International News

MUNICH, Germany – German company mo2 design GmbH was designed the complete illumination and lighting control in the studio for Germany’s first 24-hour sports network, SKY Sports News. Mo2 system integrator Thomas Mrozek says coolux’s Widget Designer is the main tool for the complete lighting control, the idea being that just about anyone would be able to easily select appropriate lighting mood without much training.

MINSK, Belarus – Bi2, Russian rock legends since 1985, recently returned to their native Minsk for one sold-out show at the Sports Palace indoor arena. LD Dimitriy Movlev specified 24 PR Lighting XL 1500 spots and 16 XL 1500 wash lights as his mainstay of the rig. FE-Belimlight provided the gear as well as technical support.

QUEENSLAND, Australia – The Empire Theatre’s technical staff wanted to upgrade their aging Martin MAC 500 fixtures with newer models. It needed to provide more output, be small in size, and fit within a certain price range. After looking around, they decided on six Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700s, chosen not only for their requirements, but because of the framing shutters it provided.

BELARUS – LD Ilya Piatrouski and his team from Blackout Studio are embarking on a new season for the show, Pride of The Nation, broadcast by Belarus’ Second National TV channel. Piatrouski says when it’s time for a new design, he turns to the PR Lighting catalog, distributed in Belarus by FE-Belimlight, to fulfill his lighting needs.

ORLANDO –  Alcorn McBride, manufacturer of show control and A/V equipment for themed entertainment, appoints SF Marketing (SFM) as the exclusive distributor for Alcorn McBride products in Canada.  Alcorn McBride COO Jeremy Scheinberg wanted to establish a local presence in Canada to better serve its customers, and decided that SF Marketing would be an extension of their brand.

WISBECH, UK – European flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases has created its newest series of “fly away” portable video production units (PPUs). The smaller PPUs were designed for Central Presentations Ltd., which needed something smaller, more portable and quick and easy to install and rig for small to medium events. Basically, all that’s needed is power and the video equipment in the case is ready to go.

WEXFORD, Ireland – LD Declan Randall decided to incorporate LED technology into his rig this year. The Wexford Opera celebrates their 60th anniversary season with three distinctly different operas, and the Philips Selecon P3 LED luminaires gave Randall a range of features that he needed for a range of shows.

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s School of the Arts (SOTA) recently selected 10 Alpha Spot HPE 700 and 11 Alpha Wash 700s to illuminate three performance halls run by students studying the creative arts. The equipment was installed by regional lighting and staging specialists Desisti Asia Pte Ltd.

LONDON – Beatles tribute band The Bootleg Beatles have since 1994 relied on Entec for the touring sound and lighting.  And the love continues on, as LD Mark Jones has designed a show that mimics the productions of yesterday, but of course includes fixtures of today.

MOSCOW – Robe moving lights added highlights to the heavyweight bout at Moscow’s M1 Global MMA (mixed martial arts) Challenge. Headliners Fedor ‘The Last Emperor’ Emelianenko and Jeff ‘The Snowman’ Monson entertained a crowd of 15,000  – including Russian’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin – and was televised live. Rental company TOK in northwest Russia supplied the technical production.