General News
Tuesday, 14 August 2018
Secondary Ticketing - Ticketmaster is closing its secondary ticketing websites Seatwave and Get Me In in a bid to combat touts. The sites, which allow you to offload unwanted tickets, have frequently been exploited by so-called professional sellers who hike up the prices. "We know that fans are tired of seeing others snap up tickets just to resell for a profit on secondary websites, so we have taken action," said Andrew Parsons, head of Ticketmaster UK.
In their place, people will be allowed to sell tickets directly on Ticketmaster, where a simple click will release tickets back into the market. Unlike the current system, users will only be allowed to charge the original price or less - though there will be a 15% surcharge on every ticket to cover booking fees paid by the seller (£7.50 for a ticket that costs £50).
Ticketmaster has also vowed to be transparent about the difference between "new" and resold tickets. When selecting seats for a concert, theatre or sporting event, the seat map will show standard tickets in blue and second-hand tickets in pink.
The decision to shut down Seatwave and Get Me In comes a month after the Irish government backed a bill that would ban the resale of tickets for more than face value. At the same time, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority is conducting an investigation into the secondary market and has said it is considering legal action against the Swiss-based firm Viagogo.
Fresh Claims - The collapsed operator of Peterborough’s Broadway Theatre has been hit with fresh claims that it owes t
Tuesday, 7 August 2018
Spatial Audio - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is set to stage the second International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality on 20-22 August at the DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond, WA. The conference and exhibition will bring together a community of influential research scientists, engineers, VR and AR developers, and content creators.
The three-day conference and expo will focus on the dissemination of top-level research in the field of spatial audio for virtual and augmented reality, with demonstrations and discussions focused on technical solutions and recommended practices. Leading researchers, practitioners and industry luminaries will offer panel discussions, tutorials, and workshops on new and forthcoming technologies.
The keynote presenters are Jean-Marc Jot, distinguished fellow, Magic Leap; Ivan Tashev, partner architect, Microsoft Research Labs Redmond; and Ravish Mehra, lead research scientist, Facebook Reality Labs. Tashev comments: “Audio and video are integral components of AR/VR devices. Spatial audio is an area still under development; we need better capture, representation and rendering technologies. To make it mainstream, we have to catch up with authoring and editing tools as well.”
All Summer Long - California comes to Cropredy. Headlining Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival this week will be Beach Boy Brian Wilson who will perform the albumPet Sounds in its entirety. Rolling Stone called Pet Sounds: 50th Anniversary Tour one of the “greatest” tours of 2
Tuesday, 31 July 2018
Off Air - The broadcasting regulator Ofcom has scrapped the roll-out of further local TV channels across the UK. More than 30 local TV stations have been set up since 2013, but some have faced financial difficulties and have struggled to attract an audience. Ofcom has now halted plans to seek people to run new channels in 13 areas.
The regulator said it had taken the decision in light of "the significant financial challenges that the local TV sector is facing". Continuing with the plans for the new channels would, Ofcom says, "have an adverse impact on the economic viability of the local TV sector."
Licences will now not be advertised for Bangor (Wales), Barnstaple, Bromsgrove, Derry Londonderry, Forth Valley, Gloucester, Inverness, Kidderminster, Limavady, Luton, Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent and Stratford-upon-Avon. Local TV was launched in the UK under a plan laid out in 2011 by then culture secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Fringe Payments - Edinburgh venue Summerhall has abolished zero-hour contracts for all its full-time workers, after signing a voluntary agreement with trade union Unite. Unite will also run weekly Know Your Rights drop in sessions at Summerhall’s Courtyard, where all workers at the fringe or other Edinburgh festivals can seek advice on their employment rights. The agreement with Unite will see all hourly paid full-time fringe staff given minimum contracts of 30 hours per week. Bespoke minimum hours contracts for all staff will follow.
Summerhall general manager Sam Gough says: “We are delighted to be recognised for th
Friday, 27 July 2018
USA - ESTA has posted three documents for public review on its website. Two of the documents are reaffirmations of existing standards and one is a proposed new standard. The reviews run through 24 September.
The documents are:
ANSI E1.5, Theatrical Fog Made with Aqueous Solutions of Di- and Trihydric Alcohols
ANSI E1.5 - 2009, last reaffirmed in 2014, is being considered for reaffirmation. This standard describes the composition of theatrical fogs or artificial mists that are not likely to be harmful to healthy performers, technicians, or audience members of normal working age. It is limited to those fogs and mists made from a solution of water and one or more dihydric or trihydric alcohols, and is intended to be applied in theatres, arenas, and other places of entertainment or public assembly.
ANSI E1.29, Product Safety Standard for Theatrical Fog Generators that Create Aerosols of Water, Aqueous Solutions of Glycol or Glycerin, or Aerosols of Highly Refined Alkane Mineral Oil
ANSI E1.29 – 2009, previously reaffirmed in 2014, is being considered for reaffirmation. The standard is intended to help guide product safety testing laboratories in evaluating fog-making equipment for design or construction defects that might create unacceptable hazards. It is based on UL 998 - 2006, Humidifiers, with modifications. Products covered are theatrical fog generators intended for use in professional theatrical entertainme
Friday, 27 July 2018
UK - Nominations for PLASA’s Gottelier Award are now open.
The award, named after late lighting designer and industry commentator Tony Gottelier, launched in 2007 to recognise product developers who have made significant and sustained contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology. Previous recipients include Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence), Anne Valentino (ETC), David Cunningham (Entertec), Pasquale Quadri (Claypaky), Jim Bornhorst (Vari-Lite), John Meyer (Meyer Sound), Terry Clarke (Klark Teknik, MC2 Audio), Fred Foster (ETC), Alex Cooper (Midas & Klark Teknik), John Stadius (DiGiCo / Soundtracs) and Tony Andrews (Funktion-One).
Anyone in the industry can nominate individuals as well as development teams by emailing awards@plasashow.com (subject line 'GOTTELIER') by 17 August (Friday).
Following the nomination stage, a shortlist will be circulated to PLASA members and registered PLASA Show visitors, who will exclusively vote to elect a winner. The recipient of the 2018 Gottelier Award will be revealed at the PLASA Show (16-18 September 2018, London Olympia).
(Jim Evans)
Tuesday, 24 July 2018
UK - J&C Joel reports that the Theatres Trust, the national advisory public body for theatres, as its chosen charity for the company’s 40th anniversary year.
J&C Joel was established as a limited company in Sowerby Bridge, Halifax in 1978 by John Wheelwright whose family had been involved in the textile trade for more than 150 years. Originally selling fabric to tailors and the fashion industry, John quickly identified an opportunity to expand into events and entertainment.
The business, which has now been passed down to John’s son James, exports to more than 80 countries worldwide, providing products such as front of house theatre curtains, stage backdrops, cycloramas, gauzes, acoustic solutions, projection screens and an array of stage engineering solutions.
As part of J&C Joel’s support for the Theatres Trust across the year they will be encouraging all customers to donate £1 every time they place an order throughout the next 12 months, each £1 donated will be matched by J&C Joel.
James Wheelwright CEO at J&C Joel comments: “We are extremely pleased to support the Theatres Trust during our 40th anniversary year. We always endeavour to support good causes in any way we can but because it’s our anniversary we wanted to do something extra special and support a charity which is close to the heart of our business.
“We’re extremely proud of our theatre heritage, which has long been the cornerstone of our business and we know what fantastic work the Trust does to secure the future of theatres in the UK, s
Friday, 20 July 2018
USA - Entertainment technology industry charity Behind the Scenes has announced its new holiday and note cards are now on sale on the charity’s website.
Three card ordering options are offered - personalised cards with a company logo and custom message, card packs of 10 with a standard greeting, and e-cards. Orders will be taken until 4 October to arrive by late November.
Seven evocative designs are featured this year. Perennial favourites Andrew Hefter and Robert Mendoza are back while Mount Vernon Senior High School is represented by Madelyn Plough. New contributors are Vicki Davis, Jocelyn Joyah Henry of Scenic Art Studios, Vicki Pui and Anastasia Vasilakis.
Richard W. Prouse from Scenic Art Studios has designed a new note card.
All proceeds benefit the Behind the Scenes charity which provides financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured.
(Jim Evans)
Wednesday, 18 July 2018
UK - A group of industry representatives will cycle from Chippenham to London Olympia on Saturday 15 September to increase awareness of mental health within the entertainment and events industries. All donations will go to Backup, the technical entertainment charity which helps industry members and their families get back on their feet during times of hardship.
Starting at 7am, the cyclists will traverse 100 miles across the North Wessex Downs towards London in time for the PLASA Show. So far, eight cyclists have signed up to the challenge, including Peter Heath and Shane McGreevy of PLASA, John McEvoy and Bryan Raven of Whitelight, and Ben Tredwell of Autograph.
This bike ride is part on an on-going collaboration between PLASA and PSA to support the mental health of all those working within lighting, AV, live sound, rigging and staging. This collaboration continues during PLASA Show 2018 where a panel will discuss ways to recognise and improve mental well-being.
According to Mind, one in four people in the UK will experience mental health issues, and the live entertainment industry is no exception, where high pressured environments, anti-social hours and long periods of time away from home are often part of the job.
Last year, a team of industry representatives raised over £3,500 by cycling between Bath and PLASA Show 2017 at London Olympia. This year, they hope to raise even more.
Peter Heath, managing director of PLASA, comments: “We are looking forward to this challenging bike ride, and our hopes are high to raise a significant
Tuesday, 17 July 2018
Here We Go Again - 10 years after unexpectedly making cinema history, Mamma Mia is back with a prequel that looks like it could be both as camp and successful as the first time around. With an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Cher, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is released this week and has been touted by lead actor Amanda Seyfried as a "better" movie with "more heart".
It follows an original that became a popular classic and the highest grossing film at the UK box office of all time - despite being widely panned by critics on release.
At the premier of Mamma Mia Here We Go Again Pierce Brosnan, who plays a past love interest of Meryl Streep's character Donna, told Sky News he wasn't bothered by bad reviews. "The critics could have a good old field day with us, but I think at the end of the day the people are going to enjoy it even more then the last one," he said. Mamma Mia, which was a hugely successful stage musical first, made more than $600m (£453m) worldwide.
After Brexit - A government blueprint for the UK’s future relationship with the EU has emphasised the importance of the “continued mobility of talented individuals” and proposes a new culture agreement that allows the UK to participate in European programmes. The white paper describes mobility as a “key element of economic, cultural and scientific cooperation”.
Regarding culture specifically, the paper says the UK attaches importance to the “continued mobility of talented individuals and groups”. It says the UK and
Monday, 16 July 2018
USA - The ANSI Board of Standards Review has approved a revised version of ANSI E1.46, Standard for the Prevention of Falls from Theatrical Stages and Raised Performance Platforms. The standard has been revised to address changes to the OSHA regulations for fall protection, while keeping the document's useful guidance for preventing falls from stages into the orchestra pit or the house.
ANSi E1.46 – 2018 can be downloaded at no cost from the ESTA TSP website at tsp.esta.org/freestandards. The no-cost download is made possible by the sponsorship of ProSight Specialty Insurance. Alternatively, the standard may be purchased for $40 from ANSI and IHS at webstore.ansi.org/ and global.ihs.com/ respectively.
(Jim Evans)
Tuesday, 10 July 2018
Copyright Matters - Sir Paul McCartney has written an open letter to the European Parliament, calling for all music artists to be fairly paid for their work. The former Beatle is urging MEPs to back proposed changes to EU copyright law - Article 13 - which would force user upload content platforms to pay songwriters and performers fairly for the use of their work.
The 76-year-old musician says that without this change, the future of the music industry could be at risk. In the note, Sir Paul writes: "Music and culture matter. They are a heart and soul. But they don't just happen; they demand the hard work of so many people. "Importantly, music also creates jobs and economic growth and digital innovation across Europe. Unfortunately the value gap jeopardises the music ecosystem. We need an internet that is fair and sustainable for all.”
He goes on: "But today some user upload content platforms refuse to compensate artists and all music creators fairly for their work while they exploit it for their own profit. The value gap is that gulf between the value these platforms derive from music and the value they pay creators." Sir Paul concludes with a plea for MEPs to support the changes, writing: "You hold in your hands the future of music here in Europe."
- National Youth Theatre has announced a new £37,500 fund to give young people access to drama in the wake of arts cuts in schools. The audition access fund will provide support for 30 schools and youth groups that have lost drama provision, in the form of bursaries, grants for NYT audition fe
Tuesday, 10 July 2018
Germany - Penn Elcom GmbH in Germany has moved to a new 8,000sq.m premises in Elten, north Westfalen just 10 kilometres from the previous warehouse – and over double the size.
From this hub, the company distributes over 1,700 product lines and hardware including 19-inch racking, flightcase components and loudspeaker elements directly to B2B and B2C customers all over Europe.
The new facility will assist the busy operation in continuing – and streamlining - the efficient and fast delivery of products worldwide which are manufactured by Penn in the UK.
It was imperative to stay in the same regional location explains Dennis Marco Meertens, co-MD of Penn Elcom GmbH with Thomas Mostar. “Elten is perfectly positioned for expedient onward transportation and delivery to our local and regional sales teams – a very successful model devised to best understand specific cultural needs, demands and variations - which represent a variety of different market sectors,” he commented. This made finding suitable premises that bit more challenging, however this excellent opportunity then presented itself.
The new building, close to the Dutch border, was previously used for distribution, so already had substantial infrastructure in place that was of direct benefit to Penn.
The move to the new warehouse in Germany was completed in four phases over the course of eight working days and involved “a lot of improvisation and lateral thinking by all involved” says Dennis, as the full sales operation had to continue at full-pace throughout the period.
Thursday, 5 July 2018
UK - The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre have launched Theatre Helpline, a free 24-hour phone and email service supporting theatre professionals with any issue affecting their health and wellbeing.
The confidential resource, which has been available since June, offers support and advice on a range of personal and professional topics, including bullying, physical and mental health, finance, careers and retirement issues. It is open to anyone working in theatre, whether in-house or freelance.
SOLT and UK Theatre are working with Wales-based company Connect Assist to provide the helpline. Callers will be given a safe place to share worries and concerns and be provided with the resources they need to seek professional help if necessary. Like other existing support services in the UK, Theatre Helpline is not a whistleblowing service.
Theatre Helpline (0800 915 4617) will initially run as a pilot for one year, providing the industry with insight into what further support might be necessary, and how it might be funded in the longer term.
(Jim Evans)
Tuesday, 3 July 2018
Logistical problems - Morrissey's UK and European tour dates this have been postponed due to "logistical problems". His management made the announcement, saying the issues are "beyond our control". The former Smiths frontman, 59, had been due to play two gigs at Castlefield Bowl in his home city of Manchester on 7 and 8 July. Other shows had been scheduled for Reading, Portsmouth and Edinburgh in July.
A statement shared on Morrisey's official Facebook page said: "Due to logistical problems beyond our control, the UK/European Morrissey concerts scheduled for July will be postponed. We deeply regret any inconvenience to the fans.”
The Bard’s Back - A new production of Shakespeare in Love will tour the UK later this year. Lee Hall’s stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film ran in the West End in 2014. A new version of the play, which has music by Paddy Cunneen, will open at Theatre Royal Bath in October, directed by Philip Breen. It runs in Bath from October 4, and will then tour to Nottingham, Malvern, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Chichester, with more locations to be announced.
Tribute - West End theatres dimmed their lights last night (Monday) in memory of the choreographer Gillian Lynne, who has died aged 92. Lynne, who choreographed more than 60 shows in the West End and on Broadway, including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, died on 1 July.
Julian Bird, chief executive of the Society of London Theatre, said: “Dame Gillian Lynne’s contribution to theatre was inestimable. Her career, which
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Cultural Development - The government has detailed its intention to replicate the impact of Hull City of Culture in smaller towns and cities across the country through a newly created fund. One of the commitments in its recent Industrial Strategy, the £20m Cultural Development Fund has been set up to target geographical locations as opposed to specific venues or art forms, and is available for culture, heritage and creative industries projects.
Areas will be able to bid for up to £7m to help fund several projects in a particular location, in order to “help regeneration, create jobs and maximise the impact of investment”. The government said the initiative, which follows hot on the heels of Hull’s year as UK City of Culture in 2017, is anticipated to allow smaller towns and cities to replicate Hull’s success by achieving a similar local impact. Theatre and performance venues in Hull saw a 30% increase in audiences last year, with 95% of the city’s residents engaging in at least one arts activity.
Design Matters - An investigation is being launched into the barriers to becoming a lighting designer faced by people from minority ethnic backgrounds. African and Caribbean theatre company Tangle will be carrying out the research in partnership with the Association of Lighting Designers and Swindon-based company Prime Theatre.
Following the research - and subject to funding - Tangle plans to launch a development scheme within the company for an emerging lighting designer to gain the skills they need to progress their career. Through the s
Thursday, 21 June 2018
UK - Cross 5 is the latest in a new range of high-performance cable protection ‘crossover’ products launched by Penn Elcom this year. It can be used for any temporary installation or working environment where safe ground-based cable protection is required.
Cross 5 is manufactured from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), chosen for its recyclability, and has been developed to provide a five-channel cable protector with unrivalled strength, abrasion resistance and flexibility. It is also fire retardant to DIN EN 13501-1.
Serious weight capacity ensures that all types of vehicles - including a standard 44t artic - can safely drive over Cross 5.
The Penn Elcom Cross system is made from two elements - the base section and the ramp.
The base section acts as a connector piece from which numerous variations and combinations of crossover can be created. The ramp section features a 15° angle of inclination which is the optimum for vehicles driving over it.
Key features include being tear-proof, stable and resistant to most chemicals, fats and oils and other liquids that can be potential slip-hazards.
The first product in the new Cross series, Cross 3 was launched at the start of the year and has been very successful, so Penn expects a similar scenario with CROSS 5 and other subsequent Cross products.
“With health and safety being paramount at every event, there is a demand for high quality, well-priced technical solutions like Cross in all sectors,” concludes Penn Elcom’s commercial director Rob Platt.
(Jim Evans)
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
EU Lighting Proposals - MP Will Quince has called on the government to “do all it can” to protect theatres from EU lighting proposals. He said the proposals would have a “serious negative impact” on the sector both artistically and financially.
MP for Colchester, Quince raised the issue in the House of Commons last week. He said: “Some may ask: Why shouldn’t theatres and other performance venues play their part in saving the environment? Well, the theatre and entertainment industry do want to play their part, they fully support the sustainability agenda and are taking steps day by day to improve their environmental standards, however introducing these regulations without having an exemption in place will have a serious negative impact across European entertainment industries. This would far outweigh the positive intention behind these proposals.”
Quince told MPs that the total cost of replacing lighting fixtures, if the regulations were introduced, would be an estimated £1.2 billion to the UK theatre industry. He added: “The introduction of these proposals would stifle innovation and as a result we would be left with little more than harsh, unflattering floodlights with which to light our productions. The technical problems with LED lighting would severely affect the artistic quality of the performances. The richness in lighting for a live event lies in the diversity of light sources, colours and intensity. Without it our world-famous productions would be left flat.”
School Building - Arts Educational Schools in London has
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
UK - Production Park, a cluster of live event-based companies in Wakefield, has announced that it will fund university places at its industry leading training centre, Backstage Academy, making an initial pledge of £20,000 per academic year.
The Backstage Academy Bursary Fund will provide a fully funded three-year place on one of the Academy's BA courses to an outstanding candidate for whom university would not otherwise have been an option. Funds will also be available for part-funded places and support for accommodation costs.
In addition, a percentage of the fund will be allocated to provide assisted places on Backstage Academy's outreach programmes, delivered in local communities to educate and inspire those currently disengaged with traditional education, or in need of rehabilitation into a workplace environment.
Production Park says the investment is just the beginning of its long-term social mobility strategy designed to support disadvantaged people with education and help them to pursue a career in the live events industry.
Alongside study, successful Bursary applicants will take part in a work placement and mentoring scheme, incorporating all Production Park's companies - Brilliant Stages, Litestructures, Perry Scenic, LS-Live and Cato Music. Students will gain essential skills in set design and build, scenic décor, sound, lighting and visuals, alongside an array of industry recognised accreditations.
Production Park co-founder Lee Brooks says: "We feel a collective responsibility to reach underprivileged people in society who
Monday, 18 June 2018
UK - Penn Elcom has launched its new PDU16 range of premium rack-mounting power distribution: the PDU16-UN, the PDU16-EU, the PDU16-PC and the PDU16-AV.
The 2U high horizontal mounting PDU16 series has been developed in response to growing customer demand in the 19-inch rack market.
Features include a backlit LCD monitoring display on the front of each unit, showing essential operational feedback and data including voltage, current, power in watts and energy level. PDU16-UN (universal) main in/outs on Circuit A are a panel mounting 32A 240V IP44-C-FORM input socket feeding through to a 16A IP44 C-FORM output socket via an illuminated circuit breaker.
The PDU16-EU main in/outs on Circuit A are a panel mounting 32A 240V IP44 C-FORM input socket feeding through to a 16A IP44 C-FORM output socket via an illuminated circuit breaker.
PDU16-PC has a panel mounting 32A 240V IP44 C-FORM input socket as the main in/out on Circuit A, feeding through to a 16A IP44 C-FORM output socket via illuminated circuit breaker.
PDU16-AV is designed for home audio visual installations and multimedia applications from live music venues to theme parks and museums. The main input is a 20A Neutrik powerCON, complete with a 2nd order EMI filter and a GDT / VDR protection circuit to deal with lightning strikes and local power surges.
All four models of PDU16 have illuminated circuit breakers for overload protection, M4 earth studs for rack ground continuity and adjustable rack mounting ear positions.
(Jim Evans)
Monday, 18 June 2018
UK - Hofesh Shechter Company celebrated its 10th anniversary and kicked off the first day of Brighton Festival in May with a performance of Grande Finale, the latest original dance work from award-winning choreographer Hofesh Shechter.
Signature to any Shechter production is the ‘Hofesh Haze’, a distinctive thick haze with an even, creamy look that remains consistent throughout the performances. To achieve this effect, Adam Hooper, head of production at Hofesh Shechter, relies on MDG haze and fog generators which are hired locally at each venue, or brought along by the company if there is no local availability. “Because haze is such a large part of Hofesh’s productions, we only use MDG haze and fog generators and specify them on every rider, with no substitute,” he says.
In Grand Finale, the set in Tom Scutt’s design consists of seven rolling towers manipulated by the dancers, and the architecture of Tom Visser’s stark and stylish lighting design, with beams of monochromatic light that cut sharply through the haze and change with each repositioning of the towers.
“The lighting positions are very specific and structured,” explains Hooper. “Focusing can take up to eight hours because Hofesh insists on running through the show at every new venue, and his attention to detail means we frequently tweak the lighting levels by as little as 0.5% during technical rehearsals. This is why the ‘Hofesh Haze’ is a very important addition to the aesthetic. We need it to look the same at all times, with no little puffs or clou
Friday, 15 June 2018
UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup has joined AmazonSmile.
The initiative, which was launched in the UK last November, enables the e-commerce giant to donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases to participating charitable organisations.
To support Backup through AmazonSmile, visit www.smile.amazon.co.uk and type Backup in the ‘Pick your own charitable organisation’ window when you shop.
(Jim Evans)
Friday, 15 June 2018
USA - German fibre network specialist BroaMan has appointed Clear-Com as its new distributor in the USA.
BroaMan has rapidly found favour not only in the broadcast market, but also with production companies, sport facilities, professional AV integrators and many more applications with its bespoke solutions and range of off-the-shelf converters.
As the provider of intercom systems, Clear-Com will now expand its infrastructure expertise to include video signal distribution and routing networks.
The BroaMan portfolio includes the MUX-22 and Repeat8-NANO Series interfaces, palm-size 3G-SDI or AES10-MADI signal media converters, the larger capacity Repeat48 media converters and Route66 3G-SDI 40 x 40 non-blocking video matrix.
BroaMan MD, Tine Helmle, comments: “Clear-Com is an excellent partner to be working with - extremely professional, knowledgeable and with great staff in the US, and across the world. In fact, they have already sold a good number of BroaMan devices.”
“BroaMan is known for its masterful engineering of fibre-based media networks,” says Simon Browne, vice president of product management, Clear-Com. “With their very low and deterministic latency, ability to handle many high bandwidth video signals, and future-proofed for 4K video and beyond as well as future IP standards, Clear-Com is proud to partner with BroaMan in providing these video and audio solutions for studio and remote Broadcast production.”
(Jim Evans)
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
Immersive Incentive - Performing arts organisations have been invited to bid for a £4m fund to create “game-changing” new experiences using immersive technologies. Public body Innovate UK is awarding a total of £16m in government funding as part of its Audiences of the Future programme.
This will be split between four projects, each in a different industry which has been identified as having “maximum opportunity” for innovation. The four chosen industries are performance, moving image, sport entertainment and visitor experience.
The programme aims to ensure the UK becomes a world leader in immersive technologies such as virtual reality, which is when an entire image or environment is created digitally, and augmented reality, where a computer-generated image is superimposed on to a user’s real view of the world.
At a press briefing for the programme at BAFTA in London, interim director for Audiences of the Future, Andrew Chitty, described immersive technologies as the “most significant and potentially disruptive technologies to impact the creative industries since the web in the mid-1990s”.
Tony Awards - British theatre triumphed at the Tony Awards on Sunday night, with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child picking up six awards, including best play and best direction, at the New York ceremony. The original production ran at the National Theatre in London last year.
The biggest winner of the night was a musical about an Egyptian band visiting an Israeli desert town - The Band's Visit picked u
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
UK - MDG received the ABTT Award for Engineering Product of the Year 2018 for its RFP Round Floor Pocket at this week’s ABTT Show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
MDG’s RFP Round Floor Pocket is a DMX/RDM-operated pneumatic Round Floor Pocket of rugged construction which can be embedded in the stage floor or set wall to conceal a fog output. It is intended to operate under pneumatic pressure as part of an existing fog system, delivering low fog or fog to precise locations.
The ABTT judges awarding the honour, who were made up of an experienced jury of working practitioners and industry peers, stated: “Solving the problem of how to get your low fog into those hard to reach places, the MDG DMX-controlled Round Floor Pocket works as a reversed trap, lifting a lid to allow ducted low fog and haze onto the stage.
“Suitable for integration into large touring stages, or those shows with longer runs that can accommodate routes sub-stage for fog and haze ducting, the steel lid means that it is still suitable to stand on safely, and the DMX control easily integrates into haze and fog cues.”
RFP Round Floor Pocket is one of the latest in a range of accessories that complements the MDG range of fog, low fog and haze generators, and is designed to provide years of quality service.
The Award was accepted by MDG UK’s Matt Wiseman who said, “I’m delighted to accept the ABTT award on behalf of MDG. The RFP Round Floor Pocket has drawn much attention in a very short time due to it being a simple, effective and well-engineered product. The
