LOS ANGELES – LEDtronics founder/president Pervaiz Lodhi noticed that the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Sports Arena marquee was deteriorating in quality and brightness. Wanting to give back to the community, Lodhi brought the sign back from disrepair: he replaced the burnt out fluorescent T12 tube lights with LED T8 lamps, for an overall reduction in energy but with an increase in eye-catching glances from motorists driving by.
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PLSN: Steve, tell us what you’ve been up to lately.
Steve Richards: I just finished the U.S. leg of the Gotye tour. I was also the lighting director for Lady Antebellum. That was a long run, but it was a lot of fun. And I’ve also been working for U.K. artist Cher Lloyd. She was on X Factor a couple of years ago. She’s got a single out now, and I’ve been doing some promo stuff with her. Read More »Industry veteran Bob Higgins has more than 30 years of experience in the touring industry as a video producer, director, editor, dancer, troublemaker, and problem solver. With the help of contributing minders K. Lipschutz, G. Jones, V. Jarvis, A. Kramer, R. Alvarez, W. Willoughby, and B. Riedling, he’s pieced together the following rules, gleaned from his own early mistakes, mistakes he’s seen along the way (with the shipping records as proof), eyewitness accounts, and road stories too numerous to mention. Please read carefully, you will be tested daily…
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On a recent show, I chose to work with several new pieces of technology. I love the opportunity to work with new equipment, learn new concepts, and discover new creative ideas! The experience was challenging, but it was definitely well worth it. Here’s a recap.
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The world of video switching gets thicker and more competitive by the month, it seems. For example, the small-to-medium multi-format market is booming right now — and for good reason. Lots of different devices offer lots of different I/O options. Designers “in the biz” realize that they need to provide a lot of bang for the buck, and it usually falls upon the technical crew to come up with the solution.
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In contemporary society, some may argue that man is plenty without tools, but perhaps Thomas Carlyle was on to something. Perhaps a stronger argument can be made for the fact that man improves with tools—so long as they’re the right ones. That sounds right to me, especially when it comes to design tools for the entertainment industry.
Read More »It happened again. This time, it was in Brazil, where 238 people were killed when fire raged through a nightclub in late January. It will take time to sort out all of the factors that led to the fire and to the carnage, including locked or inaccessible fire exits and clueless venue staff, but initial reports point yet again to a sadly familiar scenario: live pyrotechnics used in an enclosed space, with less-than-ideal supervision and apparently little in the way of planning for potentially disastrous outcomes.
Read More »Automated lighting fixtures are extremely sophisticated, to the point that some people even refer to them as “intelligent.” While the fixtures are packed full of very smart features, they actually require a human with a bit of knowledge to operate them properly. This is very true when it comes to controlling the movement of pan/tilt or other features. Fixtures and consoles provide a multitude of methods to ensure that these movements are either perfectly smooth or extremely quick. A thorough understanding of the various options is imperative for any automated lighting programmer.
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Production/lighting designer Dale Doucette describes Heart’s touring schedule as “Two week tourettes.”
“During March to November, we do ‘tourettes’ — two weeks of shows in a particular section of the country in casinos and small 3,000-5,000 venues, then we go home. Every day is a different gig. I carry a file of shows and a handful of songs I keep consistent.
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This month, I continue on my quest to figure out which gear has the best return for a lighting company investment. Is it as easy as following the old “Supply and Demand” way of thinking? I always assumed that a lighting company chose what fixtures they would purchase based on what the customer’s latest needs were. But what if you did many shows each year with various LD types, and they all want different fixtures? Do the lighting buyers choose to base their decisions on the latest, coolest moving heads in the business? Or do they buy from certain manufacturers because they have good, lasting relationships with them and their salespeople?
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