Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

Some are reaffirmations of existing standards, some are withdrawals of existing standards, and some (the BSRs) are drafts of new standards. Comments are due before the end of the day on the date shown.

ANSI E1.3 - 2001 (R201x), Entertainment Technology - Lighting Control Systems - 0 to 10V Analog Control Specification. The standard describes a method of controlling current-sink devices and equipment by means of an analogue control voltage in the nominal range from zero to 10 volts positive, with the control signal current sourced from the controller. It is primarily intended for theatrical lighting controllers and controlled devices (e.g., dimmers), but any device could use this control method. The working group propos

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14 March 2016

After careful planning and budgeting, the new facility on the University's Harrow campus finally opened in July and was put through rigorous testing over the summer prior to the start of the new academic year.

Alan Fisher, previously acting Dean and head of the university's Music Department, and now consultant, says, "Our philosophy is to only introduce students to equipment that is industry standard. We realised some years ago that we needed an acoustically accurate recording studio that was of sufficient size to accommodate a large group of students. It has taken fiv

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14 March 2016

Immediately following the attacks, Nathalie's father Patrick told French media that although he knew she had been working at the venue, he had been unable to locate her. It later transpired that Nathalie had died of gunshot wounds. "It seems that my daughter is dead," he later told French media.

Nathalie, who was nick-named 'Natalight', had worked at the venue since November 2011. A Facebook page has been set up f

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14 March 2016

Prior to joining the management team at Gerriets Gmbh, Bickel held the position of senior manager of Stage Engineering at Bosch Rexroth AG. During his tenure at Bosch Rexroth, Bickel focused his efforts on stage technology engineering as well as developing standardizations within the group. He also was head of stage engineering and a project manager at Bruger + Fisher GmbH & Co. KG and served in various technical capacities at The Bavarian State Opera and Bavarian Radio in Munich earlier in his career.

Founded in 1946, Gerriets has developed into a specialized company offering products and services to the stage and event markets.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The new headquarters, comprising offices, specialised workshop areas and warehousing facilities, are situated on the Tarran Way Industrial Estate in Moreton, a location chosen for its accessibility to the M53 and UK motorway network.

The expansion reflects both Hoist UK and Truss UK's continued success and subsequent growth over the past 12 months, a year which has seen developments in staffing numbers, product range and a number of new contracts being obtained both in the UK and overseas.

Hoist UK is a leading distributor of the Verlinde industrial and entertainment lifting equipment range, together with utilising its in-house skills by offering complete des

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14 March 2016

For the past five years, Blackout has rigged the renowned bauble decorations which are famously hung from the glass roofs of the market's two main isles within Covent Garden. The decorations, produced and managed by production company Sculptivate, were redesigned for Christmas 2015 and the traditional baubles were replaced with over 40 large stems of mistletoes. There are two sizes of mistletoe, the smaller is 2.5m and weighs 90kg, the larger is 3.5m and weighs 110kg, along with 60kg mirror balls. In addition, the mistletoes are decorated with nearly 700 glowing berries, which transform each sprig of mistletoe into an impressive hanging chandelier.

Over 320m of garlands unite the chandeliers and

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14 March 2016

The new piece of kit replaces two existing saws and will be used to cut all of the company's aluminium extrusion. With the saw cutting faster and to an unbeatable quality, Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty explains that it's purchases such as this that help Doughty to stay competitive within the market place.

"This new CNC makes a huge difference to the production of all our items. The speed at which it cuts means we are able to increase our output, thereby meeting customer demand with minimum delay between order and shipping time. Customers will receive a top quality item produced with unbeatable precision and an extremely clean finish."

Doughty has invested h

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14 March 2016

Thought provoking speakers include Grant Anderson, the Scottish Lighting Designer, in collaboration with lighting, AV and sound specialists Black Light who designed the popular Botanic Nights - 2015, a unique night-time experience. Grant Anderson explains how the light installation evoked an emotive reaction from the audience.

Anderson comments: "In Scotland, it's often said that you can experience four seasons in one day. Visitors to Botanics Lights have been able to experience four seasons in just one night. It made perfect sense to me to combine nature and light with seasonal changes as the three are inextri

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14 March 2016

Hawthorn and Doughty have enjoyed a long standing working relationship for several years. So when Dave Slater, Hawthorn's head of hire was presented with a brief by the tour's lighting designer Andy Liddle, he knew the system would provide the flexibility required to fulfil the lighting rig requirements.

He said, "The initial brief for Doughty was to supply their Modular Rigging System. We needed a product that would not only deliver fantastic lighting and video design, but would also adapt to meet the needs of different venues and stage heights. What's great about the Modular Rigging System is that we can use the

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14 March 2016

The Event Safety Alliance provides relevant and practical learning opportunities to event industry professionals. Clair Global, TAIT Towers, Rock Lititz, and guests, such as, Load Cell Rental, are all trailblazers in the live entertainment industry. To have them collaborating and innovating under the roof of Rock Lititz Studio in Lititz, PA is unprecedented. It is also exactly why Rock Lititz was created.

"We at Clair Global are looking forward to welcoming The 2015 ESA Safety Summit to Rock Lititz. Safety is first and foremost in our training program as well as our daily operations. To set aside several days to examine best practices and evaluate resources is an investment in our employees, clients and

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14 March 2016

"The initial plan was to have Unusual Rigging supply us with 125 motors for our production rehearsals in LH2, but as I've found from working with these guys in the past, once they're involved, it's hard to imagine doing any of the tour without them. And so we enlisted the team to do the entire show - all the rigging for the staging, scenery lighting, staging and sound. They also provided all the rigging services - the pre-production rigging plots for all the venues as well as all the liaising with the venues and structural engineers."

The brief given to Matt by Ric Lipson on behalf of Stufis

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14 March 2016

A decade ago, the church had installed video projection screens, so the faces of the pastor and other celebrants would be very visible to everyone seated in the hall. The church also projects song and hymn lyrics on the screens, a feature that significantly increases the congregants' participation in the service.

A stage filled with musicians and a choir feels grandly spiritual, an effect that appeals to many people attending - but a deep

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14 March 2016

These ASGB-built power generators use the tried and tested combination of Cummins QSL9G-3 engines and Mecc Alte ECO40 alternators together with an array of continuous improvements over previous builds of this model. The major improvements have been in the way the handed inter-cooler and radiator are connected to the engine, with simplified water pipe routes and connections, making the regular servicing items even more accessible than before. Improvements were also made to the exhaust routing. Pipework has now been designed and drawn up on CAD models, enabling accurate manufacture and easing the assembly proce

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14 March 2016

Suzanne Boothby, Cosmonauts Exhibition delivery manager said, "We brought Unusual Rigging on board at an early stage as the spacecraft and equipment on display are unique. We wanted the reassurance that Unusual bring with their understanding of both our objects and the limitations of the museum."

Unusual's Robin Elias flew out to Moscow to advise on the safest way to ensure the exhibits made their way to London unscathed. "Remember, these are huge spacecraft that play a massive part in space history. We can't just load them into the back of a lorry and hope for the best. We also had to consider just how we

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14 March 2016

Visitor highlights include the chance to discover new and exciting products from over 60 brands in professional audio, AV, lighting, staging and rigging not to mention two days of free seminars and live demos. Industry leaders exhibiting at the show will include both manufacturers and distributors including big names such as Robe, RCF, Chauvet, Elation, Avolites, ETC, TMB and many more.

The recent announcement from VisitScotland shows intent to grow the events market in Scotland. The investment in a new ten-year 'collaborative strategy' to develop Scotland's 3.5 billion events

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14 March 2016

It offers recommendations for steps to be taken to prevent falls by anyone (e.g., performers, technicians, politicians) on parade floats, movable stages, and similar moving platforms. Fall protection is needed, but this protection needs to be provided in a way that preserves the artistic intent of the moving float or platform. This document is being written to provide guidance on how to accomplish these two aims.

The draft standard is available now through 1 February 2016. On 2 February the review is over, and the links to the draft standard will disappear from the website.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

"API is committed to growing our presence throughout the Asia Pacific region. With large format consoles in Japan's largest scoring stages, along with our popular 1608 consoles in use from Jakarta to Seoul and on to Mumbai, Davwinder's experience will give us a bold head start in strengthening our distribution network and establishing new relationships throughout the region," says Dan Zimbelman, API's director of sales.

Sheena explains, "I've made a full circle in my career, from running world-class recording studios to working with some of

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14 March 2016

Stage Technologies has supplied winches for four automated floor tracks which are used throughout the show to track on and off, a huge variety of trucks, furniture and props for every scene in the show.

The production also incorporates the 200m2 steel show deck and track system designed and built by Delstar Engineering for the initial run in 2014-2015. For the show's run at the Dominion Theatre, Stage Technologies were tasked with creating a much more complex series of automation effects than had been used previously at the Theatre Royal Plymouth & Bord Gais Theatre in Dublin.

Ted Moore the director

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14 March 2016

The business will offer a complete suite of flexible freight forwarding services including airfreight, sea freight, land transport, removals and project cargo for fairs and events. The newly launched company has already secured contracts with theme parks, set construction companies and global brands.

The new business will be spearheaded by Anthony Miles, who brings more than 17 years' of event logistical experience to his role as managing director of the start-up. He has lead onsite logistic management services for international fairs and events worldwide including the 2012 London Olympic Games, Arabian Travel Market, CEBIT and Paperworld.

Commenting on the launch, Ian Spendlove, chief executive and founder of the Spendlove Gro

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14 March 2016

After the government approval of 59 group standards for Trailblazer apprenticeships earlier this year, the 'Live Event Rigger' working group lead the way in further developing the initiative to help more youngsters embark on careers in the live events industry. Employers who have supported the standard of the Live Event Rigger have been designing the apprenticeship over the past year.

The National Rigging Advisory Group's (NRAG) working subgroup, comprised of key industry representatives including PLASA and Blackout, helped design the assessment process to meet relevant business needs in terms of knowledge, skills and behaviours. NRAG agreed the range of assessment methods, grading a

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14 March 2016

As of groundbreaking, the facility is at 75% occupancy with nine companies committed as tenants, two of which are relocating their headquarters to Lititz.

"Joining the Rock Lititz Campus is a natural move for us. Atomic has enjoyed a 20-year relationship with industry giants Clair Global and TAIT in our hometown of Lititz. Now we'll have the opportunity to collaborate in more ways, while starting new relationships with entertainment companies moving into the area." said Daniel McPhillips, Preside

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14 March 2016

Installation of the panels, which are estimated to produce 4000kW hours of energy a month, began earlier this year with an initial 98.5sq.m of panelling. Work has recently been completed to install the final 100sq.m.

Julian Chiverton, sales director at Doughty explained: "It's vital that manufacturers like us are doing everything within our power to become more eco-aware and eco-friendly. With initiatives like SiPA being set up to help businesses achieve their environmental goals and with support from the government, companies are running out of excuses for not doing their bit."

The move is an economical one as well as environmental - production at Doughty's factory is thriving and

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14 March 2016

The certification has been designed by the The National Rigging Advisory Group (NRAG), with contributions from NRAG members including Harry Box from UK Rigging, Mark Armstrong from RTM Rigging, Paul Riddiford, PLASA's NRC manager and Unusual Rigging's Robin Elias. It is being offered to those working in the entertainment industry - in lighting, sound, video and scenery - who are often called upon to undertake rigging work, and to carry out lifting operations, without possessing the relevant qualification.

Robin explained, "The one-day assessment consists of; practical exercises in marking out, a practical assessment of a rigging related task leading up to and including carrying out a lifting operation, an hour long ex

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14 March 2016

This event has been designed to cover the operation and implementation of Kinesys equipment and will showcase a broad range of products that will appeal to individuals and companies involved in the increasingly popular discipline of automation / motion control.

The invitation is open to lighting and show designers, automation operators, rental suppliers and rigging service providers - anyone with an interest in this dynamic element of modern show production.

The training workshop will provide structured learning in the theory, progr