Several years ago I made an amazing discovery about automated lights — they actually make noise when they’re on. I know, I know — I was as shocked to learn this as you are. Up until that point, all of my experience had led me to believe that those babies were silently operating behind the 115 dB wall of sound produced by whatever band happened to be on stage at the moment.
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On the cusp of the concert-touring season, projection video finds itself coming to terms with the LED. A quick survey of some projection video systems providers finds that the sector is still robust, but that LEDs are gaining ground with designers and bookkeepers, thanks to their lower cost, increasing flexibility and programmability and how easily they pack and transport.
Read More »In North America, getting an occasional shock from a 120VAC household mains supply is almost a way of life for some of us. In Europe, getting shocked by their 230VAC or 240VAC is a good way to lose your life.
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Each year it seems that new lighting fixtures become more and more complex. If you attend any lighting tradeshows you will find that most manufacturers have LED fixtures, media servers and digital lighting products. These unique products are very different in output and control from good old “automated” lighting fixtures. Many of these units require knowledge of their protocol as well as a good understanding of how they interact with a lighting desk.
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In every business, there is a lot of scheming and plotting to get accounts. Presentations mean a lot. Not just the financial charts or 8-inch-by-10-inch glossy renderings of a stage, but of the presenter himself. Whether we like to admit it or not, lighting and set designers are salesman. And as we sell ourselves to any potential client there is one thing we must be able to deliver on demand without any hesitation whatsoever — BS.
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Since Lighting & Sound Design introduced the Icon M at LDI in 1998, manufacturers of lighting equipment have ventured into the video production market. Barco, the Belgium-based manufacturer of video equipment, has reversed this trend and ventured into the lighting market with their new product, the Digital Moving Luminaire 1200.
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This year has been really strange for me in the variety of music I have been lighting. I seem to lighting quite a few heavy metal bands this year. Nothing wrong with metal mind you, I just haven’t bought into it since Deep Purple and Led Zep hung up their rock n roll shoes. (Or did they?).
Read More »In the spring of next year I am looking to do some workshops for the Mass Communications and Theater departments of a local university. These workshops will introduce how video and lighting are work hand in hand in the live production industry today. I really want to get the ball rolling and get the students hip to what cool toys we get to work with out there nowadays and no matter what major you come from you can definitely find a niche in both. It's only introductory stuff, but I'm hoping they'll enjoy the workshops and I can get rolling with some more technical stuff for them after this trial run. Here's a rough draft I started…
Read More »So I’m working with another heavy metal artist this week. A band called Disturbed, a popular hard music act. They are extremely nice guys. If you were stopped at a red light and they got out of the car next to you, it could make you feel a tad uneasy about the impending future. But in real life, they are just good old boys who like to play loud music.
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Exile in America Tour
In 2000, Benoit Richard was working on the Matchbox Twenty Mad Season tour with lighting designer Marc Brickman. When Rob Thomas struck out on his own in 2005, he brought Richard along as the lighting designer. From his experiences with the band and its front man, Richard has compiled quite a knowledgebase about the band’s likes and dislikes. “For this tour,” he said, “our goal was to top what we had done in the past. When I showed my concept to the band, they were very excited. One band member (Paul Doucette) actually participates in the creation of the show cues with me and we worked well together this time around.
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BUSINESS
Who: Brian Friborg, President, Martin Professional, Inc. (U.S. division)
What: Manufactures automated lighting, effects lighting, LEDs, fog machines and controllers which are used in all aspects of the entertainment industry. Martin also has a line of architectural luminaires for architectural lighting applications.
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In the live entertainment industry, certainly a very important aspect of a production is the set. With today’s technology, there are many options for what to do with a stage from a scenic standpoint, including new ways to incorporate video elements into the stage.
Horao, pictured here, is one of the manufacturers allowing designers to create LED arrays showing off dynamic graphics with depth.
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