UK - Award-winning creative technical event production expert, Hawthorn, has unveiled its new brand at PLASA 2015 this week.

Named by the London Stock Exchange this year as one of the '1000 Companies to Inspire Britain', and after nearly 30 years in the business, Hawthorn has never stopped growing. With the acquisition of Core Creative, renowned drapes brand Rex Howard and the hugely admired creative technical production business Anagram, it was felt the time was right to amalgamate all of these respected brands under the one name: Hawthorn.

Hawthorn was the brainchild of Martin Hawthorn, who in 1987 spotted a gap in the market for a good quality equipment hire company, to support theatres, dramatic groups, schools and colleges. With great customer service front of mind, he promptly set up shop in his garage in Leicestershire and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Hawtho

UK - Twelve Clay Paky Mythos fixtures projected text and images onto the Tower of London in September as part of a star-studded charity event honouring wounded armed forces veterans.

The initiative was launched to raise awareness of the Haig Housing Trust, which offers housing assistance to ex-service people and the week culminated in a fundraising event, For Queen and Country, to mark the charity's centenary.

London-based Lightning Events was tasked with projecting the messages onto the side of the tower, and specified the Mythos fixtures, rigging them in weatherproof Flight Domes around 30m from the tower walls and near to the moat.

Production manager for the event, Lightning Events' Tom Foster, explains, "We liaised directly with the Haig Housing Trust for this project. Their initial brief asked to project along all sides of Tower, which would have been extrem

UK - The PLASA Awards for Innovation & Sustainability 2015 and the Gottelier Award, sponsored by Lighting&Sound International, were presented at the PLASA Show at London's ExCeL yesterday evening.

This year, 31 products were nominated for the Awards for Innovation & Sustainability, with eight awards presented, including a final Gold Award for Innovation.

The winners had to satisfy the judges that they demonstrate a new style of thinking, that they improve technical practice, have introduced new technologies, materials or techniques, that they feature patents or unique intellectual property, offer a new commercial advantage, or improve safety.

This year's Gottelier Award winner was David Cunningham, an early pioneer of computer lighting systems who developed a number of landmark products for Strand during the 1970s and 80s, including the Multi-Q memory lighting system, the Mi

UK - For the first time at PLASA, ETC is using a second stand hosting their rigging products, which are new to Europe, in combination with their now famous upside down stand, where two fencers battle on the ceiling.

On stand B40, the company's award winning range of Source Four LED fixtures are joined by the new, budget-friendly ColorSource line. Source Four LED fixtures are available in full colour, and both cool and warm whites; with their exceptional colour rendering and flicker-free output, they are quickly becoming the luminaire of choice for TV studios and theatres alike.

Meanwhile, the ColorSource range is ideal for venues which need good quality basic colour, but whose finances may already be stretched to their limit. The fixtures take the basic RGB emitters, and add a lime green to help fill in gaps in the colour spectrum which would not otherwise be reachable.

The

UK - Now in its 36th series, the long running BBC show Watchdog gives the public a chance to 'name and shame' once and for all.

LD Chris Kempton designs the lights - provided through RML - for the studio show and his simple, yet effective rig comprises of 26x Pixel Par 90s, MR16 Kits, Batten 50's, Choma Flood TC's and Stage Bars. In recent years Watchdog has been filmed at The Hospital Club studio.

This new eight-part series will cover topics such as ill-fitting baby car seats, eye surgery and inadequate after care. They also set up teams of undercover investigations identifying rogue traders including a group of intimidating gardeners who would march old and venerable pensioners to the bank to withdraw money.

You can catch the first episode this Thursday, 8 October on BBC1.

(Jim Evans)

USA - One of the last of the season's major US music festivals takes place this month in Austin, TX. Syncrolite returns to the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) in a big way by providing SXL automated skylights that will be filling the night sky over Zilker Park with dancing beams of light and ArenaColor wash fixtures illuminating the stage scrims.

Syncrolite's appearance at ACL caps off a summer of festival appearances in North America that included: Made in America, Outside Lands Festival, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Squamish Valley and Ilesoniq. Additionally, a fleet of Syncrolite fixtures made their annual appearance as a big part of the Dark MOFO Festival in Tasmania, Australia.

"We enjoy partnering with producers and lighting production companies to be a part of the explosion of festival popularity around the world and look forward to doing more of them

UK - Today at PLASA Show 2015, expert Media Trainer Ian Hider will present two sessions on the Lighting Showcase as part of PLASA's popular seminar stream. The sessions entitled 'How to use lights' and 'Top Tips on Lighting an Interview' are presented by Ian Hilder who worked for the BBC for 29 years as a cameraman and comes to PLASA to share his tips on efficient, effective and creative interview lighting, as well as to impart invaluable advice on BS7909.

The first session focuses on the BS7909, the BSI British Standards 'code of practice for temporary electrical systems for entertainment and related purposes' - the lighting equivalent of the 'Highway Code' how everyone using mains lights in the UK should work. Ian Hilder will give an outline of the code, advice and top tips for small shoots wanting to use mains lighting.

The second session 'Top Tips on Lighting an Interview'

UK - Italian lighting manufacturer Clay Paky is delighted to once again be a Gold Sponsor of PLASA Show. This year, the company joins its UK and Ireland distributor Ambersphere Solutions on stand B10, where the team are busy showcasing two brand new additions to the Clay Paky range - Scenius and Spheriscan - both nominated for the prestigious PLASA Awards for Innovation.

"Scenius is our new, extremely silent moving head spotlight at the top of the Clay Paky range. Its advanced optical unit and the new 1400W - 6000K OSRAM discharge lamp provides a much higher light output than with previous generation 1500W lamps. Scenius can count on a CRI>95, which is very unusual for a metal halide light source," says Clay Paky.

"Spheriscan is a revolutionary scanner with a modern twist - its mirror goes on turning endlessly beyond 360 degrees, which creates an absolutely orig

UK - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer CORE Lighting are at the PLASA Show 2015 on Stand C24, part of UK distributor White Light's 'Village' and where they are displaying a range of their latest innovations. CORE products are known for the high quality and excellent engineering that comes with the 'Made in the UK' marque. As an independent company, CORE can also react quickly and decisively to market demands and ensure its products stay at the forefront of the fast-moving live events industry.

Featured products at PLASA include CORE's new StripPoint which is prominent on the stand together with the flagship ColourPoint, which has become an industry standard product for the live event industry. The tiny PinPoint also has a major presence with an array of PinPoints controlled by CORE's new LightDesk phone App, and CORE's industrial strength FLOOD30 will also make an impact.

COR

USA - The Jacksons and the Temptations both are Motown legends. Both are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both are multiple Grammy winners - and both bring an infectious sense of sheer joy to every perfectly hit note in their musical performances. Yet for all that they share in common, the two iconic groups have very different musical styles.

Lighting designer Jason 'Blends' Ayala of ProSho (New York) supported each group with a lightshow that fit its individual sound like a visual glove at the recent Motown Legends Show in White Plains. He accomplished this feat using a single rig anchored by a collection of fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

"It was the same stage, the same event, but musically it was two very different shows," said Ayala. "The Jacksons were thumping high energy all the way. The Temptations, on the other hand, were more mellow with a slow,

ETC is morning the loss of Pontus 'Bullen' Lagerbielke, who passed away following a battle against cancer. A professional lighting designer, console programmer and media server wizard, he loved working in this industry.

He was an extremely valued member of the ETC Cobalt development team, and was also involved in the development of Congo.

Sarah Clausen, who was a close personal friend as well as colleague, says, "Bullen has been an incredibly valuable contributor to the development of ETC lighting control products. He brought real-world production experience to the table every time we discussed the further development of both families, and through his wisdom affected every Congo and Cobalt user's experience in a positive way.

"He was well known as a teacher and as a support resource for all users in Sweden. Bullen was a pioneer among European lighting designers in embraci

UK - Robe took a completely different approach to the 2015 PLASA London expo this year, creating a fully immersive piazza environment in their 'Arena' space - the largest stand on the exhibition floor - which became a showcase for the latest products built for theatres from the Czech manufacturer, including the new DL7S Profile, the latest DL4 range and the BMFL Blade, amongst others.

The stand design was inspired by the magnificent decorated marble and painted stucco of the Palacio Nacional (National Palace) in Mexico City, the seat of the federal executive which is located on the city's main square, El Zócalo. Much of the current Palacio's building materials are from the original palace that belonged to Moctezuma II during the Aztec Empire.

To replicate this as practically and effectively as possible at the ExCeL Centre, Robe collaborated closely with drapes specialists J&C

Austria - Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera was performed for the first time in 1986. The musical is based on the 1910 novel of the same name by the Frenchman Gaston Leroux. It is the most successful musical of all time: it has been staged in 27 countries and seen by an audience of over 130m theatre-goers.

Lord Lloyd-Webber and the Real Useful Group granted the Musiktheaterstudio in Bad Leonfelden, run by the Anton Bruckner Private University, permission to put on a series of performances. For this assignment, the lighting designer, programmer and operator Ingo Kelp, used Clay Paky A.leda Wash K10s, Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700s and Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s, along with other lights

Ingo Kelp explained his choice of equipment, "Some brands, like Clay Paky, are a must in theatres, not only for their excellent performance, but also for their brightnes

UK - The OnBlackheath festival in South East London has quickly established itself as one of the capital's most popular late summer music events. Set on the picturesque Blackheath Common, the two-day gathering features an eclectic mix of live music and pop-up food stalls, an alluring combination that earned it five nominations for Festival Awards in 2014, its very first year of existence.

This year the festival turned up the juice even more with a new Make Noise DJ stage that featured EDM stars like Erol Alkan and Grammy-winner Tom Findlay (Groove Armada), along with a dazzling array of 28 pixel-mapped Nexus 4x4 LED panels from Chauvet Professional.

When festival supplier London Speaker Hire approached John Rogers to design a lighting concept for the Make Noise stage, Rogers decided that the direction of the design should take on an obvious club persona. "Wi

USA - Elevation Worship recently recorded its new album, Here as in Heaven, in front of a sold-out crowd at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clay Paky lighting fixtures were on hand to support the band's live recording and DVD shoot.

Elevation Worship is a contemporary Christian worship band from Elevation Church in Charlotte. The band has four other albums to its credit; the last two were also recorded live. Special Event Services (SES) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina provided turnkey sound, lighting and video support services for the live show. Elevation Church lighting director/programmer Andy Bentley designed and specified the fixtures for Time Warner Cable Arena.

"We treated the recording session and 26-camera HD video shoot like any other arena show," says Michael Brammer, director of touring operations at SES. "We provided sup

USA - Elation Professional is gearing up for the LDI show October 23-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre with a number of products set to impress at Booth 1117, including the powerful Platinum FLX hybrid moving head, recent Innovation Award winner at the PLASA show in London.

With its next generation digital lighting technology and accessible price tag, the Emotion has attracted a lot of attention since launching earlier in the summer. Visitors to LDI will now have their chance to get a close look at this compact yet powerful moving head digital light.

Several new products will see their North American debut at LDI including the Platinum HFX, a new mid-sized addition to Elation's hybrid family of beam, spot and wash luminaires; the Satura Profile, a powerful new LED-based CMY colour mixing moving head with output that compares to 1,200W fixtures, framing system, zoom and mor

USA - Elevation Worship recently recorded its new album, Here as in Heaven, in front of a sold-out crowd at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clay Paky lighting fixtures were on hand to support the band's live recording and DVD shoot.

Elevation Worship is a contemporary Christian worship band from Elevation Church in Charlotte. The band has four other albums to its credit; the last two were also recorded live. Special Event Services (SES) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina provided turnkey sound, lighting and video support services for the live show. Elevation Church lighting director/programmer Andy Bentley designed and specified the fixtures for Time Warner Cable Arena.

"We treated the recording session and 26-camera HD video shoot like any other arena show," says Michael Brammer, director of touring operations at SES. "We provided sup

Singapore - Nanyang Polytechnic has invested in eight Avolites Quartz consoles for its Electronic Engineering course, which offers a specialist final year of AV System Design.

Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) is located in Yio Chu Kang next to Yio Chu Kang MRT Station, Singapore. More than 15,000 students attend, on a campus of 30 hectares.

The Polytechnic approached Singapore-based Total Solution - a leading distributor of premium professional Light, Sound and Rigging products in Asia - to upgrade its existing lighting consoles for the course. Total Solution's Executive Director Tevin Heng demoed the Quartz console to the institution.

"NYP felt they needed to upgrade to a higher scale and more user friendly lighting console, and had always heard about Avolites' popularity in our region and therefore invited us to demo the Quartz," says Heng. "They were immediately i

South Africa - Under an African sky, the FNB Starlight Pop Opera was held in August at Chris Saunders Park, Umhlanga in KwaZulu Natal. Beautiful sounds from the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and soft washes of colour brought the stage dome to life. Chandeliers helped create an extravagant atmosphere as memories were made with Ronan Keating as special guest performer.

Presented by First National Bank and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, EPH Productions supplied the full technical for a private show (which had a full dress rehearsal) attended by senior citizens from nearby old age homes, and for a gala evening for invited FNB guests.

Working on this production for the fourth year, EPH Productions had their ducks in a row to supply the glittering event. Control was on a grandMA and the range of lighting fixtures included of 12 Clay Paky Sharpy, 12 Robe Pointes, 12 Robin 100 LEDBeam,

UK - As venues like theatres, schools and community centres upgrade their lighting rigs with LED technology, their power control technology needs to be upgraded as well. With a simple configuration and dependable wireless performance, the ColorSource Relay power control system is a budget friendly solution for data distribution and system infrastructure, particularly for smaller sized venues.

Working in conjunction with the ColorSource Relay, the ColorSource Transmitter connects to a wired DMX source - like a lighting desk - and transmits DMX and data signals wirelessly to any ColorSource Relay within a 100 metre range and supports up to 16 amps of power.

The problem solving ColorSource Relay makes it easy to get DMX and power into remote and hard-to-reach locations, without having to run cords everywhere.

And the ColorSource Relay is not just for LEDs. Combined with the Col

USA - Bandit Lites once again working with Grammy award winning superstar Miranda Lambert on her Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour. The fall tour kicked off in September and features performances from some of the country's most talented acts including RayLynn, Ashely Monroe, Claire Dunn and Courtney Cole.

Following the massive success of her Platinum Tour, the singer-songwriter worked with longtime lighting designer Chris Lisle to create a show that highlighted what she does best: Bring great music to her fans. "We kept it pretty straight forward with three trusses - downstage, midstage, and upstage, along with some floor lights," said Lisle.

"There are mainly four types of lights: Robe BMFL used for their amazing optics, gobos, and intensity, Clay Paky B-Eyes for general colour wash and then some fun effects, Robe Robin 600 for front light and Robe Pointes us

Sweden - Robe's DL series continues to impress theatre and performance venues with the Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern (Royal Dramatic Theatre) in Stockholm recently investing in DLS Profiles.

The theatre, that produces over 1000 works a year across eight dynamic performance spaces, is the national theatre for spoken drama and was founded in 1788 and has occupied the current, majestic art nouveau building designed by architect Fredrik Lilljekvist on the waterfront at Nybroplan since 1908.

The theatre has many claims to fame including legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman who was its creative and managing director 1963 - 66 and directed numerous ground-breaking productions there. The Big Hall has a capacity of 720 and the Small Stage of 340, with both constantly busy producing and receiving shows along with the other stages.

The Small Stage (Lilla scenen) has recently purchas

UK - Manchester-based production company, Audile has been enjoying a packed summer of events as director Rob Leach explains. "It's been back-to-back festivals all season: Snowbombing, Parklife, Creamfields, Bestival Boardmasters, Festival No 6 to name just a few of them. Very little of our stock has spent time on a shelf in the warehouse so it goes without saying that amongst our main priorities when considering equipment purchases are reliability and durability. Where lighting stock is concerned, we have to add flexibility to that list as we have to be prepared to adapt to a whole range of artist requests with little or no notice."

Audile has been a growing business since 1996 and now enjoys an extensive client list, ranging from dance music events, brand activations, touring and corporate shows as well as festivals. As a production house, they provide sound, lighting

USA - Bose Professional is now shipping four new dual-channel amplifier models from its broadened FreeSpace amplifier line. These models are optimised for premium commercial applications such as retail, restaurants and hospitality.

There are two mixer amplifiers (IZA 2120-HZ, IZA 2120-LZ) and two expansion amplifiers (ZA 2120-HZ, ZA 2120-LZ) each at 120 watts per channel. FreeSpace amplifiers can be quickly configured without the use of a PC, enabling each installation to be customised easily and intuitively. In addition, FreeSpace amplifiers offer a range of models and features to enhance any audio installation using Bose FreeSpace loudspeakers.

The IZA models include an integrated audio DSP providing Bose loudspeaker EQ, Bose Dynamic EQ, Opti-voice paging/ducking, audio mixing/routing, bass/treble adjustments, remote control options and an auto standby feature. The ZA models

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