On a recent show, I chose to work with several new pieces of technology. I love the opportunity to work with new equipment, learn new concepts, and discover new creative ideas! The experience was challenging, but it was definitely well worth it. Here’s a recap.
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The world of video switching gets thicker and more competitive by the month, it seems. For example, the small-to-medium multi-format market is booming right now — and for good reason. Lots of different devices offer lots of different I/O options. Designers “in the biz” realize that they need to provide a lot of bang for the buck, and it usually falls upon the technical crew to come up with the solution.
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In contemporary society, some may argue that man is plenty without tools, but perhaps Thomas Carlyle was on to something. Perhaps a stronger argument can be made for the fact that man improves with tools—so long as they’re the right ones. That sounds right to me, especially when it comes to design tools for the entertainment industry.
Read More »It happened again. This time, it was in Brazil, where 238 people were killed when fire raged through a nightclub in late January. It will take time to sort out all of the factors that led to the fire and to the carnage, including locked or inaccessible fire exits and clueless venue staff, but initial reports point yet again to a sadly familiar scenario: live pyrotechnics used in an enclosed space, with less-than-ideal supervision and apparently little in the way of planning for potentially disastrous outcomes.
Read More »Automated lighting fixtures are extremely sophisticated, to the point that some people even refer to them as “intelligent.” While the fixtures are packed full of very smart features, they actually require a human with a bit of knowledge to operate them properly. This is very true when it comes to controlling the movement of pan/tilt or other features. Fixtures and consoles provide a multitude of methods to ensure that these movements are either perfectly smooth or extremely quick. A thorough understanding of the various options is imperative for any automated lighting programmer.
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Production/lighting designer Dale Doucette describes Heart’s touring schedule as “Two week tourettes.”
“During March to November, we do ‘tourettes’ — two weeks of shows in a particular section of the country in casinos and small 3,000-5,000 venues, then we go home. Every day is a different gig. I carry a file of shows and a handful of songs I keep consistent.
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This month, I continue on my quest to figure out which gear has the best return for a lighting company investment. Is it as easy as following the old “Supply and Demand” way of thinking? I always assumed that a lighting company chose what fixtures they would purchase based on what the customer’s latest needs were. But what if you did many shows each year with various LD types, and they all want different fixtures? Do the lighting buyers choose to base their decisions on the latest, coolest moving heads in the business? Or do they buy from certain manufacturers because they have good, lasting relationships with them and their salespeople?
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LOS ANGELES – Just 10 days before the 85th Annual Academy Awards, Visions’ President, Todd Roberts, received a call from the producers of Seth MacFarlane’s Oscar After-Party. Roberts was asked to come up with a stage design that could support a huge orchestra and be worthy of Oscar night.
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TOKYO – High End Systems’ new Hog 4 console debuted in February with Japan’s Kome Kome Club’s arena concert tour. Touring LD Makoto Shimizu from Lighting Big1 saw the console at LDI 2012 and was eager to specify it for the band’s 2013 tour.
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GLENDALE, CA – Kinetic Lighting will be hosting its 5th annual open house at its facilities here March 28, from noon to 7 p.m. Learning opportunities include side-by-side product comparisons, new product showcases and grandMA console sessions. Free tickets are available to industry members.
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UNCASVILLE, CT – The Mohegan Sun casino and entertainment resort has purchased a number of Clay Paky GlowUp portable, battery-powered luminaires. “We chose Clay Paky GlowUps because we do a lot of events on the fly in various locations,” says Brian Horne, lead lighting technician. We were looking for a wireless LED that we could connect to a console. One challenge is that since we’re a casino, WiFi can interfere with some of our equipment. The GlowUps…work within our system.”
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NEW YORK – For New York’s Fashion Week, Sapsis Rigging, Inc. (SRI) is the technical management company of choice for designers including Mark Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger and Kenneth Cole. For the designers’ shows, production manager Michael Sapsis assembled a crew of more than 35 riggers who worked steadily for two weeks, installing 225 chain hoists, 3,000 ft of assorted truss, and one 4,000-pound sodium-vapor lighting effect, contained in a circular truss rig and lifted by a mother grid.
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