Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Lighting

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UK - Rose Bruford College has an enviable reputation in the fields of theatre and performance. Initially established as a centre for training drama teachers by actress and teacher Rose Bruford in 1951, the college expanded in 1976 to offer the first UK Honours Degree in professional acting and theatre practice.

Today, the College based in Sidcup, Kent, delivers degree courses across the whole spectrum of theatre including a three-year BA (Hons) in Creative Lighting Control. Rachel Nicholson is programme director for the course and responsible for the design and management of the curriculum.

"The Creative Lighting Control course was created in response to the industry demand for specialist lighting and video programmers and technicians," explains Nicholson. "So it is a given that we need to invest in the most up to date and widely used control systems if we are t

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Germany - PR Lighting is planning a major launch at this year's Prolight+Sound Show in Frankfurt for Spot and Beam versions of its new XR 1000 moving head.

The fully automated system, housing an Osram HTI 1000 W/PS 1000W metal halide lamp, will receive its world debut.

Housed in an IP20, high temperature engineered plastic chassis, the fixture boasts several advantages over competitive models. For example it is brighter than a conventional 1200W discharge lamp, and with a weight of just 31kg it is both lighter, and smaller, than its market rivals, says the company.

Highlights of the powerful feature-set are seven rotating gobos and seven fixed gobos; a three-fact prism, soft frost and fire effect wheel, and a linear zoom with range of 9°-47°.

Other features include: 2800K-6500K linearly adjustable colour temperature; smooth CYM colour mixing system, plus CTO with m

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Singapore - Robe Lighting is kicking off 2014 with the launch of a new Asia Pacific office in Singapore. This is part of the Czech Republic based moving light manufacturer's planned medium term expansion strategy.

It will be an advanced, resource-efficient sales and distribution point for all Robe and Anolis LED brand distributors and customers in the geographical regions between India and Australia / New Zealand on the Indian Ocean side, and China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea in the western Pacific.

This will enable quicker and more streamlined communications and access between Robe's full sales and support network in the region as well as strengthening Anolis's presence in the architectural segment.

Robe Asia Pacific (RAP) will be headed by sales director for Asia Edwwerth Lai and technical operations director Desmond Kwan, both well known and respected industry 'movers & shak

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South Africa - Preparations are in motion for Fact Durban Rocks 2014 after the success of last year's event where Hirezone supplied the full technical for a record crowd of 13 000 people. Hirezone were involved with numerous festivals and corporate events in KwaZulu during 2013, their ongoing successes attributed to a dedicated team under the systematic leadership of Richard Gild.

Most success stories speak of zeal, but Gild had an added advantage when starting his business in 1995 and officially creating Hirezone in 1998. Qualified as a Chartered Secretary he could avoid several knocks and bruises new companies tend to face; practical minded, he rarely makes emotional purchases.

Looking back to the eighties, Gild found himself fresh out of the army, and although having a CIS qualification, he was unable to find work. "A friend of mine worked in the AV Industry and they d

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UK - PLASA Focus: Leeds 2014 launches today with free registration and a new website. The leading event for entertainment technology in the north of England will be held on 29 - 30 April, 2014, at the Royal Armouries at Clarence Dock, only a short distance from the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire.

With a fully sold out floorplan the annual event looks set to continue its success story. Long-standing exhibitors returning include; AC Entertainment, Adam Hall, AED Distribution, Artistic License, Avolites, Bose, Chauvet, Clay Paky, d&b audiotechnik, ETC, Hawthorn, J&C Joel, Martin Audio, Martin Professional, Midas, Nexo, Philips Lighting, Robe, Sennheiser, White Light and Yamaha. New exhibitors include; Actus Industries, Citronic, Coda Audio, ELC, Line 6, Sound Directions, Source Distribution, Universal Stars and Warehouse Sound amongst many others. Chauvet Professional are also con

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World - Robert Juliat followspots featured in the majority of leading tours in 2103. Billboard Magazine's list of Top Ten Tours for 2013 showsthat RJ followspots figured on no less than seven of these spectacular events.

"These listings confirm once more how our followspots cut through the powerful lighting on these fabulous tours," says Robert Juliat sales director, Claus Spreyer. "It also illustrates the durability and road-worthiness of spots like our Lancelot, Cyrano, Manon and Lucy which withstand the rigours of these world-wide tours so well."

Bon Jovi Because We Can world tour - European leg - Ten RJ Lancelot 4000W HTI followspots were supplied by PRG for the European leg of 2013's number one world tour. The consignment of Lancelots was split in two sets of five, with one set in performance, while the second set leap-frogged ahead to the next

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South Africa - South African doctors were recognised for excellence at the annual SAMA Doctors Awards held at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Johannesburg in August. The full technical and decor for the gala event was supplied by Showgroup. The show ran off an Avolites Titan Mobile and included Robe Robin fixtures and Prolyte Trussing.

The South African Medical Association Doctors Awards acknowledges doctors and specialists who contribute significantly to medicine and healthcare. Entertainment was provided by the electrical string quartet, the Muses.

Andries Liebenberg and his team from Showgroup ensured a smooth production. The main attraction at the show was a 360° screen. "We had to go front projection," said Liebenberg "I usually get excited when I'm drawing and putting the project together," he said. "I also have DVDs to see what ot

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USA - John Fogerty recently wrapped up an eight-week US tour which featured a stunning light show staring Martin Professional fixtures, designed to entertain fans with a completely new visual experience along with Fogerty's classic rock sound.

Production designer Alex Skowron designed and built the lighting rig to include 21 Martin Atomic Colors, 17 MAC 2000 washes, 14 MAC Viper profiles, 14 Viper washes, 10 MAC 2000 profiles, eight MAC III's and eight MAC 401 RGB fixtures. Two Martin M1 lighting consoles ran lighting and video content during the show, which projected onto 12x21 high-resolution screens and seven other surfaces surrounding the stage.

Upstaging supplied all of the Martin fixtures for the tour.

"I'm loyal to Martin because Martin is loyal to me," Skowron states. "The MAC 2k's are workhorses. You can beat them to death and they still run. The qual

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South Africa - Choirs from 12 African countries competed in the 9th annual One Harmony Choir Festival at the Joburg Theatre. Having supplied the full technical since the show's inception, Showgroup were honoured to be involved once again.

This competition recognises the commitment, sacrifice and hard work of all the choir members, employees of the Barclays Africa Group, who practised uncompromisingly, outside of normal working hours.

When travelling abroad 10 years ago, Robbie Blake, director of Showgroup, was inspired when seeing Clash of the Choir. "Back in the day, Robbie pitched a similar concept to ABSA bank when they wanted to do something for their staff," explained Andries from Showgroup. ABSA - now under the Barclays Africa Group umbrella - have run the event ever since.

For the latest competition, the crew moved into the Joburg Theatre as Starlight Expres

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UK - Entec Lighting continued its 28 year working relationship with maverick Goth rockers The Mission, supplying lighting and projection to their latest tour to facilitate a design by Mark Wood.

The west London based rental company supplied projection for the whole tour which visited academy sized venues in the UK and Europe, and also put in a full production for the sold-out Brixton Academy show.

The tour was project managed for Entec by Adam Stevenson, who undertook his first ever tour with The Mission back in 1986 which also happened to be their first live shows as The Mission.

Following this baptism of fire ... Entec has been the lighting supplier for The Mission ever since - going through several changes in management - and Stevenson has also been involved in various guises over the years including stints as LD.

He says, "The Mission has a very special place at E

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UK - Multi-award-winning lighting designer Rick Fisher has singled out ETC's new Source Four LED CYC adapters for special praise while working on a production of Howard Brenton's Drawing the Line at Hampstead Theatre in London.

"We are using them to light through the ceiling of the beautiful set and I'm sure we have only scratched the surface of what they can do. I was really impressed," Fisher says.

He used six Source Four LED Lustr+ luminaires alongside conventional Source Four units, and was amazed at how well their colour and intensity blended. "There were times when I almost could not tell the difference as to which was on - the conventional or LED," explains Fisher. "They are not the same, but they are pretty close and for the first time, I almost could see not missing tungsten so much."

The CYC adapter makes a lighting inventory ev

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Australia - In Frankston, just south of Melbourne, it has become a tradition to light the 100-year-old Norfolk Pine tree in a ceremony with a spectacular firework display choreographed to a theatrical sound and light show. 45,000 people attended this 16th annual community event which offers a broad spectrum of family activities.

This season at the annual Christmas Festival of Lights, the 25m tall Christmas tree was decorated with SGM's LB-100 LED balls, delivered to Frankston City Council by SGM's local distributor, Entertainment Technology Australia (ETA).

Event manager Kylie Wood worked closely with lighting consultant Rohan Thornton from Firelight Lighting Design and the team from ETA to ensure the installation was finalised in just three days. Besides the obvious beautiful result, Ms Wood is delighted by a hidden, but very positive side-benefit in utilising LB-100 LED ball

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China - The Yinji 'O' Show complex in the new district of Kaifeng, situated in China's Henan province, has recently been equipped with cutting edge production technology, including lighting effects from PR Lighting.

The Chinese manufacturer won the tender based on the ability of its PR-5000 series to meet the criteria for waterproof fixtures, with an advanced feature-set and the ability to work under high temperatures.

Catering for live concerts, lighting and laser shows, projection onto water screens, fountain shows and fireworks, the venue has been designed to be both by dynamic and flexible.

Owned by the Yinji Development Company the venue measures 46m high and 36m wide, and the Yinji 'O' Show's large central ring structure, located opposite the main stands, is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world.

The 22m-wide covered area can hold up to 11,000 spectator

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UK - White Light, the Association of Lighting Designers, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama are teaming up once again to present the New Technology Showcase, an opportunity to see and interact with the latest lighting technology in a theatre environment.

Held at RCSSD's Embassy Theatre on 24 January, the event promises to get to the heart of new fixtures and the features that designers and technicians want to see, without the pressure of a sales pitch. To complete the day, the highly anticipated annual ALD Pub Quiz will immediately follow the showcase.

Coordinated by White Light hire business development manager Craig Bennett, the afternoon event will showcase new products from leading lighting manufacturers. Featured products include the Altman LED Phoenix profile and Spectra Cyc 100, Chromlech Elidy S Panel, Clay Paky B-Eye, JB Lighting Sparx7 wash, Martin Prof

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Serbia - TV producers Grand Production has invested in Robe's new Pointe moving lights, 24 of which were supplied by Robe's Serbian distributors Studio Berar Projekt following a specification by Grand Production chief lighting designer Goran Kravic.

These are the first Robe Pointes in Serbian TV, and the new fixtures went straight to work at the Studio Avala Film in Filmski Grad, Kosutnjak, Belgrade for Grand Show which is broadcast live on Pink RTV's Friday night prime-time, featuring a selection of popular folk bands interspersed with live guest interviews.

The show is a massive hit throughout the Balkan regions.

The Pointes will also be utilised on other shows produced by Grand Production for RTV Pink including Grand Parada, Narod Pita and Zvezde Granda, all of which are also music based.

Kravic has been using Robe products for around the las

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UK - For the 2013 - 2014 holiday season, production management company Culture Creative teamed up with lighting specialist White Light to help re-imagine part of London's Kew Gardens for a special night-time trail. The Illuminated Trail took visitors on a mile-long adventure, with lighting and production elements uncovering hidden spaces and revealing new looks for the Garden's mainstay structures. Overseeing the project was Culture Creative director Zoë Bottrell who worked with lighting designer Phil Supple of Light Refreshment to bring Kew to life.

White Light supplied lighting, cable, rigging equipment, and production support for the Illuminated Trail, Culture Creative's biggest nature-based project to date. The project continues a long relationship between the two companies, with White Light supplying several Culture Creative projects over the past eight years including ill

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Prog Rock Returns - 2014 sees the 40th anniversary of the release of Rick Wakeman's landmark concept album, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth based on the novel by Jules Verne. Wakeman and The New World Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by The English Chamber Choir and the English Rock Ensemble, will celebrate this anniversary with "a dramatic, live presentation of this epochal, classical-rock crossover work" - the Journey To The Centre Of The Earth 2014 tour. "This is the start of a new Journey," says Wakeman, "the original score for the album had been lost for so many years, making any new performances impossible. but after it turned up without warning , we managed to restore it and add previously missing music that was not included in the original performances. It has taken another half decade to develop it into this tour, but I can't wait

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UK - Flightcase and loudspeaker component manufacturer and steel fabricator Penn Elcom has converted all the lighting fixtures in its St. Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex, UK factory and offices to energy efficient, low carbon LED lightsources which have been supplied by CLD Distribution, also based in East Sussex.

The switch from metal halide to LED technology at the plant is saving Penn Elcom a whopping 70% in ongoing electricity running costs!

Based on a 253 day working year with the production lines running 24 hours a day. Penn - which distributes its products worldwide - was using around 272025 Kilowatt Hours (KWH) of electricity before the new installation, a figure that's now dramatically reduced to 68,006 KWH, representing a saving of over £18,000 year ... and nearly 100 tonnes of carbon.

Lamp specialist CLD Distribution offers a comprehensive and innovative range

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USA - LightParts Inc. (www.lightparts.com), the first dedicated parts and repair source for entertainment lighting, is celebrating the ten year anniversary of the company's incorporation. LightParts was founded in January 2004 by Don Pugh and Robert Mokry as the worldwide support centre for High End Systems' legacy products such as Intellabeam and Emulator, but due to customer requests quickly expanded into circuit board repairs and parts sales for High End, Martin, Flying Pig, Jands, Vari-Lite, Element Labs, Strong, Coemar, Wybron, Elation and Clay Paky products.

LightParts now stocks over $1,000,000 of parts for immediate shipment, and employs ten full-time staff at their 6700sq.ft headquarters located in Austin, Texas, USA.

"Many of the world's largest and smallest lighting rental companies now depend on LightParts for the best parts prices and fastest PCB repairs avai

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USA - While others around the world may have been watching a ball drop at midnight, those at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta were bathed in beams of light as Widespread Panic performed to thousands. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for both Widespread Panic's annual Toys for Tots concert and the New Year's Eve concert a day later.

Lighting designer Paul Hoffman created the design using the band's fall touring rig with "embellishments". Two long curved trusses stretched out over the audience to give the lighting more reach as well as accommodate the special effects like pyro and confetti.

Equipment included Vari*Lite 3000 Spots, Clay Paky Sharpys, GLP X4S's, Martin MAC 101s, Bandit 5x5s, Bandit GRN Pars, GrandMA2 Consoles, a 60" mirror-ball, and 2-lights. Additional video equipment included a video screen of Mirage Panels and Maxedia video servers.

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USA - Apollo Design Technology has announced the appointment of Charlotte Heaston as marketing director. In this role, Heaston will be responsible for the development and execution of the business's marketing and communication strategies. This position will report directly to the president of the company, Joel Nichols.

Prior to joining Apollo Design Technology, Heaston worked for Lincoln Financial Group for 25 years in various marketing and communication roles including brand, product and sales development.

"We are thrilled to have Charlotte on board at Apollo. She comes to us with a very strong marketing background and has an innate ability to manage projects and deliver results with a can-do attitude. I am confident she will enjoy working in our unique industry." Nichols said.

"I am excited to work with an incredibly talented and energetic team at Apollo Des

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Canada - CAST BlackTrax reports that Paul Braile has joined their team as a BlackTrax expert effective 1 January 2014.

On the heels of multiple awards and mega productions including Eurovision and Trinity Fellowship Church, CAST BlackTrax is receiving a growing number of questions from creative designers and production executives about production pros/cons, and cost savings. Answering them requires the specialized knowledge from a been-there-done-that industry pro. Paul Braile comes with more than 20 years of industry experience and has worked on productions from Glee and the Super Bowl to Broadway and the CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is also arguably the nation's top subject matter expert on automated follow spot tracking systems, says the company.

Braile says, "Today the industry is turning to new technology for reducing production costs and better return in terms of

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USA - As an open space to accommodate community events and recreational activities, Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park sits on the Missouri River, creating a border between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. Artist Dan Corson recently designed a massive light show for the park, complete with complex characters and simple, intuitive interactive games that spans across the park's five acres. Martin Professional light fixtures were installed by Bandit Lites to illuminate the artist's vision.

Inspired by European baroque knot gardens, the ever-changing light environment showcases choreographed sequences and patterns every half hour. Additionally the piece interacts with visitors via thermal cameras and analytics program to track and "play" a series of simple, intuitive and fun games. The motions of park visitors can control the lighting and allow participants to be track

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Australia - Video display experts, Technical Direction Company (TDC) supplied all video technology elements for the 27th ARIA Awards held at The Star, Sydney, Australia on 1 December 2013.

The ARIA Awards are the official awards of the Australian Record Industry Association attended by an audience of over 4,000. The event was broadcast live on Channel 9's GO! with performances from many Australian artists including Birds of Tokyo, Bliss n Eso and Tame Impala as well as special guest appearances from Alicia Keys and Lorde.

The ceremony was produced by Michael Long and Vicki Gerrans. Set design was by Kim Buddee. Stunning screen graphics were produced and operated by Rod Morris.

TDC supplied custom automated rolling screens with ultra-bright 26K HD projectors, that not only provided a uniform, succinct and clean look according to the set design but also acted as a mask

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