INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s lawmakers, undoubtedly mindful of the Aug. 13, 2011 Indiana State Fair staging collapse that killed seven people, made progress in late January toward the establishment of a new state law that will govern the use of outdoor staging. Senate Bill No. 273 passed and was forwarded to the state’s House of Representatives for consideration. Although it may be modified further in the House, it will most likely require permits for any event after June 2012 where staging structures are in use.
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Gerriets International, which has developed Kabuki components over the last several years, including its G2 Release Unit and G-Frame 54 controller, recently took the wraps off its latest development, the Kabuki ECO Controller. The new control box, which runs on 120V or 230V AC power, is a lower-cost, simpler alternative to Gerriets’ full-featured G-Frame controller. While it has fewer features that the G-Frame, which can be used to trigger 30 to 60 G2 release units via DMX, the Kabuki ECO Controller still lets users trigger up to 10 G2 Release Units. Gerriet’s G2 Release Unit uses friction-free, electronically-triggered hooks (instead of solenoids or pins) to suspend and then release curtains. Each G2 can be loaded with up to 110 lbs. of weight.
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NEW CASTLE, DE – Pete’s Big TVs is starting the new year off making a big noise about the quiet LED video panels which emit no radio frequency interference. The panels made up the visual segments of the set for the BET Network’s BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. Assisting Cossette Productions and the BET Network team, Pete’s Big TVs provided 328 panels of the DigiLED MC7 panels – a product for which they have a two year exclusive in North America.
Read More »NEW YORK – Traxon Technologies made a recent change in its management team. On Jan. 1, Mike Mastroyiannis became the new CEO, taking the place of Nicolai Wiest, who resigned from his position as CEO that same day. Mastroyiannis was formerly managing director.
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COLUMBIA, MD – Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. announces the publication of a new training guide for users of Vectorworks software: Entertainment and Lighting Design with Vectorworks Spotlight. The manual was written by Kevin Lee Allen, a well-known lighting and scenic designer whose work includes theater, film, television, museums and corporate environments. The tutorial is part of the prize package for the iSquint.net and Stage Directions Student Lighting Design Competition (SLDC). Entries are due March 16, and the winner will be announced March 29 at the USITT Conference.
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LUCERNE, Switzerland — Walt Disney’s animation masterpiece, Fantasia, may have been released more than 70 years ago, but a special screening here that was accompanied by a live performance by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra relied on recent technology to keep everything in synch: coolux Pandoras Box.
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WILLIAMSPORT, MD – Special effects guru Kevin Harris uses Look Solutions’ foggers and hazers every chance he gets, especially on the USA Network hit series “Burn Notice” where he serves as special effects coordinator. Harris says they are small and easy to hide, whether it’s for a big explosion effect or for example, making an appliance appear to malfunction.
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SERIATE, Italy – Germany-based disributor Lightpower provided Clay Paky moving heads for the Frankfurt 2011 IAA international auto show. The BMW stand featured 930 moving lights and 700 spotlights, controlled by three full-size grandMA2s, all networked together with 8 MA network processing units (NPUs).
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DALLAS – LD Rich Locklin and lighting director Steve Fallon recently completed work on the latest Paul Simon tour. Tasked with creating a design that worked in harmony with the music instead of overpowering it, Locklin and Fallon teamed with Authorized Dealer TMS who supplied them with VARI*LITE luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Elizabeth Makkai joins the Showcall Team in its Washington, DC Office. Makkai will focus her activities on generating new business in Showcall’s corporate, association and sporting sectors. Additionally, she will round out Showcall’s operational and major project management efforts. Showcall Inc. provides turnkey production services on an international basis for events such as Papal Visits, Summits, White House Conferences, Fortune 100 companies, associations, and national entertainment.
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