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Electric Forest 2015, set by Vita Motus. Photo by Adam Kaplan

The Design Process: Vita Motus

It’s too bad the name Industrial Light & Magic had already been taken by some obscure film producer named George Lucas. Otherwise, the terms would perfectly capture the work of Heather Shaw and her firm Vita Motus Design Studio. As she defines it, Vita Motus (vee-ta moe-tus) is Latin for “life vibration,” loosely connoting being attuned to and going with the flow. She describes her company’s designs as futuristic, with a focus on conceptual experience and immersive multimedia sculptures. Vita Motus fuses cutting-edge technology and pop culture into an entirely new world of its own.

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The booth design featured a banner requiring a bright, even wash of white light. Photo courtesy Siemens.

Lighting the Booth for Siemens at RSNA in Chicago

I have gravitated a long way from lighting pop stars live on stage, but the goal is still the same. Make the money look good. There is nothing more exciting than when the stage manager chirps over the walkie-talkie and says, “The show is yours, Mahoney.” I flip on my headset, make sure the spot operators are ready for their first cue, check backstage to make sure dimmer beach and pyro are both ready. After I get “okays” from all departments, I say, “Houselights GO!” The crowd gets loud, the lights go out and we all hit our first cues. “BAM!” We are off and running for the next 90 minutes.

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Nimlok Displays' design for Aclara

Trade Show Tips

Are you a good exhibitionist? Let’s try a little word association game. What thought comes immediately to mind when you see the words “trade show”? “Yippee!” or “Jeez, not again?” “A controlled strategic tool” or “royal pain in the hindquarters?” “Party time!” or “Expensive headache?”

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Freestyle Productions provided this video wall made from Daktronics 12mm LED panels for the 12-day Minneapolis State Fair.

Working the Fair Circuit

Throughout my career, I doubt I’ve ever met anyone who never worked a show at a fairgrounds. In fact, I know some acts who make the majority of their annual revenue playing sets at these venues. The same applies for vendors. Last summer alone, I played four different Midwest state fairs and used different light rigs from TMS, the lighting vendor out of Omaha, all within two weeks time. Every gig is different, and the only thing I expect from these venues these days is…the unexpected.

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ConnectCAD plug-in software for Vectorworks can help users in a variety of ways. Here it’s constructing video wiring layouts for a show.

Using connectCAD 2015

AV Integrator Cramer Inc., Others Getting Boost from New Plug-in Software

Vectorworks is arguably the most popular CAD program utilized in the live event industry. Through the years several companies have come up with clever plug ins that made the program work more efficiently in one particular field or another.

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The 'venue' often starts out as a lawn, or even a cow pasture.

The Art and Zen of Tent Lighting

Outside tent gigs. A love-hate relationship for many designers and technicians. We’ve all been there — watching the radar and weather reports, hoping for clear skies. Finding a safe and efficient path for the trucks to come on the property. How much plywood will we need to be able to drive the trucks onto the grass? Can we get the generator close enough to the tent so that we do not have to run a thousand feet of feeder cable? These are just some of the fun challenges that a production company has to face when planning an outside tent gig.

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AMC Fabrication designed and built a spiral truss ramp for motorbikes to ride up and jump off of for the Marvel Universe Live! show.

AMC Fabrication: Making Their Own Way

“We keep our head down and try not to look at what everybody else is doing,” says Matt Parnello. “We make our own way.” And for AMC Fabrication, that means making things that no one else can, taking on the nearly impossible jobs and delivering quality work in tight deadlines.

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Concert-style looks are part of the attempt by Premier Boxing Champions to bring the sport back into primetime. Photo by Suzanne Teresa

Modern-Day Boxing

Recently, broadcasting the sport of Boxing has grabbed a more central position on Network Television. New on the stage is Premier Boxing Champions. HBO has upped the ante with spectacular Pay-per-views. Top Rank and, more recently, TruTV are carving their niche in broadcast boxing as well.

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Lasers play predominantly in the set. Chemical Brothers tour photo by Todd Kaplan.

Chemical Brothers Mix it Up with a Fresh Design

With the release of their first studio album in five years, Born in the Echoes, The Chemical Brothers are once again out on the road doing what they do best — laying down some solid grooves with a heavy dance beat. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons joined forces some 25 years ago in Manchester, England as The Chemical Brothers, one of the pioneers of Electronic Dance Music. Through a history of festival gigs their visual performances at live shows have reached legendary status, and once again they have not let their fans down with the current touring set up.

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Sheryl Crow performed on the Trestles stage, named for a nearby surfing spot.

Kaaboo Festival

New Event, and Fixtures, Make Their Debut

As luck would have it, PLSN editor Nook Schoenfeld was able to take some time away from the preparation of this particularly large issue to travel to Del Mar, CA, just outside San Diego, to light a special VIP stage performance for multi-Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/guitarist Sheryl Crow.

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The reveal took place at this year’s Helicopter Association International’s HAI Heli-Expo, the world’s largest vertical flight helicopter trade show, in front of hundreds of attendees and the industry press.

Vertical Lift-Off

The Airbus H160 Helicopter Gets a Show-Stopping Reveal

When Airbus Helicopters, a division of Airbus Group, decided to debut their brand new H160 helicopter, they wanted to ensure that the reveal was done on a scope fitting the Airbus brand of excellence and the elegance of the craft itself.

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