Nexo - Main Banner - June 2024

Training

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UK - The Production Futures mission to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in production, was brought into focus recently when Peter Bird, last year’s winner of its Breakthrough Award for Lighting Newcomer, took charge of designing the lighting for the organisation’s PF Talks stage at its Manchester On Tour event.

Peter, who is studying theatre and performance technology at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, collaborated by invitation with supplier Lights Control Rigging (LCR) to deliver lights for the focal point of the event which took place at the AO Arena. Steve Bliss led the LCR project team and takes up the story:

“We were approached by Production Futures to provide the main stage lighting package for their biggest show yet at the AO Arena in Manchester. We had an initial video

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UK - Neumann has announced An Evening's Conversation Around Spatial Audio, hosted in partnership with Dolby at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). Taking place on Monday, 3 June, this event promises an engaging exploration into the future of sound, bringing together top industry professionals for a night of insights and networking.

Guests will hear from leading experts in the field, including Mike Hillier, Dolby Atmos & mastering engineer at Metropolis Studios, Kurt Martinez, head Dolby Atmos mix engineer at Dean St Studios, and Myles Clarke, senior music engineer at Dolby Laboratories. Their interactive sessions will help you understand how spatial audio is evolving and keep you at the forefront of the technology.

Attendees will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of spatial audio through interactive Q&

Nexo - Main Banner - June 2024

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UK - Distortion Studios, specialists in virtual production, recently opened the doors of its new Bristol-based studio, backed by an in-house team of immersive digital arts specialists. The space, home to a cutting-edge studio stage complete with the latest and most trusted virtual production technology, can be utilised by anyone looking to shoot virtual production content, as well as serving as a training and community hub.

 “At Distortion Studios, we want to play a part in upskilling the next generation of industry professionals locally,” remarks Nick Diacre, technical director at Distortion Studios. “So, we’re looking to invite technical people in and run training in the space, alongside the usual studio hire. Remaining technologically agnostic was therefore important to us.”  

Diacre first encountered SP by Stage Precision in the soft

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Italy – This year, Claypaky once again played host to the students enrolled in the Master in Lighting Design and LED Technology, organised by the Polytechnic University of Milan. This course has long been devoted to nurturing the talents of aspiring young lighting professionals.

The course aims to equip them with the skills they need for diverse applications such as entertainment venues, interior architecture, urban landscapes, museum exhibitions and temporary installations and residential spaces. The curriculum focuses on the analysis and synthesis of lighting design methods, covering conception, organisation, and rigging.

Among the esteemed instructors who teach on the course is Giovanni Pinna, a renowned lighting designer in Italy, known for his work with artists like Vasco Rossi. Pinna runs the Lighting Design for Entertainment module,

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UK - The Power of Events is releasing results to date of its Schools Engagement Programme pilot in the East of England. Launched in January 2024, the pilot aims to refine the process of inspiring the next generation of event professionals, by introducing pupils aged 13-18 to the dynamic range of opportunities within the events industry.

In the Spring term, the programme has so far engaged over 3,000 pupils from 17 schools, significantly enhancing their understanding of the events industry as a viable career path. The engagement numbers rose to a promising 65% average in pupils' awareness of the sector and career consideration post-presentation, up from an initial 2% pre-presentation.

Following this initial success, The Power of Events is set to expand the programme across additional regions in the UK, starting in the Autumn term in September 2024. Th

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Poland - Robe supported the 2024 Scena Jutra (Stage of Tomorrow) two-day symposium in Warsaw, which this year changed up to a new venue inside the city’s Palace of Culture & Science in downtown, one of Europe’s tallest buildings.

The sixth edition of this growing two-day event featured over 120 speakers, both international and from across Poland, who gave a series of presentations or joined lively panel discussions. These embraced an eclectic variety of topics all related to production design, visual and sonic art also embracing architecture and built spaces, plus several more esoteric but related subjects.

While the designated exhibition area provided a backdrop for Robe to showcase some of its latest tech, the vibe was more about stimulating ideas and exploring the adventure of possibilities that might be achieved now and in the future thro

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Europe – Area Four Industries’ A4I.TV Trussing and Rigging Television has released a new educational video in which technical director, Norbert Tripp discusses the correct and, most importantly, safe use of Cubes in Truss assemblies.

As a member of the Rigging Commandos group, Norbert brings a wealth of valuable knowledge, experience, and tricks to the field of trussing and rigging.

The video takes a close look at the different types of available Cubes. ‘You will learn what properties they have and that the installation situation is decisive as to whether a Light-duty or Heavy-duty Cube should be used. So, you can be sure of achieving maximum safety and effectiveness for your structure.’

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UK - Production Futures’ next On Tour event will take place at the AO Arena, Manchester on Tuesday 30 April. As its first arena outing, this will be Production Futures’ largest and most ambitious On Tour event to date. 

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is a strong supporter of the Production Futures mission, and who opened the previous show in the city, comments: “We are delighted to welcome Production Futures On Tour back to Manchester for a third year, and to see huge growth in the upcoming show, now taking over the AO Arena, where so many major artists and shows have taken the stage.

“Greater Manchester is known around the globe as the birthplace of ground-breaking music, film, theatre, festivals, venues, live events and TV, but that’s only made possible by the expertise and dedication of thousands of people working behind the scenes

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Australia - Technical Direction Company (TDC) has announced the expansion and revitalisation of its in-house training programme, TDCT, with the engagement of Graham Henstock as training consultant.

"Technology constantly improves and evolves, and TDC is at the forefront of delivering the best possible results for our important clients, whether it be record-breaking amazing visuals for events, immersive experiences, film or theatre productions with TDC Studios," said Drew Ferors, head of technical services & training at TDC.

Graham Henstock brings over 25 years of industry experience and educational expertise to the team. His diverse career spans roles as an educator, designer, consultant, arts journalist, and technical manager. Henstock is one of Australia's prominent theatre professionals, highlighted by his recent tenure as director at the Nati

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Europe - Last November, Obsidian Control Systems initiated Train the Trainer workshops aimed at training its European partners on the specifics of the intuitive Onyx lighting control platform. The sessions, specifically designed to springboard an Obsidian awareness campaign and grow the Onyx community, are bearing fruit as trainers across Europe amplify the platform’s reach by training other partners and end-users.

One of the youngest participants in the Train the Trainer sessions, held at Obsidian’s European headquarters in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, is 16-year-old Martin Pokorný from the Czech Republic. Martin completed the training sessions in February alongside Obsidian’s three-day Onyx course and is now training Obsidian users in the Czech Republic.

“For young people just entering the lighting control market, I think Onyx is the best pl

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