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Lighting ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Aboard the USS Iowa Battleship

Lighting 'American Ninja Warrior' Aboard the USS Iowa Battleship

Lighting ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Aboard the USS Iowa Battleship

Called the “hardest obstacle course in the world,” American Ninja Warrior runs its athletes through such grinding physical trials — i.e. dangling in mid-air while swinging from one set of sharp spiked grips to the next — that no contestant has ever been able to complete them all and emerge a winner. The big winner has been the top-rated NBC reality show itself. Now in its seventh season and drawing over 5 million weekly viewers, ANW has tackled its own challenge of maintaining edge and excitement by continually affecting new themes as it takes its famed truss course to different locations across the U.S.

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Vari-Lite VL4000 BeamWash

Vari-Lite VL4000 BeamWash

Ever since the creative minds behind Philips Vari-Lite fired up the VL*1 in 1981, the company has been at the forefront of automated lighting design and creation. Coming on the heels of the VL4000 Spot, the VL4000 BeamWash enters the market as a very high-output wash and beam effect, with a few tricks up its proverbial sleeve. Physically, the unit bears a resemblance to the VL3500 Wash, with a very large clear lens. The lamp source is a 1200-watt Philips FastFit lamp overdriven to 1,400 watts by default, and outputs a native color temperature of 6000 Kelvin. Changing the lamp is very easy, just two screws on the back, and all parts remain captive during installation.

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The Stageline SAM575

The Stageline SAM575

If you’re in the touring industry, chances are that at some point you’ve done (or will soon do) a show on a Stageline mobile stage. For over 25 years, they’ve been providing mobile staging for not only outdoor concerts, but also marketing events, mobile theatres, and custom projects of every sort. With an eye for detail and a team with years of experience, their stages are used on the biggest festivals and events around the world, with their popular SAM555 model providing staging and protection from the elements for hundreds of shows since its inception.

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The Perfect Programmer Recipe

Making the perfect programmer requires a host of carefully selected ingredients mixed together. When this recipe is followed, the result is a highly talented and creative individual capable of orchestrating his/her fingers over a lighting console to direct lighting and video elements into a carefully crafted piece of art. A perfect programmer requires much more than just knowledge of console commands, so it is essential to follow this recipe completely. Mixing the elements together to form a programmer necessitates careful selection of the correct quality ingredients. Let’s take a look at what it takes to make a perfect programmer: 

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Photo of Candace Brightman and Paul Hoffman by Joshua Timmermans

‘Deadicated’ Designers Discuss ‘Fare Thee Well’ Tour

Call her “Deadicated.” Forty-seven years ago, in 1968, Candace Brightman lit The Grateful Dead for her first time at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Her first tour with them was in 1972, she recalls. She’s held the key as the overall production designer and lighting guru since then — keeping alive the psychedelic ballroom vibe no matter what the venue.

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Illustration by Andy Au

High Horse Hazards: The Importance of Knowing Who’s Who

We’ve all had those moments. A familiar face catches your eye and you think, “That guy looks just like fill in famous name. The thing about being backstage after a show is there is a pretty good chance that the person you’re seeing is actually who they look like. About 20 years ago, I met Sarah McLachlan after a show in Toronto. A pleasant conversation ensued between the two of us and a fellow crew member, who was lamenting on the length of our tour. When Ms. McLachlan commiserated, it got interesting.

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lighting, video and rigging for the three main stages.

Love Saves The Day Festival Helped by Fineline

BRISTOL, UK – Bristol’s ‘Love Saves The Day’ Festival moved to the new, expanded location of Eastville Park this year, dramatically increasing its capacity from the previous city center site. The move allowed for 27,000 music fans to enjoy the line-up and good weather. lighting, video and rigging for the three main stages. Fineline provided lighting, video and rigging for the three main stages.

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Ashley Salta, technical supervisor at Rockhampton’s 1,000-seat Pilbeam Theatre often employs projected media effects on their in-house produced productions to save budget, space, time and effort. Salta recently shifted to Green Hippo Hippotizer Amba, a 1RU media server that can store, warp, blend and map content in higher-than-HD resolution from multiple outputs, because it can be integrated into the lighting control system so the effects can be triggered with cues.

Rockhampton’s Pilbeam Theatre Using Green Hippo Hippotizer Amba

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia – Ashley Salta, technical supervisor at Rockhampton’s 1,000-seat Pilbeam Theatre often employs projected media effects on their in-house produced productions to save budget, space, time and effort. Salta recently shifted to Green Hippo Hippotizer Amba, a 1RU media server that can store, warp, blend and map content in higher-than-HD resolution from multiple outputs, because it can be integrated into the lighting control system so the effects can be triggered with cues.

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La Voz Espana, lit with Robe BMFL and Pointe moving lights.

La Voz Espana Makes A Pointe with BMFLs

MADRID – The third edition of La Voz Espana, the Spanish version of the popular TV singing contest, was won by Antonio José, coached by singer songwriter Antonio Orozco. The series set records for viewership and was lit for the first time by TV LD Iñaki Irastorza, who used Robe’s BMFL Spots and Pointes in his design.

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