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Use Appropriate Fasteners for Mounting

Smart design beats the brute-force approach

Use Appropriate Fasteners for Mounting

“Some Assembly Required” and “Batteries Not Included” — two important phrases in our business. My other current favorite is “Use Appropriate Fasteners for Mounting.” That one makes me giggle almost as much as the one that usually says something like “Do Not Drop” on the side of a fixture or a projector. Damn! That’s what I’ve been doing wrong all these years! Thank you, dear manufacturer, for letting me know that the one thing I should definitely not do is drop the damn thing. Phew!

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Dianne Fleming's passion for stagecraft led to a career in pyro and special effects

Pyro Profile: Dianne Fleming

Dianne Fleming knew at an early age what she wanted to do when she grew up. Armed with an acute sense of how to get there she gravitated towards that goal with intuitive choices that began in her early teens. Her involvement with theatrical stage productions in junior high school sparked her first passion; lighting. Throughout her career, she has realized the potential of each experience she encountered. More importantly, Dianne places value and respect on the people around her, as PLSN found out while talking about the path she carved to where she is today.

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One of the best features of this LED product is that it is IP65-rated on both the front and back sides. One has no fear of doing outdoor shows and experiencing a little foul weather.

Black Widow CTS + Touring Frame + Touring Cart

A Look at Oracle LED Systems’ Tiles, Frames and Carts

As I walked the floor at InfoComm 2017 in Orlando this summer, I was on a quest to search for the best touring package of LED video walls. I was looking for quality in the output, lightness in weight, toughness in fabrication, weather resistance and protective traveling options that make for a quick and efficient load in.

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PR Lighting XLED 4022RZ

PR Lighting XLED 4022RZ

PR Lighting is the market leader in entertainment lighting in China. They have been around since 1984, and their professionally designed, quality gear is among some of the best fixtures in the world. They have been working on their XLED series of fixtures suited for the entertainment market for a few years and recently released their top-of-the-line wash light — the XLED 4022RZ. While this is the 12th fixture to be included in this series, it offers more punch and effects than the other LED pancake style models previously released.

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High End Systems SolaFrame Theatre

High End Systems SolaFrame Theatre

For a few years, it wasn’t clear how soon we’d have LED engines capable of providing the raw output necessary to compete with high-wattage arc sources — those tiny bits of bottled lightning held their position as the brightest practical form of entertainment lighting we had for many, many years. As advancement in semiconductor science marched on, however, the first truly usable hard-edged LED fixtures appeared and have been steadily improving.

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Grand Master Fader

The Grandest Of Them All

Magic fader on the desk, who is the grandest of them all?

The absolute worst moment for anyone at a lighting console is when you have been stumped as to why your fixtures have no output, only to discover that the Grand Master is down. If this has not yet happened to you, then be on the lookout because it does happen at least once to everyone.

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Pretty Lights 2017 tour. Photo by Greg Ellis

Pretty Lights, Primus in Production, Plenty of People News

Lighting designer Greg Ellis, out with Pretty Lights, says a lot has changed in the band’s live show on this tour. While he’s simplified the lighting a bit from past designs, he has expanded the visual production “way beyond anything we’ve ever done before,” he observes. “I am currently running all aspects of the show including one of the most advanced laser shows out there. Also, I’ve got live analog video synthesis along with live camera feeds and a custom built touch designer server.” The U.S. tour started in early August.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Kung Fu Lighting

A Tale of Lighting, Confusion and Pandas in the Land of the Red Dragon

Lighting direction has taken me all over the world for some extravagant gigs in far-off lands. I have been asked what it’s like to travel for work in so many foreign countries. I can tell you that, for the most part, it is similar to what you are used to. It’s just the same loading dock in a different country. The food is a little different, the money is a different color and the stagehands speak only slightly less English than at home.

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Video Release: New MILOS products launched in 2017

[caption id="attachment_279090" align="alignnone" width="842"]Milos displays its new products in this video[/caption]

WORLD – MILOS has just released a new video about their exciting range of products that were introduced on the market this year. The video gives an overview of the features these new products offer you and how they make MILOS truss even more practical and convenient! This video will provide you with images and examples of all the products listed below.

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Cleveland Metroparks Celebrates Centennial with W-DMX

[caption id="attachment_279087" align="alignnone" width="800"]Metropark's get aid from W-DMX[/caption]

CLEVELAND – This summer, the centennial celebration of Cleveland Metroparks featured fireworks, events, and activities honoring the past and celebrating the future of Cleveland’s green urban landscapes.  On a July evening, city dignitaries hosted a gala event which included dazzling outdoor lighting, supplied by ILC, and controlled by W-DMX wireless devices.

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New Utopium Tech at BBC’s Big Blue Tent for Edinburgh Festival Fringe

[caption id="attachment_279082" align="alignnone" width="800"]Utopium Aids the Edinburgh Festival[/caption]

EDINBURGH – The festival saw performances from comedians such as Frankie Boyle, Sarah Pascoe and Phil Wang, and was illuminated by Bristol-based lighting company Utopium, who this year utilized a number of new additions to their equipment list. Utopium has once again supplied lighting at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. The month-long celebration of culture sees thousands of performers take to hundreds of stages all over the Scottish capital with shows comprising of comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, theatre and much more.

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