Skip to content

Mumford & Sons

Robe BMFLs create a stark look. Photo by Miguel Legault.

Mumford & Sons

LD Ed Warren Updates the Looks as the Band Adds New Songs; Par Cans Still Play a Key Role

“I never toured as a light tech. I was a merch guy, and one day I found myself behind a lighting console, running lights for a band. By the end of night, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.” And so it began 13 years ago for Ed Warren as he, like so many others, got into a different part of the business through a twist of fate. He’s out once again designing the lights for the globally famous band Mumford & Sons, as he has done for the last seven years. And yes, he’s still into Par cans.

Read More »
The lighting team for ABC’s Match Game includes, from left, gaffer Trevor Gooch, programmer Tiffany Keys and LD Joshua Hutchings.

Game Show Lighting is as Easy as (Blank)

LD Joshua Hutchings brings a classic feel to Match Game on ABC

ABC has gone back into the game show business, and they are doing it in a big way. They have four “new” game shows on the docket for this summer and, while many are new to ABC, many Americans will instantly remember these as classic shows from the 1970s and ‘80s. The re-launched game show lineup includes $100,000 Pyramid, Celebrity Family Feud, To Tell the Truth and Match Game. Perhaps the biggest update from the past versions of these beloved shows is that they will be aired in prime time. 

Read More »
Towers utilized for followspots and PA delay stacks. Photo by Peter Ryaux-Larsen.

Stageline: The Founder, The Company and their Latest Feat of Engineering

Yvan Miron started out like so many young people in the entertainment biz, as a musician. An accident to his finger derailed his guitar playing ability, but not his love for music, as he became a promoter of shows and managing bands back in the 1970s. By the early 1980s, he was working with a friend organizing outdoor events — a feat that can be cumbersome when you are located in Northeast Canada. Quebec certainly has its share of climatic changes. He explains what drove him to start his own staging company.

Read More »
Invictus Games Orlando 2016 photo courtesy continuumLive

Invictus Games Orlando 2016: Collaborating for a Great Purpose

The Invictus Games Orlando 2016, which took place May 8-12 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, celebrated the camaraderie of competitors. Created by Prince Harry in 2014 to honor wounded service men and women, the Invictus Games deepen the respect for wounded military personnel. With 55 hours of ceremonies and games televised across ABC and ESPN, the events drew a viewing audience that went beyond the 56,000 live spectators to reach more than 10 million viewers worldwide.

Read More »
Three options. Pick any two.

“I Solve Problems.”

This article has nothing to do with good system design. Let’s just get that out there first. If you want to learn to design systems, go to school (hard knock U or other) and start designing. Designing is a learned process, and you learn by doing. That said, I’ve been designing a lot of systems lately. I’m a system technician by trade, but for some reason, the phone keeps ringing and I get a line like, “We’re wanting to do this crazy thing, and we weren’t quite sure who to call, but your name kept coming up.” 

Read More »
The MMS 100 has an Axon media server on board.

High End Systems’ MMS-100 and MMS-200

Tracing the Evolution of HES’ MMS Orbital Head: A look at moving mirror systems technologies offered by High End Systems, a Barco Company

Rather than struggle with the challenge of rigging and precisely pointing the beam from a big, bulky projector, it’s often easier and more efficient to fine-tune the position of a flat mirror that reflects and angles the light beam. That simple truth has led to the creation of MMS (moving mirror system) technologies by Austin, Texas-based High End Systems, now owned by Barco. Here, PLSN takes a closer look at the MMS concept and how it evolved.

Read More »
TourPro LightSky AquaBeam

TourPro LightSky AquaBeam

Today, we’re looking at the IP54 Light Sky AquaBeam from SHS Global. Originally known as a used gear company, SHS has since expanded their operations into distributing various lines, including the AquaBeam from Light Sky, an IP rated moving head beam projector with a lot of power. There’s still a solid place for arc-based lights in the industry; LEDs still don’t have the raw output needed for certain applications. Extremely short-arc lamps like the one found in the AquaBeam pack a tremendous punch for low wattage, which makes them very attractive for this class of narrow-beam moving heads.

Read More »
Chauvet Maverick MK2 Wash

Chauvet Maverick MK2 Wash

Chauvet Professional showed the world the prototypes for their new stellar line of fixtures, dubbed the Maverick Series, at the Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt last April. This only whetted my appetite; I have waited a couple of months to get my hands on the first fixture of this series to be released, the Maverick MK2 Wash. Rest assured, the fixture lives up to its hype as a powerful wash light with some tasty effects.

Read More »
LD Arian Yegenah used Chauvet Professional Vesuvio RGBA fixtures

Chauvet Vesuvio Creates RGBA Fog Effects at Midnight Mafia

SYDNEY  – After a hiatus, the Australian all-night dance music festival, Midnight Mafia, returned April 23 at the Showground event space in Sydney’s Olympic Park, hosting some of Australia’s most popular DJs including The Enforcers and The Ace of Spades. LD Arian Yegenah used Chauvet Professional Vesuvio RGBA fixtures from Australian distributor Showtools during the event.

Read More »
Boston Pops Rocks 4th of July

Boston Pops Rocks 4th of July Celebration with 4Wall NY-supplied Gear

BOSTON – The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is a tradition that spans 40 years. Hundreds of thousands gathered at the historic DCR Hatch Shell to celebrate America’s independence while fireworks exploded in the air during a performance by Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. This year’s event was also broadcast live on CBS for millions across the country to enjoy. Lighting designer Mike Berger, of Full Flood Inc., was responsible for lighting this year’s 4th of July celebration using gear from 4Wall New York.

Read More »
The ONErack is now shipping

tvONE Ships ONErack

 tvOne’s ONErack, a universal rack mounting solution with power and cooling, is now shipping. ONErack is a universal, powered mounting system that is designed to improves rack installation of small devices. tvONE’s patent pending design converts randomly sized, externally-powered devices from any manufacturer into slide-in modules that can be installed quickly and cleanly and then serviced easily.

Read More »