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Perfect Storm Helps Live Event Productions Prepare for Destructive Weather

Lightning

Perfect Storm Helps Live Event Productions Prepare for Destructive Weather

Anyone who has ever worked an outdoor show seems to have a story to share about how the weather almost defeated them. My go-to tale happened at a casino just outside of Omaha, NE. It was one of those sticky, late-July days when humidity hung heavy in the air. Doors were set for 4 pm, but by 3:30, anxious audience members had already abandoned the comfortable temperature of the casino to gather at the entrance of the large general admissions field we called our office that day.

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John Wiseman

Chaos Visual Productions’ John Wiseman

John Wiseman, CEO and president of Chaos Visual Productions, began his career in live event production in 1979 as the concert chairman at California State University, Sacramento. He managed local bands in the area and owned a small production company. He was managing the band Steel Breeze when they were signed to RCA Records and became the executive producer of the group’s eponymous debut album, which yielded two Top 10 singles.

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Create Cinematic Experiences for Live Events with a New 4K Workflow

The live event industry is taking the first steps into the next generation of staging. 4K Ultra HD products are available for consumer use, and this new workflow for event production is positioned to change how producers think about set design and staging for meetings and events. LMG Show Technology, a video production company with offices in Orlando, Tampa, Dallas and Las Vegas, has been working to provide clients with more information on how to establish a 4K workflow in a staging environment and create a new industry standard. Toward that end, the company has also designed and built a new truck-in-a-box 4K Ultra HD system for live events.
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The author notes that this screen shot is an example of how she typically structures a free form show. The playback faders for effects ands chases are set up to be easily overlaid on top of a main cue stack that consists of basic positions, colors and patterns.

Busking with a Media Server

As lighting programmers, we are frequently put into situations where we have little to no time to program for a show that’s happening the same day, so we’ve learned to improvise. Whether you call this “busking,” “punting,” or maybe even just “operating on the fly,” we all have a few techniques that help us get through the “no time to program” one-off. But what about one-off shows with a media server? What things do programmers need to be ready for a show when they have little to no idea what’s coming up next? Luckily, many of the same steps for working with automated lighting can also be applied to punting with media servers. Here are some suggestions so you can be ready to roll with the punches.

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VL4000 Luminaire

Vari-Lite VL4000 Spot

Philips Vari-Lite, an American company based in Dallas, TX, has brought us the well-known VL3000 series, LED VLX Wash and now offers the VL4000 Spot. Combining Profile (spot) and Performance (spot with framing shutters) fixtures into one, Vari-Lite’s VL4000 Spot is positioned to serve as a multi-purpose and feature-packed luminaire.

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Nomad Puck

ETC Nomad Puck

Years ago, I was afraid of controlling my lights on a PC Based lighting controller. Recently, like in the past six months, I have come to fall in love with them. Looking back on why I was so nervous about using them was the fact that almost everything had to be done with a mouse, or by remembering those awkward keyboard shortcuts. There is something about having a console’s control surface in front of you.

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Obscure Fixture Features

Automated lighting fixtures are very complex robotic devices filled with mechanical and electrical features commanded by comprehensive software. The manufacturers of these fixtures fill them with many useful features, some of which are lesser known or understood. A good automated lighting programmer will take the time to learn the capabilities of his/her luminaires by reading the user manuals and DMX protocols/maps. Furthermore, some features are simple menu settings or DMX values that may not be included in the console’s fixture library. The following obscure fixture features can be found in many common lighting fixtures and are useful tools for creating original and dynamic lighting programming.

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Trans Siberian Orchestra's latest tour, The Christmas Attic

Holiday Tours in Full Swing; Black Jacket Symphony’s Thriller; Quick Cues and More

Holiday tours are spreading multimedia magic across the country. Production designer Bryan Hartley has reimagined a new look for the annual Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour, which again runs an identical East and West Coast leg Nov. 13-Jan 4, 2015. Hartley could hardly contain his excitement, telling PLSN, “My new design and concept for this year show and story is probably the best thing I’ve done. It really is a masterpiece! It is my favorite design.”

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LD at Large

Back to Front

Ever since grade school, I’ve been one of those people who preferred to ride in the back of the bus. Even when I was on tour, I always seemed to get my sanctuary hanging in the back of the bus, working or reading. Of course spending hours on the road, solving the problems of the world over a couple of beers with the rest of the road crew often required time in the back lounge. Likewise, I spent the last eight years feeling quite at home occupying the back page of PLSN. You had to look all the way in the rear to find me.

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2014 Parnelli Awards Gala Filled with Emotion, Surprises. Fee Waybill served as emcee for the gala.

2014 Parnelli Awards Gala Filled with Emotion, Surprises

LAS VEGAS – It was Vegas, after all, so the bet was on. “We were all voting when Benny [Collins] would start crying, and I said he wouldn’t make it through the introduction, and I won,” laughs production professional and friend Steve Thomas. Thomas, with Michael Ahern, presented the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award to Collins, the live event industry’s highest honor. Collins took the stage choked up and shed some tears in giving his appreciation to all he’s worked with and made friends with over the years. It was a fitting end to an evening filled with emotions, laughs and tears.

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