I do a fair amount of work with artists who come from south of the border. Several reside on different Islands in the Caribbean. Today I am on my way to Trinidad. Once again I am traveling with little info other than my plane ticket and the knowledge that I am working on a show somewhere on that island.
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WASHINGTON DC — Over a million people gathered on the National Mall and along the inaugural parade route to witness history in the making when Barack Obama took the oath of office as the 44th president of the U.S. For those lucky enough to have made it to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, it was up close and personal. But for the rest of the crowd, most of which surrounded the Reflecting Pool, IMAG played a big part in helping one of the largest crowds to ever assemble in the nation’s capital witness the historic moment.
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WASHINGTON, DC — The new administration hadn’t even taken office, but with gigs aplenty in the nation’s capital, the inauguration provided more than a ray of hope to lighting and staging companies. In the span of eight days, Atmosphere Inc. coordinated and executed lighting for 52 shows in 24 different venues across the city, including two of the largest — the Commander in Chief’s Ball for members of the military at the National Building Museum and the Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton & Towers.
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The Obama inauguration was accompanied by events all over the metropolitan Washington D.C., and they gave lighting suppliers and designers the opportunity to shine. At The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, which hosted approximately 30,000 guests Jan. 18-22, for example, Showcall Inc. and Baltimore Stage Lighting Productions lit themed rooms and ballrooms for the Texas State Society’s Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball.
When the dark terrorist satire The Lieutenant of Inishmore played on Broadway, its violent content and gory second act — literally featuring hacked bodies strewn across the stage — certainly shocked and engrossed audiences. But it played in the Lyceum Theatre with several hundred people in attendance every night, which gave those present a greater sense of safety. The recent production at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia was far different. Presented in an intimate venue with only 125 seats, it became a far more intense, in-your-face experience. Some people were so shocked that they walked out of a richly ironic story about a rogue Irish terrorist named Padric who goes ballistic on his family and friends when he discovers that his beloved cat has been killed.
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Eric Wade, owner of Wadespro, Inc., has been in the moving light business in one way or another since…well, since its inception. He is the favorite programmer and lighting director of many of the industries’ leading lighting designers. The demand for his services is so high that he often programs a show and turns it over to an operator after it is up and running. He’s also an accomplished lighting designer.
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In one of my many past lives, as a systems integrator, I specified a number of Zero 88 Frog consoles, mostly the Fat Frog, which was nicely positioned for the entry market. I was surprised when Zero 88 opted to drop the Fat Frog and jump to the Leap Frog range. Rather than an entry-level board, it’s now a mid-range console with control of up to 200 automated lights. Zero 88 has kept the ease of getting started on the console, plus, if you plan to grow your system, Leap Frog does not have the limitations of Fat Frog.
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Samuel Ryder may have died in 1936, but that didn’t keep his projected 3D likeness from serving as emcee for the recently held Ryder Cup Gala in Louisville, Ky. Using the Musion Eyeliner hologram from Digital Illusions LLC, Ryder was able to walk, talk, and play golf as he did nearly 100 years ago.
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For about 357 days out of the year, I’d rather be in Austin, where I live, than in Dallas. Nothing against our neighbor to the north; after all, Dallas is the cradle of the automated lighting industry, the birthplace of the DLP chip, and the exporter of both Stevie Ray Vaughn and Lance Armstrong, both of whom took up residence in Austin. It’s not that I don’t like Dallas — I do. It’s just that I prefer Jerry Jeff Walker to Jerry Jones, Kinky Friedman to Ross Perot, and Willie Nelson to Vanilla Ice.
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Working in the entertainment industry allows many opportunities for interaction with celebrities of all types. I have had the privilege of meeting rock stars, actors, models, politicians, and even an astronaut who walked on the moon. Celebrities come in all types and working with them presents some unique situations and challenges.
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In the days of analog control it was easy to figure out if a control cable was good or bad. A simple continuity checker was all you needed to know whether or not it would pass signal. In the days of digital control it’s not that simple.
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MIDDLETON, WI — After long speculation about whether entertainment-lighting company ETC would enter the LED market, the company has announced their acquisition of the Selador product line from Selador co-founders Rob Gerlach and Novella Smith.
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