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Windows: A View from the Top

Automated lighting consoles are amazing machines built on powerful software platforms. These systems are usually composed of many different “windows” that can be displayed on various screens on the console and/or external monitors. Many of these windows have very specific purposes with color-coding, viewing options and more. Every lighting programmer should have an understanding of the common types of windows and their uses.

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U2 atop Rockefeller Center for the Feb. 17 premiere of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Photo courtesy of NBC

Lighting U2 on Top of the Rock; Quick Cues, More

U2 harnessed the beauty of the New York City skyline glimmering on a wintery night as their panoramic set. You could call it “Elevation” meets “360°” — the mashup of two tour names for the band. The band sang “Invisible,” but the only invisible aspect about it were the behind-the-scenes challenges that came with performing outside, 70 stories up on the Top of the Rock observation deck atop Rockefeller Center’s tallest building in bone-chilling Polar Vortex weather.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Power of the Pen

There’s an old line I like to use. “You cannot win if you do not play.” Some think that may refer to gambling, or playing the lotto, but I look at it a different way. I look at it as, “Nothing’s gonna happen unless you make it so.” Rarely will someone give you something without you asking for it first. Lord knows this is true about getting a raise in the entertainment biz. Nobody’s giving you one unless you ask for it. But there’s a lot of ways to help yourself in life, to win a few bucks back, if you just pick up a pen.

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Solotech helped upgrade The Bell Centre, home of the Canadiens, with Lidlum Sport LED fixtures.

LEDs on Ice: Solotech’s NHL Assist

Surely — and not so slowly — LEDs are changing the world of lighting. A recent case in point: NFL arenas serving fans of the Vancouver, BC Canucks on Canada’s West Coast and the Montreal Canadiens in the East. As lighting and sound provider Solotech notes, LEDs offer many compelling advantages over traditional incandescent fixtures. There are sensible reasons for making the switch — including power savings and the ability to generate more light and less heat. But another factor, particularly in the world of sports, is because LED lighting looks cool as well.

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Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart performed in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land on alternating nights at Broadway’s Cort Theatre, with an assist from Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley. Photo by Joan Marcus.

A Tale of Two Plays: Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land

Tackling both scenic and costume design on a play is challenging enough, but when one is doing it for two productions in rep at the same theater, the stakes are raised substantially. Stephen Brimson Lewis took on those responsibilities in designing for the recent pairing of famed existential plays co-starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot and Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land).

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ACA Awards photo by Heather Busch

American Country Awards (ACAs)

You’ve never seen country music performances quite like these. Then, again, you’ve never seen a country music award show quite like this, either. The fourth annual American Country Awards (ACA) gala, telecast live from Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Event Center Dec. 10, 2013, pushed the envelope in many, if not all, directions.

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