PITTSBURGH — “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” is the first track on AC/DC’s Black Ice album, and the set for the band’s first world tour in eight years was designed with a locomotive theme in mind. “The five curved trusses represent the roof beams of a railway station,” said Dave Hill, co-lighting designer, of the 100-foot-wide arches custom made for the tour, used to form a curved array of gear including Coemar Infinity Wash XLs.
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It’s a shame that we even have to bring up this subject. But lately it’s becoming more and more necessary to lock up your gear on site, especially when you leave it overnight at a venue.
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WESTLAKE, TX — The ESTA Control Protocols Working Group is hosting an RDM Interoperability Plugfest in conjunction with ESTA’s Technical Standards Program meetings Jan. 23-25 at the Dallas/Fort Worth Solana hotel in Westlake, Tex. This free event is geared towards the numerous manufacturers that are adopting ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management (RDM) technology in their products.
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Calculated Industries’ Electri-Calc LT is geared to help electricians calculate high amperage values and voltage calculations. It can help pinpoint amps per phase, total watts, copper size, line voltage loss, KVA or KW translations and more. It calculates in all voltages and phases. It works in specific electrical terms and values and uses specialized function keys. Features include the ability to solve electrical math problems, calculate copper or aluminum wire sizes, figure parallel and de-rated wire sizes and calculate average voltage drop and grounding conductor sizes. It works like a regular calculator and has a battery-saving auto shut-off feature. It comes with a users guide, one-year warrantee and vinyl case, and is priced at $49.99.
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When you think of the great production supply centers of North America — New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto — one place just might slip your mind: Queensbury, N.Y. Believe it or not, from this idyllic setting, many lighting projects around the country are designed, managed and supplied, including theatres, convention centers, performing arts centers and schools in Pittsburgh, Penn., Peoria, Ill., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Columbia, Ga.
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It’s time for a break, dear readers; a break from hanging lights, calculating pixels, equalizing the RF mics and tracking down that lost DMX512 universe. When this issue hits the stands, we’ll be deep into the NFL playoff season, and so what better time than now to devote an entire column to a topic dear to our hearts — football and video!
Read More »The world is teetering on the brink of the Great Depression, The Sequel. Now for another piece of amazing news: The financial mugging being perpetrated on much of the manufacturing sector in the U.S. seems to have thus far avoided crippling many entertainment-related businesses. There may be an empty seat or two for a Cher or Bette show at Caesars, but you can bet money that all the lights will be working.
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The production world needs inverted lighting like up needs down, black needs white, and yin needs yang. Some luminaires, like automated fixtures, come with their own built-in floor stands and need no accessories to stand in an inverted position. Others, like PAR cans and Lekos, not so much.
Read More »Dear Swami,
I work for a lighting company and we have a slew of power draw sheets that look nice on paper, but never seem to be entirely correct when I do a load test on a show site. I asked someone here if they knew why that is and they mentioned something about multiplying by the square root of three. What are they talking about?
—Confused Electrician
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Jason Badger has found a unique niche as a specialty automated lighting programmer. For over 10 years, he has been programming major attractions and rides for Disney parks around the world. As if this is not enough, he also spends his free time working in the Los Angeles area on other types of productions. However, what is distinctive about Jason is his work on Disney attractions. I wanted to learn more about programming theme park attractions, so I interviewed him about his specialty.
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The subject of lighting really covers a broad scope of fields. The best lighting designers are folks who pay attention to detail. Whether they’re lighting a car or a rock star, certain de-signers will spend hours on minute things, but they all add up. That’s why they are good.
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LOS ANGELES — Like TV screens themselves, the 60th annual Emmy Awards program went HD in a big way this year. Staged at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, HD images during the event appeared on 15 different screens, including five projection screens, four LED displays and six plasma flat panel displays.
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