Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Events

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Chile - Six Robert Juliat followspots were chosen to highlight the 52nd Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile, one of the the most important music festivals in Latin America.

Orbita Producciones of Santiago purchased four RJ Aramis 4.5°-8° 2500W HMI followspots and two RJ Flo 13°-24° 1800W MSR followspots especially for the event from Robert Juliat distributor, Lighting Bits of Brazil.

The Festival, which features a pop and folk song competition alongside international performances, was televised for the first time by Chilean TV channel Chilevision. It culminated in a commemorative concert timed to coincide with the precise moment a 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile a year ago causing chaos and forcing the cancellation of the Festival in 2010.

Headline acts for the reinstated Festival of 2011 included Roberto Carlos of Brazil, Alejando Sanz of S

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UK - TOA Europe is showing a host of mixing and audio product innovations for the first time in the UK at PLASA Focus: Leesds 2011.

"Fresh from exhibiting at ProLight+Sound, Plasa Focus: Leeds 2011 is the type of event that audio technicians and specialists attend to find out more about the latest audio innovations for current and upcoming projects. TOA is be there in force to answer their every need or question related to audio-mixing," says Brett Downing, sales and marketing director at TOA Europe.

First in line is TOA's M-633D digital mixer, which is designed for handling demanding acoustic commercial spaces producing clear, intelligible and distortion-free audio. It's simple to use even by the most unskilled operator, says the company.

It has an Automatic Resonance Control function that identifies room mode frequencies and applies an inverse response curve to t

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UK - Delegates from the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural have just returned from two days in Leeds' Royal Armouries. They were attending the annual Focus event run by Skills Academy Industry Member PLASA.

This free exhibition of some of the most up-to-date lighting and sound technology in the world provided an excellent opportunity to explore the knowledge and skills required to make a career in technical theatre and live music. It was attended by students, young people and the generally interested - as well as industry professionals.

Also exhibiting were Skills Academy Industry Members Stage Technologies, White Light, BECTU (the Media & Entertainment Union) and the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT). During the course of the two-day event, the Skills Academy also welcomed two new technical service provider Industry Members: the Production Service

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USA - The next PLASA Control Protocols Plugfest will take place 22-24 July at the DFW Marriott Solana in Westlake, Texas. The event brings colleagues and competitors together to further the industry by testing the limits of control protocols and working out the bugs they encounter. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Plugfest began in January 2009 as part of the ESTA (now PLASA) Technical Standards Programme by members of various Control Protocols Task Groups represent a variety of manufacturers. Twice a year, when they are all in the same place at the same time, they bring controllers, lights, analyzers, and various other tools and devices, and connect them all through a network to look for and resolve problems. People attend from all around the world in an effort to improve their products.

Plugfest was originally created to support the Remote Device Management protocol (ANSI E1.2

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UK - Packed aisles and major new product launches firmly established PLASA Focus as an unmissable industry event for the north of England. Some 1956 visitors, representing a 9% increase in the total number of attendees in 2010, headed to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds last week to see 130 brands launch dozens of new products to the UK market. A total of 2457 attendees, including exhibitors, enjoyed Focus's trademark sunshine, free lunch and informal, friendly atmosphere.

Among a lengthy list of new products receiving their UK launch were the Chroma-Q Studio Force and Jands Vista V2, both launched by AC Entertainment Technologies; a new generation of moving heads from Robe; Avolites' Sapphire Touch and a preview of its Titan V5 software; the Wave 28 all-in-one modular PA from Adam Hall; Christie's new Nitro Solutions range of motorised moving yokes; the new Showtec luminaire

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UK - Point Source Productions' presence at the 50th ABTT show will mark the fourth consecutive year of exhibiting for the company, and the first year as a member of the ABTT ISG (Industry Supporter Group).

"ABTT is our favourite show as it gives us the opportunity to meet our customers face to face across every facet of the Entertainment industry. It's a relaxed yet professional environment in which to talk through their project requirements and the services Point Source Productions can provide for them," says MD Stephen Capel.

Point Source Productions will be promoting its full range of Event Services which range from the supply of a single piece of equipment to full turnkey solutions. The past year has seen Point Source Productions involved in events such as the Chatsworth Attic Sale for Sotheby's, screenings of Lawrence of Arabia and Blade Runner for

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UK - Goboland has chosen ABTT 2011 to launch its new website. The new user-friendly layout gives easy access to all the information you need about Goboland gobos and products including the Black Steel Gobos, the Credit Crunch Gobo, GoboSlides, film slides, Black Holes, Tweakers and its bespoke etching service, Gobo Creative. Details of Goboland's specialist services for image size calculation, keystone distortion and pincushion correction and its unique Green Scene gobo recycling scheme are also to be found here.

To coincide with the new website, Goboland is also presenting a new catalogue at the show which can be downloaded directly from the website. Choose between Black Steel, Premier, Designer and Glass Gobo Collections.

Following its launch at PLASA 2010, Goboland will be promoting its GoboSlides, the economical film-based alternative to full colour glass gobos. Goboland c

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UK - The ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) Theatre Show has always been a showcase for the latest technology in the theatre and presentation markets and this year's event will be no exception, say the organisers. A highlight among the many new products and emerging technologies that will be on display at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London from 15-16 June is LED lighting.

LEDs have been making inroads into the production sector over the past five years. Architectural and scenic systems have been used for both the theatre and corporate events to create atmospheres and backgrounds and now LED-versions of more traditional-style luminaires, such profiles, are coming on to the market. LED solutions are also emerging for aisles and emergency exits.

Visitors to the ABTT 2011 Theatre Show will have the chance to see a variety of LED lighting systems. ETC recently l

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Dubai - A regular exhibitor at PALME Middle East, Unusual Rigging & Engineering was there promoting the broad array of services and products it offers in the Middle East, with excellent results, said Alan Thomson, managing partner at Unusual Rigging & Engineering.

Since the show finished on April 28, the company has already supplied equipment to a significant number of new clients in the region and is now following up many requests for quotes. Such positive indicators lead the company to book its stand for 2012 before this year's event closed.

Unusual Rigging & Engineering's recent projects have included the Zaha Hadid Pavilion at the Abu Dhabi Festival, the Laureus Awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi, the Kuwait Centre of Autism and Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi.

Alan Thomson was on the stand with project manager Leon Ingram, along with Denis Bramhall, the UK's Operations Manager and S

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UK - PLASA 2011 will switch to a paying registration site on Wednesday 11 May, giving visitors one last chance to avoid the £20 ticket price and register for free online.

The show is now over 85% sold - almost five months ahead of its four-day run at Earls Court from 11-14 September. Confidence that PLASA 2011 will be a busy event is confirmed by the increase in visitor registrations, with 8500 visitors representing a healthy 5% increase on the same period last year. This is matched by a 14% increase in the number of companies confirmed to take part.

PLASA 2011 event manager Sophie Atkinson comments, "The PLASA Show has a unique reputation for launching ground breaking products. The Show embraces everything from theatre, live music, film/TV and special events to night venues, architectural installations and construction projects. It's a true reflection of a highly d

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Italy - Proel Group will have a strong presence at the Show Way Professional Entertainment Technology Exhibition 2011 in Bergamo (15-17 May).

The Proel Group professional team will be giving presentations and holding workshops on several high-end product lines - Axiom, Edge, Turbosound, Powersoft, Sagitter and Beyerdynamic - and will be available on site to provide information on the products displayed.

The team will be introducing Sagitter's moving lights - the Compact Series - with its Arrow 300 Beam featuring the new patented 'Beam Focus' system, along with a new technology for Proel Axiom systems and many new installation solutions from Turbosound.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - This year's ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) Theatre Show is hopeful that any tube strikes will be resolved and the show will not be affected by travel problems. But visitors to the event for theatre and staging technology should remember that there are plenty of other ways to get to the show venue in Victoria without relying on the Underground, say the organisers.

Many of the exhibitors at the 2011 Theatre Show are highlighting green and low-emission technologies, so visitors might want to show eco-solidarity by using foot power to get there. The Royal Horticultural Halls exhibition centre is only a short walk from Victoria mainline railway station, with Waterloo further along on the other side of the River Thames.

The Barclay's Cycle Hire scheme is another viable and eco-friendly way to get to the show. Mayor of London Boris Johnson wants the distinctiv

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UK - Star Events Group announces that its Design and Engineering department has recently taken on three new staff following substantial increases to the company's workload and turnover.

The three new staff are: Tony Benabu (senior design engineer, Aaron Enos (design engineer) and Anthony Reeves (CAD technician).

Steve Horton (Design Division manager) will move to a consulting role at the end of August, focussing primarily on new product development and Mark Constant retains his position as design office manager.

"This enhanced staffing level will enable us to get our engineers on site more frequently thus building closer relationships with the crews that build our structures, leading to a heightened awareness on both sides of the levels of safety and efficiency the company requires," says Constant.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Black Light is pleased to announce that Calder Sibbald has joined its Events Team. Calder has many years' experience working for some of Scotland's leading theatres and technical support companies. In his capacity as Events Manager, he will be responsible for developing Black Light's event capabilities, as well as ensuring that all clients get the highest level of service and support.

"I am really looking forward to working at Black Light on a permanent basis," says Calder, who has worked with the company in a freelance capacity in the past. "It's a really friendly and energetic company that is growing strongly and I look forward to boosting the capacity of my department and helping our clients put on really spectacular shows, conferences and other productions."

In the past, Calder has worked as head of lighting at Edinburgh's Gilded Balloon and as Tec

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UK - Following the success of last year's PLASA International Rigging Conference, PLASA Events announces the return of this pioneering two-day event to be held once again alongside PLASA 2011, at Earls Court, London on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 September.

The first PLASA Rigging Conference took place amidst universal acclaim from the global entertainment rigging community. Over 200 delegates attended from 22 countries and gave an overwhelming endorsement to the return of the conference this year.

Robin Elias, technical director, Unusual Rigging states, "The first PLASA Rigging Conference, last September, was opened in style by our managing director and mentor Alan Jacobi LVO. Under the guidance of Chris Higgs the conference proved to be a huge success, bringing together a wealth of knowledge and experience from across the globe. Raising for discussion some very interesting

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Czech Republic - Five days dedicated to lighting and sound design will literally light up and resonate the programme of this year's Prague Quadrennial (PQ) of Performance Design and Space, the world's largest event dedicated to performance design, held in Prague every fourth year since 1967. This year, the PQ will occupy the city centre and public spaces around town from 16-26 June, with Light and Sound - one of PQ's seven sub-projects, bringing Prague's National Theatre to life from 19-23 June.

Light and Sound is being organised by PQ's general commissioner, scenographer Boris Kudli?ka, and by UK-based sound designer Steve Brown. The section will feature an exhibition, interactive presentations of the latest approaches to sound and lighting, and panel discussions, with the personal participation of famous artists such as Scanner, Tod Machover, Olaf Winter and Feli

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Czech Republic - Set to take place during this year's Prague Quadrennial, Scenofest is an educational project of the Prague Quadrennial and OISTAT which looks at more than just sound and lighting design - it also presents workshops focused on the entire range of performative and theatre arts. As with the PQ's other projects, inter-disciplinarity plays an important role in the educational programme, meaning that audiences can look forwards to novel approaches such as the combination of sound and costume design in a workshop led by a team from Purdue University (USA), headed by professor Richard K. Thomas. Another workshop, Pop Up Your Ears (led by the réaltympanica arts group and Tania El Khoury) will aim to uncover the subjective perception of reality through sound. Sound compositions and their relationship to the visual aspects of performance will be explored

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China - The Meyer Sound stand at PALM EXPO China promises to be a bustling hub of activity, with demonstrations of the Constellation acoustic system alongside an extensive display of advanced audio technologies. Meyer Sound will also make a corporate announcement that will be "of critical interest to audio professionals in the region".

For the first time at a trade show in China, Meyer Sound will present demonstrations of the Constellation acoustic system. Featuring celebrated saxophonist Sarah Underwood, the live demos will reveal how advanced digital processing, working in conjunction with arrays of precision microphones and linear loudspeakers, can transform a performance space into acoustical environments ranging from an intimate theatre to a cavernous cathedral.

At the heart of Constellation is the new D-Mitri digital audio platform, a flexible suite of hardware

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India - The Indian Recording Arts Awards (IRAA) aim to highlight the esteemed technical and creative talent contributed by leading sound recordists, music composers, music directors and recording engineers. IRAA was launched in 2006 as the Recording Arts (RA) Awards for music recording, sound designing & soundtrack by Pro Sound Systems - India's only trade publication on music production and live sound - and the Audio Engineering Society (AES) India.

The 2010 Expo saw the rebranding of RA to IRAA, but despite the name change the awards retain the same goal of recognizing the creative art forms of sound recording, mixing and mastering and, of course, creating music, say organisers.

Awards are given across a number of categories including: Best Recording Engineer; Best Mix and Mastering Engineer; Best Record Label; Album of the Year; Record Company of the Year, and Life T

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India - PALM Expo, India's most established exhibition and conference on pro audio, lighting and musical instruments is scheduled for 2 - 4 June, 2011 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (E), Mumbai, India. This June, the Expo will celebrate 11 successful years in operation.

With 15,000sq.m spread across two halls, the PALM Expo 2011 has increased 20% since its last successful staging in 2010.

"A 50% increase in exhibitors showcasing over 400 international and local brands will keep the show floor buzzing with action on all the three days. The 2011 Expo will not only see international product and brand launches, but also product clinics, workshops and an extensive three day Seminar and Conference programme. The Harman sponsored Performance Arena, an open-air line array demo area, an Indian Acoustic Musical Instruments Village, the Integrate Expo Kramer Technical Cla

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UK - It may have finished a few weeks ago but Philips Entertainment Lighting (PEL) is still receiving a steady flow of positive feedback in response to the latest Philips Selecon and Strand Lighting products, exhibited for the first time, at PLASA focus in Leeds.

Amber Tomlin, recently promoted to UK key account manager for PEL, comments, "PLASA Focus, Leeds was a wonderful opportunity to discuss, face to face, with our UK customers my new role in the company and the benefits it offers them. Even though my job title has changed I'm still very much the same person! However I'll be spending more time developing PEL's UK business in collaboration with our key UK account customers and distributors. I'll also be ensuring customers understand our current and 'new to market' product ranges and what they can offer the end user."

Alongside existing products such as the Philip

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Australia - The full ENTECH education programme has been released online, to coincide with the announcement of a third PLASA sponsored international keynote speaker, audio engineer and author, Dave Swallow.

Dave has recently spoken at the PLASA Focus show in Leeds and had one of the largest audiences of all the 20 seminars hosted at that event. He is bringing his seminar series titled The Art of Mixing a Show to ENTECH where he will explore the most important ideas behind putting a mix together, how to add a third dimension to a flat, two dimensional mix and looked at using dynamic processors in a creative way.

Over the past decade Dave has spent time mixing for some of the most influential acts in the UK including Amy Winehouse, Seasick Steve, Corinne Bailey Rae, and many others on some of the biggest festivals, TV shows, and venues all over the world.

Most recently

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UK - The inaugural event under the OpenStage umbrella tookplace at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London this month, with an enthusiastic audience of sound specialists from the theatre world gathering to see if the OpenStage promise would and could be kept: namely that this would be a forum for technical experts, inventors and developers, gurus and seers, to look into the future of theatre sound.

This event was sponsored by six discrete companies - d&b audiotechnik, Shure UK, RTS Telex, Roland Systems Group, TTA and Figure53, best known as the authors of the QLab show control system. It was staged by RADA in their 180-seat Jerwood Vanbrugh theatre.

John Torger Skjelstad from Norway's TTA opened the proceedings with an in-depth discussion of the art of performer tracking and localisation, using as a demonstration the StageTracker system that he authored and which is now

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UK - The Knight of Illumination Awards has extended the deadline for entries into its lighting design awards programme until June 30 2011.

Currently in its fourth year, the Knight of Illumination Awards was established to recognise the talents of lighting designers working across the creative arts in the UK. Past winners include Bernie Davis, Baz Halpin, Cate Carter, Dave Davey, Al Gurdon, Andi Watson and Paule Constable.

The Awards are the only programme dedicated exclusively to the stage lighting designer's craft in the UK, and, in all likelihood, the only competition in the world where winners receive an authentic medieval battle sword - crafted in Toledo, Spain.

Neil Austin, who received his 'knighthood' for work on the London-staged musical, Parade, said: "The Knight of Illumination Awards are the gold standard. They are the only awards to honour lighting de

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  3. New benefits for ABTT Members
  4. A Busy InfoComm for Renkus-Heinz
  5. First Night Riders at the ABTT Show 2011
  6. White Light and ABTT celebrate this month
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