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Lysistrata Jones, Lit by Michael Gottlieb

Lysistrata Jones photo by Joan Marcus

Lysistrata Jones, Lit by Michael Gottlieb

Lysistrata Jones, which recently finished a brief run on Broadway, was a fun, breezy, loose take on the classic Greek comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes, about the titular character’s desire to end The Peloponnesian War by having Greek women withhold sex from their lovers until peace is negotiated.

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The Cortical Degausser was featured at the Clocktower in NYC

Light and Video Artist David Linton

David Linton’s recent sound and video installation, The Cortical Degausser, which was featured at New York’s Clocktower Gallery Nov. 1-Jan. 13, employed synchronous and proportional sound and colored light pulsation delivered via video signal and viewed from special stations. As a result of the frequency of pulsation, closed-eye visions of spontaneous geometry was experienced by most individuals while their eyes are open. While Linton’s work exteriorizes and socializes flicker phenomenon, it leads to an unusual interactivity that occurs in the neurologic chain of each viewer.

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TPI supported a corporate convention with a high-tech edge

TPI Melds Media Seamlessly

It was a corporate convention, but the high-level financial institute sponsoring it wanted to make sure it was anything but conventional. Their agents only convened once every three years, and the month-long event needed to make a deep and lasting impression. The location: Las Vegas. The production company: St. Louis-based Technical Productions, Inc (TPI).

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Ocean Thin Films SeaChanger HMI Profile and Wash

Ocean Thin Films SeaChanger HMI

Recently, I received a large Pelican case from Ocean Thin Films down in Largo, FL. There has been a solid calling for certain hybrid fixtures on the theater and film circuit as well as architectural installs. So they have provided me with a fine example here. By hybrid, I mean they are combining different elements from separate manufacturers to build one solid fixture. So inside my case were parts of lighting fixtures complete with multiple attachments — all packaged in a perfectly-cut foam traveling case.

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Carl Palmer photo by Michael Inns

The Carl Palmer Band

Even if history hadn’t crowned Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) progressive rock’s first supergroup, their fantasy-laced, classically influenced rock and extravagant live shows surely would have earned them this honor anyway. Unapologetic for their musical and theatrical excesses, such as rotating a two-ton drum kit, lighting live cannons, spinning acoustic pianos and launching explosive fireworks, ELP’s mantra has always been “Go big or go home.”

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Team Tomcat, at Hoist and Rigging School 2011

Tomcat Global Celebrates 25 Years

As Tomcat kicked off its 25th Anniversary celebration at LDI 2011, it was immediately clear that, while they were proud of their past, they had their collective eye trained squarely on the future. And actually, they could be celebrating a concurring anniversary: They are entering their fifth year as being part of the global giant the Vitec Group, and the people of Tomcat are building on their strength while looking to do bigger and better things, including expanding into new products.

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Rumor photo by Ian Hoffer

Rumor: More than a Whisper

Philadelphia’s New Nightclub Pulses with Light and Sound

Last September, in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square, a new EDM (electronic dance music) nightclub emerged on the scene. The area, an upscale blend of residential and retail real estate, isn’t known for hot nightspots, but Leverage Hospitality Group (LHG) decided that this would be a great place for their new nightclub, Rumor.

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IIG Rental Item Availability Calendar

Information Integration Group: Taming the Rental Management Tigers

In the rental and production industry, you never know what you’re going to get when equipment is returned. If all goes to plan, rentals are returned on time, in one piece, and fully operational. However, reality has a way of messing with best-laid plans, and many things can wreak havoc when it comes to inventory management. But in the face of such uncertainty, a rental and production company still has to be able to schedule rentals based on real-time availability of equipment.

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Low to High Resolution

Shooting Video with DSLRs

For both corporate and live events, video elements are often a major part of the show.  If the clips are pre-produced, a significant amount of planning, pre-production and shooting is always required.  Traditionally, you’ll need a crew and a few cases of expensive video gear to accomplish the task, but a new twist on an old trusty photography tool suddenly makes the job a bit easier.  In fact, it’s the DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera — a mainstay of the professional photographer for high quality stills, but now, an equally remarkable video tool.  SLR-type cameras enable photographers to see exactly what’s captured on film or digital media, because shots are composed directly through the lens.

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Vaddio ProductionVIEW HD Switcher

Vaddio ProductionVIEW HD Switcher

As the “video guy,” I get asked to wear a lot of hats, and it’s not just because I’m a nice guy who says “yes.” There are a lot of factors to keep track of — not the least of which is keeping a decent image onscreen. If you’re touring, you’re usually just trying to keep the gear from being destroyed. If you’re in corporate, you have the constant harangue of having to edit presenter imagery. If you’re in trade shows, well — that list is too long.

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Alternative Energies

It might have something to do with the presidential election cycle. Back in 2008, when Barack Obama trumped John McCain, the Warped Tour featured a 40,000-watt solar-powered stage provided by Stage-Tech Productions. It was one of a cluster of high-profile applications of alternative energy to provide the power to run sound and lights for outdoor music performances that year. Examples of stages being powered by the sun (and vegetable oil, and wind) continue to appear, but at nowhere near the pace one might have expected after the heady days of 2008.

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Watch Where You Point That Thing!

Automated lighting programmers have many tasks they must perform when programming any type of production.  One of the most common tasks is positioning (or focusing) the fixtures. The exact angle and aim of the fixture must be dialed in to ensure the proper areas of the stage are lit or that the aerial effects look good.  There are many techniques and tools to assist the focusing process and it is important that programmers understand the differences.

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