Skip to content

The Return of the Drive-In – in Digital

The Return of the Drive-In – in Digital

Back in those halcyon days of childhood, mom n' dad packed us all in the station wagon and took us to the drive-in every few months. I'm sure many of you have similar memories of those long aisles of cars, the squawk box on the window, pajamas and blankets and a wonderful family film on a summer night. Over the years (and ever so slowly), the drive-ins disappeared – typically replaced by shopping centers and housing developments. Yet here and there, a few steadfast hold-outs remained.

Read More »

Touring Numbers Topple, Impacting Vendors

Music concert touring hit a speed bump in 2010 and production equipment and service vendors can expect a knot on the head as a result. According to Pollstar's end-of-year report, concert touring ticket revenues for the 50 biggest grossing tours globally fell 12 percent, to $2.93 billion, from $3.34 billion in 2009.

Read More »

Befriending Your Fixtures

Automated lighting programmers are responsible for more than just mastering their console of choice. A programmer must also understand the capabilities and functions of the fixtures under their command. Quite often, an LD will specify a fixture type without knowing all the capabilities, or a lighting company may substitute one fixture type for another. In addition, fixtures contain various modes that can greatly affect the abilities of the fixture. Automated lighting programmers need to be aware of the fixtures they are programming and educate themselves about the details of each unit.

Read More »

The Perils of Pinspots

At the beginning of the year, Stacy Johnson wrote a piece for Money Talks News entitled "Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know." Among the items he listed on the endangered list were videotape, travel agents, books, magazines, newspapers, movie rental stores, watches, paper maps, wired phones, long distance, newspaper classifieds (my 14-year-old daughter read this and asked me what one was), dial-up Internet, encyclopedias, CDs, film camera, catalogs, fax machines and wires.

Read More »

Living on TV Time

Every year, I find myself at some stadium lighting something. If it's not a rock show, it's often the halftime entertainment or pre-game ceremonies of some sporting event. The gigs vary drastically, but the one thing that they all have in common is that it is broadcast on live TV, and you only get one shot to do it right. Plus, it's inevitable that I'm gonna end up gigging with some folks I haven't seen in a long time.

Read More »

Super Bowl Halftime Show Discussed at ProLightingSpace.com

ARLINGTON, TX – No one is claiming that the Super Bowl Halftime show featuring The Black Eyed Peas, Slash and Usher was technically flawless. Many felt the partially-lit "V" shaped stage element was a black eye, so to speak, for an otherwise strong visual presentation; others felt the visuals for the show were, on the whole, memorable in a good way.

Read More »