Andre Huff took a unique route on his way to the world of television lighting. He started working for a lighting manufacturer, then in theatre and concert touring. His biggest challenge? Helping his clients understand that not every show can be like the Grammys. In this month’s interview, we caught up with Huff and he explained why it’s a challenge that he’s ready to (True) Grip.
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My first experience seeing Queen live was in 1976 at the historic Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco. It was one of those rare magical moments that you don’t forget. There is no one on the rock scene who can match the singing and stage presence of Freddie Mercury. Freddie’s gone, but not the memories that will live forever. Brian May, whose unique guitar style is unsurpassed, and Roger Taylor, whose rock anthem drumming defines the style of the band, have embarked on the first Queen tour in 20 years. They’ve brought with them the talent of Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers to sing the hits of both bands, from “Tie Your Mother Down” to “Can’t Get Enough” to “We Are the Champions.”
Read More »The Threepenny Opera, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s classic musical that opens this month at the famous Studio 54, is not your ordinary musical. It was adapted from The Beggar’s OperaThe Threepenny Opera written by John Gay in 1728 as a comedic satire about the interaction between the classes. The Threepenny Opera was written by Brecht in 1928, who used it as a focus for his new style of theatre. This style, which would become known as Brechtian theatre, explodes onto the stage in this revival, using modern conceits to fulfill Brecht’s original vision of the play. Lighting designer Jason Lyons completely captures the style and complexity of the piece as he brings his own touch to this classic work.
Read More »Who:
Speed of Sound Worldwide (SOS)
What:
Freight forwarder specializing in production cargo for tours,corporate events and special projects. Also handles production cargo storage.
Where:
Headquarters are in Irvington, N.J., with an office in Rancho Dominguez, Calif.
[The Crabb Family] didn’t want machinery industrial, but they didn’t want everybody to feel like they’re in church. So the first concept was some scaffolding… Read More »How He Designed Spectacle for a Christian Show
Read More »ROSCO 1750 Fog Machine
The 1,500-watt fogger features a piston pump and continuous duty operation. Up to four machines can be daisy-chained and it runs from a DMX512 input or a timer remote. The standard unit with a piggyback remote retails for $695 and the DMX512 version retails for $795.
Rosco • 800.767.2669 or 800.767.2652 • www.rosco.com
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When you are testing a lighting circuit for continuity (a complete circuit), any non-infinite reading on the meter is accepted as good. A cold lamp… Read More »Ohmmeter Basics
Read More »There are two main ingredients that I need for every gig; the local crew I work with and my “go-to” guy. I believe there is an art form to working with people and getting the most use out of each person based on their individual persona. The word “stagehand” covers a broad spectrum of people all over the world.
In the concert and theatre worlds, the lighting techs are often fortunate to work with IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), or union, stagehands. These crews have been around the block and are pretty familiar with most gear that crosses their paths. They build different shows constantly, so they get to work with just about every gadget, light fixture or P.A. that’s out there. On the contrary, touring crews constantly set up the same light rig and P.A. every day. They don’t always see all the advantages of how other people may do the same job they do. You can learn a lot by watching some IATSE guys work.
Read More »“If a man will begin with certainties, he will end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he will end in certainties.”
– Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher, statesman and author
Several years ago, a friend of mine got a pen plotter. It was a big, beautiful instrument. It was shiny and gleaming, and it stood on its own two legs in the corner of his office. I was envious of him and his plotter for two reasons—one was that he could create blueprints and crank out professional- looking drawings at will, and the other was that everyone who saw it immediately knew he was an AutoCAD stud. It was more than a convenient tool to aide him in his work; it was a status symbol.
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While ETC’s newest lighting console is considered “new” by most standards, the parents of the system would say that the console has been in gestation for more than 30 years.
The true heritage of the console began with Avab, the Scandinavian lighting console manufacturer that, three decades ago, had one of the two existing 999- channel boards, the Viking. With a simple, direct-access control structure, the Avab brand has maintained a strong presence in European markets ever since.
Read More »America’s mega-churches are biblical in their proportions.
The largest church in the U.S. is Lakewood, a quasi-denominational congregation—more like a small city— that sprawls over five acres outside of Houston. At 150,000-plus square feet, the former Compaq Center, once home to the Houston Rockets basketball team, holds 16,600 churchgoers at a time for several services each weekend. It’s also a broadcast ministry, with two massive video monitors flanking the huge stage that the telegenic Rev. Joel Osteen shares with a band. The church market has emerged as one of the fastest growth areas for lighting and video in the U.S.
Read More »Just when you were getting comfortable with automated lighting, along comes this new technology that demands that you get up yet another steep learning curve. Digital lighting, LEDs, low-resolution and high-resolution graphics displays and DMX-controlled media servers are little more than video with a new skin. But they are invading the lighting industry like it’s Omaha Beach on D-Day. Pause—press reset—reboot and begin again.
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