In 2006, famed physicist Stephen Hawking said that we need to colonize space in order to preserve the future of the planet. I think we need to colonize space in order to preserve the dignity of the human race. Can we go any lower than The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels?
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With the NSCA show rolling into its show this year, InfoComm becomes that much more relevant to a wider swath of professionals in lighting, staging, projection and rentals. Thus, InfoComm’s recently released annual survey of its increasingly inclusive constituency offers some insights into where these sectors might be headed.
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I sometimes wonder, “Why don’t people concentrate on making new, cooler versions of existing gear?”…I walked into Upstaging Inc.’s lighting shop outside of Chicago and… Read More »New Old Stuff
Read More »By studying the lighting rig and understanding the needs of the production, you can determine common fixture selections. Then by using the procedures outlined in… Read More »Group Your Fixtures
Read More »Sometimes I get to a one off gig and see a way I can be lazy and get away with a short programming day. But to be honest, anytime I think I’ll luck out in one of these scenarios, it usually bites me in the ass.
Read More »These new high-tech mega-spectaculars have taken traditional theatrical techniques and have morphed and augmented them into something new. So why do so many college programs… Read More »Adjust the Curriculum for a Changing Job Market
Read More »Festival season is approaching! I must say it’s very exciting because there’s a lot going on these next few months. Not only with my boys from NOLA, Bonerama, but also with a brand new festival that is getting a lot hype named Delfest. If you don’t know the basis of how some great festivals were started I have a prime example for you… When I was a younger lad our group of friends heard of a festival that was started in the small town named Limestone in the state of Maine by the band Phish. Here unsuspecting residents were welcoming a crowd of over 80,000 fans for a weekend. It so happens that this same sort of ideal is being placed in the town I grew up in with a multitude of bands based from the bluegrass genre. This year it’s come to my hometown of Cumberland, Maryland where the festival will take place at the end of May with talented acts performing in this small, yet beautiful town in Western Maryland. On another note, they acquired me as the festivals lighting operator for the weekend. It will be an honor to illuminate such acts as Del McCroury, Keller Williams and the Keels, Vince Gill, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Dierks Bentley, and many more…
Read More »Luminance is an important concept in this age of video-heavy production. The amount of light being reflected from a surface area dramatically affects how the… Read More »Measuring Luminance
Read More »The practice of programming a show from an automated lighting console can be broken down into 12 straightforward steps. Rarely have I seen a production fail when a programmer has followed these simple steps. Those that do fail seldom completely follow these simple guidelines for programming. While this manner of programming is filled with complexity and important elements, do not balk at it. If you follow these simple suggestions, you will be guaranteed a well-programmed show.
Read More »Do you remember the episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! when Scooby refused to tie in the electrical feeder cable for the rock show because he felt it was unsafe? Of course not. Stopping the show for safety reasons takes a lot of courage, self-confidence, and maybe even a little bit of madness. And that’s just not the big, bongo-playing Great Dane we all know and love.
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Millions of people recognize the distinctively sensitive tone of James Blunt’s singing voice, primarily with his mega-hit, “You’re Beautiful.” But most would be surprised to learn that the singer-songwriter, raised as a military brat, got his pilot’s license at age 16. Or that he is an accomplished ski racer. Or that, as captain of a British military unit in 1999, he led the squadron that secured an airport held by Serbian forces in Kosovo, making Blunt the first British officer to enter the Serb-held Kosovan capital of Priština.
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Who: Tommy Stephenson, customer development for TMB.
What: Distributor of entertainment production supplies.
Where: HQ is in Pacoima, Calif. (Los Angeles area). Offices in New York, Toronto, London, and Beijing.
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