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Oh, Brave New Workflow

Oh, Brave New Workflow

If you’d like the full surround sound version of this column, I’d recommend playing Bob Dylan’s “The Times They are A-Changin’ ” as you read along. I recently had the opportunity to shoot with a Sony XDCAM-EX, a new full-featured professional camcorder that offers HD resolution up to 1080i, at a very economical price point. The differentiating factor, though, is that the model EX records on high speed, high capacity “SxS” memory cards, and this presents a few workflow surprises to the shooter.

 

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Stealth Programming

Several years ago I made an amazing discovery about automated lights — they actually make noise when they’re on. I know, I know — I was as shocked to learn this as you are. Up until that point, all of my experience had led me to believe that those babies were silently operating behind the 115 dB wall of sound produced by whatever band happened to be on stage at the moment.

 

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Projecting Into the Future

On the cusp of the concert-touring season, projection video finds itself coming to terms with the LED. A quick survey of some projection video systems providers finds that the sector is still robust, but that LEDs are gaining ground with designers and bookkeepers, thanks to their lower cost, increasing flexibility and programmability and how easily they pack and transport.

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Peeling Back the Layers

Each year it seems that new lighting fixtures become more and more complex.  If you attend any lighting tradeshows you will find that most manufacturers have LED fixtures, media servers and digital lighting products.  These unique products are very different in output and control from good old “automated” lighting fixtures.  Many of these units require knowledge of their protocol as well as a good understanding of how they interact with a lighting desk.

 

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The BS Factor

In every business, there is a lot of scheming and plotting to get accounts. Presentations mean a lot. Not just the financial charts or 8-inch-by-10-inch glossy renderings of a stage, but of the presenter himself. Whether we like to admit it or not, lighting and set designers are salesman. And as we sell ourselves to any potential client there is one thing we must be able to deliver on demand without any hesitation whatsoever — BS.

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Barco DML-1200

Since Lighting & Sound Design introduced the Icon M at LDI in 1998, manufacturers of lighting equipment have ventured into the video production market. Barco, the Belgium-based manufacturer of video equipment, has reversed this trend and ventured into the lighting market with their new product, the Digital Moving Luminaire 1200.

 

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New Products

American DJ Accu Series

American DJ’s Accu Series now has two new LED-powered moving heads — the Accu Spot 250 Hybrid, shown here on top, and the Accu LED MH. The Accu Spot 250 Hybrid com-bines a 250W discharge lamp with nine 1-watt LEDs (3 red, 3 green, 3 blue). Features include seven replaceable rotating gobos plus spot (two dichroic glass gobos), nine colors plus white, sound active mode with built-in programs, RDMX remote DMX addressing, auto X-Y repositioning, 360° pan/ 265° tilt and a four-button menu system.  It has a beam angle of 15° with an optional 18° beam angle (sold separately). The MSRP is $1,399.95.  The nine-DMX channel Accu LED MH is a moving head with 69 red, green and blue LED beams that produce an output similar to a 250W halogen lamp, while consuming less power. Its MSRP is $999.95.
American DJ • 800.322.6337 • www.americandj.com

 

 

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Heavy Metal times

      This year has been really strange for me in the variety of music I have been lighting. I seem to lighting quite a few heavy metal bands this year. Nothing wrong with metal mind you, I just haven’t bought into it since Deep Purple and Led Zep hung up their rock n roll shoes. (Or did they?).

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