Advances in LED Technology Create New Opportunities to Engage Worshippers
Churches have long recognized that lighting can help engage their congregations in a number of different ways, from reflecting the varying moods of services to creating a more visually appealing presentation on stage. Adding new dynamic visual elements to their services will also help churches attract and keep the attention of younger people.
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Eric Cathcart is out directing the 2015 Van Halen tour designed by Paul “Arlo” Guthrie. Back on stage are the Van Halen brothers, Alex on drums, Eddie on guitar with his son Wolfgang on bass and original lead singer David Lee Roth on vocals. The outdoor shed tour will head back to the West Coast where it started, ending the tour in the band’s hometown of Los Angeles in October with two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. Guthrie and Cathcart were in Los Angeles’ Sony Pictures Studios for about 10 days for rehearsals and programming, then moved everything to the first venue outside of Seattle for four days.
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I’m in an Audi riding over to the DPS warehouse from their HQ in Burbank along with GM Robert “R.J.” Lynn and the director of marketing, Alan Sherin. At a stop light, CEO/Creative Director Anthony Dever pulls up in his Tesla, rolls down his window and jokes, “Wanna race?” Lynn laughs and points out that maybe that’s not prudent, cop-wise. The light turns green and Dever hits the pedal, if only for a short spurt.
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Earlier this year I had the opportunity to head up a talented team of programmers for a major music festival making its USA debut, Rock in Rio. Having worked in concert touring throughout my career, I am no stranger to music festivals; however, I had never been the “go to” person for a main stage at a festival, so I eagerly took on the challenge and began preparing myself.
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Have you ever worried about losing your job to a robot or a software program? Sometimes in our industry, the same products that are designed to help us be more creative, achieve greater technical results or show a client in advance what they are going to get for all the money they just dished out can be the bane of our existence. Software bugs, technical limitations or just simply being unknowledgeable of a particular product or feature can be a showstopper. This is exactly what we were faced with when we were asked to projection map imagery on the American Airlines arena in Miami for Phish’s run of shows over New Year’s Eve.
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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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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.
Read More »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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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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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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