STOCKHOLM, Sweden — With campy set elements ranging from ersatz letters spelling E-L-T-O-N to a monstrous set of inflatable boobs, it’s unlikely that many people are paying much attention to the truss on Elton John’s Red Piano tour. But it’s also safe to say that the visuals for the show as a whole would not be the same without the truss and the 20-way Kinesys automation system provided by Summit Steel that moves set elements around.
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NEW YORK — Conceptual artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s interactive lighting installation, Pulse Park, involved 200 theatrical spotlights activated by the heart rates of visitors to Madison Square Park. Their pulse rates sent a matrix of light across the park’s Oval Lawn. Scharff Weisberg installed the 750-watt ellipsoidal spotlights bordering two sides of the central lawn.
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DUNEDIN, FL — Ocean Optics, Inc. has acquired Oerlikon Optics USA, a supplier of custom optical components and subassemblies. Under terms of the agreement, Oerlikon’s Golden, Colo.-based operation, including plant assets and customer and supplier relationships, will be integrated into Ocean Optics’ Largo, Fla.-based Thin Films Division.
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GALATI and TECUCI, Romania — Daily life has changed for most of the residents of Galati and Tecuci, located near the border with Modavia and Ukraine, and so have the nights, with color-changing washes used on landmark buildings. The installation uses IP65-rated projectors from Clay Paky equipped with color diffusion filters, including 15 CP Color 150s and eight CP Color 575s.
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A new version of Martin Professional’s ShowDesigner (MSD) lighting and set design software is now available. It includes a new 3D graphic engine with “near rendering quality” in real-time. Some updates include: fixture beams with true-life light distribution; animated smoke with adjustable density and evenness; camera animation with time-line control; new user interface with sidebar for quick access to all features; drag-drop of object and fixture onto 3D space; ISO camera view for easier manipulation of objects in 3D view. Five versions include: Gold, Live, Live-4, Silver and Live-LJ. They are available via the worldwide partner network or at www.martinshowdesigner.com.
Read More »KORTRIJK, Belgium — Barco’s plan to reduce its costs by 30 million euros, announced in July, was followed by staff reductions in September, and the company recently announced a second round of staff cuts which will trim the company’s global ranks by an additional 200 people. The company added that 130 of those people will be leaving the company this month.
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WARSAW, IN — Da-Lite Screen Company and Joe Kane Productions have entered into a strategic partnership to design, develop and manufacture high definition projection screens for film production and other markets. Da-Lite is a leading manufacturer of projection screens and Joe Kane Productions (JKP) is an HD projection consultant.
Read More »NORTH CREEK, NY — Creative Stage Lighting reported that CSL dealer sales managers Rick Fallon, John Ebert and Seth Scott have achieved Philips Color Kinetics certifications. Their certifications demonstrate their knowledge of Philips Color Kinetics products and technology.
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OAKLAND, CA — AC/DC’s Black Ice tour, the first major outing for the band in the U.S. since 2001, is keeping fans stoked with a 7.3-by-10.4-meter LED video display that splits open to reveal a locomotive set element for the band’s song, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train.” Screenworks provided Daktronics' LED video display.
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LOS ANGELES — Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship, Independence of the Seas, is big enough to house a 1,350-seat theatre, and Hariton/Baral Design needed to come up with a set for 21 musicians performing on stage. Design partners Gerry Hariton and Vicki Baral modeled the set on the concentric arches of the Hollywood Bowl, and worked with LDs Peter Moore and Mark Pranzini from Lightspeed Productions to light the concentric arches of the set with X-Chip LED chips from Acclaim Lighting.
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TEHERAN, Iran — The Azadi Tower, made from 8,000 blocks of white marble and standing 50 meters high since it was built in Iran’s capital in 1971, is now being lit at night with a variety of LED fixtures from SGM. The fixtures, supplied by TechnoPro L.L.C., include 56 Genio Mobile units with 8° lenses, 120 Palco 5 fixtures with 8° lenses and 16 Genio Mobile units with 25° lenses.
Read More »EILENBURG, Germany — ChainMaster is adding production, presentation and training facilities to its headquarters location. The company expects a 350-square-meter expansion of its production area to be complete by the end of March 2009, and a second phase of construction adding 400 square meters to its production and presentation areas to be completed by next fall.
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