South Africa - #LightSAred, a campaign initiated by the Technical Production and Services Association (TPSA) and Southern African Communications Industries Association (SACIA), has made significant headway with government to devise a strategy for the industry’s survival during lockdown level 2.
Campaign leaders encouraged stakeholders in the live events industry to remain positive, as discussions are being held with the South African government to ensure the survival of the entertainment industry and to present guidelines for reopening the sector.
Sharif Baker, chair of the TPSA and spokesperson of the #LightSAred movement, along with representatives of SACIA and the SA Events Council, are in discussions with representatives from the Department of Sports Arts and Culture, including Charles Mabaso, chief director for cultural development and Topsy Musi, chief of staf

USA - iHeartMedia, the USA’s largest radio station owner, called on Verge Aero’s drone show technology to add some high-flying, high-impact visuals to local station Q102’s broadcast announcement of its 102 Grand in the Sand competition in Philadelphia.
Amid 2020’s pandemic restrictions, 102 Grand in the Sand switched from a physical treasure hunt to a virtual one, with lucky listeners winning prizes worth $102,000 dollars. To ensure maximum engagement for Q102’s announcement of the competition, local drone show innovator Verge Aero delivered the attention-grabbing aerial imagery. Although the show was flown in central Philadelphia, it was not pre-announced to limit social gathering.
Flying high above the Philadelphia Museum of Art – the steps of which are known to movie lovers everywhere from Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 film Rocky – t

USA - “The client had a secondary guest-house on his property, and he wanted to turn the single room into a miniature bar/nightclub so he reached out to us at Blue Haze Entertainment with this idea, and we immediately got started on putting together a design concept,” explained Nikolai Beyla, designer and manager of the installation for Blue Haze Entertainment.
The club has a video wall 8m wide covering two of the walls, composed of Chauvet Video F3 panels, as well as mirrors everywhere and large glass patio doors that open to a view of the mountains. The video wall and the various lighting fixtures reflect off all the mirrored and glass surfaces, giving the feeling of being in a much larger space with even more lighting.
Fifteen wood panels are attached to the ceiling, each containing a section of Firefly FloppyFlex LED Neon. These panels create a massive, 91m lon

Canada - The tastes and inviting aromas of panzerotti, scaccia, farinata di ceci (and of course, pizza), have been a favourite part of Italian Week for Québécois for over a quarter of a century. This year, COVID-19 restrictions prevented festival-goers from shouldering their way through the bustling streets of Montreal’s Little Italy section and savouring this epicurean experience. But they were able to enjoy the music, art, fashion and culture of the city’s large (over 250,000) Italian-Canadian community anyway, thanks to the popular festival’s decision to move to a livestream format.
Taking place in the ornate Leonardo da Vinci Theatre, the week-long series of 60-minute programmes featured Moda Sotteo Le Stelle (fashion under the stars) as well as a variety of performances, including music from genres ranging from pop and folk, to jazz and opera. Adding eleg

Ukraine - There is no lack of creativity or ideas when it comes to artists performing in the world of Covid-19 lockdowns and other restrictions.
In Kyiv, Ukraine, ‘Vertical Concerts’ were initiated by rock band Green Grey who performed on the rooftop of a building opposite the city’s Bratislava Hotel where fans occupied nine stories of rooms with separate balconies, each with a socially distanced view of the gig.
Ukraine rental and technical production company Alight was asked to provide lighting for the rooftop stage – actually atop the Hotel Bratislava’s separate restaurant building – with a production lighting design created by Eugene Kostyra which included 10 x Robe MegaPointes. All the equipment was craned up to the rooftop, rock ‘n’ roll style.
Green Grey played the first Vertical gig, followed a couple of weeks later by hip hop act TNMK (Ta

UK - Lighting control manufacturer Zero 88 presented Live from the Congress a dynamic live stream highlighting the latest technologies in its control, data and power product ranges and announced that key products like the ZerOS Server, Splitter 8, Gateway 4 & Gateway 8, Betapack4 and RigSwitch are all shipping now.
The 30-minute broadcast was hosted at the Congress Theatre in Cwmbran, the nearest theatre to Zero 88’s manufacturing facility, and was presented by general manager David Catterall, supported by Jon Hole, Tyler Holpin (who also works as a technician at the venue) and Edward Smith.
Local singer / songwriter Tobias Robertson appeared as a special guest, treating everyone to his captivating vocals and some proper live entertainment as the stream was broadcast live on Zero 88’s YouTube and Facebook channels. It can subsequently be watched on-deman

USA - Caylee Hammack is used to making the most of a hard situation, so she wasn’t about to let a pandemic stand in the way of her first album’s debut. After experiencing heartbreak, losing a college scholarship and later her belongings to house fire, she poured her hurt and heart into If It Wasn’t for You which launched 14 August.
To celebrate the release, Hammack recorded performances for future, virtual television appearances. The rising singer-songwriter utilised the full production studio at the Steel Mill in Nashville with its 60’ x 40’ stage area and an impressive Bandit Lites-supplied lighting rig comprised of over 100 moving fixtures, including the new Chauvet R2X LED washes and a grandMA2 Full console.
“Caylee was scheduled to support both Reba McEntire and Rascal Flatts this past summer and we were looking extremely forward to working with

USA - Since arriving on the scene in the late 1980s Carl Filipiak, the award-winning jazz fusion guitarist from Baltimore has moved audiences around the world, not through sheer force, but through the intricate, subtle and often delicately balanced power of his music.
The design team at Harford Sound in Joppa, MD, followed a similar approach when lighting a livestream by the Top 10 recording artist and his Jimi Jazz Band that was videoed in the production area the company set up in its warehouse in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Harford went all out when building its improvised studio, outfitting the space with 75 Chauvet Professional fixtures and an 18’ x 10’ video wall made up of F4IP panels. This beefy rig is often put to good use during the company’s thrice-weekly livestreams, especially when they feature metal and rock bands. But for the sophisticated s

Armenia - Ayrton has appointed LSystemsPro LLC as its new exclusive distributor for Armenia, effective immediately.
Based in Yerevan, LSystemsPro is one of the country’s leading companies for sales, design and installation of many major brands of professional lighting and audio equipment.
“We work with many big event companies and large-scale venues, where we both sell and install the products we represent,” explains LSystemsPro founder and CEO, George Hakobyan. “We have been following the development of Ayrton closely and see there is great potential in the brand. We love the design and functionality of Ayrton products and believe there is great scope for the full range of their fixtures in this market.”
LSystemsPro’s views were compounded by feedback received from other sales and rental companies and designers who have experience of using Ayrton pro

Tahiti - At the end of November last year, thousands of people from across the Polynesian island of Tahiti gathered for the first annual Tiki Fest. Featuring an extensive line-up of performers, the event was headlined by international DJ and producer Diplo. He delivered an epic performance on an impressive stage that featured over 2m pixels of ADJ video wall and 24 of ADJ’s powerful Hydro Beam X2 IP65-rated moving heads.
Tiki Fest 2019 was hosted right by the Pacific ocean at Bel Air in Punaauia. It was organised by Studio 87 Event and Production, a well-established Tahitian company with a reputation for bringing high-profile performers to the island. As one of the biggest events to take place in Tahiti last year, the production for the festival had to be world class and to achieve that Studio 87 brought in regular collaborators Visual Events. Also based on the island, Vis

UK - My Light Shines On was a large-scale light art installation designed by Kate Bonney and Simon Hayes from Lightworks, commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, to mark what would have been the opening weekend of Edinburgh’s 2020 Festival Season.
Celebrating the spirit, energy, vibe and imagination of the Festival - with a multi-disciplinary programme and was cancelled for the first time in seven decades due to the coronavirus pandemic - 14 separate lighting installations around the city highlighted some of the most famous venues of Edinburgh’s festivals in August.
Two hundred and seventeen Robe iPointes were selected by the artists as core components to My Light Shines On.
Four signature sites - Edinburgh Castle, Calton Hill, Bristo Square and Charlotte Square - all featured identical circular iPointe installations, with 36 fix

Europe - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera has announced four new exclusive distributors for Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden reflecting the dynamics, diversity, and potential of these four key Nordic nations.
In Denmark, Astera will be represented by Light Partner, Finland it is Oy Lafoy, in Norway Prostage takes up the Astera portfolio and in Sweden, Bellalite takes on the distribution.
The move enables customers in each country to deal directly with a trusted and well respected local distributor, all of which have been chosen for their reach into both live show and events plus film and TV markets, in addition to their stellar after-sales service and support infrastructures, says Astera.
“Astera sales to Scandinavia started to take off in 2011,” explained the brand’s sales director Sebastian Bückle. With the volume of business at that time, i

USA - Inspired by efforts in the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa, the US live events industry is set to host its own #WeMakeEvents ‘Red Alert’ day of action on 1 September.
Using the hashtags #WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART and #ExtendPUA to gain momentum, the move represents a major call to action on Tuesday, 1 September, imploring the US Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible, offering economic relief to America’s live events industry, which has been shuttered since March, 2020, putting millions of people out of work. Additionally, the movement is to support ExtendPUA.org in their efforts towards continuation and extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to provide relief to those without work due to COVID-19.
#WeMakeEvents North American director, Brad Nelms comments: "The group has managed to gather incredible support fo

Mexico - Ballerina Elisa Carrillo, principal dancer at the Staatsballett Berlin and 2019 winner of ballet’s top prize, the Prix Benois de la Danse, travelled to her country of origin to present a series of ballet performances called Gala of Stars, Elisa and Friends. The special shows, which took place last year in some of the most renowned venues in Mexico, including the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, were lit by Rafael Mendoza using Elation Artiste Picasso LED profile luminaires.
Gala of Stars, Elisa and Friends featured performances by renowned figures in classical and contemporary dance from some of the most important ballet companies in the world such as the American Ballet Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Berlin State Ballet, and the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
Mendoza has served as lighting designer for the Elisa and Friends ballet gala f

USA - Accustomed to lighting and supplying production to large festivals and live music venues, John Garberson was concerned that the smaller livestream production area he put together in his company’s Phoenix warehouse after the COVID-19 outbreak would limit his creative possibilities. He has since learned otherwise.
True, the 18’ by 20’ space doesn’t afford the opportunity to wow crowds with big looks, the way he has done for years at events like the Pot of Gold and West Coast Music Festivals, but lighting livestreams isn’t just about scaling down, it also involves the challenge of reorienting the focus of design.
“This has been like a learning lab experience,” said Garberson, director of Creative BackStage, which produces a new LIVE From Backstage livestream series with Pro Production Services. “At first I thought this would just be limiting,

USA - ADJ has introduced its new range of Encore Profile Pro professional LED-powered ellipsoidal fixtures, complete with a wide selection of lens options.
Designed for theatres and other performance spaces looking to embrace the power-saving and heat-reducing benefits of LED, without compromising on performance or features, two models are available. The Encore Profile Pro WW has a powerful warm white LED engine, while the Encore Profile Pro Color offers full colour mixing from a 6-in-1 LED source.
The Encore Profile Pro WW features a potent 260W warm white LED light source with a color temperature of 3200K. It generates an even field of light, with no hot spot, and boasts a high CRI in excess of 97. When used with a 26° lens, it measures a total light output of 10,000 lumens, while the LED engine has an average lifespan of 50,000 hours.
The Encore Profile Pro C

Canada - Driving over an hour on the highway, headed northeast from Montreal, motorists find themselves at Parc Bellerive, a secluded, peaceful expanse of green on the banks of the River Richelieu.
Time seems to stand still here. Being far enough away from the big city, the clear and fragrant night sky is free of light pollution. This creates an idyllic setting for star gazing. It also provides a beautiful canvas on which to project colourful and dynamic aerial effects.
This attribute was not lost on Érik Nowosielski-Lamoureux when he was called upon to light a two-hour drive-in concert headlined by Québécois recording stars Les Colocs for Canada Day.
“Saint-Ours is a small city about 100km from Montreal, so the sky over the riverside park was completely dark,” said Nowosielski-Lamoureux. “I used this aspect to create interesting looks in the sky. Beca

UK - KAM has introduced three new iLink laser lights - green, blue and RGB multi-colour.
All three new KAM laser lights, the iLink 60G 40mW Green, iLink 750B 500mW Blue and the iLink 500RGB 300mW Multi-Colour laser, feature remote controlled, pre-programmed auto mode or sound-to-light mode, projecting a large menu of clear built-in images on walls, ceilings and dance floors at the touch of a button.
With a compact, lightweight tough metal chassis and adjustable hanging bracket, KAM laser lights are extremely portable and built to last, with up-to-date technology including standard DMX protocol used to control lighting equipment, whilst delivering high visibility, brightness and superb long-throw beam specifications that look stunning alone, or mixed with fog or haze.
With a simple plug & play concept, the new KAM laser lights with quiet fan assisted cooling,

USA - Clearwing Systems Integration has provided systems design and integration for the LED lighting upgrade at Waterford Union High School’s auditorium and other venues and included Robert Juliat Roxie2 followspots as part of the new improvements. Waterford Union High School is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Clearwing’s Milwaukee office.
Clearwing was charged with modernising the high school’s outdated lighting inventory from house lights to theatrical instruments as they migrate from conventional and tungsten-based fixtures to an all-LED roster.
“Flexibility and performance were the biggest factors in lighting fixture selection, along with the energy and cost savings that went along with moving to LEDs,” says Mitch Van Dyke, engineering & estimation at Clearwing Systems Integration. “The school trusted us to get the best lighting we coul

France - Studio le 25, a busy livestream production space in Bièvres, has been in operation since April. A harmonious and balanced economy characterizes the venue’s versatile rig, put together by well-known lighting designer Arthur Oudin, whose impressive client list includes Patrick Bruel.
LED video panels, arranged vertically along the back wall and on the facing of the DJ stand, dominate the rig. Although the large video displays are essential to creating backdrops and conveying moods for the studio’s various livestream productions, they take up much of the space allotted for the studio’s rig, restricting the amount room left for lighting projections.
This spatial issue, along with the limited power supply available, made it necessary to complement the video panels with lighting units that offered compact size, energy- efficiency and intense output. Studio l

Europe - Elation Professional’s European office recently launched The Elation Coffee Break on Facebook Livestream, an online presentation series that takes a up-close look at some of the company’s most popular product series.
Elation continues the webinar series on Thursday, 20 August at 11:00 a.m. CEST with Elation technical sales specialist Alistair Smyth and international sales manager Frederik Afif looking at the innovative qualities of the Rayzor 760 and Proteus Rayzor 760 LED luminaires. The presentation will air live on Elation Europe’s Facebook page. No registration is required.
The Rayzor 760 is an LED wash effect with wide zoom and innovative SparkLED pixel effect that offers all new design possibilities. Also available in an IP65 version, the Rayzo

Australia - Smiles and high spirits abounded at the HBF Stadium in Perth, Australia at the country’s first large scale live music event since March.
Unlocked, staged mid-July, was possible due to the Western Australian state lockdown entering Phase 5 on 27 June, and Zaccaria Concerts’ ‘Castaway’ and VenuesWest took the opportunity to present a sizzling array of Western Australian electronic / DnB talent including Crooked Colours, ShockOne with Reija Lee, Slumberjack and Tina Says.
The venue was sold out to an enthusiastic audience of just under 3,000 people, reduced to 50% of its normal capacity and run under new safe operating procedures (SOP) regulations.
Lighting and LED screens were supplied by Perth-based rental and production specialists Showscreens, headed by brothers Ryan and Bryce Varley, who dipped into their 150 plus stock of Robe moving ligh

Australia - Brisbane’s Ekka show - the largest agricultural event in Queensland - was cancelled this year due to COVID-19, but in a bid to lift spirits, the fireworks show went ahead thanks to the donation of fireworks, audiovisual, lighting and programming by Skylighter Fireworks, NW Group, Chameleon Touring Systems and JLX Productions.
The Fullscreen Fireworks Show, presented by 7NEWS Brisbane, was specially designed for television audiences to stay home and watch on TV for the best vantage point.
Over 50 fireworks, lighting, sound and vision crew worked on the event - another example of our industry donating their time, expertise and gear to a worthy cause even though they have been hardest hit by COVID-19.
NW Group’s involvement in the event came about whilst Ray Moss, general manager for NW Group in Queensland, was having a catch up with Tony Laff

UK - A webinar designed to unite the live production industry in developing new working practices for a more sustainable approach has shown a “clear willingness” for change, according to The Sustainability in Production Alliance (SiPA).
The panel discussion, broadcast live on social media channels as well as via a Zoom video meeting, brought together many of the leading companies and individuals who are committed to a more sustainable future for live event production.
The webinar was a collaboration between SiPA, the Association of British Technicians (ABTT) and The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). Top of the agenda was how the industry can use the current hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to create a more sustainable approach to its work.
SiPA’s Carol Scott, principal advocate for sustainability at TAIT and SiPA, was joined by

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