino October 24 during LDI, and was hosted by Kevin Lyman, founder of Vans Warped Tour. This is the fifth win and fifteenth nomination for Bandit, which has been nominated every year since the award's commencement. It is the twenty third Lighting Company of the Year award Bandit has won globally.

Bandit chair, Michael T. Strickland credits the win to Bandit's hardworking staff and valuable clients. "It is always humbling to be honoured in such a way by your peers," he said. "All at Bandit appreciate the recognition and support. We could not do it without the great support

Denmark - ETC's Danish dealer Bico has replaced 40 ageing and energy-inefficient halogen fixtures which light the stage tower of the Royal Danish Playhouse - with just 17 ETC Selador Desire D60XTI Lustr+ LED fixtures.

Bico's lighting designer Hans Henrik Schmidt says, "Originally, the tower was lit by some 40kW of lighting; the management were keen to reduce power consumption, so cut that by half, but were then, of course, disappointed with the output quality.

"After talking to us about how they could obtain the same high quality of lighting, but with lower power usage, we offered them 17 of the outdoor ETC Desire fixtures, which use a combined total of little more than two kilowatts."

Using an ETCnomad system, Schmidt was able to create a look that could be stored directly in the Desire fixtures. At night, all that the end users need to do is turn on the powe

USA - At LDI, ETC presented a cheque for $27,405.58 to Behind the Scenes, which reflected ongoing proceeds from sales of ETC's iRFR and aRFR (Radio Focus Remote) application for iOS and Android devices.

On presenting the cheque, David Lincecum, vice president of marketing, commented, "When we started this, we never imagined that the sale of this app could produce over $233,000 for such a great cause. An important part of the ETC culture is being of service to each other, especially in times of need. We are very humbled by the large impact this small app has produced for the members of our community who have needed a little help."

Rick Rudolph, chair of Behind the Scenes, responded, "We are as amazed as ETC at what this app, developed by Chris Mizerak and Anders Ekvall, has been able to do for our colleagues in need who are so often in deseperate situations due t

UK - On Saturday 24 October, Central Hall Westminster was part of a worldwide initiative to mark the 70th anniversary of the formation of the United Nations (UN). The venue joined iconic buildings and monuments such as the Great Wall of China, the Empire State Building and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, by projecting blue light across its facade, with blue being the official colour of the UN.

As White Light is Central Hall Westminster's production service partner, the company provided all of the production support for the evening - with the venue being the only English landmark to be featured as part of this iconic occasion.

Central Hall Westminster has a long and historic relationship with the UN. In 1946, the venue was chosen for the very first General Assembly of the newly formed United Nations; a meeting that saw the appointment of the first Secretary General, along with the c

UK - PRG XL Video continued their long relationship with Creamfields by supplying a wide range of video, lighting and rigging solutions across multiple stages at the 2015 festival - the biggest Creamfields to date.

With the festival growing in popularity every year, Creamfields producer LarMac LIVE are working to create a bigger and better experience for the audience at each event.

Featuring two main stages - North and South - with identical screen set-ups, and a further seven tent arenas, PRG XL Video were brought in early in the design process to help deliver Creamfields' most ambitious production to date.

The recent combination of PRG and XL Video further streamlined the process this year, with video across all stages, and lighting and rigging on the two main stages all supplied by the new integrated team. Under the direction of Ian Greenway of LarMac LIVE, Paul 'Macca' M

Italy - Bergamo hosted the fifth edition of I Maestri del Paesaggio (The Masters of Landscape) from 5 to 20 September. This now famous event is devoted to high class landscape architecture and has been held in the most enchanting parts of Bergamo's upper city since 2011.

Every year the association Arketipos brings internationally renowned landscape architects together and invites them to present their most significant experiences at an international meeting held in the evocative setting of the old Teatro Sociale.

The fringe events attract a wide, varied audience, especially thanks to the now famous "green makeover" of Piazza Vecchia, which is transformed radically for the event and renamed Piazza Verde (Green Square). The design of the square is entrusted to a different internationally renowned landscape architect each year. This year the idea for Green Square

France - Admiral T is not only creative, charismatic and colourful, he's also absolutely relentless in his output. In addition to releasing five albums and countless singles since his rise to fame in the mid-2000s, the Guadeloupe-born reggae dancehall artist has flourished as a producer, actor and fashion designer - even creating his own clothing label.

Equally relentless are his live shows, for which he has garnered a huge reputation in France. For his latest Paris show, Admiral T's lighting designer Gregory Lichtle deployed Chauvet Professional's Nexus Aq 5x5 RGBW LED panels and Legend 230SR Beam moving fixtures to support the 34-year-old's energetic and feverish live performance.

Lichtle included 19 of the Nexus panels in his dynamic design. The barrage of Nexus fixtures worked together to form a powerful rear wall, from which sharp beams of pixel mapped light could be punc

USA - The brief for the Queens Ground and Sunken Garden stages at this year's Nocturnal Wonderland was straightforward enough - to "push the limits" - and that's exactly what Visions Lighting and SJ Lighting did with eye-popping lighting and video designs that featured Elation Professional LED and Platinum Series fixtures.

The massive EDM gathering, produced by Insomniac Events, celebrated its 20th Anniversary 3-6 September at the San Manuel Amphitheatre & Grounds in San Bernardino, California. Stage design for the Queens Ground and Sunken Garden stages was by production design specialists SJ Lighting with production company Visions Lighting, who has been involved in a number of top festivals this summer, supplying the lighting and video gear.

Southern California-based Visions Lighting has been involved with Nocturnal for over a decade and this year worked closely wi

UK - Philips Selecon and Showline LED luminaires have performed a range of crucial lighting roles whilst complementing a traditional tungsten rig on macabre musical The Addams Family at the John McIntosh Arts Theatre in London.

The Wimbledon Light Operatic Society production was based on an original story by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, which has been described as an 'off-beat take on 19th century gothic'. The plot line is a ghoulish romp, involving ancestors of the family making their annual visit from the grave only for chaos to ensue.

Lighting designer Paul Flook's theatrical brief was to differentiate between the living and dead characters using coloured light. He added 10 Philips Selecon PLprofile1 luminaires, four PLcyc1 luminaires and eight Philips Showline SL WASH 180 movers to a basic rig, creating a versatile mix of traditional

UK - Bristol-based lighting and visuals specialist Fineline Lighting is supplying LED screens and supports for the Rugby World Cup fan zone in picturesque Northernhay Gardens in Exeter city centre.

The venue - which also includes food stalls - is being facilitated by Exeter City Council. It enables rugby fans without a ticket to Sandy Park or other games to enjoy the buzz plus all the thrills and spills of the 2015 Rugby World Cup match days as they unfold on the big screen in this convenient location in an official Rugby World Cup host city.

There are two video screens, the main one comprising 63 panels of Lighthouse R7 screen totalling around 50sq.m, which is flown on a truss installed towards the back of a Serious Stages 16 metre Supernova stage. There's capacity in front of this for up to 5000 sports fans.

Fineline's crew also installed two general purpose lighting truss

USA - Lighting designer C. Andrew Dunning of Landru Design specified the award-winning Jands Vista system to provide simple yet powerful control for Worship services at The Fellowship Ministries' Two Rivers Campus in Nashville, Tennessee.

In addition to being the owner of Landru Design - which offers lighting design and consulting services for Houses of Worship, corporate events, conferences, and festivals - Andrew is the LD and part of the production team for the main 400-seat Worship Centre space at the Two Rivers Campus. Beyond programming and running services, he also maintains the lighting system and supports the team of production volunteers.

Andrew worked closely with Josh Holowicki of lighting sales and production company, E2i Design - who also passionately support a number of Houses of Worship and education centers in the region - to supply the Jands Vista system.

&

UK - Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and rigging for the most recent Rudimental UK tour renewing their long term working relationship with designer Jonny Gaskell, culminating in a show at Alexandra Palace.

The tour started back in March and Jonny's visual concept - in its full incarnation - gradually revealed more elements as the set unfolded, an effervescent and cheeky mash-up of colour, movement, bouncing beams and lively visuals delivered with the band's characteristic carnivalesque and slightly edgy vibe - matching the infectious beat of their music.

The launch of the We The Generation album which shot to the UK number one slot in early October generated yet more excitement as eager fans flocked to catch the band's epic live performances.

The stage set was designed to be scaled to fit into various different spaces, however, only the largest venues - incl

Germany - Vive la France was the motto of this year's Wassershow at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. The four largest water events in Europe were dedicated to Louis XIV, the French King famous for the water shows he held at Versailles. They took the spectators on a virtual journey through La Grande Nation.

The combination of fire, water, video, lights, lasers and music involved almost all the expanses of water found in the car city's park. The lighting designer Andreas 'Mini' Mertens used grandMA2 consoles once again. A total of four grandMA2 light consoles, three grandMA2 full-size consoles and 1 grandMA2 fader wing were used to control the lights, pyrotechnics and fountain effects.

The moving lights included 50 Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330s and 20 Clay Paky Mythos units. "I asked specifically for these moving heads and LED lights for the Wassershow especially since I wan

The Netherlands - The new Stage Entertainment Holland production of The Bodyguard has recently opened at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht, The Netherlands, to rave reviews, sold out houses and nightly standing ovations. The colourful, richly textured and highly entertaining performance has plenty of theatrical magic and intricate and spectacular lighting by Luc Peumans of creative practice, Painting with Light.

Luc, well known across Benelux for his innovative lighting and visual designs for theatre, live music shows and television, has worked for the producers on several other projects including Dream Girls, however this is the first time he collaborated with director Carline Brouwer.

The ambitious video set was designed by Carla Janssen Hofelt who commissioned Ad de Haan to produce the content, and together with technical director Ed Wielstra chose the material t

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