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Follies photo by Joan Marcus

Illuminating the Ghosts of “Follies”

Those stepping into the Marquis Theatre on Broadway to see the current revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies are immediately consumed by a theatre draped in tattered gray tarps that extend into the sides of the venue and above the stage. Sounds of wind moaning in the background waft out of the speakers, conjuring a ghostly atmosphere. These elements help to set the stage, so to speak, for a set spotlighting a dilapidated theater where members of an old follies group meet for one last time to reunite and reminisce before the structure will be torn down.

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USITT at LDI 2011

Show Report: LDI 2011

If time flies when you are having fun, it really zips along at a three-day event like the LDI show in Orlando. From the education sessions, the back rooms, seeing new products in development, the show floor and, of course, seeing old and new friends — not just on the show floor, but at the Parnelli Awards (see page 28) and after hours, with friends telling old stories and catching up over a pint or four.

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The home for Strand, Selecon and Vari-Lite

Strand, Selecon and Vari-Lite

Philips Brands Benefit from Investments in Technology

The Strand name is one of the most venerable in stage lighting — it’s been around since 1914, when Strand Electric was originally founded by two West End electricians in London, Arthur Earnshaw and Phillip Sheridan. The two set out to provide the prestigious theatre district with the most modern stage lighting and control available.

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The performers are locked into repetitive motions and isolated rectangles of light

Play, Rewind, Repeat

For loopdiver’s repetitive dance motions, video plays a key role

Co-founded by choreographer/media artist Dawn Stoppiello and composer/media artist Mark Coniglio, Troika Ranch creates contemporary, hybrid artworks through an ongoing examination of the moving body and its relationship to technology.

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CNN and PRG Set the Stage for WRLC Debate in Las Vegas

The GOP Does Vegas

CNN and PRG Set the Stage for Verbal Fireworks at WRLC Debate

Debates among Presidential candidates are an American tradition and an important part of the democratic process. And ever since TV first brought the images of Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon into American homes, visual imagery — how the candidates look and sound — have played a key role in the electoral outcome as well.

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Martin MAC Aura

Martin MAC Aura

Martin Professional has hit the ball right out of the park with the release of the new MAC Aura. Featuring a tremendous light beam, combined with dazzling eye-candy effects, this fixture raises the bar for what manufacturers can accomplish with LED technology.

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Elation EPV762 MH

Elation EPV762 MH

There has been a debate in the industry lately about if video and projection should be considered to be a part of lighting. Video produces light, but not in the traditional sense of what we think of as lighting. Ask some, and they will say there is no difference between the two. Other will say the complete opposite — video is video, lighting is lighting, and they will always be separate.

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PlaybackPro Plus

PlaybackPro Plus

There is one thing that keeps video technicians up late at night more than any other — lack of playback confidence.  There’s a certain thrill that comes when you press the button and get a satisfying click/whirr and everyone watches.  More and more these days, at least in live production, video is being cued from the lighting desk, and a server somewhere just “plays” the video, or some poor sap has to use a mouse/HID to click a big “button” in some piece of software in the hopes that the hard drive (if you’re still using one) will spin up.

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Clockwise from top left: Elation EPV762 MH; StudioPix and Showpix from Barco/High End Systems; GLP impression range; and PixelLine 1044 from PixelRange

Good Fixtures for Pixel-Mapping

So you’ve decided to incorporate a bit of pixel mapping into your show (either that or you’ve bought a media server and just want to know how to use that extra feature tucked away in the advanced menu). Instantly you will ask yourself, “What kind of lighting fixture would be good to use?” And that’s when it starts — the quest to find an LED fixture that lets you map video to each and every pixel on its front panel. How easy is that? Well, let’s take a look.

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Will Amos, sales director, NanoLumens, with flexible LED video screen

Keeping It Flexible

The film, Minority Report, has become better known as a trope for what the display technology of the future will look like than for its themes of justice and the fate of free will in a tech-enabled prescient society. But just as Blade Runner managed to predict what Shanghai would eventually grow into, the Tom Cruise flick seems to portray the next chapter in the ongoing convergence between lighting and digital display.

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Harnessing the Power of the Patch

One of the first things that an automated lighting programmer must enter into the console is the patch.  This essential bit of data is what ties the information in the console to the fixtures connected to the outputs.  If the two do not align, then control of fixtures will not be possible.  Furthermore, the patch functions of most consoles give the programmer even further controls to allow custom configurations and options.  With an understanding of the possibilities, you can harness the power of the patch and maximize the patch functionality.

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The Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas

How Do Seasons Change in Vegas?

Mr. Eckerman, in the Conservatory, with the Console

In the man-made city of Las Vegas — where the sun rises and sets with SMPTE timecode at Caesars, and landscapes look like stage sets — you can count on experiencing the real change of seasons in one place: The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

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