Iron Maiden, eat your hearts out…
Using vintage 1980s metal motifs, terrifying pits of flame, an ominous structure patterned upon a medieval castle wall and one monstrously animated mascot, heavy rock titans Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) have become the gold standard in ghoulish, budget-conscious concert bonanzas.
Read More »
Tool’s lead vocalist, Maynard James Keenan, not only shuns the spotlight, he often performs in random positions — facing the wings or upstage wall, for example — instead of looking out to the audience. There’s a bit more light illuminating the other band members, but the visuals accompanying a live Tool concert are designed to support of the music and its overall vibe, not serve up a larger-than-life display of performing band members. Tool’s guitarist, Adam Jones, plays a key role in the creation of the band’s visuals, for both its music videos and the video seen during the band’s live shows. The band members do not appear in the music videos, either. Instead, the viewer sees a mélange of abstract and representational forms that help serve as each show’s narrative while emerging as their own form art.
Read More »
Let there be light. Actually, the saying was more along the lines of, “Let there be more light.” At least that’s what The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas conveyed to Burbank, CA-based Global Trend Productions when the casino and hotel approached the company about revamping its increasingly popular Bond bar. The Cosmopolitan, with the help of its design team, had big plans for elevating the appeal of its trendy bar area, having envisioned a wondrous, hybrid space that could be infused with Sin City-styled dance performances, gaming aspects and brightly lit visual elements. The Vegas hotspot accomplished this — and more. At the end of a month long renovation process, The Cosmopolitan completely transformed the look of the Bond bar with a unique and unprecedented application of LED technology within a casino environment.
Read More »
Just because they’re “weekend warriors,” as production manager Sean Gary humorously calls them, doesn’t mean that edgy country music veteran Gary Allan and his band and crew are not busier than a cat on fire. They spend most weekends of the year headlining in clubs, casinos, parks, theaters, rodeos, auto auctions, hockey arenas and festivals in seemingly every corner of the country. If you were to draw lines on a map between Allan’s gigs, your diagram would look like a ball of twine that had exploded from within.
Read More »
Since forming video production company DWP Live in Oct. 2007, founder Danny Whetstone and his team have become widely known for projection-mapping — beaming static or moving designs onto a 3-D surface so that the images follow the topography of the surface, including window cornices, columns, doors — even gargoyles. One industry publication has gone so far as to call the company projection mapping’s “world heavyweight champion.”
Read More »
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the first film in the Spider-Man franchise to shoot entirely in New York State, was filmed on locations in throughout New York City and Rochester, as well as on sound stages and backlots on Long Island and Brooklyn. It is also perhaps one of the last of the blockbusters to be shot on actual film. One of the pivotal sets, Oscorp’s power plant, was built on the production’s back lot at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, NY. To fully realize the aesthetic of the power plant scenic design, the film’s production designer Mark Friedberg collaborated with City Theatrical’s Gary Fails.
Read More »
It’s spring, and that means the start of severe weather season, and also the time when many of us in show business start working on outdoor shows. I’ve done a lot of outdoor shows, and I’m also a storm chaser and weather geek, so when I’m on an outdoor show site, I’m often running real-time radar on my laptop in addition to my sound system alignment software.
Read More »
Marshall Bissett has played a key role in the live event industry for four decades, and is the founder of TMB, long rumored to stand for either “Too Many Beers” or “Too Much Bull****.” He was in the live event industry before “there even was an industry.” He sat down with PLSN recently and reflected on his career, the business and what’s next.
Read More »
Managing payroll for any company can be both difficult and complex. Because of the challenges involved, many choose to use one of the Administrative Employer payroll service providers available to delegate work, responsibility and — most importantly — liability to a third party. But what if you work within a highly specialized field like the music industry with its myriad twists and turns, from differing state regulatory codes to union and guild contracts that must be honored?
Read More »
Did you have the opportunity to visit one of the largest trade shows for construction equipment this year, a show called ConExpo? Held every three years, this show features extremely large booths filled with all types of machinery used in every aspect of construction, and it’s like a playground for adults (okay, males mostly) who spend a week climbing over every inch of these trucks and diggers from manufacturers like Hyundai, Konami and John Deere. Many of these booths feature shows and/or presentations showcasing various aspects of their latest technology. However, two manufacturers, Caterpillar and Volvo Construction, incorporated video mapping into their booth designs and shows, making for some eye catching and interesting visuals.
Read More »
On March 8, 2014, The Cleveland Cavaliers honored their former center, Zydrunas “Big Z” Ilgauskas, by officially retired his #11 team number. But the Cleveland Cavaliers QTV crew did it with a lot more visual sizzle than just an announcement over the P.A. and I-Mag on the center video display. They teamed up with Think Media and Quince Imaging to produce a large format projection that not only covered the expanse of the court but was mapped to its various parts, transforming the 2D surface and content with 3D movement and effects.
Read More »
Harman’s lighting division, Martin Professional, has long been the innovator of new light technology, especially along the LED line. Following in the footsteps of their MAC Aura series, they have introduced The MAC Quantum Wash. Rather than concentrate solely on the LED eye candy trend, Martin committed themselves to a fresh new concept — using an LED source to create a stunningly bright, pure white light beam.
Read More »