Skip to content

The Dark Side of Visualizers

Michael Graham offers tips on conquering the dark side of visualizers.

The Dark Side of Visualizers

Visualizers are awesome. Doesn’t matter which one you use, Vectorworks, Martin Show Designer, ESP, or Capture, or the myriad of other selections out there, they are indeed cool. Visualizers are designed to save us time in crating shows, and also give us some pretty powerful renderings to blow our clients minds and convince them that our vision is indeed amazing, and worth buying. Visualizers can make your design much more clear to your client than just having a set of blueprints or pencil drawings.

Read More »
Reid Nofsinger, Strictly FX

Strictly FX’s Reid Nofsinger

They ought to put Reid’s picture in the dictionary under “pyro technician.” Take one look at him, and you know he’s the type of guy you would expect to drive fast cars, own his own custom fit Storm Trooper suit and blow up stuff for a living. He’s been the lead engineer and technician at Strictly FX, Chicago’s premier special effects vendor for the entertainment biz, for more than 15 years. PLSN sat down to chat with how he and Strictly got to where they are today.

Read More »
Steve Shlisky at KTVU in Oakland, CA

So, You Want to be a Video Editor

Everything you watch on television is edited — every program, commercial, promo, news story, every clip on the LED wall at a concert, you name it. Every scene is meticulously edited in order to move the story line along and create the program’s drama, comedy or excitement. Think about it — even live events are edited in realtime by the director (with each and every camera cut)for the very same reason — to move the story along.

Read More »
Vaddio RoboSHOT 30 and 12 Cameras

Vaddio RoboSHOT Cameras

Vaddio has been around for more than 10 years now, supplying the world with robotic cameras. Yesterday I made a trip out to their Minnetonka, MN office space to find a pretty massive office and warehouse where the employees numbered over a hundred. Everything made by the company is built in America, assembled right here at their sparkling clean facility. That was just the first thing to impress me.

Read More »
Elation Sniper 2R

Elation Sniper 2R

In a world where every manufacturer is chasing the next great LED configured fixture or inventing their version of a hybrid luminaire, it is pretty exciting to see a light come out that isn’t competing with anything else in the market. Elation’s design team has once again raised the bar by unleashing their Sniper 2R. This award-winning fixture was released last year at the PLASA show in London, and its laser simulation capabilities and high speed scanning mirror system made it the talk of the show floor.

Read More »
Having a weather emergency plan in place helped the author and others evacuate this Mojave Desert gig before gale force winds brought the structure crashing down.

Weather vs. Lighting Designer

Even if Oscar Wilde did once say “Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative,” we all still love to talk about the weather. And, sooner or later, we will all have to do a show outside, or at the very least in a tent.

Read More »
Clay Paky Mythos

Clay Paky Mythos

Italian lighting manufacturer Clay Paky has brought the industry something much more than its series of Sharpy fixtures. Although it looks almost identical to a SuperSharpy from the outside, let’s have a look on the inside to see what the Mythos is all about.

Read More »

Would You Survive?

Automated lighting programmers operate in a world of extreme danger. We are often put into situations that require us to make immediate decisions and take action. Lack of success in these endeavors can lead to loss of work, unimaginable stress, and even financial loss. By studying actual situations, you can determine if you would respond accordingly and survive the most treacherous of programming moments. Listed below are some of the most hazardous programming moments I have personally encountered. After reading each setup, ask yourself if you would survive before you read the actions.

Read More »
The Tragically Hip photo by Brent Clark

Lighting The Tragically Hip, Neil Diamond, Rush, Steve Aoki and Cars in Qatar

LD Brent Clark operated his design for The Tragically Hip’s Fully and Completely tour through mid-February in Canadian arenas. He then returned to Sarah McLachlan’s U.S. run Feb. 27-April 1. Describing The Hip’s design, Clark explained: “Our main focus was to create two distinct shows. The main part of the show was the band playing the album Fully Completely in its entirety, which they had never done before, and then book end that set with five songs. So those five songs had to look and feel entirely different. We did this by using only black and white I-Mag side screens and straight up rock and roll lighting with no video content. So when Fully Completely started, all the video elements rolled into play and the side screens sprang into color. It was quite a fun project to work on.”

Read More »
Illustration by Andy Au

Crossfading Industry Scenes

Whether you’re staring at the same walls deciding if you are going to leave that full time job to go on tour, or sitting in the back lounge of a bus trying to figure out how to “come off the road” and still support your family, making the decision to take that huge leap of faith can leave even the most confident person full of conflict.

Read More »
Drama Strip P840

Mega-Lite Drama Strip P840

The Mega-Lite Drama Strip P840 from Mega Systems Inc. is a new multi-directional strip fixture with pixel control. The unit’s new design and low profile promises to make it an effective footlight for illuminating performers.

Read More »