Creative Staging was recently selected to provide the video projection, audio and lighting design and supply to the Nike exhibition - 'Nike - A Design for Movement' - working alongside exhibition designers Tonkin Architects, and the computer graphics and video producer at the Design Museum.

The project involved four 'zones', coming together at the centre, each having its own theme with a separate video and audio sound track. Periodically, the four videos would synchronize to form 270-degree 'wrap-around' computer graphics with lighting effects. As visitors moved from zone to zone, the soundtrack changed automatically to synchronize with the video material and exhibits in that area without the headphone wearer having to adjust or change units in any way. This was achieved through the use of infra-red headsets with video and audio material run from synchronized DVD players controlled by

Screenco has supplied an LED screen to The Saturday Show, the recently-launched CBBC's Saturday morning programme. The show runs from 9.00am to 12.00pm every Saturday morning and is the first Saturday show from CBBC that will play every week of the year. The ultimate audience participation show, it is presented by Dani Behr and Joe Mace, and is broadcast live from Television Centre. Commissioned by CBBC, Screenco provided a Lighthouse 6 x 5 10mm LVP10 LED screen, which is used as a backdrop for the main performance stage in the Saturday Show Studio. Feeds consist primarily of pre-edited visual packages produced on the 'Fire' graphic system for pop performances. The Saturday Show is the latest of many BBC programmes that Screenco and sister company Creative Technology - from whom they sourced the screen - have been involved in. As part of the Avesco Group, both companies provide a full ra

OPTI, the lighting effects and trussing supplier, has appointed Idunn Rodziewicz to its domestic sales team as regional sales manager. Rodziewicz brings with her 17 years of experience in the retail and exhibition market with Marler Haley. OPTI chairman Neil Rice told PLASA Media: "We're very pleased to have her on board. She has a great track record with clients here in the UK and internationally, as well as the experience to identify what they need and how to provide it."

Rodziewicz will initially concentrate on the OPTI Trilite side of the business, cementing links with clients across the retail and exhibition markets. She commented: "I'm really looking forward to it. OPTI is a leader in its field, and has great products as well as a fantastic range of support services. I think a lot of our clients, new and existing, are going to be pleasantly surprised at what OPTI c

XL Video supplied projection for Pulp's recent UK tour - one of many tours and events wrapping up an extremely busy year for XL, specialists in touring and live event video. Pulp - fronted by the charismatic Jarvis Cocker, featured innovative video footage created by Cocker himself, once a Fine Art and film-making student at Central St Martin's College.

Video was used to produce quirky and emotive visuals throughout 80% of the show. The footage ranged from heavily treated, stylized 60s soft porn for 'This is Hardcore', to time lapse film of flowers opening, trees and abstract patterns. XL Video supplied a fully digital video playback system for the tour, looked after by crew member Dave McKinlay. The projectors were two of XL's new 5000 lumen Barco SLM G5s. These were rigged on the front lighting truss, with both focused to produce the one upstage screen image - which varied in width a

The Entech 2002 Conference program features workshops and seminars in areas of lighting, design, rigging, audio, projection and even the business needs of a DJ. Sessions includeIntroducing the Line Array; The Future of Systems Integration and ProAV Technology; Venue Design Forum; Digital Live Sound Mixing; Lighting Designer Forum; Rigging Workshop; Stacks and Racks; Motor Training School; Location Sound Recording; Trends in Facilities; The Art of Designing with Moving Lights; We Are Surrounded (Surround Sound); and The Changing Face of Post Production.

Entech 2002, Australasia’s leading entertainment technology trade show, will be held in Sydney’s Darling Harbour from 4-6 February 2002. For further details on the conference programme and exhibits, visit the web address below:

Focus 21 Visual Communications has undertaken a series of videowall installation projects for a large financial firm in the City of London involving both Sony and Christie technology. Focus installed two conference/meeting rooms at the Corporation's Thameside location at Blackfriars - generally to facilitate 'plug and play' Powerpoint presentations from a laptop computer, using scan conversion technology.

Focus 21 services director Nigel Warrilow states that by using the Sony DSC-1024 scan converter, coupled with the Christie Digital's ability to split images from multiple displays in the overall picture area, correctly displayed data images can be presented from any PC. "The company wanted a big display occupying minimal depth or loss of space," he continued. "The ambient light level wouldn't lend itself to front projection, while rear projection would have eaten up too

Visitors to the Serpentine Gallery might have wondered what was going on when LA-based artist Doug Aitken brought his New Ocean exhibition to Kensington Gardens, London Crowning the mixed media installation, which included 20 video projectors supplied by DVS, and audio throughout the building supplied by Total Audio, were two Coef Show 250 scanners (programmed on a Compulite Spark console) - supplied by i-Vision in conjunction with Fentura Productions.

Hardware Xenon's projection balloon is an innovative solution to the problem of high quality projection in lit areas, particularly suited to exhibitions, conferences, product launches and events. This projection balloon (registered model) which gives a very bright spherical image, can be placed at the top of a mast or hung in trussing.

The spherical balloon is inflated with air and classified M1 non-inflammable. The standard model is two metres in diameter and is placed at the top of a mast 3.4 metres high. This fits into the space normally available in exhibitions between the top of the stands and the authorized maximum height of five meters. At this height the balloon can be seen from afar, while the occupied ground space under the balloon is reduced to a minimum: the aluminium mast required is only 12cm square. For clients with particular needs, balloons of different diameters and m

As tribute bands go, the Australian Pink Floyd are a touch different: for a start they imitate a band that, on stage at least, have virtually no physical presence, so they are relieved the task of attempting to look like them.

Lead guitarist Steve McElroy - the David Gilmour of the band - does make some small gestures towards his cipher, the mic stand arrangement is identical, with the tuner strapped just so off a separate stalk. He even manages those strange facial gestures during the guitar solos that I remember so well from my time working with Gilmour in the early eighties. But essentially this is all about the music, and they don’t make a bad fist of it - indeed The Times is quoted on the band’s flyer as saying: "Probably the greatest tribute band in the world," which, in the wider scheme of things, places them on a par with Carlsberg Lager, entirely appropri

Sarner and ESP have combined resources to provide a creative solution for Liverpool’s new multi-million pound International Astronomy and Space Centre (IASC). Sarner, which has recently been bought-out by two of its directors, Michael Bennett and Ross Magri, is thrilled to have such an innovative and important project under its creative direction. "This is a great win, not just for us but for the team at Sarner and for all our clients and colleagues," comments Bennett. "Sarner has been highly successful for over 30 years and we intend to build on that reputation and drive the company forward with new commitment to delivering innovative design solutions that have so often won clients’ belief in our skills, quality and service."

Sarner will be responsible for the design and production of special effects for the new visitor attraction, while ESP will projec

Quadrant Visual Solutions (QVS), the specialist supplier, designer and installer of video and film production facilities, was called upon to design, theme, stage and manage the Birmingham Film and TV Festival awards dinner at Birmingham's Burlington Hotel in a sponsorship deal. The festival, one of the UK's most significant moving image festivals, was held from the 15-24 November 2001. As well as the latest international previews, the Festival also included a range of events, workshops and seminars - with advice from professionals like Meera Syal and Pawel Pawlikowski.

Quadrant actively strive to be at the forefront of video/film production services, particularly outside of London, and are soon to open their film, video and media services centre in Liverpool. Among their celebrity guests at the awards dinner will be their Liverpool-based customers, Alex Cox (director of Repo Man) and T

AV specialist Blitz Communications has appointed Fraser McCaig as sales manager to increase market share for the company's new Birmingham branch. McCaig will be responsible for raising the profile of Blitz Vision in the Midlands region. McCaig has 17 years' experience in the Midlands AV and video production industry, having spent eight years as hire manager for Quadrant Video Systems in Birmingham, specializing in broadcast and professional equipment hire and filming. Prior to his appointment at Blitz he spent three years selling audio-visual equipment and systems, and project managed large systems installations for clients such as Marconi Communications, Anglo Irish Bank Corporation and Royal Doulton.

Flightcase manufacturer Oakleigh Cases has supplied leading UK live and touring video production specialists XL Video with a massive order of 130 flightcases to protect XL's new Barco I-Lite LED screen system. The cases will be toured extensively with XL's expanding list of international artists, such as like Robbie Williams, U2 and Kylie Minogue - as well as on giant corporate events like The Detroit Motor Show, which is where XL Video's I-Lite will make it’s first appearance, on the Toyota stand.

The XL build was completed against the incredibly tight timescale of just over two weeks. Oakleigh’s general manager Martin Cockton comments: "It's a tribute to our collective team ethics, and to the flexibility of our systems that we managed to achieve this challenging goal!" Oakleigh's CEM CAD/CNC machining centre was in operation 18 hours per day to meet the order. T

Paul Wood has joined XL Video, the concert touring and live event video specialists, as a project manager. Wood joins XL’s team, headed by Chris Mounsor, Lee Spencer, Des Fallon and Richard Burford, bringing with him a wealth of experience. Wood was previously the projects and operations manager for the LED screen department of SPS, where he handled events for blue chip clients like Microsoft and Bloomberg TV. Before that, he enjoyed several years on the road as a freelance engineer and projectionist, cutting his teeth in this exacting area of live production. XL’s Lee Spencer comments: "It’s great to have Paul onboard. He fully complements the rest of the team, and has all the attributes needed to thrive in XL’s lively and energetic working environment."

Wood is currently working on the Tweenies UK arena tour for XL, along with a number of other event

Through their official sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, Ford has been able to reach a critical mass - not only inside the host sports stadia and on television, but also outside the grounds. With the aid of promotional company Prism and audio-visual specialists Creative Technology the company has been able to throw large-scale images onto the sides of buildings (and the stadia themselves) in the true spirit of guerilla projection.

At some grounds a Christie X10 Roadie 10,000 ANSI lumens DLP projector has been set up on the top of an adjacent building, whilst on other occasions it has been fired from the back of a Ford Galaxy in the car park, run from a generator. "This is a high profile site where we can run a Betacam tape, interspersed with Ford's 'Destination Football' ads and highlights of the last few matches as eye candy for spectators arriving at the match," sai

Show Presentation Services (SPS), one of the largest AV rental companies in the UK, was chosen by Black Pig Productions to provide a Barco Dlite7 Screen for the recent Robbie Williams TV Spectacular, which was recorded live for BBC 1 at the Royal Albert Hall on 10th October 2001 and released on DVD in early December. Robin Coles, managing director of SPS, explained that his brief was to "supply 39sq.m Barco Dlite7 LED display to provide the 7168 mm x 5376 mm centre stage backdrop for Black Pig Productions to feed images on to. The show itself was spectacular, and we were very pleased with the effect when it was broadcast on BBC 1 on 17th November," said Coles.

Black Pig’s managing director, Chris Saunders, described the production as "unusual, as it was being filmed in high definition, causing any imperfections in the LED to stand out. This is especially important

The famous stage at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam took on a number of different scenic guises when Dutch radio station Radio 538 presented its ninth anniversary party, Live38, recently. Thanks to the reconfigurable pair of 18sq.m 25mm LED Megascreens from Screenco/JVR, which could be split and moved across the stage with the help of a motion tracking device, acts such as The Corrs, Wyclef Jean, Volumia, Blof, Di-rect and Crazy Pianos could be seen in bespoke scenic settings. The rigging and trolley system were provided by Frontline/Sightline.

Radio 538 undertook all the production themselves, and credit for the inventive screen concept goes to the station's Pieter Lubberts. "This flexibility enabled us to reinforce the stage images either as one giant screen behind the musicians, split into two 18sq.m side screens - or present them as six individual columns, each displaying

Paradigm was recently commissioned by audio visual specialists Integrated Circles, to supply three Ultra Contrast Screens for use at artist Liam Gillick's exhibit, 'Annlee You Proposes', at Tate Britain.

The 52" screens - together with specially adapted LCD projectors - have been hired by the gallery for the duration of the exhibit, which continues until 31 March this year. Footage on each screen comprises three minutes of looped video art - which together with sound clips - portrays 'Annlee', using Japanese-style cartoon images. The screens are positioned as window displays which face onto a newly landscaped garden and patio area within the Tate Britain grounds.

Paul Nolan of Integrated Circles told us: "Providing large, vivid video images in a sunlit, south facing outdoor environment, presented us with an unusual challenge that meant we needed exceptional contrast to achi

CT NEC has provided full AV support for Land Rover, on a three-year permanent installation basis, at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. Situated in two high profile areas, eight Panasonic TH-42PWD4 42" plasma displays and two Panasonic DVD-RV31 players have been supplied and fitted as visual reinforcement for Land Rover's impressive vehicle displays.

Split into two adjacent areas, the first site - a Land Rover Clothing Store, located in the Southeast Welcome Hall - contains two screens, with the capacity for future upgrade to enable data capture. The second installation is located within the main shopping mall thoroughfare, and boasts six screens, with four at ground level and two on the first floor. The screens display product and corporate video footage and currently present the same video sequence, fed from two separate source players. Provision has also been made for poten

AV specialist Saville Audio Visual has appointed Matt Alexander as area sales manager for South London, Kent and parts of Surrey and Sussex. Formerly based in Devon with Greenham Video, Alexander has extensive experience in the AV industry and his responsibilities will include sales of LCD projectors, audio visual and conferencing systems.

(Lee Baldock)

London-based Blink TV, the big screen entertainment company, has announced the opening of a business development unit in the USA, headed by Van Jarvis and based in San Francisco. Jarvis has been in the professional live video production business for over 20 years, having worked for two of the leading US video rental companies, and produced high profile music shows such as the Tibetian Freedom Concert in Washington in 1999 and the United Nations sponsored Groundwork 2001 in Seattle.

Blink specializes in the provision of integrated video packages for rock and pop concerts and festivals around the world. The concept has proved very successful in the UK, Europe and Australasia, and the US office has been established to promote their services to the huge live entertainment market in America. The operation in the States will be structured along similar lines to its other territories around t

Quadrant Visual Solutions (QVS), the specialist AV designer and installer and conference specialist, has specified and equipped ‘Host’ - the new media centre in Leeds, recently opened by Melanie B, with a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art multi-media equipment. The centre, funded by Leeds City Council, is situated in Chapeltown and was built as part of the Council's drive towards regenerating Leeds' inner city. Providing office space for small new media companies to rent, QVS equipped the centre with sound, radio and TV studios, conference rooms, multi-media training rooms and video edit suites.

The work was put out to European tender, and QVS account manager Andrew Hogben is delighted to have been awarded the contract. "We worked in partnership with Sony Broadcast and Total Audio Solutions to produce the original specification. For the sound studios, we supplied

Devon-based rock trio Muse appeared at a wide variety of UK and European venues at the tail end of 2001; Mike Mann saw them in the cavernous London Docklands Arena.

Lighting designer Oli Metcalf has seen his system squeezed into small clubs and stretched to fill a full arena stage - and has managed to keep the CAV-supplied rig intact along the way. Metcalf is using CAV for the first time, a decision, prompted by their stock of up-to-date High End product. "I’m using 16 Studio Color washlights and the same number of Studio Spot CMYs," he revealed. There are also 14 AF1000 strobes in his design and a quartet of modified Cyberlight Turbos - their rear cable entries have been removed to allow them to stand vertically under four fabric cones which form an important part of the set. "CAV seemed to have all the new High End kit I needed, and they had no problem with me wa

The first major European installation by Los Angeles-based artist Hiro Yamagata. Photon 999 opened at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, at the end of last year. Yamagata worked with a team of over 30 specialists to realise the installation. 15 laser systems (from Tarm Showlaser, Times of Change and Dymax Special Effects), including four of Coherent’s new Viper lasers, are placed around the edge of a pool. These are projected to over 200 mirrors installed on 20m high JTE truss towers and Mylar holographic panels applied to the surface of the central walkway. The system is controlled by a custom software package designed by Laser Animation.

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