A Trick for Every Tradeshow
One of the greatest little-known facts about console demonstrations at a tradeshow is that the people working the kiosks are often the software developers. Most… Read More »A Trick for Every Tradeshow
Read More »A Trick for Every Tradeshow
How do I figure projector brightness with distance?
Suppose you have a projector that produces 100 nits at a throw of 25 feet. (A nit is a measure of brightness equal to one… Read More »How do I figure projector brightness with distance?
Read More »Am I the Learned? Or the Left Behind?
When one door closes, sometimes another one opens, and sometimes you have to force one open. But, if the time comes, how can you be… Read More »Am I the Learned? Or the Left Behind?
Read More »What does diffusion really do?
Diffusion does: -Spread the field; the heavier the diffusion the more it spreads the field. -Soften shadows; the longer the throw, the more scattered the… Read More »What does diffusion really do?
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Back To the Future
A Historic Clock Tower Is Lit Using Modern Methods.
Dr. Emmet Brown: Don’t worry! As long as you hit that wire with the connecting hook at precisely eighty-eight miles per hour the instant the lightning strikes the tower, everything will be fine!
In the climax of the movie Back to the Future, Doc Brown and Marty McFly attach a steel cable to the town’s clock tower in order to harness the electricity of a pre-destined lightning strike. They then proceed to mispronounce the word “gigawatt,” and send Martyback to the future.
In a neighborhood near to Chicago’s Wrigley Field, another clock tower is lit up — without the need for a time machine or a guy named Biff.
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Curvy and Sexy, and That’s Just Her Lighting Rig
LD Daunte Kenner captures the essence of Mary J. Blige in design.
She’s the soulful queen of hip-hop, an embattled figure who has recently emerged victoriously from bouts against alcohol and drug abuse to become a successful and happily-married entertainer. Her concert sounds like a battle cry for troubled women everywhere, leading the charge against the emotional distress of everyday life in the trenches. She is Mary J. Blige. And the responsibility for lighting her shows falls squarely on the shoulders of Daunte Kenner. And if MJB has gone through a series of changes, Kenner can certainly relate. Talk to him about the show and the constant theme that emerges is one of change. Take, for example, the design process.
“Nineteen,” says Kenner with a smile.
A Flurry of Improv
The cues come as fast as flakes in a blizzard for Slava’s Snowshow.
Slava’s Snowshow is a theatrical free-for-all unlike anything else you’ve experienced. Russian clowns play tricks on each other, parody famous cinematic moments, wander through a winter wonderland and even invade the audience and heckle the crowd during intermission. For two years now the comedic and semi-improvisational show has delighted audiences at the Union Square Theatre near Greenwich Village, and lighting director Derek Brashears has been there since day one, from unloading the truck to learning the lighting design to manning the boards. He’s learned to weather a storm of surprises that can happen on a dayto- day basis, so much so that the connection is somewhat telepathic.
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A.C.T Lighting
Who:
A.C.T Lighting
What:
Wholesale distributor whose business includes being the exclusive North America
distributor for MA Lighting, Zero 88 and the U.S. distributor of MDG smoke, fog and
haze machines.
Art on Demand: the Path and the Nirvana
Among the working lighting designers of the world, few names carry the cachet as the name Jules Fisher. His 18 Tony Award nominations have netted him eight shiny statues dating back to 1973. His work extends beyond Broadway and into the realm of film (School of Rock, Chicago, A Star is Born), ballet, opera, television and concert lighting (Rolling Stones, KISS, David Bowie, Whitney Houston). But to speak to the self-effacing man you might never guess that he has met with any success, as he is quick to praise his design partner, Peggy Eisenhauer. Ironically, it is Fisher whom Eisenhauer credits with inspiring her early in her career. Together, they form the design firm Third Eye Studios. Our interview started in their offices in New York and culminated over the phone, as it is quite challenging to pin them down.
Read More »Searching for Ideas?
Early in my career I read a great book by an author named Julia Cameron. It was called The Artist’s Way. It’s full of lots… Read More »Searching for Ideas?
Read More »High End Systems DL.2
Things were simpler when we were in kindergarten. We learned about important things like sharing. We got to spend a bit of time coloring and painting. We even got to make big murals out of those long rolls of butcher paper. When I was programming for an upcoming tour in Nashville recently, I came to realize that there were some distinct similarities to what I was now doing.
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CYA With CMA: Managing Your Content
The gig you’ve just landed will be using 30 media servers, and you need to upload custom content into all of them. Some of the questions that are probably popping into your mind right now are: How long will that take? Will I have the opportunity to load the content before the load-in date? If not, will I have enough time to get everything organized on site at the gig? If any of these sound like questions you’ve asked yourself on a show using digital lighting fixtures and/or media servers, then you will appreciate this article.
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