Skip to content

Articles

Willow Creek Church photo by Steve Hall-Hedrich

Houses of Worship: Training the Volunteer

Imagine a place where someone works a normal job Monday thru Friday, oftentimes working more than 40 hours and sometimes not enjoying what they’re doing. Then, when Friday evening rolls around, they grab a bite to eat and head to an auditorium to invest their entire weekend in volunteering and serving something they are crazy about. It’s definitely not describing the life of a union stagehand or a freelance LD.

Read More »

Churches Move from Mega to Mini…And That’s Good for Systems

When the megachurch trend broke wide a couple of decades ago, the news was filled with stories of ever-larger spaces converted into houses of worship. Churches like Lakewood in Houston, where over 43,000 crowd into the former NBA Rockets arena to hear Joel Osteen preach, or Willow Creek Community in South Barrington, IL (23,000-plus), North Point Community in Alpharetta, GA (also 23,000-plus) and Saddleback in Lake Forest, CA (22,000-plus) took center stage not only for their huge congregations but also for their extensive staging and systems. Saddleback’s Flying Pig Systems Wholehog 3, Vari-Lite VL2000 wash and spot fixtures, Sony DXC-537A digital cameras, Grass Valley 100 switcher and Digital Projection HIGHlite 5100gv projectors, for instance, could induce the sin of envy in many secular performance venues.

Read More »

Following Corporate Policy

I find corporate events to be an exciting genre of production for the automated lighting programmer.  Large, theatrical business meetings and presentations often come with elaborate sets and lighting rigs.  In addition, the production schedule is usually a mix of demanding work and hurry-up-and-wait moments. 

Read More »
LD Cosmo Wilson's vision for Aerosmith Global Warming tour.

Aerosmith’s Cosmo Gets His Wings, LD Susan Rose Faces the Music, Lighting Meat Loaf’s Mad World

PLSN DESIGNER Watch – by Debi Moen –
Back in 1976, when Cosmo Wilson saw his first Aerosmith show, the shiny silver PAR Cans and the power of the music burned in his brain. It looked like rock. It screamed rock. He saw them every chance he got. So when Aerosmith summoned Wilson to present designs for their Global Warming 2012 tour, Wilson reeled through the years and went retro in his design.

Read More »
Illustration by Andy Au

The Queen Extravaganza

This month finds me programming a rather cool show. It’s an Idol-type tour in which four contestants do their best to imitate Freddie Mercury while playing live with a Queen cover band. The “Queen Extravaganza” is an actual professional touring show conceptualized by founding Queen members. The show itself is quite different from any others I have done, as designer Rob Sinclair has a unique game plan and a simple set of rules that we must follow for the entire performance.

Read More »
Photo of Rock of Ages setup by David James.

LD Mike Baldassari Lights “Rock of Ages” Concert Scenes

Set in the summer of 1987, the New Line Cinema film, Rock of Ages brings us back to the future with a long playlist of that era’s music from acts that include Journey, Def Leppard, Night Ranger, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and others. The movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, directed by Adam Shankman and starring Tom Cruise as the fictional rock star Stacee Jaxx, faithfully tries to replicate the late 80’s in every detail and that includes getting that old school rock lighting just right with hard backlight, high contrast, and saturated colors.

Read More »