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Workshops

Workshops

        In the spring of next year I am looking to do some workshops for the Mass Communications and Theater departments of a local university. These workshops will introduce how video and lighting are work hand in hand in the live production industry today. I really want to get the ball rolling and get the students hip to what cool toys we get to work with out there nowadays and no matter what major you come from you can definitely find a niche in both. It's only introductory stuff, but I'm hoping they'll enjoy the workshops and I can get rolling with some more technical stuff for them after this trial run. Here's a rough draft I started…

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Stagnant lighting

So I’m working with another heavy metal artist this week. A band called Disturbed, a popular hard music act. They are extremely nice guys. If you were stopped at a red light and they got out of the car next to you, it could make you feel a tad uneasy about the impending future. But in real life, they are just good old boys who like to play loud music.

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Matchbox Twenty

Exile in America Tour

In 2000, Benoit Richard was working on the Matchbox Twenty Mad Season tour with lighting designer Marc Brickman. When Rob Thomas struck out on his own in 2005, he brought Richard along as the lighting designer. From his experiences with the band and its front man, Richard has compiled quite a knowledgebase about the band’s likes and dislikes. “For this tour,” he said, “our goal was to top what we had done in the past. When I showed my concept to the band, they were very excited. One band member (Paul Doucette) actually participates in the creation of the show cues with me and we worked well together this time around.

 

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Brian Friborg, Martin Professional

BUSINESS

Who: Brian Friborg, President, Martin Professional, Inc. (U.S. division)

What: Manufactures automated lighting, effects lighting, LEDs, fog machines and controllers which are used in all aspects of the entertainment industry. Martin also has a line of architectural luminaires for architectural lighting applications.

 

 

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Scenic Alternatives

In the live entertainment industry, certainly a very important aspect of a production is the set.  With today’s technology, there are many options for what to do with a stage from a scenic standpoint, including new ways to incorporate video elements into the stage.  

 

Horao, pictured here, is one of the manufacturers allowing designers to create LED arrays showing off dynamic graphics with depth.

 

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The Religion of Control, Part II – There Is No Hog but Hog

In Part I of this article (PLSN, April 2008, page 50) I presented an argument for console agnosticism.  Hopefully, by now you’ve had some time to think about the merits of being familiar with a wide range of consoles.  These might include application specific virtues, cost factors and even political or historical reasons. So, now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’m going to tell you why you should forget everything I’ve said and spend your every waking moment learning one console.

 

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VectorWorks Spotlight 2008

For many production and design professionals, the VectorWorks suite of computer aided drafting software has become an industry standard platform. A highly mature group of products, the VectorWorks family includes products that cater to architects, engineers, landscape artists and lighting designers.

 

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