ET Live, adjacent to the Sands Expo, was the site for the 2004 ETS-LDI award ceremonies in Las Vegas Saturday night, a far cry from a traditional hotel ballroom. ET Live debuted at ETS-LDI with great success and featured a variety of musical acts on five different stages and proved to be an ideal venue for an awards program that honors the leaders in the entertainment technology field.
Rigging and Hardware Product of the Year: Ballast Truss by Total Structures. Honorable mention went to ProCommander PRO 5 with Varistar Hoists by CM Entertainment, an integrated programmable hoist control system. This year’s Promising Prototype of the Year in rigging in hardware was the JR Powerlift by JR Clancy.
Special Effects Product of the Year: Delta 3000 Fog Machine by Roscolab. It fills a stage with fog in under a minute. The heat exchanger, which is at the heart of any fog machine, is made of cast aluminum. Its design, along with temperature control, is the key to its unparalled volumes of smoke.
Projection Product of the Year: MAXEDIA by Martin Professional. Blending 3D effects and mapping, real-time layer manipulation and transition effects in up to 20 layers simultaneously, the Martin Maxedia Media server allows programming onboard, with or without a DMX console present for playback. The Debuting Product/Promising Prototype of the Year went to Brash by Lucid 3D, Inc. Brash, distributed by Sound Distribution, Inc, is an integrated 3D composer that creates and renders objects and video in real-time.
Lighting Product of the Year/Lighting Tools and Software: ESP Studios’ ESP Vision, for taking the pre-visualization concept to new standards. It provides lighting designers and production teams with a very powerful tool for realistic and real-time lighting simulation, shadow casting, color mixing, moving set pieces, special effects, and more.
Lighting Accessory of the Year: Rosco Power Supplies by Roscolab. An exceptionally useful power supply to reduce the growing number of black boxes required to drive the accessories every designer loves to use, from gobo rotators to scrollers and beyond.
Lighting /Architecture Product of the Year: SGM’s Palco 3 and 5, a compact, super bright color-changing floodlight for outdoor use. The Palco 3 and 5 offer all the advantages of LED’s, combined with a high flux of 2,800 lumen and stand alone operation.
Lighting/Entertainment Product of the Year: Pacific 45 degree – 75 degree ZOOM by Selecon. The latest in a unique and innovative series of stage ellipsoidals, Selecon’s Pacific 45 – 75 degree provides the beam width of a Fresnel with unmatched pattern projection capabilities. Available in both tungsten and metal halide versions, this fixture is an excellent addition to what is already an internationally recognized product line. An honorable mention goes to the CS4 Spotline by Studio Due.
The final award of the evening was presented to Ellen Lampert-Greaux, ETS-LDI conference director and consulting editor of ED/LD. Lampert-Greaux was given the Starlight Award, for her contributions to not only the ETS-LDI show, but also to Entertainment Design and Lighting Dimensions magazines. She has been a tireless source of support, guidance, and inspiration from the very first year of the show. Lampert-Greaux is the first ever recipient of the Starlight Award.
The ceremony was sponsored by Strong Entertainment Lighting, Stageline, QSC, Sound Image, Robe, and Yamaha, with special services provided by Matt Dillingham of Advanced Entertainment Services and Adrien Segeren of Le Maitre Special Effects, lighting designer Patrick Dierson and programmer Rodd McLaughlin.
ETC and Cast Software jointly announced changes to their worldwide distribution relationship today. From January 1, 2005, Cast Software will take over worldwide marketing and distribution of WYSIWYG, while ETC, in partnership with Cast, will continue the development and marketing of its own Emphasis control system. Cast will also supply ETC with WYSIWYG Perform Console Edition for distribution with several of its control products including the Avab, transtechnik Lichtsysteme and Emphasis product lines.
In a joint statement, the two companies said the decision to amend the distribution agreement was based on a number of factors. Since forming the original partnership with ETC four years ago, Cast and WYSIWYG have enjoyed strong growth, while ETC has expanded and grown its product portfolio. Now, "ETC and Cast have mutually agreed it is the right time for Cast to take over full distribution of WYSIWYG products themselves," says Bill Gallinghouse, VP of Marketing & Business Development at ETC. Gil Densham, President and CEO of Cast Software says the new deal means both companies will be "better able to allocate resources and ensure more focused development of our individual product lines."
The statement promises there will have no impact on ETC or Cast customers but merely changes the logistics of distribution. To smooth the transition, both companies will provide technical support for WYSIWYG users, ETC will continue providing service to Emphasis customers, Cast will work with existing ETC dealers to migrate their WYSIWYG business over to Cast, and both companies will continue to update the Emphasis control system software and fixture library on a regular basis.
Bob Mani, VP of Sales & Business Development for Cast Software, said: "The aim of this agreement is to simplify the user experience and more effectively develop our products. Cast is especially looking forward to a more direct relationship with our dealers, end users and potential customers."
ETC product marketing manager David Lincecum explains: "The Emphasis console line has grown significantly over the past two years, both in terms of sales and capabilities. We are excited about the Emphasis software we released this year, and look forward to our continued partnership with Cast." ETC will begin shipping WYSIWYG Perform Console Edition with some of their other control products.
Cast Software www.cast-soft.com
ETC www.etcconnect.com
Distributed in Australia by Jands Electronics www.jands.com.au
ALIA
AGM to be held in conjunction with backstage tour and industry social
event
ALIA's 2004 Annual
General Meeting is to be held in the Showroom of the Crown Casino, Melbourne,
on Tuesday November 16th at 6pm. Immediately after the AGM, Bytecraft's
George Nejtek will be hosting a backstage tour of the extensive production
facilities in the Casino's Atrium space. This in turn will be followed
by ALIA's preemptive celebration of Christmas/ Eid al-Fitr/Hanukah/Summer
Solstice/Kwanzaa/Yule - a Lighting Industry social gathering in the Pub
at Crown.
More details soon to be available on this web site.
After several false starts, Clipsal are now shipping the Insulated-Pin version of its popular (if not universally loved) 463 socket-adapter plug top. A Clipsal spokesperson has confirmed that by the end of this week, all Clipsal stockists will have received their backorders of this part.
Known as the 463 SUA ,We/Bk/Gy/Tr (colour = White Electrical/Black/Grey/Transparent) it will continue to be available only in OEM packs of 100 unassembled units.
Don't forget to use up any stock you may be holding of the previous metal-pin version of the 463, as these may not be sold or introduced into service after April 3rd 2005.
On Monday 11th October a SS Commodore was stolen from Coemar De Sisti Australia. The car had in it 4 x Coemar iCyc 250 MSD colour changing fixtures serial numbers:
CO98362972004021
CO98362972004028
CO98362972004035
CO98362972004022
If anybody has heard anything that they believe may relate to these stolen fixtures could you please call Stacey Baxter at CDA on 03 9467 8666.
Things are afoot in Queensland that could have a serious impact on the operational capacity and financial viability of all live entertainment production, and in particular the hire companies that provide so much of our industry's equipment.
Recent inquests into a workplace electrical fatality and the electrocution of a child at a caravan park have resulted in coronial recommendations for wider use of safety switches and amended regulations for the use of electrical equipment used outside the home.
Specifically, the Coroners recommended:
* amending the Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 (the Regulation) to require regular inspection and maintenance of all electrical equipment used outside the home including the means of delivery of power to equipment;
* expanding the safety switch initiative to include public accommodation such as caravan parks, private rental housing and public housing;
* introducing compulsory electrical inspection of these types of accommodation when sold and mandating regular supervision of electrical installations and maintenance regimes in them;
* legislating for the mandatory installation of safety switches in workplaces; and
* that the Department of Industrial Relations promote electrical safety awareness to the public so that the dangers of substandard electrical work and the benefits of safety switches are understood.
The Electrical Safety Office has initiated the Coroner's Recommendations Project to explore these coronial recommendations.
The proposed Code of Practice for Electrical Equipment to be made under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 has the potential to impose appreciable cost on the community or part of the community and thus the Electrical Safety Office has undertaken the process of a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) to examine all the issues.
The Queensland Government invites all members of the Queensland community to participate in the legislative development process by commenting on any information presented in this RIS.
On examining these documents (which are available for download from http://www.eso.qld.gov.au/legislation/index.htm), there are several points of interest to the lighting, hire and entertainment industries:
* there are some really good ideas relating to risk assessment and risk management that can match your actual operation situation... but
* all hired equipment may be required to be fitted with integral Residual Current Detectors (RCDs or Safety Switches).
* all existing load circuits (both power and lighting) may be required to be fitted with RCDs.
* hired equipment may be required to be tested and tagged before EVERY hire, rather than the Australian/New Zealand standard of every three months.
* stages have been identified as public places (that's not auditoriums, but STAGES - We have lots of punters on our stages).
* costings and operational impacts of implementing these proposals seem to have been made without any reference to the production industry and thus do not reflect the reality of rewiring patch panels or retrofitting RCDs to parcans and 650w mini-fresnels.
There's lots more of this if you care to download the documents and read them for yourself.
If ALIA is to make a submission to the RIS enquiry, it must be tendered by October 13th. To this end we are opening a Proposed Queensland Code of Practice topic in the Current Affairs section of the ALIA forums page (http://www.alia.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=203), as a place for discussion of the impact of these proposals and the approach we should take in our submission. If you work, play, or do business in the Sunshine State, please contribute to this process.
Brown's
Welding Launches new web siteMetal fabrication specialist Brown's Precision Welding, today launched it's new and completely redesigned web site at www.brownswelding.com.au.
Not only does the new site have downloadable CAD drawings of Brown's standard truss elements and accessories, load rating charts are also available for all of the types of truss manufactured by Brown's.
You can also see examples of custom metalwork projects ranging from the largest peace symbol ever constructed in Australia, to an innovative bracket system for rigidly mounting video projectors on truss and scaffold structures.
www.brownswelding.com.au
ALIA has received a letter from David O'Connor, New South Wales Commissioner for Fair Trading, assuring us that in NSW there will be no requirement to retro-fit Insulated Pin Plugs to equipment already in use before the 3rd of April 2005.
His letter states:
"The Office of Fair Trading will not take action against businesses hiring or making available for hire electrical articles with previously approved plugs simply on the grounds that the plug does not comply with the present Australian Standard."
In Tasmania, discussions with John Hammersley, Chief Electrical Inspector in the Tasmanian Office of Electrical Standards and Safety, have revealed that there will be no attempt on the part of Electrical Inspectors in that state to bring any retrospectivity to the requirement for Insulated Pin Plugs on equipment offered for hire. The issue will be discussed at a meeting of all Tasmanian electrical inspectors being held today (23/9) in Hobart.
Whilst ALIA has had similar assurances from Victoria's Office of the Chief Electrical Inspector, as yet no formal confirmation has been received.
ALIA's efforts in this area will continue until clear confirmation of the ERAC (Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council) policy of non-retrospectivity, has been received from all state and territory electrical safety authorities.
Winning
gobo design goes off on a TangentGideon Cheok's design "Tangent" was selected as the winner of the Melbourne Fringe Festival Gobo Design Competition. Entries for the inaugural competition, part of Resolution X's sponsorship of the Fringe Festival, were required to be based on the theme of "Angle".
"I have found that going off in tangents has helped me both personally and commercially in the design field," says Gideon. "The reason why I take this left-field approach is because I have so many ideas floating in my head. This is what is represented in my gobo design."
Gideon at age 21, is currently working in design, and studying for a Bachelor of Design (Multimedia Design) Honours at Monash University. He is unsure exactly how he will use his prize of $500 worth of lighting hire from Resolution X, but he is considering using it to showcase his honours design project.
The design is being made into a metal on glass gobo, that will be projected across the façade of the Federation Square complex every night from the official Switch On Ceremony on September 24th, until October 2nd.
Gideon's views on lighting and design are forthright, although they may not endear him to everyone in the lighting community:
A wise lecturer once told me-
How many designers does it take to change a light bulb?
A designer would say "does it have to be a light bulb?"
www.resolutionx.com.au/gobocomp
www.melbournefringe.com.au
There is good news from Theatrelight's Rex Gilfillan about the company's epic battle to regain control of its assets and intellectual property in China.
Rex reports that the Guangdong Supreme Court has just confirmed Theatrelight's claim against Zhuhai Commission of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (COFTEC), that former joint venture partner, Zheng Daheng had forged the signature of Theatrelight's Managing Director and counterfeited Theatrelight's company seal on joint venture company documents.
The case stems from a complaint Theatrelight laid against Zhuhai COFTEC in November 2002 regarding multiple forgeries and counterfeit Theatrelight company seals which had been approved by Zhuhai COFTEC inspectors.
At a COFTEC hearing into the complaint, Zheng Daheng claimed he had oral permission to copy the signature of Theatrelight's Managing Director Rex Gilfillan, and also to make copies of Theatrelight's company seal.
Although Zheng Daheng produced no evidence to confirm this extraordinary claim, the COFTEC investigators found his explanation plausible and took no action, forcing Theatrelight to bring an action against COFTEC in the Zhuhai Peoples Court.
The Zhuhai Court found in Theatrelight's favour, and that decision has now been confirmed as final after the failure of an appeal to the Guangdong Supreme Court.
Zhuhai COFTEC have now been ordered by the court to correct their previous authorisation of the forgeries.
For further news see wwww.theatrelight.co.nz
Debuting at the PLASA 2004 show was Flying Pig Systems' Hog 3 PC, which offers the convenience, flexibility and power of the Wholehog 3 operating system on a personal computer. The system of software and hardware components combines to produce any system that an end user needs, from cost-free Hog 3 PC software for viewing and editing Wholehog 3 shows through to a fully-fledged 4,096-channel console, depending on the number of USB DMX widgets. The company has also announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with ESP Vision Inc to provide Wholehog 3 lighting console users direct connectivity with ESP Vision software.
Firstly the product - Hog 3 PC offers popular features including the effects engine, a new remote focus device, which provides the freedom to operate all console functions from any location without the burden of cables. Hog 3 PC controls automated and conventional light fixtures, and hardware is backwards compatible with the discontinued Wholehog 2 software. It runs on a laptop or desktop computer or can be rack-mounted, making it ideal control for automated playback in retail and architectural applications.
Brad Schiller, HES director of software development, says: "The introduction of Hog 3 PC software greatly expands the capabilities of the Wholehog 3 operating system. Following a similar implementation as Hog 2 PC, the new software provides off-line editing functionality for the Wholehog 3 console as well as the new Hog iPC. Additionally, the Hog 3 PC software is able to network wired or wireless with other Wholehog 3 consoles or computers. The software even includes a specialized interface for remote focus use on a tablet PC."
HES has also announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with ESP Vision Inc to provide Wholehog 3 lighting console users direct connectivity with ESP Vision software. ESP Vision simulates all facets of a lighting fixture's capability and personality in real-time via a simple Ethernet connection with a Wholehog 3 console, providing a powerful toolset for creating complex shows and lighting designs.
Greg Jesse, president of ESP Vision Inc, said: "High End Systems/Flying Pig Systems have been the industry standard for lighting consoles for many years. As they move forward with their next generation of lighting products, ESP Vision will allow them to provide an added level of functionality to their users. Additionally, the integration between our products will allow a much more efficient workflow for the lighting programmer and designer."
Brad Schiller, HES director of control systems development, added: "We are excited to expand the visualization capabilities of the Wholehog 3 operating system. This integration applies not only to the Wholehog 3 console, but also to the new Hog iPC and Hog3PC systems. ESP Vision's ability to realistically simulate every aspect of automated fixtures is outstanding and unprecedented in terms of competing visualization software."
As part of the partnership, HES will sell the ESP Vision software to Wholehog III users through its dealer network. Lighting visualization with ESP Vision is accomplished directly with an Ethernet connection between the console and the visualization computer. No additional hardware is required.
www.highend.com
Australian distributor: ULA www.ula.com.au
click to enlarge
Over the past few months Lamba Audio Visual Group based in Enfield, Sydney, have amassed an incredible sixty-four Martin MAC250 Kryptons for use in their hire department. From there they have been deployed to various clubs and productions around the city.
“I’m looking to add even more by Christmas!” said Steven Tanou, Lamba’s managing director. “Our entire in-hire inventory consists of Martin fixtures as they are very reliable. The Kryptons are bright and one of the quickest moving lights on the market. I like their rotating and indexing gobo wheel. And, of course, Show Technology also offers a fantastic back up service.”
The most recent installation is at Pennant Hills Inn where their existing nightclub has been totally renovated into a venue called Evolution. In keeping with current trends, the venue features a lounge area as well as a dance floor. Eight MAC250 Kryptons, hung from a MEC lighting truss, supply the lighting for the dance floor whilst two ADJ Aqua lights project effects onto feature walls.
Martin LightJockey was chosen for control due to its ease of use.
www.lamba.com.au
www.showtech.com.au
Stars
in their Eyes
click to enlarge
LED Star Systems have been busy recently, supplying Led Star Cloth’s
to Channel 7 for the ‘Talking Footy – Coaches Awards’
telecast from Telstra Dome.
A 36metre wide ‘Full colour RGB’ star cloth was used as the
background on this event to compliment the printed banner drop set and
give a sense of depth on camera.
Other recent shows have been the ‘Victorian Training Awards’
at Crown Palladium which featured 2 x 12metre x 7.6metre Full Colour Star
Cloths, one on either side of the proscenium arch.
Also the ‘Telstra National Small Business Awards’ which were
held in Adelaide, with the entire back wall of the Adelaide Hilton Hotel
Ballroom draped with Led Star Cloth.
Lighting for both of these events was designed by LED Star Systems’
Mischa Temple.
LED Star Systems also provided a 12metre long, 3metre high and 3metre
wide Led Star Cloth ‘tunnel’ as the main entrance to Kmart’s
corporate dinner at Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.
In November, LED Star
Systems will be adding an additional 20 high intensity DMX controlled
‘white’ Led Star Cloths to its inventory for rental to compliment
its current stock of Full Colour RGB Star Cloths.
For more information
and a look at their recent show photos visit www.ledstarsystems.com
PLASA
Awards for Innovation - Winners for 2004
PLASA 2004 opened its doors on Sunday 12th September to enthusiastic crowds,
with a full show, hundreds of exciting products and a real buzz across
the show floor. Both visitors and exhibitors are commenting that the excitement
is back and the industry future looks bright.
The Product Excellence Awards at the PLASA show have been a popular feature
of the event for many years, highlighting the significance of the show
as a focus for new developments for the industry. To reinforce this role,
the awards have undergone an important change for 2004 with the focus
being much more on genuine innovation and have been relaunched as the
PLASA Awards for Innovation. The previous assessment criteria, which segmented
the nominations into sectors, has been removed so that products were not
judged within category lines, but on the grounds of their innovation alone.
The judges looked for products which advanced the industry, demonstrated
a new style of thinking, represented a key step forward in safety terms
or improved technical practices.
Despite this tighter judging criteria 66 products were entered, raising
over £10,000 for charity and bringing the total amount of monies
donated to good causes over the past 7 years to £55,000.
At a champagne reception
at PLASA's Central Bar on Monday 13th September the winners were applauded
by the industry and presented with their award by PLASA Chairman Diane
Grant.
The eight Awards for
Innovation were awarded to:
XLNT Advanced Technologies - Cyberhoist with InMotion
3D software control- a leap in forward chain hoist control with an elegant
solution in control and planning aspects of the production process.
Turbosound - Aspect Series - a completely original loudspeaker
horn design with elegant rigging equipment.
Sunlite Easy Stand Alone - a clever design and flexibility
in lighting distribution control coupled with a good approach to remote
system configuration.
Hall Stage - DGS Counterweight Drive - with a revolutionary
approach to design and a noticeable advancement to stage machinery technology.
Stardraw - Stardraw Control - with its innovative approach
to architectural building control and the potential to become a cost-effective
control interface for a wide range of applications.
White Light - Digital Festoon System - an innovative
return to incandescent lighting with a product that the judges thought
safe and foolproof, and which they believe will make inroads into entertainment
lighting.
Wireless Solutions - W-DMX Transceiver - taking wireless
data to new levels
Lewden Electrical - T-Line Splitter - a very simple and
useful device that made the judges wonder why it had not been done before.
Two products were also commended by the judges - the Architecta Wireless
Audio System and the SSE Hire Limited ProSight Inclinometer.
Nicola Rowland PLASA
Show director comments 'we are delighted that the new judging criteria
for the PLASA Awards for Innovation has been enthusiastically received
by our exhibitors. The standard and level of product entries demonstrates
how innovation and new product launches remain key - not only to the industry's
future - but also to the heart of the shows success'.
Matthew Griffiths,
PLASA Managing Director, says 'the high standard of entries bodes well
for the industry as a whole and demonstrates that innovation continues
to ensure that new ideas are constantly being developed.'
Enttec
want YOU to have a Datagate - $500 Trade-In Offer!
Enttec are offering great trade-in’s for your old DMX splitters
from now until December 1st 2004.
Simply purchase any of the models in the Datagate range and send Enttec
your old splitter to be eligible for the trade-in offer. As long as your
DMX Splitter works, you can get up to $500 back on the purchase price
of your Datagate.
The Datagate is the most versatile DMX/Ethernet tool available today,
and is available in three models. The Datagate D is a DMX Splitter with
one dedicated input and eight outputs, however the outputs can also be
used as inputs, making it the most flexible DMX Splitter around. All the
ports are opto-isolated up to 1500V, protecting your equipment from dangerous
voltages, and the Datagate D is RDM/Talkback compatible. With a simple
software upgrade, the Datagate D can be upgraded to the next model up,
the Datagate DM.
The DM is a DMX Splitter and Merger, with the same flexibility in number
of inputs and outputs as the Datagate D, but with the added functionality
of an HTP/LTP merger. This is where the ability to configure the ports
as either inputs or outputs starts to pay off, as you can take DMX streams
from two or more control desks and merge them to the other ports on the
Datagate, providing isolated splits of your new signal. You can configure
the merge to be either HTP or LTP, change the mark time, adjust the refresh
rate – just about anything you would ever need to do to get the
DMX to behave the way you want it to!
The Datagate DM can also be upgraded to the full-blown model – the
Datagate DME. The DME offers all the features outlined above with the
added benefit of being a fully configurable Ethernet in/out node. You
could send 8 universes of DMX from a Grand MA console, for example, via
its Ethernet port to the Datagate DME and have 8 Opto-Isolated 5-pin outputs
ready to go. You can even add a Rigger’s Remote to the input connector
on Port 8 and merge it with the signal coming from the desk!
Or, you could take
two control desks with standard DMX outputs, merge their signals and send
the combined DMX data through the Datagate’s Ethernet port to a
WLAN (wireless local area network) point and broadcast it to wherever
you need DMX data. See the Balanced Technology website at www.balancedtech.com.au
for further details on using the Datagate and other Enttec Ethernet
equipment for wireless DMX, and for advice on using the Datagate with
the Grand MA range of consoles.
The Datagate is compatible
with the Art-Net and ESP DMX-over-Ethernet protocols, as well as being
compliant with RDM/Talkback bi-directional DMX.
The trade-in offer is only available until December 1st, 2004. Trade-in
amount varies dependent upon the model of Datagate that is purchased.
For full terms and conditions contact Balanced Technology P/L.
For Availability, Pricing
or Further Information, call Balanced Technology on 1300 305 832.
www.balancedtech.com.au
GTV
9 choose Compulite Vector lighting consoleAfter an extensive search for new lighting consoles for their Melbourne studio, TV station GTV 9 has purchased a Compulite Vector through the Australian agent Coemar De Sisti Australia Pty Ltd.
The Vector is Compulite’s most recent console and one that the staff at GTV 9 had involvement in developing and fine-tuning. It features an enormous range of functions and utilises the familiar Windows XP operating system software. This makes it extremely easy for new operators to quickly come to terms with the host of powerful on-board features and allows them to fully customize the desktop using the “drag and drop” facility to suit individual operating styles.
Commenting on the purchase, Rohan Thornton, Lighting Supervisor at GTV 9, stated that “Compulite and CDA have provided software and hardware support that is second to none. Our participation in the development of the Vector has simply cemented that relationship. To be honest, there are so many great functions on the console they are too numerous to mention”
www.cdaust.com.au
Resolution
X sponsors a Gobo Design Competition for the Melbourne Fringe Festival
As part of their sponsorship of the 2004 Melbourne Fringe Festival, lighting
and production hire company, Resolution X is inviting entries for an open
Gobo Design Competition. The winner will see their design used to produce
a gobo that will be projected onto the façade of Melbourne's landmark
Federation Square complex during the Festival. The winning designer will
also receive a $500 Lighting Hire credit with Resolution X, for use on
their next production†.
Projection of the winning
gobo design will be officially switched on by its designer, at a ceremony
to be held in Federation Square at 7:45 on Friday 24th September. The
gobo will then be projected on the Federation Square building each night
until 3rd October.
The theme for the design
is ANGLE. Entries must be an original art or photographic work, suitable
for reproduction as a metal-on-glass greyscale gobo. Entries may not contain
company logos, advertising material or any image which is not the copyright
property of the designer. A limit of five entries may be submitted by
any one designer.
All entries must be
received at Resolution X by 12 noon on 20th September 2004. The competition
will be judged by a panel of Resolution X staff on 21st September and
the winning designer will be notified in writing on 22nd September.
Full details are available
from the Resolution X website (www.resolutionx.com.au/gobocomp)
www.melbournefringe.com.au
ALIA's most recent enquiries at Gerard Industries, manufacturer of everyone's favourite piggy-back plug, the famous Clipsal 463TR, have elicited an assurance that there will definitely be an insulated-pin version of the plug, and that it should be released for sale in the next couple of months.
Although the 463 was originally promised for release in early June, a spokesman for Gerard Industries admitted that the transition to insulated-pin products has been more complex than originally envisaged.
However, the compliant version of the piggy-back plug is expected to be available a full six months before the April 2005 transition date.
In July this year, Lux Entertainment Technology in Perth took delivery of eight Martin MAC550 and eight Martin MAC600 substantially adding to their existing inventory of sixteen Martin MAC250s.
Four Studio Due CityColor 400 wash fixtures with full CYM colour mixing were also delivered and Luxs’ Production Manager Matt Harris is rapt with their performance.
“I’m amazed at their light output considering they’re only a 400 watt fixture,” he said. “The CityColors allow us to achieve a big look in venues without 3 phase power. We can run four CityColors and have power left over on a single phase GPO! We've used them to provide ambient lighting in hotel ballrooms and marquees through to lighting the exterior of buildings and as colour wash on stage, in place of colour scrollers."
Dave Trapp, Luxs’ Managing Director, added that support from Show Technology on the sale was fantastic with the fixtures arriving at Lux less than a week from the placement of the order.
Lux have been steadily expanding their hire stock with recent purchases of Jands HP dimmers, a Hog 1000 desk and an extensive inventory of Global box truss which has served to meet their increase in demand for corporate events and fashion parade lighting design.
Despite the fact that it is winter, the guys at Lux have been busier than ever with what promises to be a massive summer on the way.
www.showtech.com.au
Melbourne’s newest Intelligent and cost effient lighting hire company WOOHAH PRODUCTIONS has just opened its doors. And they are offering all Victorian ALIA members a special price of $70.00 per unit per day, excl. G.S.T, for the Martin MAC250 moving lights. Their range also includes a brand new LSC Maxim 72ch desk with Patpad, Jem ZR12 DMX fogger and much more.
To take advantage of this great offer please contact Arosh Fernando on 0412 242 588 or email woohah_productions@hotmail.com.
Please note that this special price is only valid for hires between Mondays to Thursday and is valid till 1st of November 2004 and not for long term hires.Terms & Conditions apply.
WooHah Productions
170 Centre Dandenong Rd
Cheltenham 3192
Vic
Adelaide
Convention Centre increases lighting stock
The lighting department at Adelaide Convention Centre are delighted with
their latest purchase from Osmond Electronics of eight Martin MAC250 Kryptons
and an ELC Focus Brain.
The department are already big fans of Martin moving head fixtures owning
fourteen MAC250’s, eight MAC500’s, twelve MAC300’sand
forty Robocolor Pro 400’s.
“We purchased the MAC250 Kryptons to bolster our existing stock
of Martin fixtures particularly the older MAC250’s,” said
Peter Robins, Technical Planning Manager at the ACC. “We were finding
that the original MAC250’s were being taken up by room décor,
with some event specific work, and we needed more of the smaller fittings
for stage specific work.
“We don’t like to mix up brands if at all possible. If we
can stick to the same brand of fixture, whilst still servicing our needs,
then we will. Why would we change when we’ve always found the MAC’s
to be very reliable?”
Peter was impressed
by the optics of the Krypton as well as the new gobos supplied with the
fixture. He also liked their brightness.
“They often compete
with 2K fresnels as an open white wash on stage and they handle it well,”
he said.
The ELC Focus Brain,
an intelligent wireless remote control for DMX-512, is proving very useful
to the lighting staff that can now focus the MAC’s away from the
control desk.
The photographs are
of the MAC250 Kryptons in use at the Clipsal Industries Annual Ball held
at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Australian Distributor: Show Technology www.showtech.com.au
Your
chance to contribute to a new venture - Venue Magazine
This coming November sees the launch of Venue - a magazine for venue owners
and operators that concentrates on lighting, interiors and audio/visual.
You can download a 586Kb PDF information pack by clicking on the magazine
image
Sample stories available to download include Melbourne's Transport
Bar, Canberra's The Academy
Club and Melbourne's King Pin bowling
alley.
Venue magazine would like to invite you to submit any press information
which may be suitable for inclusion in the inaugural edition.
Please forward your information to cat@venuemag.com
If you would like to be included on their complimentary mailing, please
forward your address details to the following: jenny@venuemag.com
For advertising enquiries please email philip@alchemedia.com.au
Selecon
Purchases Optical Dimming Technology Patent from HES
Theatrical lighting
manufacturer Selecon Lighting of Auckland, New Zealand has reached an
agreement with worldwide automated lighting manufacturer High End Systems
(HES) to acquire intellectual property (IP) in the field of optical dimming.
Selecon under the agreement has purchased U.S Patent 6,241,366 titled
"Lighting System with Diffusing Dimmer" for an undisclosed amount.
The acquired technology is likely to be employed in Selecon's advanced
technology Pacific Ellipsoidals.
HES Chief Technology Officer Richard Belliveau states, "We are very
pleased to form this agreement with Selecon Lighting. Selecon is an innovator
in the field of theatrical instruments and we believe that the acquired
technology is a perfect match for their new products."
Jeremy Collins, Managing Director for Selecon Lighting, adds, "High
End's IP will allow us to deliver an improved dimming solution for our
Pacific MSR line at an affordable cost. Combining the highly efficient
MSR light source with the Pacific Ellipsoidal delivers a beam with the
output to balance or cut through high performance moving lights. A new
dowser incorporating HES IP delivers on our goal of a mechanical dimming
action close to the response of a tungsten halogen lamp. This new line
is planned for introduction in early 2005."
www.seleconlight.com
Melbourne based Enttec and LF Software Ltd of New Zealand have recently signed an exclusive partnership agreement. This agreement covers the LightFactory lighting control software which Enttec will add to it's product line. "We see it as a need for growing companies to join forces, Enttec has a forte in designing products and LightFactory Software Ltd has a track record of producing quality PC software. This synergy is the logical step forward," said Nicolas Moreau MD of Enttec.
Since Enttec will also include free of charge a limited edition of Light Factory with its Ethernet enabled products, users will now have a professional 36-channel control software free of charge. They can then easily upgrade to the full version when they feel the need. Lightfactory is also fully compatible with the recently released community project Open USB DMX widget. Students and educational institutions will have access to a special reduced education version, combined with the Open DMX USB widget this solution is one of the most cost effective professional lighting control products available and allows students and teachers to familiarize themselves with state of the art lighting control systems.
www.enttec.com/lightfactory.php
New MiniCitys working hard at the Gold Coast Arts Centre
The
lighting department at the Gold Coast Arts Centre took delivery of eight
Studio Due MiniCity 100 colour-washing units less than two months ago
but already they’ve been used for a wide variety of events.
“They were particularly great for one outdoor event where we only
had 15 amps of power,” said Brad Voss, Lighting Manager at GCAC.
“We couldn’t run par cans but as the MiniCity 100 is a 70
watt fixture we could run all eight of them, plus other lighting, on a
single 15 amp outlet.”
The event was the launch of Aura magazine, a life style magazine for those
that live on the Gold Coast, and the MiniCity 100’s were used as
truss toners.
“I was very impressed by them,” added Brad. “Their light
output was great and of course we had the option of CMY colour mixing.”
The MiniCity’s were also used on a prestigious Architects Awards
Dinner, held indoors, where they were sat at the base of the walls to
supply colour wash.
“For the Aura production I had full DMX control of the MiniCity’s
through a console but for the Awards Dinner I didn’t need DMX control,”
explained Brad. “Consequently I set up two masters and then slaved
the rest off the masters. By applied DMX to the two together I could then
switched the on at exactly the same time so the whole room changed colour
on their stand alone function. It was very easy to do. I also put a couple
outside as masters and switched them on at separate intervals so that
they colour mixed as well.”
Showing their amazing versatility, the MiniCity 100’s were used
on another show, held in the Showroom, as cyc lighting and yet another
for lighting up an outdoors rock’n’roll display.
“We set them up as stand alone and they just cycled through their
colour all night,” said Brad. “As they have an IP rating of
66 they’re great for outdoors scenarios. I’m thinking of using
them to colour our fly tower during the next festival.
“The MiniCity 100 is fairly easy to operate, is lightweight yet
robust and does not consume a lot of power. On top of that they have a
very good output for a discharge lamp. It’s certainly a versatile
fixture.”
The MiniCity
100 were supplied by Entertainment Services www.entservices.com.au
www.studiodue.it
Australian Distributor: Show Technology www.showtech.com.au
Brisbane
Convention & Exhibition Centre adds MAC600s to its MAC collection
Audio
Visual Innovations recently supplied the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition
Centre with twelve Martin MAC600 moving head fixture, which will compliment
the rig of Martin MACs, including eight MAC500 and twelve MAC250, already
owned by the Centre.
“We researched other manufacturer’s products as well,”
said Linda Haywood, Lighting Supervisor at the BCEC. “We were looking
for a colour mixing wash unit to compliment the gobos provided by the
MACs we already had.”
The lighting staff at the Brisbane Convention Centre were very impressed
by the CMY colour mixing offered by the MAC600 and the fact that it fitted
well into their family of MACs.
The Centre caters for conferences, meetings, exhibitions, gala dinners,
special and corporate events as well as concerts - everything from a basic
flood light to full concert sound, lighting and projection systems. These
events can be designed, supplied, installed and operated by the Centre’s
own creative and experienced technical personnel or there are times when
the Centre simply provides bare rooms for the client’s use.
“The MAC’s are very flexible and it’s extremely rare
for a client to request a different moving light,” concluded Linda.
“We find that the MAC’s suit both our needs and those of our
customers. "
AudioVisual Innovations
Brisbane Convention
& Exhibition Centre
Australian Distributor: Show Technology www.showtech.com.au
GrandMA
goes to the Footy
Well-known
and respected Australian lighting designer Rohan Thornton has used the
MA Lighting grandMA console for the first time and to say he was impressed
is an understatement!
Rohan travelled to Sydney with The AFL Footy Show that was held at the
Star City Showroom to coincide with the Collingwood versus the Sydney
Swans match. The show utilised the seven Martin MAC500 and eight MC600
fixtures already installed in the venue as well as an extra eight MAC500
and four Martin Atomic Strobes.
Rohan decided this was the ideal opportunity for him to use an MA Lighting
grandMA control desk for the first time ever.
“You can learn to use a console only so much in a showroom, you
really need an event on the end of it,” said Rohan. “With
such a straightforward rig I knew I’d have the time to give the
console the attention needed. Like all good consoles, the grandMA is not
a walk-up start and it’s all in your configuration. I took me a
little time to get my head around the whole configuration process, as
everyone does it differently, but once that was done it was extremely
easy and logical to operate.”
Rohan was particularly impressed by the ergonomics of the console stating
that everything was in the right place from which to operate.
“I was surprised to discover that after a couple of days using the
grandMA, there was nothing about the set up that irritated me!”
he exclaimed. “The display macros allowing you to constantly change
how you’re doing things is really useful and the executor buttons
are a great idea in the perfect place. Other manufacturers have tried
them but put them in places where they’re impractical to use.
“I also like its assembly of cues and its patch system is quite
easy. I found that I could do things like create another stream of dimmers
by following logical lines. Its approach to cue structure just feels right.”
Rohan also noted that the console was fast, responsive and did not take
up too much space front of house. He also thought that the UPS was a fantastic
idea. In fact he is very keen to use the grandMA again, as soon as possible.
“The primary reason why I looked at the grandMA is that we are now
at the point where we need consoles with more than four streams of DMX
for our special events where we hire in consoles,” he explained.
“I’m in the process of evaluating both the grandMA and the
Martin Maxxyz because I think that is where the market is heading.”
www.malighting.com
Australian Distributor: Show Technology www.showtech.com.au
Tokyo’s
World Lighting Fair presents the best of lighting technology for use in
a broad range of applications, including the stage, television, motion pictures,
theme parks, cultural presentations, as well as retail and trade shows.As the exhibition is an important opportunity to reach both the Japanese and growing Asian market, Jands decided that the World Lighting Fair was the ideal event at which to launch their VISTA lighting console into Asia. Jands has a long association with WLF going back to the first exhibition in 1986 when it was known as ‘Lighting Performance’, then at the fourth exhibition in 1992 when Paul Mulholland, CEO Jands Pty Ltd, sat on a panel discussion as part of the seminar programme.
Prior to the exhibition the Japanese distributor of Jands lighting equipment, Theater Engineering of Tokyo, sent four staff members to Sydney for two days of extensive training on the console. Akito Hara and Minoru Akimoto are both experienced board operators responsible for training, demos, and product support. Minoru Akimoto is currently based at Tokyo Disney where he has been using a WholeHog III console. Also part of the team were Akira Nishio, Sales & Marketing, and Lei Zhang, Service Manager.
David Harding and David Mulholland, along with other software developers from the R&D team, conducted the training sessions. Over the two-day period, the Japanese engineers engaged in hands on programming and operations training on all the Vista features.
The VISTA console flew back to Japan with the Theater Engineering team for further beta testing on some shows prior to the exhibition.
Tim Kennard, Jands Lighting Business Development Manager, attended the WLF where he oversaw the booth demonstrations of the VISTA T4, regularly attracting large crowds. As Tim Kennard’s Japanese is limited to ‘sushi’, Koyo Yoshizawa, Theater Engineering’s product specialist, conducted all demonstrations of the console with ease.
“The VISTA was enthusiastically received and much of my time between demonstrations was taken up with fielding questions from interested parties,” said Tim Kennard. “There was also a huge amount of interest in the VISTA T2, Event 4 and Event plus consoles.”
Jands was also involved with a presentation by Mr John Drummond Montgomery, the Australian Consul General to Osaka, as part of the seminar program on New Technology from Australia.
www.jandsvista.com
Show
Technology visit Calm trade showDarren McLanders from Show Technology and Ian Wood from Design Quintessence recently attended the CALM trade show that was held at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing from May 30 to June 2. The exhibition was held over eight halls with over 500 exhibitors, from large international manufacturers to local Chinese distributors.
"The expansion of the Chinese market is huge with many international manufacturers opening factories in China, as well as the huge amount of local OEM manufactures," noted Darren.
As well as being able to view the latest product developments from Show Technology's stable of suppliers, including Martin, Geni, Studio Due and Kupo, Darren was able to investigate the latest products on offer from Chinese manufacturers.
"Martin were showing the new PR-1 Mania and Maxedia multi-media package which were great," he said. "Also impressive were the new MOS moving scan from Geni and the PhotoWall 1200 from Studio Due. Other new items were also on display from Kupo including the Cyclorama series and their extensive range of rigging clamps."
Developments for Design Quintessence's product range included the impressive Global Truss stand that was situated out the front of the main hall.
"All in all, it was a very good opportunity to meet with suppliers to strengthen relationships further," Darren said. "There are already plans for a return visit to factory sites to not only extend the contacts, but to ensure the best possible price to pass on to our customers as well as to ensure further quality control on products."
Pictured is Darren McLanders with Ellen Chang (International Marketing Manager) and M.J. Chang (Managing Director) of Geni.
www.showtech.com.au
Clearlight Shows now have available to purchase or hire the new Selecon Pacific Followspot.
The new Pacific Followspot, which has superceded the Chorus, has a cool beam and is compact in size. It offers a wide choice of light sources from a 1000w Blue Pinch lamp to a 575w MSR plus the revolutionary 80v 1200w lamp.
For further information, please go to www.clearlight.com.au or visit our showroom for a demonstration.
Recently members of the NSW chapter of the IES, including several architectural lighting designers, were treated to an evening of product demonstrations at the Sydney Show Technology headquarters.
The Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand Ltd is an organisation comprising six Chapters which are located in the Australian States and New Zealand. The aim of the Society is the advancement of the art and science of illumination and the dissemination of knowledge to all interested parties. The Society's diversified membership includes engineers, architects, educators, students, contractors, manufacturers and designers.
Andrew Winslade delivered an informative talk on various products to the group whilst Vince Haddad conducted hands-on demonstrations.
"We believe that it is important to ensure that the members of the IES are kept up to date on the products that we offer," explained Andrew. "The members don't often get to see what is available in the entertainment market which is important because many entertainment fixtures are ideal for architectural applications."
Andrew and Vince emphasised to the group the importance of not only specifying the correct equipment but also the correct service and maintenance schedules to in order protect the investment and ensure longevity of the product.
"We looked at colour changing fixtures, moving heads, DMX stand alone devices and the LED products," said Michael Toth, Technical Secretary for the IES. "They did a great job at introducing entertainment lighting to architectural specifiers. It was also good to discover that service and trained service personnel back up the technology offered by Show Technology."
"I was particularly impressed by the Martin MAC 250 moving heads and their ability to project effects such as either water or fire onto a wall. That appealed to most of us because of its open possibilities."
Michael also noted the appeal of the Pulsar LED fixtures to the members, mentioning their long life
"I also liked the Pulsar LED fixtures especially as everybody is interested in what we call the 'Kinetic Effect' which is the slow harmonious changing of a scene. You can look at a scene and it's light blue, lift your head thirty minutes later and it's red."
www.showtech.com.au
LED
Star Systems - New Company, New Product!
Established in February 2004 by Mischa Temple, LED Star Systems is featuring
a new LED product to the Australasian market.
Something old is new again with the invent of Full Colour Mixing LED Star
Cloths.
Unlike conventional 'pea-light' or 'fibre optic' star cloths LED Star
Systems star cloths feauture tri colour LED's, each LED producing high
intensity RED, GREEN and BLUE from within each individual LED with total
control of each colour meaning full colour mixing capabilities across
the star cloth.
The star cloths panels measure 3m x 7.6m are powered by 1 socapex cable
which plugs into a dedicated DMX addressable power supply.
The drape has 4 circuits of LEDs randomly placed across the drape and
is controlled by 12 DMX channels allowing an endless number of colour
and 'twinkiling stars' possible looks.
LED Star Systems is currently a rental house but in the later half of
2004 will be going into manufacture for sales and installations.
Recent events that have used LED Star Systems star cloths include, ULA
stand at ENTECH, TV Week Logie Awards 2004, American Express Corporate
Dinners, This Is Your Life and NRL Footy Show
www.ledstarsystems.com
A wealth of experience from the professional world has vitalised and energised the Lighting department at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
The new look team that commenced in 2004 continues the WAAPA tradition of bringing in experienced, active professionals, to ensure students get the most up to date and innovative technical and creative training. Their combined wealth of industry contacts and know how will only serve to enhance the WAAPA Lighting Design course, and strengthen the Academy's reputation in the industry.
Joseph Mercurio has taken up the lead role as Lighting Co-Coordinator, returning to Perth after 12 years in Sydney, working predominantly in Dance and Drama. Lecturer in Production Technology, Brian Anslow, brings extensive industry experience, including recent tours with Britney Spears, and Enrique Iglesais. The third member of the team is WAAPA graduate, Dene Jones, who has returned to Perth after fours years at the Brisbane Convention Centre, to take on the role of Lighting Supervisor.
The team brings with it a renewed focus on emerging technology and innovative equipment, as illustrated by the recent purchases of a Strand 520i lighting control desk and two Robert Juliat Buxies follow spots from Bytecraft. The 520i will ensure that all graduates from WAAPA are fully trained on Australia's most popular lighting control desk, and the Buxies provide the opportunity for students to gain valuable experience on professional level follow spots. WAAPA greatly acknowledges the generous support of Bytecraft Entertainment, Strand Lighting and David Storie.
The moving light inventory is also growing with the recent addition of two moving head fixtures from the world-renowned Vari*lite, through the efforts of Brian Anslow and Tim Kennard of Jands. WAAPA especially acknowledges Jands generous on-going support of WAAPA lighting students.
After a very successful visit to the Entech trade show WAAPA, now also engaged in promising negotiations with ULA, Robe and ADB for further technical and equipment support.
"We're all really excited to be on board at WAAPA" said Joseph Mercurio. "The new team as well as WAAPA's new state of the art production facilities and equipment will keep our graduates a step ahead".
Captions:
Third year student with Joseph Mercurio (centre) with new follow spots and lighting desk.
Brian Anslow (far right) shows student around the inside of a Vari*lite 2412
ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.) is adding another respected company and set of technologies to its global family. The international entertainment and architectural lighting company is pleased to announce their acquisition of dimming manufacturer IES, Veenendaal, the Netherlands. The purchase was finalized May 26, 2004. With the IES agreement, ETC further broadens the scope of its European product offerings, which already includes products under the transtechnik Lichtsysteme and Avab brands.
According to Steve Terry, ETC Vice President of Research and Development, "IES has developed unique products that complement our current product offerings and provide silent dimming for concert halls and theaters. IES has been a pioneer in sine wave dimming technologies. IES dimming will be an integral component in ETC's total lighting systems."
ETC plans to dramatically increase sales of IES products through ETC's comprehensive sales network in Europe as well as introduce the technologies to the North American and other global markets. Says Terry, "We will give IES the market access they deserve."
As part of the purchase, ETC also adds IES sister company Penko Engineering B.V., which specializes in the development and manufacture of high accuracy electronic weighing, dosing and batching systems designed for use in process industries. Both companies share manufacturing, engineering and technical resources, which are located in Veenendaal. According to Jan de Jonge, principal of IES, "Penko is a critical part of IES's success. We are very pleased that we will be able to continue to offer our products and services through ETC. With their experience and support we are able to make this technology available on a global scale." ETC sees strong synergies with the division in its future product development.
Fred Foster, CEO states: "IES and Penko have earned strong reputations in their respective markets. We welcome the opportunity to bring together the best people and ideas in our development efforts and leverage our combined technologies to meet the increasing demands of the worldwide market."
www.etcconnect.com
PRG
and VLPS in Agreement to Merge
Production Resource Group, LLC and VLPS Lighting Services International,
Inc. today jointly announced a merger agreement, under which a newly formed
subsidiary of PRG would merge with and into VLPS, with VLPS becoming a
wholly owned subsidiary of PRG. The new PRG would operate as PRG Lighting,
PRG Audio and PRG Scenic Technologies. VLPS' sales in 2003 were $63.5
million.
The transaction, approved by the boards of both companies, is subject
to the conditions set forth in the merger agreement, including the approval
of VLPS' stockholders and completion of regulatory review. The holders
of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of VLPS stock have executed
a voting agreement and agreed to vote in favor of the merger. Terms of
the transaction call for VLPS stockholders to receive approximately $8.32
per share in cash at closing, and up to approximately $0.50 per share
payable from an escrow account established to pay for any indemnification
claims. The announcement was made at company facilities in Los Angeles
via teleconference hook-up to both companies' employees, worldwide.
PRG's shareholders, which include management shareholders, PRG's founders
and Boston Ventures, have approved the deal, and appropriate regulatory
filings have been made. Tony Bolland of Boston Ventures commented, "We
think this is the kind of transaction that will position PRG as a global
brand leader in the entertainment services industry." Upon closing,
the transaction will result in a fully integrated equipment rental and
services company for automated and conventional lighting and audio systems,
as well as scenery fabrication and automation technologies to serve the
entertainment industry from facilities in 13 cities, worldwide. GMAC Commercial
Finance and Fortress Credit Corporation will provide senior and junior
secured financing.
Both PRG and VLPS are pioneers in an industry that has been traditionally
"cottage" in scope, often severely stressed by overall economic
fluctuations. In this environment, both companies have seized industry
leadership roles; VLPS with its Emmy Award-winning automated lighting
technology, and PRG as a successful integrator of production design, management
services and equipment for the live entertainment market. PRG's Jeremiah
"Jere" Harris and H.R. "Rusty" Brutsché III
of VLPS have been recognized for being at the vanguard of leadership and
innovation in the industry's development. At the new PRG, Harris will
be chairman and CEO and Brutsché will be vice chairman and chief
technology officer.
Plans call for PRG to maintain its headquarters facilities in New Windsor,
N.Y. The new PRG has operating facilities strategically in most major
entertainment locations, including Chicago, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles,
New York City and vicinity, Michigan, Nashville, Orlando, Tokyo and Toronto,
among others.
The hire and production industries can breathe a collective sigh of relief on the matter of Insulated Pin Plugs on hired equipment.
In a move aimed at eliciting a definitive regulatory response to the issue, ALIA arranged to place the matter on the agenda of the recent ERAC meeting . ERAC, the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council, is responsible for the liaison between the technical and safety electrical regulatory authorities of eight Australian States/Territories and New Zealand.
Speaking on behalf of ERAC, Peter Morfee, Principal Technical Advisor to the Energy Safety Service in the NZ Ministry of Consumer Affairs, told ALIA:
"Simply put, it was agreed by ERAC that the requirements applying to insulated pins was not intended to be applied to the hire of equipment and that the implementation of the introduction of insulated pin plugs would reflect that.
Obviously new items would be expected to comply and replacement plugs likewise."
Whilst it is now clear that no Australasian regulator wants the new safety regime to be retrospectively enforced on the hire industry, it remains for ALIA to follow through on the process, to ensure that the regulations in each jurisdiction actually implement that intention.
ALIA's dealings with the NSW authorities appear to have been fruitful, and preliminary discussions with the Victorian regulator look very promising. The ERAC statement should assist ALIA in their dealings with the remaining regulatory and safety bodies.
ERAC http://www.erac.gov.au
From July 1 2004, all Jands 3 Phase dimmer and power distribution products fitted with a flying input lead will be manufactured with a 40A plug, with the exception of the HP6 which will be manufactured with a 50A plug.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Jands through www.jands.com.au, emailing info@jands.com.au or by calling 02 9582 0909
Going live recently, the new FXRange website at www.fxrange.com.au features a complete range of effects and will be regularly updated to provide details on the every-growing list of products available. Aimed primarily at the club, pub and mobile dj market, the product range includes the latest innovations in entertainment lighting - from high-powered moving yokes right down to simple pinspots and mirrorballs. Bookmark it now! For those wanting a more convenient look at the FXRange, contact CDA now on (03) 9467 8666 or via email at sales@cdaust.com.au for your CD version.
In conjunction with the FX Range website, CDA have released a new FX Range Catalogue CD, with a full PDF catalogue covering the complete range of products - from high-powered moving yokes right down to simple pinspots and mirrorballs. Contact CDA now on (03) 9467 8666 or via email at sales@cdaust.com.au for your copy.
Resolution
X adds MAC2000 Wash fixtures to its expanding range
Melbourne
hire and production company, Resolution X has further expanded its growing
moving light inventory with the addition of twenty Martin
MAC 2000 Wash units. "We've had amazing growth this year. With the
20 new MAC 2000 washes, we have now added 100 new moving fixtures since
January." said Tim Hall, Managing Director of Resolution X. "The choice
of the MAC 2000 Wash was an easy one - it is what our clients are asking
for".
The MAC 2000s add to Resolution X's already large Martin inventory which
includes MAC 250 Krypton, MAC 250 Entour and MAC 550s. "With over 220
Martin, Studio Due and Clay Paky fixtures, we are able to provide solutions
to all our clients projects" added Tim.
www.resolutionX.com.au
Lighting industry pioneer and leading event production consultant Colin Baldwin has just launched his new 'Event and Lighting Design Consultancy' Internet site [www.colinbaldwin.com]. Colin Baldwin Consulting is dedicated to the continued development of his established LD and design consulting business, and addressing his accumulation of international opportunities in addition to local clients needs.
The site explains both to the experienced professional and novice how Baldwin's acknowledged understanding, resources and experience will deliver practical expertise on all creative and technical aspects of their next successful corporate occasion, outdoor spectacular, live entertainment or installation.
The new site has also provided Colin with the opportunity of incorporating an illustrated and updated on-line edition of the '30 Year History of Rock Lighting and Sound' originally compiled by Graham Harrison, Julius Grafton and himself before its publication two years ago.
"Looking back after thirty years in the Australian entertainment lighting industry, I was struck by the absence of any recorded back-stage history, and the realisation that many of the industry's true pioneers would not be around to recount their recollections between rehearsals for much longer", explains Colin. "I wanted to add the rich experiences and technical breakthrough of so many talented lighting and audio technicians to my own memories of three decades of live production and touring. With the intent of staging an exhibition and publishing a permanent record at Entech in 2002, I approached Julius Grafton, and with his assistance and the efforts of Graham Harrison my concept of a behind the scenes industry anthology of the people, enterprises and technology that have shaped Australian live production over the last 30 years became reality.
All history is continually compiled and interpreted, therefore this fascinating anthology has been brought up to date for Colin's website by Graham Harrison, who has included some contributions inspired by the original Entech print version and some contemporary material too. It is intended that the on-line history will be regularly updated attracting contributions via the incorporated history submission form. It is anticipated that this invitation will facilitate new on-line photographic and text contributions. Contemporary information on landmark developments that's significance is worthy of recording in the industry's annals is as welcome as material from those who can still clearly recall the last four decades. Add the site to your favourites so you can keep abreast of the people and activities that continue to shape the future of our industry.
'Colin Baldwin dot com' also contains links to Colin's Showcorp Group, an accomplished performance-based events and technical support company, comprising three linked enterprises, the Great Outdoor Lighting Company, Showcorp Production and Showcorp Video Solutions that work independently and in concert to bring you the best the Australian industry has to offer. Each of Showcorp's three operating divisions shares Colin Baldwin Consulting's commitment to the art of applied imagination, original concept realisation and total quality management.
To view the site log on to www.colinbaldwin.com alternatively you can contact Colin by phone on (02) 9428 5888. Historical images and text submissions can also be emailed to history@colinbaldwin.com or posted care of The Showcorp Group, Unit 13, 9-11 Chaplin Drive, Lane Cove, NSW 2066.
Europe's most specified colour changer is now available in Australia from SHOWCRAFT. This world class product is being supported by the most qualified company in the region. The technical staff at Showcraft with it's long term knowledge of scroller mechanics will be your guarantee for service to the Rainbow range of scrollers both past and present.
The most recent Pro-series Rainbow is a quantum leap in scroller technology as a result of recent engineering enhancements. Not only has there been a quality improvement - there is also very competitive pricing to go with it.
Rainbow scrollers come in six different sizes with adaptors plates to suit any type of theatre fitting. The product range includes two power supply sizes for either large or small installation requirements, heatshields and cables.
Further enquiries to:
Showcraft Australia Pty Ltd
Lee Conlon
937 Bourke street
Waterloo
NSW 2017
Phone: 02-96983009
Email: rainbow@showcraft.com.au
Web: www.rainbow-colour-changers.de
Oceania
Zooms Robe to New CaledoniaLeading New Zealand production company, Oceania Lighting has further added to their inventory, with the purchase of Robe MS Zoom 250XT fixtures. The Zooms will be put into service in Oceania's New Caledonia operation. Says Oceania Simon Garrett, "Given we are putting the Robes to work in New Calendonia, we were looking for the best overall solution for performance, durability, and "best fit" - the Robe's certainly fit the bill".
Oceania went through a comprehensive inspection of options for the purchase, Robe coming out on top for performance, construction and serviceability, says Simon "All our crew believe the construction of Robe's are certainly a step above the Macs, there's a nice combo of colours and gobos (and spare gobos too), and the the clamp setup is very good also."
www.ula.com.au
Geni
fixtures for Sydney schoolOnce Ravenswood School for Girls on Sydney's North Shore had decided that their theatre needed updated lighting fixtures, the search was on for a moving head that was great value for money.
Ravenswood's Theatre Technician Paul Fellowes soon found the solution to his quest: three Geni Oby 3 moving head fixtures. Impressed by the Geni quality he also recommended the purchase of two Geni Mojo Scan III moving mirror lights and two Geni Mojo Spin Master 3 effect lights.
"We needed a fixture that would make educating the girls easy," said Paul. "My primary focus is the girls and how to give them the best experience possible. Moving lights seemed the way forward as they are very prominent in the industry. Long gone are the days of par cans.
"The Geni Oby 3's met our budget requirement. I really like their movability, the pan and tilt is very good. They have a good range of gobos and they're very easy to use. They're definitely good value for their price."
Martin LightJockey was chosen for control; fitting the price budget as a desk controller would have reduced the funds available for lights.
"LightJockey is quite easy to use and is an excellent teaching tool."
www.showtech.com.au
Lightwright
launches new web siteLightwright Productions has launched a new and exciting web site http://www.lightwright.com.au. The company specialises in lighting and production design, from nightclubs and dance parties through to corporate product launches and events.
The proprietor Brad Wright has over ten years experience in the industry during which time he has worked on many different events and in a multitude of venues. Brad has gained a firm knowledge of lighting, lasers, vision, audio and staging and now uses this knowledge to benefit his clients.
After an absence of well over a month, the Stagecraft Mailing List, one of the Internet's oldest and finest technical production resources is now back on-line.
The stagecraft mailing list is for the discussion of all aspects of stage work, including (but not limited to) design, construction, operation and maintenance of costumes, lighting, props, scenery, sound and special effects, as well as company management, hall management, hall design, and show production. Subscribers include theater professionals and vendors, teachers and students, community theater volunteers and others who are interested in the subject.
You can subscribe to the list by sending an email to: stagecraft-subscribe@theatrical.net
Color Kinetics Inc (CKI) and Main Light Industries Inc, an entertainment lighting specialist, have announced an agreement whereby Main Light will leverage Color Kinetics' intelligent solid-state lighting technology to develop Soft-LED - an LED-based drapery for entertainment applications.
Through the agreement, Main Light will apply Color Kinetics' patented LED control technology to offer Soft-LED - a drapery which allows precise control of individual LED sources, offering designers a flexible medium with which to create shapes, patterns and complex light shows that span thousands of individually controllable tri-color LED nodes. Soft-LED will be available in various sizes and form factors to accommodate diverse applications and installations.
"Our agreement with Main Light opens another exciting channel for Color Kinetics' intelligent LED technology," said Bill Sims, president and COO of CKI. "Main Light's expertise in developing versatile light draperies coupled with Color Kinetics' solid-state lighting technology and know-how will create a powerful tool for lighting designers across many applications."
"Main Light is known for innovative fibre optic use in entertainment lighting, and we're thrilled to align with Color Kinetics to add the advantages of proven, intelligent solid-state lighting technology to our product line," said Aidas Gimbutas, president of Main Light. "We've already seen demand for Soft-LED, which enables whole new design possibilities through advanced control of LEDs, and we look forward to the many inventive applications that will follow."
www.colorkinetics.com
Xciter
excites in BrisbaneWhen Brisbane-based lighting designer / DJ Josh Frey was looking for a lighting controller that was easy to use, reputable and of good quality for a nightclub, he realised that the Martin Xciter was just that product. This hands-on lighting controller allows operators to instantly manipulate the light show via easy-to-use buttons and faders for more spontaneous lighting effects.
"I wanted something different yet was similar to a desk with an effects engine," he said. "It also had to be versatile enough to run stage shows. It's very functional in that respect. I like the speed and ability to do blind programming."
The Xciter is currently in use at the Cesars nightclub where it controls 16 Martin MX4's, 1 Martin Atomic strobe and two Martin Magnum hazers. Functions like the Atomic strobe and Magnum hazers can be assigned to each of four programmable customisable buttons on the Xciter for personalised, intuitive control.
"I like the fact that the Xciter incorporates the simplistic nature of the old, simple DMX desks like the DMX Masters. It incorporates that then gives you the facility to use an effects engine and a more digital approach. I also like how you can lock the desk to a dummy standard - you just press a cue and a particular show on a preset comes up. It makes it very simplistic even for when I'm not there."
With Josh not at the club every night he obviously liked the fact that other operators can not damage the programming in the Xciter in any way but they can create a show easily and quickly with very little tuition. The ability to improvise to match the mood by manipulating light shows live with instant pitch control, freeze, flash, blackout, master control and more is an important feature of the Xciter.
BJ's in Brisbane supplied the Xciter.
www.showtech.com.au
Bowie
cancels US show after lighting technician's death
The following report
is from the Daytona Beach News Journal:
David Bowie's concert tour will not return to Miami after his performance
was canceled when a spotlight technician fell to his death, his promoters
said Friday.
About 4,600 fans went home without seeing or hearing Bowie after the stage
hand fell about 50 feet from a ladder and landed on the side of the stage
Thursday at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami.
Stereophonics, the opening act for Bowie's show, had finished their set
a few minutes before the incident. The worker, identified Friday as Walter
Thomas, 44, of Pembroke Pines, was apparently trying to adjust lighting
in preparation for Bowie's performance, fire-rescue officials said.
Miami police spokeswoman Amy Salas-Jacobson said Friday that the investigation
was continuing but detectives believed it was an accident.
Clear Channel Entertainment, Bowie's tour promoter, released a statement
Friday saying scheduling difficulties will prevent the British pop star
from returning to Miami. Fans who bought tickets will get their money
back.
Bowie was "deeply saddened" by the accident, according to a
press release.
Glenn Ward, house tech at the Prince Bandroom in St Kilda Victoria reprots that on Monday morning at 600am some equipment was stolen from the premises.
Stolen equipment includes: An EQ Rack containing 3 x BSS Opal FCS-966 Dual Graphic and 1 x dbx 1046 Quad comp EQS; AMP Rack containing 2 x Crest Audio CA:9 Amps and 1 x Cross over for EAW 650 Tri Comp Boxes.
Also stolen was an Avolites Azure 2000 control desk and W/ 2 x 5pin to 3pin XLR DMX Cables plus 2 Record Needles Techniques brand.
If anyone has any information please contact Dave Rubin Bandroom Manager 0408 804 532 or Glen Ward Sound Technician - 0403 983 833 or email Glenn at lilgoobs72@yahoo.com
With over a dozen manufacturer representatives, a brand new custom made stand, and many very exciting new products to talk about Jands are celebrating a busy and successful ENTECH this year.
Quality conversations seemed to be the theme of the show for Jands; with most of the factory experts attending for the various brands commenting on the variety of visitors to previous years and their interest in new products and technology. It was also exciting to hear that many contractors were immediately mentally placing new product in up and coming installations after talking to staff on the stand.
The Jands demonstration room, showing everything from JBL VerTec, ETC's new moving light, and the new Jands Vista console, was often standing room only due to its popularity! David Bell, Sales and Marketing Manager said "The demonstration room was a the most successful we've ever run. Even on the last day at 5pm we had a dozen people turn up to watch the final Vista presentation".
The pinnacle of the show for Jands was probably Tuesday nights Vista launch. It was the first time the hotly anticipated Vista Console had been shown in Australia, and the excitement surrounding this was proved by the over 100 guests that showed up, listened to the presentation, and shared a drink (or three) with Jands staff and International representatives. Tim Kennard, Lighting Development Manager, and presenter at the launch said "it was great to hear so many people say how pleased they were to see an Australian manufacturer developing a truly innovative product and taking it to the world market. "
Lexicon Pro was also re-launched at the show by Jands, who have only recently obtained the agency for Australian distribution. New home studio type products like the OMEGA proved to be a big hit, with the more high-end 962L also drawing a lot of interest.
For any information regarding Jands products, or anything you saw or heard about at ENTECH 04 please visit www.jands.com.au, email info@jands.com.au, or simply call 02 9582 0909. High resolution images of the stand are also available on request.
www.jands.com.au
In the past
couple of weeks, Thomas Pixelline LED Battens have been seen at The Logies,
on the Radiohead tour and on Pink's current world tour (pictured right).
Radiohead's lighting design centred around 72 vertically hung Thomas Pixelline
1044 LED battens mounted on specially designed frames made by James Thomas
Engineering.If you missed the Pixelline's on these events don't worry - Clearlight Shows has erected an in house display for a short time only utilising 32 battens, controlled via RADlite.
To arrange a personal demonstration, please contact Martin Bowman on (03) 9553 1688.
High End Systems has launched a new 'community website' for digital lighting professionals and enthusiasts. The site enables registered members to ask questions and exchange valuable information about HES' Catalyst Media Server and Software product family, the DL1 Digital Light, and all aspects of digital content preparation, including the tips, tools and techniques for optimizing graphics and video for digital lighting.
The community site also provides a convenient calendar to publish and track important events affecting the digital lighting community and a 'My Home' area where members can customize site features. Another feature - the Gallery - is a showcase that enables members to view and share photos of successful digital lighting productions, associated people, products and services.
www.highend.com/community
Philips Luminaires and Martin Architectural have formed a commercial cooperation in Europe that enables Philips Luminaires to offer Martin Architectural's range of luminaires within certain segments of the architectural lighting market. The cooperation is between Martin Architectural and Philips Luminaires and does not involve Martin's entertainment division or any other division of Philips.
Philips will offer Martin Architectural products with the full support and technical back-up of Martin Architectural's European distributors who will continue their own independent strategy of marketing and sales in all segments of the architectural lighting market. The agreement also gives Martin Architectural the opportunity to offer Philips luminaires. Martin Architectural will, however, continue its cooperation with Louis Poulsen Lighting A/S in Scandinavia.
The commercial cooperation has in fact been underway since the beginning of the year on a pilot country basis in Spain and Portugal only, where it has met with success. The European-wide agreement has now come into immediate effect.
Gorm Teichert, Martin Architectural international sales director, commented: "We see only a positive outcome for both parties to this cooperation. We found a good synergy between our companies, and our cultural differences have so far only proven to be positive. As a company that specializes in adaptive and dynamic lighting, we have a unique set of products that forms an excellent complement to Philips' own broad range. The cooperation will combine Philips' market presence and experience with our strong service and technical abilities. Together we can offer clients the broadest possible range of lighting solutions with comprehensive technical back-up."
Ted van der Put, CEO of Philips Luminaires in Europe and senior vice president of Philips Lighting, stated: "We are excited to extend our leading luminaires position by teaming up with Martin, a very competent and fascinating player in imaginative architectural lighting. I am convinced our wide customer base in Europe will appreciate our enhanced offer in dynamic lighting solutions as a consequence of this partnership."
Philips's segmentation of the market means Martin Architectural will continue to pursue its niche of dynamic and colour changing lighting solutions to the wider market of architectural light.
www.philips.com/newscenter
John Pappas from Pappas Media Services today announced that a contingent of Australians will be travelling to Athens to light the American Broadcaster NBC's coverage of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, after successfully securing a labour contract with NBC's Lighting Design contractor; New York based Lighting Design Group.
Pappas, who is well known throughout the television lighting industry, had previously worked with the Lighting Design Group on the Emmy award winning coverage of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Negotiations which started 12 months ago will see both John, and Richard Neville of RSNLX in Sydney, travel to Athens in July. They will be based in NBC's studios at the Broadcast Centre in Athens for the duration of the two month contract.
"This is yet another example of how highly regarded Australian Crews are, throughout the world" John Pappas said. "It is also a great opportunity for both Pappas Media and RSNLX to expand further into the International Market."
maXims
at Resolution XLSC Lighting Systems has supplied Melbourne-based lighting and presentation solutions company, Resolution X Pty. Ltd. with five maXim lighting control desks, each fitted with the LSC PaTPad moving light controller. The purchase is part of an upgrade to Resolution X's control desk inventory.
Resolution X's MD Tim Hall selected a maXim MP 48 fader console with 24 Intelligent fixture control, two maXim LP's 72 fader desks with 36 Intelligent fixture control and two maXim XLP's - 96 fader with 48 Intelligent fixture control.
The new consoles will go into immediate action on Resolution X's busy schedule of fashion, exhibition, event and general production work. Hall chose the LSC brand following plenty of experience with the equipment in the past, he commented: "It was an easy choice, specially once I saw the power of the moving light controller, I knew this was the best range of desks for us."
Resolution X had been searching the market for over two years for a reliable, versatile console for its small and medium sized shows. The company needed something that could comfortably handle up to 16 moving lights and 24-36 dimmer channels. Resolution X's larger consoles are now freed up for larger projects.
The Resolution X crew recently attended a maXim Training Workshop conducted by LSC's Richie Mickan. The workshop emphasized the maXim range's speed and simplicity, specifically in relation to intelligent fixture control. An interactive CD ROM is now supplied with each maXim console fitted with the PaTPad moving light module, and a new high resolution DVD version is available for those conducting training and exhibitions.
www.lsclighting.com.au
click to enlarge
Active Lighting of Melbourne have purchased twenty-two Martin MAC250 Entours moving head fixtures to compliment the existing MAC2000 units they already have in stock.
Active Lighting supplies a lot of lighting for television production and they found the Entour ideal for this application.
"We wanted a fixture that we could get a fair quantity of and that would work well on camera," said Active's Toby Harding. "We didn't need a fixture with as much grunt as a MAC2000. Quite often it's better to have a large quantity of fixtures to fill a lot of the holes for the camera shots. You certainly get your bang for your buck."
Corporate work was also taken in to consideration with Toby liking the fact that the Entour doesn't draw much power and also fits well into smaller venues.
"It's good to have a small fixture that fits into a small space yet still has all the 'bells and whistles' of a larger unit!" he stated. "For a company like Active they are ideal as they can service a variety of requirements. The price is also very important as it means we can hire them out at a very reasonable rate. A high school or small theatre company can now afford a small moving light rig."
Toby is quite astounded by the amount of light output the Entour offers from a 250watt globe. He also enjoys the flexibility that he gains from the second gobo wheel.
Active's Entours made their debut on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Opening Gala concert (pictured) televised by Network Ten. A glittering line-up of local and overseas guest artists celebrated the Festival's opening night in the rather posh surrounds of the splendid Regent Theatre.
A large amount of flown scenery, as well as a flying system, meant that space was limited in the roof and hence the Entours were perfect for the job. A constantly changing set also required the Entours to have a focus position set for each change.
www.activelighting.com.au
www.showtech.com.au
Artistic Licence of London, England and Super Vision International Inc. of Orlando, Florida, USA (NASDAQ: SUPVA) announced today the signing of their joint development agreement to develop LED control systems. Artistic Licence is one of the early pioneers of software development and electronic control systems in the lighting industry.
Their systems are installed in lighting venues and entertainment complexes worldwide. Super Vision is a world-leading manufacturer of LED and fiber optic lighting systems. The partnership will develop the industry standard for regulating and controlling LED lighting systems that will be made available for open and widespread use throughout the industry.
Wayne Howell, Managing Director of Artistic Licence stated: "Both Artistic Licence and Super Vision are leaders in their field and respected pioneers of innovative technology. This new technology sharing agreement allows our companies to pool our resources and intellectual property. Our first area of cooperation is in the LED arena. Both companies are keen to see our wealth of IP and recent new inventions made available to the industry with fairness and nominal cost. I am sure that manufacturers and customers alike will see this as a hugely positive step forward compared to the recent dark ages of LED IP."
Brett Kingstone, CEO of Super Vision stated: "It is an honor to work with Wayne and his team at Artistic Licence. They share our vision of providing an open architecture in which all developers and manufactures in the industry can participate, similar to Linux in the software industry. Their vision of accelerating the growth of the LED lighting industry through a spirit of cooperation and support is inspiring."
www.ArtisticLicence.com
A few years ago
lighting designer Peter Lothian had a happy regular gig designing for a
variety of Ansett corporate events. Obviously that job no longer exists
but Ross Browne, who was Ansett's Visual Communications Manager, has moved
on to fresh pastures with Gulf Air.Recently Gulf Air opened up a new route between Athens and Sydney and Ross Browne called on Pete to help design a presentation at Sydney's Sheraton at the Park to commemorate the event. The visual presentation, directed by Chong Ling, involved three video screens, thirteen dancers and a large lighting rig. Control was by Peter's number one desk of choice - a MA Lighting grandma.
The presentation showed the journey to Australia from Athens via Paris, Egypt, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Singapore and India.
"The idea now is to take the show to all of those places plus a few more," said Peter. "The CEO of Gulf Air, who is also Australian, really liked the show and we did it in Abu Dhabi for their annual conference."
As Peter much prefers to use a MA Lighting grandma to control his lighting, Gulf Air did not hesitate to hire one direct from MA Lighting for the entire run of worldwide shows.
"I really like the grandma," commented Peter. "I actually programmed the entire show in my Sydney hotel room using the MA Lighting 3D Visualiser and it was fantastic. I think it's better than WYSIWYG - easy to use and easy to put together. Because the grandMA has it's own built in wire frame visualiser, once you plug in the outboard version it's automatically updated. So if you physically move a fixture on stage on the console, it instantly up dates the computer version. It talks both ways and is very quick."
www.showtech.com.au