New Products for March

by PLSN Staff
March 16, 2006

ETC Enhanced Definition Lens Tubes
ETC is introducing new Source Four field angles, including 14˚, 70˚ and 90˚. The new 14˚ Source Four provides an intermediate-throw field angle to fill the gap between the 10˚ and 19˚ fixtures. Short-throw applications such as blackbox theaters and dance lighting will benefit from the 70˚ and 90˚ Source Fours. The Source Four Enhanced Definition Lens Tube (‘EDLT’) option was introduced at LDI 2005 and will soon be available in 19˚, 26˚, 36˚ and 50˚ field angles. The EDLT enhances gobo projections in both HPL and HID-equipped fixtures.

Electronic Theatre Controls • 800.688.4116 • www.etcconnect.com

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out what my actual job is. For the last 20 years, I thought I was a lighting designer. After this week, I’ve pretty much realized that I am not just an LD; I wear a whole lot of hats at gigs. And I’ve been doing this more and more over the last five years, so much so that I am at a loss for words when trying to describe my title.

Let’s face reality: Video elements have become implanted on most touring shows and all the industrial shows I work on. If you’re an LD and you haven’t jumped on this wagon yet, you’re late. I am not a huge fan of all this technology. I still prefer good theatrically- lit scenes as opposed to high-tech gadgetry, but I would be ignorant to ignore it. It’s fun. But why am I picking and choosing video content, let alone creating it now?

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot, see the path that demands your whole being.
Leave that which is not, but appears to be, seek that which is, but is not apparent.
– Rumi

When I was in junior high and high school, my friends and I used to build our own surfboards in our backyards and garages. We would buy the foam blanks and shape them with sanders. In a matter of minutes, we would be covered from head to toe in white foam powder, but in a few hours a beautiful shape would emerge. Then we would put designs on them and cover them with fiberglass cloth and resin. When the resin hardened, we would sand them smooth and put a few more coats of resin on, and when it dried, we’d have a brand new “stick.”

WYSIWYG Production Design Suite

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

When Cast Software launched WYSIWYG, a lighting-only design software tool, in 1994, it was new, innovative and the only one of its kind. Today, there is no shortage of competition for the Toronto-based company, but that hasn’t slowed them down. And now, they have supplemented their offerings to cover new segments within the entertainment industry. As of September 2005, WYSIWYG, which is now being called a “Production Design Suite of Tools,” delivered Release 14, which, among other things, adds the ability to showcase all types of video content in the 3-D virtual world. Cast continues to crank out new software updates on an aggressive three-month schedule aimed at fulfilling the longterm vision of creating a fast, easy solution to all production designs. The latest update, Release 16, introduces “moving scenery.”

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

In 1988, I had the chance to go to Cascais, Portugal, on my 29th birthday no less, with a group for which I was LD’ing. I should have known when the airline lost all of my luggage that I was in for a bad trip.

The show was to be broadcast “live” on Portuguese national radio. When I showed up to focus and program, I discovered the lighting rig was only half set up, and there were no local lighting personnel anywhere in the building. As I walked around checking out the rig, I also noticed that the power to the dimmers was not connected properly. I found this out the hard way when I got a nice electrical jolt to my left hand. When the crew finally did show up two hours later, the first thing I did was to let the head electrician know of the problem. He informed me that I was completely wrong and he refused to double-check his work.

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

Who: Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. (ETC)

What: A manufacturer of entertainment and architectural lighting equipment.

Where: Middleton, Wis. Other offices include New York City; Hollywood; Orlando, Fla.; Hong Kong; Copenhagen; Veenendaal, the Netherlands; Rome; London; and Holzkirch Holzkirchen, Berlin and Dresden, Germany.

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

April 15 is coming at us faster than we realize. It’s a good time to discuss one of the big bugaboos in the entertainment business: the status of the freelance worker.

The term “freelance” translates in IRS-speak to “independent contractor,” a category that has undergone significant revision and clarification over the last decade because, in an age when few people stay at one job more than a few years, the notion of self-employment has gotten fuzzy around the edges. Back in 1996, the Internal Revenue Service redefined what constitutes an independent contractor, establishing a complex set of 20 common-law factors plus interpretations of numerous tax court cases. Here’s how the IRS establishes the boundary between independent contractor and employee:

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

As an experienced sound and lighting contractor, I am often put upon by manufacturer reps to “…take a look and let us know what you think” about this piece of gear or that. Sometimes, there may be an actual potential need for the product, a free lunch or sometimes just plain old curiosity on my part. In this case, however, the stars aligned properly and I came across this product that I wanted to check out.

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

I recently had a change of scenery that involved less of driving a switcher and more of driving a desk. This has given me a different perspective on preparation for the one-off gig in the world of video. What I’m finding is that an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. So what exactly is an ounce of prevention? This is my take concerning video flightpacks, LED screens and projection.

Don’t Let Hiccups Get You Down

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

What happens when you arrive and the lighting crew or the video projection crew is waiting for you to tell them where you want the digital lighting projectors to be placed, but the truss isn’t hung or where you need it to be? What would you do if you arrived at the gig and the screens were already hung, but they’re 10 feet further than the optimal throw distance? These situations, and many more like them, are commonly referred to as hiccups. How you handle them is going to require thinking on your feet. Here are a few common sense things that may just help you get through those stressful situations.

by PLSN Staff
March 15, 2006

“Children have a natural antipathy to books—handicraft should be the basis of education. Boys and girls should be taught to use their hands to make something, and they would be less apt to destroy and be mischievous.”
– Oscar Wilde

(Growing) The Hard Way
Dave Dunning, CEO of Legend Theatrical, says, “There’s an argument that’s been made that ‘most colleges are using a counterweight system and kids should learn that.’ But, in reality, you’re not going to school to learn to operate a fly system. You’re going to school to learn to be a technician or be a designer.”

Dan “Malibu” Krygowski

by PLSN Staff
March 14, 2006

The jam band scene is a tight knit group of kindred spirits that are less corporate rock and marketing, and more in-theknow rock ‘n’ roll music junkies. Most bands have die-hard followers and rely on their live performances to not only generate income, but also to create the scene that results in their success. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that LD Dan “Malibu” Krygowski plays a vital roll for the band he tours with, O.A.R., or that he even has his own fan Web site. After all, he’s rock ‘n’ roll at heart, and he’s one of the family.

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New Products for March