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Pathway Connectivity Cognito Console

Pathway Connectivity's Cognito Lighting Console

Pathway Connectivity Cognito Console

Pathway Connectivity’s latest product, the Cognito Lighting Console, has sliders like any other lighting console, but also has a gaming console vibe. The first question you might have upon seeing one is, what am I going to do with this thing, control lights or play Call of Duty? The second question is, why would Pathway Connectivity, a leader in network control devices, develop a lighting console? Upon closer inspection, however, the Cognito console makes a lot of sense.

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San Francisco's Sutro Tower loomed large in TV's rabbit-ears era.

The Future of Television

In case you haven’t noticed, the world of broadcasting and television is changing fast. Since we’re all part of the change, and in the midst of the evolution itself, it might be difficult to see the forest. I’m not talking about video technology (where change is a given factor), but specifically, I’m referring to the way that television programming is created, distributed and delivered.

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Elation Design Wash LED Zoom

Elation Design Wash LED Zoom

Elation’s compact, DMX-controlled Design Wash LED Zoom (RGBW) and Design Wash LED Zoom CW (Cool White 7500°K) fixtures are just 3.1 by 8.7 by 17.5 inches in size (L x W x H) but produce 400 foot candles at 20’ / 3,900 total lumens and 8,300 total lumens, respectively. The 108 Osram Ostar LEDs promise 50,000 hours of use, and features include 7°-30° zoom/13°-40° field angles, variable strobe, pulse and rainbow effects, 0-100% dimming and pan (540° or 630°) and tilt (265°) movement with 16-bit resolution.

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Primus toured with as many as 30,000 pairs of plastic glasses. Photo by Gunnar Curry courtesy of 3D Live.

To 3D, or Not to 3D: That’s the Question

Is 3D a passing fad, or will it become a regular component of the live touring effects arsenal? If you ask ESPN, which launched with much ballyhoo its slate of 3D sports channels in 2010, the most recent answer would be “fad.” The über-sports broadcaster announced in June that it would be pulling the plug on its 3D channels by year’s end. Shooting concerts in 3D for Blu-ray and cinematic release seemed like it was going to become a healthy industry niche, but has instead slowed to the point where just “niche” is all you need to describe it. 

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Programming Very Large Arrays (VLAs)

The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a radio astronomy observatory located in western New Mexico. It consists of 27 large dish type antennas. Astronomers reconfigure the array every few months into new alignments to better explore the universe. This requires intense computer programming to coordinate the movement and alignment of the large receivers. I am sure that programming for this very large array presents a level of complexity to its team of programmers. However, when I find myself programming a very large array of lighting fixtures, I think that their scope must pale in comparison to my task at hand. Programming very large arrays is quite a task for any automated lighting programmer.

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Foster the People's stage at the Firefly Festival had seven towers. Photo by Mat Stovall

Foster the People Towers over Firefly Festival; Rock ‘n’ Roll Reality Tour, Quick Cues…

Foster the People fans at the recent Firefly Festival June 21-23 in Dover, Delaware, were treated to a specially designed one-off production to tie in with the band’s new album in progress. “The show design was based around seven towers, eight to 28 feet high, that all rotated for a constantly evolving environment,” said Trevor Stirlin Burk, the production designer, creative director and show director of Foster the People.“We also collaborated with The Los Angeles Contemporary Dance company. It was super ambitious for the band to want to do a brand new production from scratch, specifically for Firefly. By all accounts it paid off.”

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Illustration by Andy Au

When Did it All Get So BIG?

Earlier this year, one of my clients called me in for a meeting about what he wanted to do for his annual summer shed tour. We were currently playing arenas, but were headed outside for the summer. He wanted to talk about the current trend in arena shows to get some big looks. He looks me right in the eye and asks me, “How high is that front truss flying?” Fifty feet or so, I tell him. “And how wide are all these trusses?” I reckoned they spanned about 90 feet, side-to-side. “Now don’t get me wrong, Nook. It looks frickin’ great, but when did we all decide these shows had to be so big, to be good?”

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Mark Haney Joins CT Touring

Mark Haney Joins CT Touring

NASHVILLE – CT Touring welcomes industry veteran and video director Mark Haney to the company. Haney has had leading roles in concert touring for more than 20 years and is a multiple award-winning director whose roster includes Eric Clapton, Kenny Chesney, Britney Spears and Star Wars in Concert, among others.

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Moment Factory Creates Video Content for Timberlake/ Jay-Z Tour

MONTREAL – After working on Jay Z’s two nights show at Carnegie Hall last year, Moment Factory was tasked by Roc Nation (entertainment company founded by Jay-Z) and Willo Perron to work on one of the biggest stadium tours of the summer: Justin Timberlake and Jay Z’s “Legends of the Summer.” For this fast-track project, Moment Factory had the mandate to create original video content that would enhance the artists’ performance onstage and maximize the impact of the sizeable scenography.

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Behind the Scenes logo

TMB Makes First ProXS Donations to BTS

NEW YORK, NY — TMB joined the Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Product program last spring by pledging 10 percent of global sales of their ProXS professional lighting fixture accessories to the charity. They have placed special displays in dealer showrooms around the world so customers know they are helping when they make a purchase of something as simple as a gel frame. As a result, TMB has now made two donations to the industry’s charity.

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