"Getting rid of the big video backdrop – willfully throwing away the most powerful visual tool you have – is brave and dangerous, but it occurred to me that with this band, perhaps a more powerful backdrop would be a stadium full of people. U2 have spent 20 years playing indoor venues using this ‘in-the-round-at-one-end’ configuration, so the challenge was to see how we might be able to do it outdoors, with no building roof. Such structures exist of course, but they always end up looking rather apologetic, like a bandstand, rather than having any real power or aesthetic. Also, there's the issue of the truss legs and sightlines and so on. The breakthrough for me was the moment of reverse logic when I realized that instead of trying to make this structure as small and discreet and possible, what if it was so big that it became part of the stadium? What if the structure was completely disconnected from the performing area so that the legs were so far from the stage they wouldn't be in the way?"
—Willie Williams, on dreaming up U2’s four-legged stadium structure, from “PLSN Interview,” June 2009
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Our 3G in the video industry is not their 3G in the cell phone industry. For the telecommunications market, 3G stands for the industry’s “third generation” wireless network, which provides mobile users with a higher capacity for voice, video, broadband data, high-speed Internet and many other advanced services. But in the video industry, 3G is short for “3 Gbps” — a 3 gigabit per second serial data interface for transporting video from point to point. The SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) 424M standard defines the specs for 3G, and folks, this isn’t just fast data transfer — it’s lightning fast, and for a good reason. Essentially, 3G enables the transport of twice the amount of data as high-definition video with a single co-ax. The implications are impressive, for both the broadcast industry and the rental and staging industry, and the payoff could be highly beneficial — superior images and the elimination of “interlaced” video transmission for good.
—Paul Berliner, from Video World, PLSN, June 2009
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There are certain elements of a show file that you should never copy. If you are the programmer for the opening act of a concert, you should not copy cues from the main act and use them as your own! Additionally, when working in a shared venue, it is not a good idea to copy another person’s show file and make subtle changes…But if you are not familiar with the power of your console’s copy commands, then I suggest you start practicing. Many times when programming, copying can be a powerful tool to assist in getting cues written faster. Whether copying cues, parameter setting, setup options, or other vital data, remember that copying provides a quick way to restore previous work.
—Brad Schiller, from Feeding the Machines, PLSN, June 2009
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For one of the biggest pep rallies in the world — a concert in Madison, Wisconsin featuring the UW band and its 72-year-old conductor Mike Leckrone, Ken Ferencek used a gigantic rear projection screen that serves as a backdrop…wider than a band that has over 120 trumpet players alone. You might think, "Hey, if I just use a bunch of VL3ks and zoom them out, I can cover this beast." And maybe they could cover it as well as with a Fresnel. But the problem lies in the color wash. You see, moving lights like that mix color with three different colored flags that move into the path of a beam of white light. The further they move in front of this beam, the more saturated the color becomes…But the color is never completely "true" even using this method. Ken explains that only the Fresnels will give him the “true colors,” like reds and ambers that he seeks. Each year he offers up the same challenge. If you put a 5k with saturated colors on a scroller next to any moving light of your choice, he will fly to your town for a side-by-side comparison. He knows what he’s doing, and old school is going to win out every time.
—Nook Schoenfeld, “LD-at-Large,” PLSN, June 2009
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When asked what advice he would give an up and coming lighting designer, Rick Fisher, LD for Billy Elliot on Broadway, offers a practical response that underlies his philosophy about his work. “I think the most important thing is to try and do everything and find out what kind of performance you like because it really helps to like the show you’re lighting,” he replies. “Then you don’t mind watching it over and over again and refining your language to support what you’re doing. That’s where you get subtler and better, and sometimes you have to be quite self-effacing in this business. It’s not about seeing the lighting; it’s about seeing the show.”
—Rick Fisher, as quoted by Bryan Reesman, “Inside Theatre,” PLSN, May 2009
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In a pixel mapping application, the user creates a pixel “map” by placing “fixtures” from the software’s internal fixture profile library into the display area. These fixture profiles, created according to the manufacturer’s DMX protocol, are much easier to drop into a layout than they would if you had to patch each pixel one at a time. And a big advantage of using the built-in profiles is that once the fixtures are added to the map, they can be arranged in the exact layout that appears on the stage with respect to the distance between each unit and the horizontal and vertical alignment.
—Vickie Claiborne, from Video Digerati, PLSN, May 2009
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“You can’t be in touring and not know that people are not selling records these days,” Steve McCale of LMG says. What he set out to do was develop a way, using the company’s current technology base, to help clients better leverage their tours, in the process creating potentially new revenue streams for them and LMG. The solution, dubbed TourCATT (Tour Content Acquisition and Transfer Technology), is content. In a Twitter-ized culture, the idea of being able to provide professionally recorded video and audio and ship it to fans on a daily or even hourly basis via streaming sounds attractive. But it is fraught with potential legal issues. That’s why McCale decided that LMG’s interaction with any content they capture for clients stop at the point of delivery to the client or their designated distributor or destination. Instead, McCale can point them to a growing array of Internet-based media distribution propositions like Topspin Media, MyContent.com and New Found Frequency’s Alive Drive, an interactive operating system that is embedded onto virtually any flash memory device. Concertgoers buy or are given a flash drive with Alive Drive’s software, which acts as a back-door key for Internet connectivity to the artist’s Web site and the additional content created by LMG, which can be downloaded or streamed to any digital media player.
—Dan Daley, from The Biz, PLSN, May 2009
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Many of today’s greatest spiritual teachers such as Ram Dass and Eckhart Tolle teach the principle of staying focused on the present moment… When running a show, I am always thrilled because not only is it lots of fun, but I also am generally locked into the Now. Running cues, calling spots, following the action on stage and solving problems all at once are important skills for an automated lighting programmer and operator. By staying focused on the present moment during shows, we can all learn to focus on other present moments within our lives. Many gurus believe that this is the way to greater enlightenment, and doing so most certainly enhances every great lighting moment. So Be Here Now.
—Brad Schiller, from Feeding the Machines, PLSN, May 2009
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What’s inside that coax cable, and what do I need to know about it? Is it an SDI signal, with ones and zeros heading down the cable? Is it an analog signal, with smooth waveforms traveling back and forth? There are certain key differences, one of which is the “cliff.” With analog, if you lengthen the cable, adding more resistance, the signal level gets progressively worse and worse — but it’s still visible. Now, take the same length of coax, plug it into the output of a digital media server and connect a digital monitor at the other end. Here, as you lengthen the cable, the signal remains pristine — after all, weak ones and zeros are still ones and zeros. However, at a certain point, lovingly called the “cliff,” the SDI signal vanishes. In fact, your image will start to sparkle the last foot or so, and about a millimeter beyond that, it’s toast.
—Paul Berliner, from Video World, PLSN, April 2009
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Right now I feel tired, frustrated, and I feel like I have lost all will to care about anything to do with my work here. I really don’t like how I feel in this moment. I really don’t want to be involved anymore….. If you are working on a show and find yourself going down a similar path, the first thing you should do is to speak calmly with the production staff. It is easy to sit around and complain, but this never solves anything. Call a production meeting and calmly list the problems at hand. Explain that the production is in trouble and that you have reached the end of your rope. Ask for help in a calm manner and you will be surprised at the results. Too often people tend to let their emotions drive them and they begin yelling. Calmness is key. In this case, I called a meeting and I explained peacefully exactly what was going on, and we managed to solve many problems. Other members of the staff were then willing and able to help resolve problems that had existed for days.
—Brad Schiller from Feeding the Machines, PLSN, April 2009
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