UK - The eagerly anticipated shortlist of lighting designers nominated for the coveted Knight of Illumination Award has been released.

Organised by the ALD, STLD and Clay Paky and now in its fifth year, the Knight of Illumination Awards provides public recognition for outstanding achievements in lighting design by lighting designers working on productions in the UK.

Professional reviewers who work in each of the specific categories have agreed the shortlists and the awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony on 9 September at Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London.

The shortlists for each category are as follows:

Television - ENTERTAINMENT: Mark Kenyon for Strictly Come Dancing from Wembley; Tom Sutherland for Red Hot Chilli Peppers Live at Koko and Mark Kempton for Not Going Out

Television - SMALL STUDIO: Tom Kinane for Just a Minute

A packed programme of sessions is now confirmed for the 3rd annual PLASA Rigging Conference at the Earls Court Conference Centre in London on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 September 2012.

The PLASA Rigging Conference is delighted to confirm that the conference will close with 'Question Time' hosted by Alan Jacobi LVO, MD of Unusual Rigging.

An iconic figure in the world of rigging, Alan's involvement with the Rigging Conference dates back to its inception, as Conference Consultant Chris Higgs explains: "Alan Jacobi (AJ) opened the inaugural PLASA Rigging Conference in 2010 in his inimitable style but sadly wasn't able to join us last year. I was therefore delighted that he agreed immediately to host the closing Q&A session this year. Alan is an inspirational character to many of us and someone who I have no doubt will again ask insightful questions, act as question m

How to get into the Live Audio Industry

There is no road map to success in the live audio industry and, as with many things worth doing, it can be tough. But if you have the passion and the determination, you could end up spending your life doing something you love. Having taught some of the best in the business, Alchemea know a thing or two about improving your chances. Register for free for this session and hear Alchemea's pro's giving their top tips for success in the industry.

presented by: Alchemea
Wednesday 12 September, 2.00pm - 3.00pm

To book this session and check out other session in the programme, please click here

The Introduction to Navigator course gives students an overall view of the principles of entertainment automation systems and teaches the basics of how to configure and program automation systems using FTSI's award winning Navigator hardware and software.

This class gives a basic overview of the current state of the art in entertainment automation and introduces students to the basic principals involved in mechanical methods, rigging, and show automation. Mechanical system components, network architecture, safety systems and considerations, motion control techniques, system programming tools and instructions, console operation, and basic troubleshooting will all be introduced, with examples and exercises provided for all students. This three day course costs £380 to attend. The course is ETCP recognized for 28 renewal credits for Electrical and Rigging certifications.

This cour

USA - The 2012 North American Theatre, Engineering, and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) wrapped up in New York last month, with attendees praising the presentations and organisers already planning the 2016 event.

Stage Technologies was once again platinum sponsor of the conference, which saw an increase of 20% in attendees over the inaugural event of 2008. Mark Ager, CEO of the Stage Technologies Group commented, "As a company we strongly believe in supporting this extremely important theater market. These conferences provide a wonderful forum for like-minded professionals to get together to debate and discuss a variety of relevant issues and push forward the boundaries of stage engineering."

Participants enjoyed a mixture of presentations, networking and backstage tours to the Met Opera and Radio City Music Hall. This year's location, the New York Hilton in midtown

UK / USA - Three draft control protocol standards are available for public review on the PLASA website until early October. They may be downloaded for free at the web address below.

BSR E1.37-2 - 201x, Additional Message Sets for ANSI E1.20 (RDM) - Part 2, IPv4 & DNS Configuration Messages, and BSR E1.45 - 201x, Transport of IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A), are available for review through October 1. BSR E1.37-2 provides additional get/set parameter messages (PIDs) for use with the ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management protocol. Messages in this document are intended for configuring network interfaces and Domain Name System settings on devices with an IPv4 address. BSR E1.45 defines a minimal method to transport IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 physical links using an Alternate START Code. The primary motivation is to allow communication of 802 data to luminair

Grand Finale - The London Olympics closing ceremony was broadly welcomed by the world's critics. According to The Guardian, the event was "a kaleidoscopic spectacle" that showed "the energy of British popular culture over the past few decades". The Telegraph said the show was "meant to be about cheese - an unabashed, honking hunk of over ripe Stilton".

"This all-star mix of live and pre-recorded music was a major crowd-pleaser," declared David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter, saying the event would be "regarded as a wonderfully chaotic treasure trove by some and a hot mess by others". The New Zealand Herald described the event at the Olympic Stadium in east London as "a pop culture smorgasbord that had touches of brilliance, beauty and bewilderment".

Olympic Effect - West End box of

As pro sound systems become ever more sophisticated, along with accurate prediction software and more and more powerful DSP, how close are we getting to guaranteeing perfect live sound in any environment? Is that even a realistic objective? Leading product designers discuss the questions . . .

presented by: Panellists: Jason Baird (Martin Audio) | Werner 'Vier' Bayer (d&b audiotechnik) | Miguel Lourtie (Meyer Sound)
Tuesday 11 September, 3.30pm - 4.30pm

To book this session and check out other session in the programme, please click here

Technologies for Worship Magazine have announced a comprehensive programme of educational sessions taking place at PLASA 2012, between the 9-12 September, live at Earls Court in London.

The four day programme of free-to attend sessions will take place in the Technologies for Worship zone, an area of the show floor that is dedicated to Worship technology. The Technologies for Worship stage will provide a road map for house of worship technicians, church tech volunteers and worship leaders alike to learn about audio mixing, running video backgrounds, microphone techniques, tasteful lighting, streaming, broadcast production and much more.

Sessions include; UK Church Case Study; Streaming Audio and Video Content to the Web; Building Healthy Volunteer Teams; Can You Hear Me At The Back?; Video Systems for Worship; The "Smoking Gun" of Audio; Getting Your Message Out: Tuning Syst

South Africa - DWR Distribution has appointed three director members: Bruce Riley (technical director), Nick Britz (director of training and product development) and Robert Izzett (sales director) are well respected in the industry and have helped DWR achieve success from the start.

"I would like to thank my new partners for all they have done in the past," said Duncan Riley. "I am very honoured to have them.

"The step forward means that there will shared responsibility and help with decision-making. Most importantly, the foundation has been laid to ensure that DWR Distribution remains strong in future times ahead."

(Jim Evans)

UK - For the fourth year in a row lighting solutions provider, Architainment Lighting, is aiming to raise money for cancer support charity, Maggie's by completing a 20 mile hike across London through the night.

As in previous years, 'Team Easily LED', a group made up of Architainment employees will join approximately 2500 other individuals to trek 20 miles across the capital at night, with one aim: to raise money to support those living with the effects of cancer.

Throughout the years the lighting specialist has raised thousands of pounds for the charity and Architainment continue to support Maggie's not only due to the incredible work it does, but also due to its strong associations with the architectural and lighting industries. Lighting is an integral part of the night hike experience, giving hikers an opportunity to see London landmarks such as The Guild Hall, the RIBA bui

Czech Republic - Trussing and staging manufacturer Milos Group has announced the recent acquisition of two leading trussing and staging brands - Litec and Tomcat.

The new deal makes Milos the largest global aluminium trussing and staging group with the addition of major manufacturing bases in Italy, Slovakia, Mexico and the US to strengthen their 250,000sq.ft of production facilities in the Czech Republic and Asia.

Milos's CEO Frantisek Zykan states, "We are very excited with this announcement. Our strategy has always been to deliver the best products made to the highest standards of excellence with a quick, efficient turnaround. Having Litec and Tomcat on-board expands the ideas pool and product range to meet all staging needs .... with a truly international reach.

"All those working for Litec and Tomcat are driven, focussed and share our collective visions for th

A full-volume demo area dedicated to the demonstration of loudspeakers, giving visitors the chance to listen to products in a real-world environment.

The famous Funktion One demo room has got some company at this year's show as we take over a whole new space at Earls Court for large scale demonstrations of the latest loudspeaker technology.

Martin Audio took huge strides forward with the launch of the award winning MLA System at the PLASA Show two years ago, they return this year to take over the AudioLab, on Monday 10 September.Approaching the problem of controlled coverage in poor acoustic spaces, Martin Audio Engineers came up with the unique concept of OmniLine®, where rather than applying DSP to a traditional column loudspeaker, OmniLine's vertical beam-forming is achieved by physically articulating individual modules to curve the array.

T

UK - A number of important additions to the London edition of the PLASA Professional Development Programme have been announced. The 80 free-to-attend sessions form the backbone of the 2012 edition of the PLASA Show, which takes place on Sunday 9 - Wednesday 12 September, live at Earls Court in London. From the creative minds of world-renowned LDs and sound engineers, to the visionaries of tomorrow's technology, the PLASA Professional Development Programme is the largest free knowledge sharing event of its kind.

"The new style programme forms a roadmap for the next twelve months in theatre, live concert and touring, live events and installed environments. PLASA 2012 continues to be the place where pace setters converge to share expertise and ideas, and we are delighted by the concentration of talent coming to London this September, it is simply phenomenal. Anyone wishing to

"The future technologies available to use as a result of LEDs are going to blow our minds"

As a 14 year old James Simpson was intrigued by the moving lights being produced by the likes of Martin and Vari-lite but, as pocket money didn't stretch to a VL1, he decided to make one after school in his DT workshop. It was a new technology and he wanted to know everything about it so, using the stalwart tool of any young engineer - Meccano, he produced his own version. It even found its way onto local am-drams pantomime although Simpson is cagey about whether it would have passed the PAT test!

So: it's safe to say that James Simpson is passionate about technology and it's a lucky man who can indulge in his passion during the working day. As Lighting Visualiser at the Royal Opera House, with what he, himself, describes as 'the most amazing resources' he has had the opportunity to i

UK - Following three successful years at XL Video in the US where he oversaw the Los Angeles office, Phil Mercer has returned to his native UK to take up the role of group head of concert touring.

Mercer's brief is to develop the Concert Touring division of XL Video globally, by working with XL's offices in the US and mainland Europe to provide artists with a seamless touring solution across multiple continents.

"I'm hugely excited by my new role within XL Video," says Marcer, "and the responsibility that comes with keeping us visionary in our approach to the industry; in terms of providing cutting edge display technology, high skilled crew, efficient packaging and unequalled service.

"With live show revenues increasingly replacing CD sales as the main income stream for most touring artists, this places equal importance on high production standards and va

UK - Lighting and sound finance company specialists Azule Finance reports a string of high profile deals with some of the UK's leading hire companies, as they stocked up ahead of the busy festival and events season. Faced with increased demand for Clay Paky Sharpy, L'Acoustics and Martin lighting and audio kit at some of the UK's biggest festivals, hire companies NiteLites and Colour Sound Experiment enlisted the services of Azule Finance to stock up in time for a busy summer.

The Summer months see the live events production industry go into overdrive to meet the demands of touring artists as they hit the festival circuit. Colour Sound Experiment and Nitelites needed quick, competitive finance options to invest in kit on the riders of some of the most popular touring artists and Azule were on hand to deliver.

Specialist lighting and sound designers, Colour Sound Experiment, in

Operatic Moves - The arm of the Royal Opera House dedicated to commissioning and producing contemporary opera and dance is to close. The company revealed it had decided not to continue with ROH2 as a distinct entity after Deborah Bull, who had creative responsibility for the strand, and Alison Duthie, the department's head, left to take up positions with King's Cultural Partners earlier this year.

Two positions from ROH2's eight-strong team have been made redundant, including that of head of opera development, a role held by John Lloyd Davies. The post of manager of the On the Road programme, which oversaw projects around the UK, has also been axed.

Following Davies' redundancy, an ROH spokeswoman said director of opera Kasper Holten would head the team responsible for new operatic work, to run in the Linbury Studio Theatre and Clore Studio - spaces traditionally associ

Be the first in line to get 'hands on' with some exciting new technology from Roland Systems Group. Designed to give visitors to the show a truly interactive experience with live, recording and video product, five 'Hands on Live Sessions' will take place on the RSG stand each day, with up to twelve places available at each. You will have the opportunity to mix an exciting four camera shoot in HD of a live recorded band including immersive visuals on the Roland V-800HD Multi-Format Live Video Switcher as well as mix up to 40 channels of audio on the Roland M-480 Live Mixing Console.

Speaker(s):

Mike Kent from Roland Systems Group US will also be speaking live at the show and live webcast to an internet audience regarding our latest product and software launches.

Audience:

Live Audio Engineers, AV Engineers, Vision Switching / Mixing Engineers, Ren

From a Wobbly House to the Moon the Projection Challenges on the Olympic Ceremony

The Olympic Tender arrives and you wade through it to the Scope of Works, you bid, you win, then you discover that reality is a very different thing. Within months we are designing a system with 645 square meters of LED, 24 Dual Task Video Servers, 6 HD Camera Channels, 26 Projectors and wondering where did all this come from! Then when you think you have it all covered, the "why don't we project on this" arises, that is another 6 projectors and "what about the stage" that is another 2 projectors. Fortunately we have some of the best Engineers in the World based in Britain, who where able to turn the Dream into Reality.

Speaker(s):

Scott Burges (Director of Special Projects, Creative Technology)

Audience:

Video and Stage techno

MIDAS would like to offer visitors the opportunity to take part in an exclusive free training course on their stand in a private air conditioned VIP room. The course will cover the operational aspects of the PRO1 and PRO2/C Live Audio Systems coupled with practical hands on sessions.

The courses will run every day between 12:00-13:00 and 16:00-17:00 on the MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK stand 1-F19. Places are limited to 8 to 10 people per slot, so please pre - register using the form on the MIDAS website; http://www.citizen-sandbox.co.uk/midas/plasavip/

Places are available on a first come first served basis.

presented by: MIDAS
Sunday 9 September, Monday 10 September, Tuesday 11 September, Wednesday 12 September, 12.00pm - 5.00pm

Making it all Possible!

Large-scale events like Olympic Opening Ceremonies are at the forefront of event and entertainment technology. This session explains the integrated signal distribution and communications infrastructure that enabled the smooth execution of the London Ceremonies and shows how even small theatres and event productions can profit from these innovative approaches.

Speaker(s):

Marc Schneider (Riedel Communications' Director, Global Events)

Audience:

Consultants, technical managers, production managers, venue owners and rental companies.

presented by: Riedel
Sunday 9 September, 2.00pm - 3.00pm

To book these sessions and check out other session in the programme, please click here

USA - ANSI E1.35 - 2007, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, is being revised to increase the accuracy of the measurement procedure while still keeping it simple. The draft of the revised standard is available for free download and comment through 8 October at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.

E1.35 describes a method that uses a projected gobo image for measuring stage and studio luminaire lens quality, with particular emphasis on quantifying contrast and perceived image quality (sharpness). It also offers a way for presenting these results on a datasheet in a format that is readily understood by a typical end-user. It's a simple way of saying, "This lens is sharper than that lens."

(Jim Evans)

The Association of Sound Designers will be running three training seminars at PLASA 2012, open to all attendees and suitable for anyone, looking at three fundamental parts of sound design, run by three of the countries top sound designers:

- Sound System delay and zoning, run by Seb Frost, whose credits include the Tony nominated Sunday in the Park with George (West End & Broadway),

- Creative Manipulation of Sounds, run by Gareth Fry, winner of two Olivier Awards and Soundscape Designer of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.

- Recording Sound Effects, run by the legendary John Leonard.

Sound System Delays and Zoning
Sunday 9 September, 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Seb will be demonstrating how to best set delays on a sound system to create natural sounding reinforcement or great sounding amplification; how to create delay zones so that a performers voice sounds like

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