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Mountain Productions Launches New Website

Justin Lang, editor, PLSN

Making the Grade and Improving

I’ve always believed that just passing by is not acceptable, and that going above and beyond will not only lead to success, but instills a sense of completion and satisfaction in doing your best. That’s the philosophy that we’ve decided to follow as we take a look at the results from this year’s PLSN reader’s survey.

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A monochromatic moment from Chaplin: The Musical that conjures The Circus, photo by Joan Marcus

Chaplin: A Musical in Monochrome

There are many expectations that come with the term “Broadway musical:” flashy numbers, dazzling lights and sounds, extravagant sets and eye-popping colors. Chaplin: The Musical, a funny and poignant look into the life and career of legendary film comedian Charlie Chaplin, offers a majority of those things, but when it comes to sets and color palette, the creators offer a different approach. Given that their subject became iconic through silent black and white films, director Warren Carlyle and his creative team create a monochromatic look with desaturated colors to make us feel like we are entering that bygone era, and the numerous set pieces are staged more minimally than one might expect.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers 2012 tour photo by Steve Jennings

Red Hot Chili Peppers “I’m With You” World Tour

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are in the midst of their I’m With You world tour, currently in North America before heading down under in early 2013. The band is bringing their iconic style and sound to audiences in a show that is visual and energetic; capturing their punk roots and off-the-cuff spontaneity in an effortless manner. That “kinetic effortlessness” is, of course, anything but effortless. But the creative team has crafted a stage set, video environment and lighting approach that fits the band perfectly. The team includes United Visual Artists, with Chris Bird taking the lead as the production designer and  Scott Holthaus of Happy Machine as the lighting designer. Leif Dixon is the screen director/operator, and the video director is George Elizondo of PRG Nocturne.

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Pink at the 2012 VMAs, photo courtesy of Black Magic Design

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards moved into the 20,000-capacity Staples Center in Los Angeles this September where the design team took full advantage of the multi-purpose arena’s cavernous space. The VMAs show, which for the two previous years had been hosted at the 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre, always had a distinctive look, and this year’s edition was no exception.

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Bo Ivers and Matt Anderson of Daktronics

Daktronics Stays on the Forefront of Video

South Dakota is known for big things. Big skies, big motorcycle rallies, big faces of presidents sculpted on the side of mountains. But despite being far away from entertainment and technology centers, today it’s also known for big video. Despite its unlikely environs, Daktronics has become a major designer and manufacturer of electronic scoreboards, programmable display systems and large screen video displays using LED technology. They are now common in both sports facilities and the world of live touring. A host of tours have taken their gear out on the road in recent years, including AC/DC, Josh Turner and Star Wars: In Concert, among others.

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