Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

Jeremy will spend his time between a desk at 5 Star's HQ in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and being on the road around the UK seeing customers, developing new business, networking and keeping an ear-to-the-ground.

His background includes a wealth of experience in the worlds of pro photography, video and broadcast - so he knows a thing or two about the necessity of having good road cases!

He worked as a freelance photographer in London for over 10 years as well as a sales and product manager for photographic retail giant Calumet in their professional and corporate divisions.

Crossovers between this and the live production industry including being highly customer-focused, and understanding the importance of delivering or

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14 March 2016

The BroadWeigh portable wireless system offers real-time, simple, effective and accurate load monitoring for rigging professionals, safety officials and site managers enabling them to monitor and log the precise loads on any given rigging point.

Central to the design of the BroadWeigh system are Crosby shackles equipped with a high accuracy, wireless load pin that reports data remotely to a computer or a handheld display. The system is able to monitor multiple load cells and can trigger an alarm should a load exceed a preset parameter.

Load Cell Rental's BroadWeigh wireless package includes 36 of the 4.75 to

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14 March 2016

Four innovative products are currently available - Rental Frames, Truss Mounts, Flying Mounts and a Portrait Adaptor - all designed to work together.

These have been developed by and for riggers and technicians combining numerous ingenious features, offering straightforward and practical projector rigging options informed by CPL's vast experience of touring and live events.

The streamlined, efficient and versatile Truss Mount is at the heart of the system.

A genius touch is the tilt-and-swivel (T&S) mechanism underpinning the design, which is based on a ball joint and enables extremely quick and easy adjustment of the projector by one person - requiring only a single pair of hands!

This is ideal for crew aligning machines wh

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14 March 2016

Announcing the news, Harlequin's group marketing manager, Mark Rasmussen said, "The innovative partnership brought together the commitment of an enlightened manufacturer with an artistic dance company, both driven by an obsession with excellence in their respective fields."

"Dance floors are where dancers perform and rehearse and indeed spend much of their working lives. As a manufacturer, it is our aim to provide floors and dance surfaces which inspire confidence in dancers to fully explore their artistic creativity without any fear of slipping, falls or even longer term injury."

Melbourne City Ballet is described as "The city's newest and most exciting Neoclassical Company. A dance company based on new ideas; where indepen

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14 March 2016

Delegates are welcome to join DWR at their Johannesburg premises from the 2 - 7 February 2015 and on 9 - 14 February 2015.

"We are hosting the course for the same price as last year and it will once again be subsidised by DWR and Prolyte," explained Robert Izzett from DWR. "The last day will be a practical day, it's what people have been asking for."

The internationally recognized course includes certification. Delegates, who attended the course in previous years without passing the final examination, are welcome to rewrite the exam at no extra cost.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Utilising their bespoke electrical distribution system, The Technical Department runs cable from the basement of the 18th century buildings to distribute and supply power to the courtyard where the open-air ice rink is set in the midst of the stunning architecture.

"Having worked with The Technical Department over 10 years, their kit and knowledge is second to none," says Jon Howes, production manager for Somerset House.

Jerry Singleton, The Technical Department's director comments, "The quality and presentation of our electrical distribution equipment is very important to us. We regularly invest in new equipment and maintain our existing equipment to a high level.

"Our proactive

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14 March 2016

The award to Bill Ellis, owner of Candela Controls, will be presented by Mike Lay, chair of the CPWG. Bill Ellis spends many volunteer hours on work for the CPWG and the ad-hoc TMG, which promotes the work of the Technical Standards Programme. He has put in an extraordinary amount of work in the preparation, set up and running of the Technical Standards portion of the PLASA booth at LDI, first with the Control Protocols Pavilion and most recently with Standards on the Stage.

Bill's contributions also include presentations on DMX512 and RDM at various trade shows and conferences. Recently, he assisted in completing assembly of an equipment

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14 March 2016

In the words of the PLASA Innovation Awards Judges Panel: "Power-Check is not a sexy product but it's one which ensures the safety of everything that is connected to mains power. Just like the crew who makes a show happen, it's easy to overlook the importance of these behind-the-scenes products. We at PLASA wish to recognize those who toil to ensure the safety of our work force."

Power-Check is an add-on for Data Strategy's market-leading QC-Check PAT & Cable Test automation and logging software. It generates and logs comprehensive safety tests for all e

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14 March 2016

So when lighting designer Philip Lyons of Lyons Photography & Lighting Design Installation was appointed to install a pack generator system into two of the museum's new photographic studios, he brought Doughty Engineering on board. Having worked with the company on various other photographic studio installations, Philip knew he could count on Doughty to supply a range of equipment that would ensure the studio was kitted out to the highest specification, making it the perfect environment for photographing and cataloguing the museum's wonderful and ever increasing catalogue

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14 March 2016

Leaver, who was appointed by Tate Modern to oversee the construction of the exhibit, brought Unusual Rigging on board to help develop a solution and to fulfil Tuttle's idea that those visiting the exhibition should "...feel like they're in heaven".

Leon Ingram, production rigger at Unusual, said, "This was cer

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14 March 2016

5 Star's Keith Sykes co-ordinated the project, saying, "We were approached by WNSC's chair Sam Baxter as they needed to be able to stow and transport their timing kit safely and easily. It's one of their biggest capital assets, so we were very happy to offer a custom solution."

Two of the cases each take four timing pads, and both feature a split-top design making the cases as accessible as possible, facilitating extremely quick and easy removal and deployment of the pads from the large cases.

They are constructed from 5 Star's Tour grade specification materials with 9 mm ply utilised to minimise the w

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14 March 2016

Production manager Matt Towell explained, "Made in Dagenham features a very clever set and a very different look to what you would normally expect from a West End musical. Given the very dissimilar nature of the scenic elements of the two shows, there was only a certain amount of equipment that could be re-used, so it was far from simply taking light, sound and set off the old system and re-hanging it. I needed to work with a team I both knew and trusted and I knew I'd have that in Unusual's Jeremy Featherstone and his team."

Jeremy commented, "Our knowledge of

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14 March 2016

When Kylie kicked off her latest tour in the UK, crowd barrier specialists Mojo Barriers ensured fans with front row views were kept safe, installing 80m for the front of stage at the Liverpool Echo Arena. An additional 80m of stock was then added, bringing the total to 160m, which will be used across the European leg of her tour, culminating on 17 November at Zurich's Hallenstadion.

The barriers, a mixture of straight and specials such as corners and gates, allows the production team - headed up by Kevin Hopgood - to create a configuration that includes golden circle, t-shaped thrust for a catwalk and extended front of house. As requested by Hopg

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14 March 2016

New exhibitors announced this week include Adlib Audio and HDPro Audio, Orbital Sound and FBT Audio UK, who will join the all-star list of exhibitors already at the show - including Robe, Ambersphere, White Light, Avolites, Chauvet, AED, Sennheiser, Bosch, NL Productions, JHS ProAudio, Warehouse Sound, LMC Audio, Polar Audio, Black Light, Trusslite, Total Solutions Group, UK Rigging, TMB and many more.

PLASA's Professional Development Programme will deliver two days of presentations, technical demonstrations and panel discussions, all designed to help visitors build their industry knowledge and improve their skill set. This year's programme focusses on the hot topi

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14 March 2016

Card Aid has been helping charities increase their funds from the sale of their Christmas cards for over 30 years and John Simpson, Chair of Behind the Scenes UK, believes proceeds from the sale of Christmas Cards via the Card Aid Website will really make a difference to Behind the Scenes which only launched in the UK in October.

"Sending Christmas cards is a long held tradition and Card Aid allows us to keep the spirit of Christmas alive - as cards can be purchased online, either in the form of a pack of cards or as e-cards which can be sent on a pay per click basis. Whilst we are happy to accept donations in

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14 March 2016

Set designer, Misty Buckley elaborates on the premise: "The concept of the origami stars was very much an idea from the band. Steeped in Japanese tradition, origami is synonymous with transformation - taking something seemingly ordinary and transforming it in to something sculptural and beautiful. The star seemed an obvious choice because of A Sky Full of Stars."

With the idea of stars as a feature of the design, the next step was to create a working reality. Buckley continues, "Initially the production considered a kind of thin plastic sheeting to make them more resilient to the ri

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14 March 2016

Kinesys USA has received huge interest and many enquiries since being unveiled at the beginning of August, and bringing David to Kinesys is key to the company's planned medium term expansion strategy.

David will be leading the Kinesys USA sales department and travelling extensively to meet with and talk to customers throughout North America. He will be working closely with David Martin based at the Kinesys USA Inc. headquarters in Atlanta who will be focusing on the operations and training aspects of the company. Together they will continue to develop the company's US brand and expand its market coverage. Both David Bond and David Martin will also work closely with the relevant departments at Kines

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14 March 2016

Under cover of darkness, Unusual's Robin Elias and a team of riggers, headed by crew chief Phil Dickinson, worked every night over a period of 10 weeks, whilst ensuring the London Eye kept turning and attracting hordes of visitors during the day.

Mark Robinson, technical operations manager at the London Eye said, "We knew right away that Unusual was the right company for this complex job. In 2012, Unusual worked here with STREB, for an event which saw acrobats perform on the steel cables. I found them to be a very professional company and had no doubt that they had the r

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14 March 2016

The news was confirmed at last week's meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee on Entertainment (JACE) at the HSE in Westminster. The following report was produced by Michael Anderson and Lee Holloway, members of SAGE (Safety Advisors Group in Entertainment):

"This was an unexpected turn of events as it had appeared earlier this year that a "BEA" (Business Engagement Assessment) industry impact assessment process engaging with the event industry trade associations may have led to a decision not to enforce. But HSE stated that they had since received legal advice that not enforcing would breach European law and expose the government to international prosecution.

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14 March 2016

Aimed at bringing together audio and lighting experts working in the live events sector at a regional level, the show is a chance to meet representatives from industry leading companies to seek out the latest products and services - as well as a premier networking opportunity.

Event Director, James Ashwood, comments: "There's a strong selection of lighting and audio companies at the Glasgow show including Robe, Avolites, Ambersphere, White Light, Black Light, Chauvet and Sennheiser, along with key dealers such as TMB, LMC, Warehouse Sound, Apex acoustics, HDPro, FBT and Polar Audio and rigging, trussing and special effects companies. Add to that the free to attend two-day seminar program and the rigging conference -

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14 March 2016

Holding a wide range of stock, SES are able to deliver within a very short time of receiving the order, or indeed , customers are able to collect directly. Production companies often require equipment at very short notice, so to have items available immediately will save time and money, and reduce stress.

SES has available from stock, a wide range of power distribution, cables, socapex products, DMX, Gaffer tape, cable ties and Cee form connectors. SES can be found in Block G, room 102.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

LDI will see the unveiling of a brand new hazer - the EcoHazer, making a world first preview on Le Maitre's booth.

Le Maitre hazers are already known for their incredible output and low power consumption, not to mention the haze fluid which converts to produce the purest, most efficient and long lasting haze on the market. The new EcoHazer takes the environmental aspect even further and Le Maitre believes that it is the most energy efficient water-based hazer on the market today!

The EcoHazer consumes a low 100-150W, a rate that other haze units on the market with a similar output simply can't match, with many requiring up to 1500W - that's ten times the electrical energy! The EcoHazer uses a completely new heating system borne out of L

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14 March 2016

There were four positions available on the European Regional Board. Ed Pagett of Panalux was elected for a second term as Chairman, Peter James of Shure Distribution as representative to PLASA's Distributor members and Malcolm Burlow of Highlite was voted as the Dealer/Retailer representative. Robert Kronman joins the Board as the new Individual representative.

Four positions were also up for election on the North American Regional Board with Todd Spencer of PSAV elected as Vice-Chairman, Tracey Cosgrove of Rosco Laboratories as Secretary, Orestes

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14 March 2016

Triple E's MD David Edelstein was initially approached by the Young Vic's technical director Igor, and then Far Away's production manager Ed Borgnis to design, supply and install an irregular-shaped track solution for a scene in the play requiring equipment trickery to achieve an inspired effect.

Far Away is directed by this year's JMK new directors award winner Kate Hewitt, with a design by Georgia Lowe.

"In the play there is a procession of people wearing hats, and the play leads us to understand they are on their way to be executed," explains Ed Borgnis. "Given that we are staging the show in our Clare Studio, with no space f