UK - To support their tenth album, American rock band Pearl Jam has taken to the road for their international tour Lightning Bolt.

Working with video director Blue Leach for Pearl Jam Inc. Creative Technology (CT) provided the video equipment to complement Blue's visual directing for the 12 date European leg of Pearl Jam's international tour. Until this tour, Pearl Jam has never toured with cameras and screens, however Blue quickly established a creative connection with the band after warm up shows in London, Ontario and Wrigley Field in Chicago last July (2013).

Renowned for having a streamlined stage presence and historically performing with no video support until now, the superb live photography element captured Pearl Jam's explosive stage performance which featured predominantly black and white camera shots.

To visually enhance the shows CT provided IMAG Screens w

UK - The PT-TW341R Series is the latest addition to Panasonic's short-throw projector line up, featuring four models1 that offer bright projection possibilities, ideal for meetings and classrooms.

The series offers up to 3,500 lumens of brightness, a high contrast ratio of 5,000:1 and long lamp replacement cycle of up to 8,000 hours in eco mode.

The projector is designed with Panasonic's original Daylight View Lite function, which allows control of image brightness in a bright room for comfortable viewing.

The large image projection is enabled without casting a shadow onto the screen or dazzling the presenter. The PT-TW341R model is designed with built-in interactivity, allowing up to two users to write or draw on the projected image with an interactive pen/pointer.

Installation flexibility is another strong feature of the PT-TW341R series which is equipped with both verti

UK - PRG Nocturne which provides LED video and projection support to the concert touring, festival, and corporate event markets, has expanded its operations in the UK.

"We are now heading into our fourth year with PRG," says Bob Brigham, president of PRG Nocturne. "One of the deciding factors in joining the PRG team was our dream to expand into the UK/European markets. The expansion of our UK operation allows us to fully support the rapidly growing demand with an experienced team of people and quality gear that our customers expect of PRG Nocturne US and UK."

In 2014, the UK operation has supported numerous tours and festival appearances including The Eagles, Katy Perry, Metallica, Skrillex, Franz Ferdinand, Bastille, Linkin Park, and The Rolling Stones. They have also worked with a roster of corporate clients which included 3D projection mapping for the la

USA - New York's Radio City Music Hall saw the commencement of the 68th annual Tony Awards on Sunday 8 June 2014, with a flamboyant Hugh Jackman hosting the show and a live broadcast televised on US network CBS.

The Tony Awards are a place of recognition for achievements in Broadway productions over the past season and this year's ceremony saw an array of shows from Aladdin, Hedwig and the angry inch, The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun to Les Miserables, Of Mice and Men as well as Rocky. With such a wide line-up the 15 Musical Tony Awards went to seven different musicals while the 11 Play Tony Awards went to six different plays.

This year's show was programmed and operated by highly experienced Hippotizer expert Peter Vincent Acken who designed a set-up using a total of 192 layers running over more than 48 DMX universes

USA - On 9 June, the Galen Centre in Los Angeles became the centre of the gaming universe as Xbox held a global briefing for media and Xbox fans at the annual video game show, E3. Broadcast live on Spike TV and on the Internet, some 140 Elation ELAR Q1 colour changing Par lights supplied by Illumination Dynamics made their debut in the elaborate stage set.

The Microsoft Xbox 2014 media briefing is used as a platform to launch new games, as well as take a look at previously announced games. Lighting design for the event was handled by Emanuel Treeson of NYXdesign, who specializes in creating immersive experiences with light and has been designing projects for Xbox since the launch of the Xbox 360 in 2005.

"For Xbox, I wanted a narrow beam fixture that could be placed in an expansive array but one where the LEDs are more spaced out than a typical Elation ELAR panel," h

USA - Founded in 1891, Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university and law school in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighbourhood. More than 7,400 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools and colleges.

The university's Father LeRoux Conference Centre, located in the Student Centre building, is a large, multipurpose room used for live presentations and special events and for movies and video presentations. The Conference Centre can be subdivided with an air wall to accommodate two simultaneous events.

Last year, Seattle University hired Sparling, an engineering and architectural firm in Lynnwood, Washington to design AV systems for several of its venues. Morgan Sound, a Seattle-based full-service AV and control system integrator and large rental PA company, installed the university's new AV systems.

For the Conference Centre, Sparling's

UK - Working with marketing agency Arnold KLP and creative production agency DesignScene, XL Video have supplied an LED video wall for the Volvo V40 promotional roadshow currently being shown in some of the UK's largest shopping malls.

Through June and July 2014, the promotional display featuring the LED video wall visited the Bullring in Birmingham, Metro Centre in Gateshead, Cabot Circus in Bristol and finished up at the Silverburn in Glasgow.

The presentation area included a Volvo V40 R Design display car, which allowed shoppers to sit on board and experience the car, an array of touch-screen tablets equipped with an interactive quiz, and XL Video's 5m x 3m Barco NX6 LED wall which displayed advertising footage about the V40 and Volvo's current 'Swedish Adventure' contest.

For the project, XL's project manager, Jacqueline Rice, worked with Attila Keskin of Design Scene to

Austria - Everyone is familiar with the idea of a rock concert, but few events take the word 'rock' as literally as the recent series of outdoor gigs staged in Norway by the Pink Floyd tribute band Puls. Against the dramatic backdrop of the Kilden-Fjaereheia quarry in Grimstad, the band played six sold-out nights to audiences who were wowed not just by the music but by the spectacular projection-mapped backdrop that was created courtesy of AV Stumpfl's Wings AV multi-image control technology.

Event design and production for the Puls concerts was the responsibility of Norwegian company Blank. Tomas Håvik, CEO of AV Stumpfl's Scandinavian distributor Preqbi AB, recalls the project's technical origins:

"Blank were searching for a solution that could deliver edge-blending and warping of multiple projected images, automated according to a timeline and with built-in media serv

Qatar - With just eight years to go until they host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar was keen to get as involved as possible in this year's biggest international football tournament.

Qatar's Brazil 2014 Fanzone, was a specially built, open-air venue with a three tier retractable roof located in Katara Cultural Village. Using a prototype of one of the systems that Qatar is developing to use in stadiums when it is their turn to host the World Cup, the venue was cooled to ensure the environment, if not the atmosphere, was kept at a regular and comfortable temperature for all fans.

With a total project run from build on 18 June to de-rig on 18July to cover the entire tournament and employing a 10 to 14 man crew, Creative Technology's (CT) Middle East operation provided the latest 8mm SMD lightweight product in the form of a 10.2 x 5.7 16/9 main LED screen with side supporting scr

UK - XL Video renewed its long and productive working relationship with Robbie Williams, supplying a custom video solution and crew to his current and massively popular Swings Both Ways tour.

XL's project manager was Phil Mercer with Nilkanth Patel overseeing the technical aspects and, for the first time on a Robbie Williams tour, Jon Shrimpton was live camera director.

Once again the stage set and visuals took on a completely new and different dimension and the aesthetic was carefully crafted by show producers Lee Lodge and Willie Williams, both also involved in commissioning the video playback content, mostly created by Shop Studios in Bristol.

A large part of the look and feel of the show was established by the time Shrimpton joined the team, including an impressive 22.8m wide by 10.8m high upstage scenic LED wall made up from XL's Pixled F-12 product. They had als

Portugal - Among the things that have made The Voice such a runaway international hit is that every country seems to find its own different way of enhancing the show, adding a local feeling to what has become a global phenomenon. This is very evident looking at A Voz de Portugal. In 2011, it introduced a rule change that allowed viewers to vote back losers of battle rounds for live shows. This year the Lisbon-based show raised its game again, by taking pixel mapping on its set to a new level with the Nexus 4x4 LED panel from Chauvet Professional.

Marco Silva, LD and programmer for A Voz de Portugal, used 28 Nexus 4 x 4 panels to create a stunning front stage façade, which he had pixel mapped by João Canoso of FX - Road Lights. Working with an Mbox Studio media server, Canoso created a stunning design that coordinated with the 6 mm LED upstage video wall.

"

UK - Chester Cathedral has seen a 300% increase in visitor numbers following an innovative, £1.3 million project called 'Cathedral at Height'. The project primarily consisted of building a multi-sensory audio visual presentation in the chamber to help attract a greater family audience.

A combined team of architecture and heritage experts including Pure AV, a leader in AV solutions, were called on to deliver the results and overcome specific challenges.

The chamber's louvre windows, for example, meant that the technology would need to cope with damp, wind and cold, while the cathedral's Grade 1 listing severely limited the type of work that could be done. Consequently this meant that nothing could be attached to the stone, and the dark sandstone walls were a difficult backdrop for displaying projected images.

Responding to this, Pure AV recommended Epson's EB-G6350 proj

UK - Projection mapping and video content specialists Bluman Associates projected the Palestine flag onto the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of 1 August to raise awareness of The Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Bluman worked with the organisation to implement the guerrilla marketing stunt.

The team, led by Pod Bluman, were in situ on Westminster Bridge for just four minutes; just long enough to ensure the PSC's photographer could take publicity photos.

(Jim Evans)

UK - XL Video supplied video solutions for studio recordings of Series 12 and 13 of the popular Endemol UK/Remarkable Television show, Pointless. The familiar Pointless set includes several video elements that are key to the quiz show, hosted by Alexander Armstrong and quizmaster, Richard Osman which is recorded at Stage 8 of Elstree Television Studios, and broadcast on BBC1.

For the questions screen, XL Video project manager, Jeff Bailey, specified one of XL's high brightness Barco HD-20 projectors, which fed the 3.2 x 2.32m screen. The high brightness unit, which supplies 20,000 Lumens, was selected to counter the ambient light on set.

For the game tower, which counts down the scores towards the much-sought-after 'pointless' answer, 20 tiles of XL's Barco NX6 LED product were utilised, depopulated from the standard rental frames and installed into a laser-cut c

UK - Avolites and Avolites Media continued their strong association with Glastonbury Festival with an impressive array of equipment and an eager team out in force to support friends and colleagues alike.

With no less than three headline acts on the main stages controlled by Avolites, as well as numerous other acts and stages, the festival proved an excellent opportunity to showcase the power and versatility of the range.

The first of those headliners, Arcade Fire, brought the Pyramid stage to a climactic close for day one with a set list spanning their four albums. The band put on a compelling show, performing in elaborate costumes and face paint against a myriad of moving mirrors, fireworks, and an outstanding use of lighting skillfully conducted by Chris Bushell from a Sapphire Touch.

Meanwhile, Kaiser Chiefs ended the day one festivities on the John Peel stage, with Ali P

UAE - Creative Technology's Middle East operation has recently recruited Ed Jarman in the position of senior project manager at their Dubai Investment Park offices. Ed will be heading up day-to-day project management and project development. Working alongside Mark Woodhouse, general manager of CT's Dubai operation, Ed will also be supporting existing and building new relationships with clients throughout the Middle East.

Ed brings with him a wealth of expertise having worked in the Middle East region since 2010. During his time in the AV industry he has trained as an audio and video engineer starting his career with Capital Radio and then with CT in London. In 2002 Ed set up his own production management company. More recently Ed worked as the technical production manager on behalf of CT in Asia at the Shanghai World Expo. In 2011 and 2013 he also worked as the video director at

UK - The Eagles brought their History of the Eagles tour to London's O2 Arena in June in a worthy celebration of a lifetime of work. Performing classics and songs from their top-selling documentary, the concert is an exploration of one of the world's biggest-selling and culturally significant American bands.

Butch Allen, in collaboration with lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe and the band, designed the set and show. PRG provided lighting & rigging and worked alongside PRG Nocturne UK, who supplied video and a live camera package for the show.

Lighting director Dave Hill and his entourage of Stateside Lighting crew, led by Jason 'Atta Boy' Statler, crossed the Atlantic with production to reproduce the success of the North American run. Jason was joined by his team of professionals, including Russel Lyons, Greg Gore, Brian Monahan, Errol Reinhart, Matt Schnieder and UK

UK - Arcstream AV, specialist provider of interactive technologies and special effects for events and permanent installations, has supplied an interactive floor to the new reception area at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The reception area has been done out in a seascape theme, so Arcstream created an interactive floor that looks like a rock pool. It's a fun idea that lets children play and looks good too.

The company has also provided an interactive floor and touchscreen table to Step by Step School for autistic children. Both feature Snowflake ABC software so that the children can learn while having lots of fun.

Neil Dickinson, managing director of Arcstream AV comments: "We have masses of experience in creating interactive floors for all kinds of uses from corporate events to education. They're incredibly absorbing and the content creation experts at Arcstream can dev

UK - At PLASA London 2014, Harting (Stand No. G15) is featuring its RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems for asset management in the theatre and touring environment, along with rugged connectivity solutions for audio-visual multimedia events.

Harting's RFID technology can be applied for improved asset management for entertainment rental/hire companies and for theatres which share equipment for touring shows. The Ha-VIS RFID system offers a high degree of flexibility to simplify the implementation of scalable solutions in different application sectors.

The system combines rugged, high-performance RFID readers with powerful data pre-processing to ensure high-speed data transmission and optimum dynamic network performance. An efficient software solution allows the scaling of RFID solutions from individual readers through to enterprise-wide solutions across different loca

South Africa - "This really is awesome," said Nick Britz of DWR. "Vectorworks has become a standard in the South African industry for technical drawings and it also integrates very well with ESP Vision." Training of the product will be held regularly.

Developed by Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc., Vectorworks software is a line of industry-specific CAD and BIM solutions that allow designers to advance their ideas from concept through to completion. Users range from architects to lighting and scenic designers.

While great ideas begin in the mind of the designer, Vectorworks provides the tools to help capture, develop and communicate ideas.

(Jim Evans)

UK - XL Video, working with US conference and event production agency metroConnections, supplied a large-scale audio-visual solution for the IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors) International Conference at London's ExCel Centre.

The event, which comprised a 1500 delegate main auditorium and 9 breakout rooms in Excel's Capital Room, took place over three days in early July.

For the auditorium presentation, XL supplied a giant 20m x 11m projection screen, flown behind the stage. The screen was stretched on to about 1.8 tonnes of Tomcat truss surround and created the backdrop for the presentation as well as a projection surface for graphics and video content.

Four Panasonic PT-DZ21K projectors, each providing 20,000 Lumens, were used for the main screen to create a blended image. These had to be flown at difficult angles to the screen to avoid projecting on to any activity on s

USA - Mobile production specialist TNDV has five trucks and six flypacks crossing the country on any given week, but for one week in June most of the fleet and crew remained in Nashville for the CMA Music Festival, accommodating a live broadcast TV shoot plus video and audio production across multiple downtown stages.

TNDV's relationship with the Country Music Association is enduring, delivering full-service mobile production for several annual events including pre-show festivities for the CMA Awards each November. The CMA Music Festival is the most immense, encompassing many outdoor stages with live performances from well-known and emerging national and local musical acts. TNDV also provided onsite shooting, graphics and editing services across most stages, producing 30 original packages used in conjunction with an ABC TV special that aired on 5 August.

In addition to the mus

UK - Projection artist Ross Ashton and his company The Projection Studio are again making a massive impact at Edinburgh's world famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, producing fabulous giant projections which are mapped onto the castle wall and running throughout the epic spectacle.

The event's chief executive and producer is Brigadier David Alfrey and this year's theme is Our Home, Friends and Family with hundreds of Commonwealth participants playing a part in the show in a big year for Scotland, which has just hosted the hugely successful 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Ashton comments, "I always enjoy working on the Tattoo and with David and the creative team who are all keen on maximising the dynamic that projection brings to the visual picture. This year features another interesting storyline that has given us plenty of creative freedom to develop."

Ashton a

UK - The busy summer of festivals has shown no signs of slowing down just yet, with Avolites and Avolites Media storming onto the scene for another weekend at Secret Garden Party 2014 with five stages controlled by Avolites, and Avolites Media featured on the main stage. The festival, held in Abbots Ripton, welcomed a huge and eclectic line up of acts including headliners Fat Freddy's Drop, Public Enemy and Little Dragon, to cement its position as one of the most hotly anticipated festivals of the year.

The boutique weekender attracted in excess of 20,000 festivalgoers keen to witness the multi-sensory experience. Contributing to the visual spectacle, a range of Avolites equipment supplied by London based Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) occupied the Front of House lighting positions on five of the most prominent areas, including the main stage. CSE also sent an 18-strong team hea

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline