Skip to content

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is On Strike

 

 

Late Monday evening, May 1, 2023 negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP (the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) ended and with only three hours left on their current contract the WGA went on strike, 12:01 AM PT, 3:01AM ET on Tuesday, May 2. Picket lines in LA were up by 1 PM PT. The WGA Membership is ~20,000 and the AMPTP Membership is 350-plus TV and film production companies.

Read More »The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is On Strike

2023 Tony Awards Nominees

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing’s 76th Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards® have been announced. Of particular note from our ‘behind the scenes’ perspective is that one of the 2023 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Production Supervisor and Production Stage Manager Lisa Dawn Cave. The Tony Awards presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing will air live on Sunday, June 11, 2023, from the historic United Palace in Washington Heights, in New York City from 8:00-11:00 PM, ET/5:00-8:00 PM, PT on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

Read More »

Modulo Pi and Osmoz.tech Strengthen Partnership Through Successful Workshop in Canada

Workshop dedicated to Modulo Kinetic at the Cirque Eloize, March 28, 2023

Modulo Pi and Osmoz.tech recently organized a workshop in Montréal to showcase the latest advancements in the Modulo Kinetic media server and strengthen their partnership in Canada. On March 28, 2023, a full-day workshop was organized by Modulo Pi, leading designer and manufacturer of media server solutions, and Osmoz.tech, official distributor of Modulo Pi in Canada. The workshop was held at the Cirque Eloize in Montréal, within a studio equipped with the Modulo Kinetic media server and KineMotion optical tracking module by Modulo Pi. About 30 industry professionals gathered for the day, including rental and staging firms, systems integrators and creative studios.Read More »Modulo Pi and Osmoz.tech Strengthen Partnership Through Successful Workshop in Canada

Elation Fuze Wash 500™ LED Fresnel Moving Head Shipping Now

Elation Professional is expanding its Fuze Series with the full-color-spectrum Fuze Wash 500™, a compact yet powerful LED Fresnel moving head fixture with zoom designed for theater, television, events and a wide array of other precision lighting applications where a high-quality soft field of light is required. The Fuze Wash 500 is shipping now.Read More »Elation Fuze Wash 500™ LED Fresnel Moving Head Shipping Now

Robe Turns Up Heat for Prolight + Sound 2023

Czech Republic-based lighting manufacturer Robe turned up the heat, the spectacle and the topicality and importance of respecting the planet in presenting the finale of its “All Environments” live performance show trilogy. This dazzling display of creativity and imagination featured 350 of Robe’s latest iSeries of IP rated products plus three performers including a silk acrobat at the Prolight + Sound 2023 expo in Frankfurt, Germany.Read More »Robe Turns Up Heat for Prolight + Sound 2023

CHAUVET Professional and 4Wall Help Tom Kenny Blend Change and Consistency at Premio Lo Nuestro

Fans who expected to see a flowering of unfolding colorful looks during Premio Lo Nuestro weren’t disappointed. Whether watching on Univision, or as part of the live audience, they were treated to a constant flow of captivating vistas in support of over 30 different performances by stars like Maluma, Mar Anthony, Christian Nodal, and Paulina Rubio during the awards ceremonies. As varied as this array of visuals was, however, viewers never forgot that they were watching the same stage. Tom Kenny, the acclaimed Lighting Designer who created this scenic cornucopia, wouldn’t have it any other way. In his view, maintaining a consistent visual signature through all the various looks during a broadcast concert event is critical to maintaining a cohesive look.Read More »CHAUVET Professional and 4Wall Help Tom Kenny Blend Change and Consistency at Premio Lo Nuestro

Realizing an Otherworldly Location

For the Nickelodeon ‘Kids’ Choice Awards” digital performance segment with rapper/Nickelodeon star Young Dylan, LA’s Lulu Studio 18  worked with Silent House Principal Tamlyn Wright, who was Creative Producer, Production Design for the segment. They created the otherworldly, kid-friendly virtual environment using virtual production techniques. “The timeline was a little different than a regular design and scenic build. You have to settle on things quite quickly; wrap up your design earlier on, as there are visual artists involved to create what you’ve designed. Lulu’s Unreal technical artist, and the art direction team at Nickelodeon, uploaded all the Cinema 4D asset files, which was fantastic to start as a base. But once those came into Unreal Engine, there were days of retexturing, rescaling, relighting all of these objects, which were assets from the Nickelodeon style guide.” Wright continues, “It was a wonderful answer to the creative challenge of a performance in a space that was unbuildable and supposed to be happening in this weightless atmosphere. It was a really fun place to explore as a designer and it all folded together brilliantly.”

Read More »

In Memoriam: Ken “Junior” Burns, Upstaging Crew Chief, 48

Kenneth Joseph Burns Jr. of Sycamore IL passed away on April 25, 2023 at the age of 48, at Loyola University Medical Center. He was born on August 8, 1974, in Edison, NJ. Ken, or as everyone in the industry called him, Junior, worked at Upstaging, Inc. for 32 years. He traveled the world as crew chief for Upstaging supporting many well-known artists and events. He was known for his professionalism, dedication, leadership, kindness, and ever-present smile. His calm demeanor allowed him to become a mentor to many new Upstaging crew members over the years.Read More »In Memoriam: Ken “Junior” Burns, Upstaging Crew Chief, 48

A Glimpse of Prolight + Sound 2023

After four days full of innovative presentations, exciting conferences and emotional encounters, Prolight + Sound 2023 closes with a noticeable increase in visitor numbers. More than 27,500 professionals from 113 countries, and 457 exhibitors from 34 countries demonstrated the industry’s innovative strength in an impressive way. There were also numerous conversations, presentations,  approaches and solutions shared for current topics such as the implementation of sustainable events or the increasing demand for skilled and junior staff. Here are three videos with a glimpse of the show.

Read More »

Actors’ Equity Association Membership Ratifies New Unified Touring Agreement with The Broadway League

Actors’ Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional stage managers and actors working in live theatre, and The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, officially have a new contract governing touring productions, following ratification by vote of Equity membership. The new Touring Agreement will be in effect through September 7, 2026.Read More »Actors’ Equity Association Membership Ratifies New Unified Touring Agreement with The Broadway League

Interview With ‘Baby J’ DP Cameron Barnett

‘John Mulaney: Baby J’. John Mulaney at the Boston Symphony Hall. Photo: Marcus Russell Price/Netflix © 2023

John Mulaney: Baby J and the new Fujinon Duvo Lens

Director of Photography Cameron Barnett is a pioneer in cinematic multi-camera shooting. Using the some of the first ever ARRI Alexas, he helped capture one of the first Super 35 sensor live broadcasts on the 2010 Victoria Secret Fashion Show. He then continued to strive for all Super 35mm capture and was successful in recording Kevin Hart’s 2015 performance at the Lincoln Field in Philadelphia in front of an audience of 55,000 people. It’s only been eight years since then, but things have come a long way. John Mulaney’s Baby J comedy special debuted this week on Netflix, for which Cameron got his hands on one of only five of the game changing Fujinon Duvo 25-1000 PL box lenses.Read More »Interview With ‘Baby J’ DP Cameron Barnett