production news
Production News Headlines
23/05/2012
Victorian Opera Uses grandMA2 for Cinderella
23/02/2012
grandMA2 joins Australia Day
22/02/2012
W-DMX at Natal Luz Gramado
22/02/2012
wysiwyg Tours with Roxette
16/02/2012
Digitalism Connects with iLive
15/12/2011
Creating Organic Layers of Light
12/12/2011
Renegade Rocks Out With Kasabian
06/12/2011
LOBO Stages Giants of Technology
28/11/2011
grandMA Worldwide with Red Hot Chili Peppers
Victorian Opera Uses grandMA2 for Cinderella
Recently the Victorian Opera presented a new production of Cinderella, a traditional pantomime for the whole family. Based on the fable, Cinderella’s adventures were given a special treatment by Victorian Opera music director Richard Gill, who has written both the story and songs. This production saw pantomime return to the surrounds of Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne. Cinderella featured a stellar line-up of artists from Victorian Opera and the world of music theatre.
Lighting designer for the production was Richard Vabre with Resolution X supplying the equipment. This production gave Victorian Opera’s head electrician and programmer Peter Darby an opportunity to specify a grandMA2 control package.
“The grandMA2 light is a fantastic console to program with”, exclaimed Peter. “We got some fantastic support from Show Technology. I love the grandMA2 light as it’s so flexible and so powerful. We had a primary grandMA2 light with another as a slave. That way I could program with the secondary grandMA2 light in the stalls with the primary console in place doing all the processing – the networking side of the grandMA2 consoles is one of its most brilliant features.”
Peter particularly likes the flexibility of the grandMA2 light, how you can configure it exactly how you like it. “The grandMA2 has a much more integrated and powerful effects engine behind it compared to the original grandMA console,” he said. “Another great feature is the built-in colour picker which I find the designers love. At one point we were running two grandMA2 light consoles, a laptop running grandMA2 onPC and another computer running the grandMA 3D visualizer. We built the whole show and plotted it with grandMA 3D at Res X’s warehouse as we knew we’d have a very limited bump in time.”
Show Technology Australia is MA Lighting’s exclusive distributor in Australia.
Photos: Jeff Busby.
23rd May 2012
Clay Paky Sharpys Deliver New Look to Bruce Springsteen
Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, from Las Vegas-based Morpheus Lights, are giving Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball World Tour a look that The Boss’s previous concert performances have never had before.
The Wrecking Ball World Tour kicked off in the U.S. this spring in support of The Boss’s 17th studio album, "Wrecking Ball". Springsteen’s lighting designer Jeff Ravitz selected 16 Sharpy fixtures for his inventory after having seen them last fall.
"In putting Bruce’s tour together I thought the Sharpys would be an excellent replacement for the lights we were using inside the set platforms to push through," he explains. "I thought they’d be a nice change with a really defined and distinct look. The Sharpys also allowed us to use some great gobo patterns."
When Ravitz added Sharpys the idea came up of using hazers to paint the air and enhance the lights’ sharply-defined beams. Employing hazers – which are not all as singer-friendly as the MDG Atmospheres Ravitz chose - to help create interesting visual compositions was a first for a Springsteen tour. "Adding the haze really shows off the Sharpys," Ravitz reports.
He positioned the fixtures on stage shooting up through plexiglass windows that replace part of the deck and on two-side trusses shooting left and right on the custom-built Tate Towers stage. The Boss’s shows have typically been designed to be very horizontal to allow for maximum sightlines from every angle. But for Wrecking Ball Ravitz decided to add some Sharpys to a powerful vertical truss for a "very dynamic look".
He says: "We’re having a lot of fun with the Sharpys. Sometimes we use no colour, sometimes deep colour and sometimes ballyhoo. We feel we’ve found the right balance."
The Sharpys are proving to be rugged and reliable on the long tour schedule, Ravitz adds. "The crews tell me the Sharpys are pretty bulletproof and are working great every day."
Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, adds: "We’re so pleased to see our Sharpys on this high profile and very popular tour. Mr. Ravitz is an excellent designer and it shows in the projects he works on. We’re glad to be able to help with our innovations."
18th May 2012
Mackie's DL1608 in the Field with Dierks Bentley and Brad
When Mackie launched the DL1608 Digital Live Mixer with iPad Control at NAMM earlier this year it turned more than a few heads in the industry. This full featured, 16-channel mixer introduced an entirely new take on live sound with its ground-breaking new paradigm – complete iPad control. As Mackie gears up for the launch of the DL1608’s Master Fader control app in June and the arrival of the DL1608 in stores worldwide later this summer, they’re field testing the app by putting it in the hands of front of house engineers in a wide range of real world scenarios.
Most recently, the DL1608 got some face-time with FOH engineers for Dierks Bentley and Brad (Stone Gossard, Shawn Smith, Regan Hagar, Jeremy Toback). Both engineers used the DL1608 for the first time on April 21, 2012 at Seattle independent music store, Easy Street Records. The live show was part of national Record Store Day, an annual celebration where 700 independently owned record stores collaborate with musicians to celebrate the art of music. Easy Street Records features a small venue with a maximum capacity of 750 people that commonly hosts afternoon shows with touring artists scheduled for headlining shows at larger Seattle venues later that evening. With an extremely tight front of house space, the venue demands a compact mixer solution that can guarantee premium sound and give the engineer massive control.
Both FOH engineers, Pugs (Dierks Bentley) and Barrett Jones (Brad), had time for only a quick tutorial before their 30-minute sound checks. Normally a FOH engineer wouldn’t touch a digital mixer they’ve never used just minutes before a show (especially since this performance would be streaming live on Sirius Satellite Radio), but in this case both engineers found the user interface intuitive and comprehensive, with all the functionality they expect in a digital mixer. "Although I had never used this mixer before, it was straight forward, easy to use, and well laid out," said Barrett Jones.
Besides having an intuitive interface that was easy to navigate with little instruction, another huge benefit of the DL1608 is the ability to control the mixer from anywhere in the venue. "It was great to be able to tweak the monitors from each monitor position on stage with the iPad controller... the ability to mix the show while walking around the floor was really nice," said Jones.
During the 10-hour day, which featured performances by four bands in total, the DL1608 performed without a hitch and Mackie received tremendous hands-on insight from the engineers. These real world field tests are an essential part of Mackie’s product design process. Stress testing the hardware in a variety of conditions ensures the DL1608 hardware will work reliably for customers. In addition, real world feedback on the Master Fader control application will shape future updates as it continually evolves through simple app store updates, adding value to the DL1608.
The Master Fader app will be available free in the iOS-App Store in June 2012. Mackie will also soon premiere a DL1608 video podcast series offering tons of great information about the DL1608, including all the basics, advanced how-to’s, and tips and tricks. Later episodes will specifically respond to questions that customers pose to Mackie’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. The DL1608 video podcast series will start in May 2012 in iTunes. The DL1608 will begin shipping in Summer 2012.
In picture: FOH engineer Barrett Jones.
4th May 2012
Florence and the Machine evocatively lit by Chris Bushell using Series 3000 Luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite
LD for Florence and the Machine, Chris Bushell, is using VL3500 Wash and VL3000 Spot luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite to deliver his evocative and atmospheric lighting design for the band's sold-out world tour. Playing venues such as Alexandra Palace, MEN Arena, plus a raft of vast spaces in Europe and the USA, Bushell’s lighting skillfully pulls the audience focus to the centre of the stage without losing the essential theatricality of the early Florence shows.
Lighting is ethereal with Bushell using it more as a statement than for big effects. He explains: "The overall theme is based around 1920s Baroque fashion and architecture. While a great deal of thought and planning went into the set, I also wanted the presence of the lighting to complement and exploit the space around the set piece. The VL3000 Spots were perfect for this. With their wide angles and long throw I was able to use them as top and back/side light. The VL3500 Wash fixtures fanned out from the centre mimicking the set and creating an almost physical beam presence in the air."
Indeed beams of lights hit the stage from a plethora of angles and heights to create an impressively architectural look. Working with the set, and arts and crafts style projections, lighting is angular and sculptural. Bushell uses a rich palette of colour; deep hues of orange, yellow, red and blue wash over the stage while Florence’s famously gothic alabaster white skin still shimmers seductively under clean sharp top and side light. "Another part of the original brief was "to employ an esoteric colour palette," continues Bushell. "In particular we use a certain teal green, which is used on the set along with particular golds and ambers. The Series 3000 luminaires were great for complementing and cutting through these colours, which I didn't necessarily want to appear on Florence's skin tone or costume. I find that getting the more fiddly colours right is much easier and consistent from a Philips Vari-Lite fixture. Things like the CTO's, Straws and Ambers along with subtle pinks and steels. This time round I played with them a lot more."
The show is all about Florence and at no point does Bushell upstage or lose her on what can often seem like a vast playing area for one singer. The lighting is clean, defined and focused. Bushell says he chose to use the Series 3000 luminaires because: "They still pack enough punch at long distances for great airborne effects, yet are also great for sympathetically lighting the subject. Overall this allowed me, along with considered use of DMX controlled followspots, to isolate and control Flo's environment, blending her in or separating her from the stage. Either way I had the control I wanted. So I was able to keep the intimate theatrical feel that Florence loves but in a large arena environment."
David March, director, European Sales for Philips Vari-Lite comments: "The VL3000 Spot and VL3500 Wash fixtures have had an undeniable impact on the concert lighting industry. Their colour and optical systems provide lighting designers with the exact tools needed to capture the essence of their lighting designs, and to have them showcased on a tour such as this is indeed a testament to their worth."
In picture: Florence and the Machine at Alexandra Palace photo: Sarah Rushton-Read
23rd April 2012
MIDAS PRO2C Packs a Big Punch for Jessie J’s Asian and Australian shows
Monitor engineer Jimmy Nicholson has been using the MIDAS PRO2C live audio system for Jessie J dates in Australia and Asia. This included an early afternoon slot at the Future Music Festival in Brisbane and a headline tour of small arenas in tandem with a MIDAS PRO6 at FOH.
Nicholson’s setup for these shows started life on a MIDAS XL8 during a promo gig before being loaded into a PRO6 for a UK tour last autumn. Importing the show file into the PRO2C meant than Nicholson, a long term fan of Midas Digital, could replicate the show across the globe in a small, easily transportable package.
"Convincing our production team to ship a PRO2C to the other side of the world was easy - and now they've seen it in action, they want to take it everywhere with us!" he says.
"The PRO2C met all my requirements; in fact I found the layout a little easier to use than the PRO6, and some of the new shortcut buttons make things even easier than they already were. It's still amazing to think that almost all the processing power of a PRO6 can be squeezed into such a small console. The sound quality goes without saying - the fact you can now get the sound quality of an XL8 in such a compact package will, I think, be a game changer in the industry."
Nicholson had around 38 inputs from the stage, plus 'shout' microphones for every band member to communicate with Nicholson and their techs during the show.
"I ended up running 12 IEM mixes, one for every band member, plus backline crew and Jessie’s security," he explains. "In addition I was running an entire shout system from the PRO2C, which when coupled with the PRO6 at FOH for our headline shows allowed both engineers and backline crew to don IEMs and headphones and carry out a line-check with full back and forth communication on the headsets only. We cleared the stage of wedges and I was running subs for the drummer, keyboard player and a couple of subs per side for side fills."
Nicholson appreciated the ability to deploy his favourite MIDAS digital features on the PRO2C. "From day one with MIDAS Digital, the VCA and POPulation group system has been the key winner for me," he says. "I was more than happy to use a control surface with only eight input faders, as I know from previous experience that once you start using the POP and VCA groups, you only need a few faders to the left of the master section.
"The ability to patch internal busses to the 'external in' and PFL and AFL bus direct inputs of the monitor section meant I could run the shout system from the console, instead of requiring an external solution. The fact that the band could communicate with myself and their techs if they need to meant I could concentrate solely on Jessie for the show, and if they needed me I'd hear them 'shouting' in my IEMs."
This being one of the first outings for the PRO2C in the region, curiosity ran high as people spotted the tiny work surface on stage.
"I had a number of people, audio engineers included, come over and ask me if it was the lighting desk," says Nicholson. "I know it's a cliché, but it's so small you can forgive them. The look of puzzlement changes to disbelief when I explain it's actually a 64 input, 27 bus audio console that sounds like an XL8."
In picture: monitor engineer Jimmy Nicholson with the MIDAS PRO2C.
www.midasconsoles.com
11th April 2012
Clay Paky Sharpys are the Darlings of the Australia Day Harbour Celebrations
The 2012 Australia Day celebrations saw production and lighting designer Paul Collison create a glittering cityscape in the centre of Sydney’s Darling Harbour, using a battery of Clay Paky Sharpys.
On 26th January thousands of spectators flocked to the Darling Harbour precinct to celebrate the founding of the Port Jackson settlement in 1788. The merriment culminated in a multifaceted choreography of lighting, lasers, fire and water, which climaxed in a magnificent fireworks display.
"The Sharpys are awesome," comments Collison. "They’re small and extraordinarily bright, which made them absolutely ideal for this project for a number of reasons."
Collison’s brief - to build a small cityscape on a barge in the centre of Darling harbour. "We designed a cylindrical video screen surrounded by a number of towers," he explains. "This gave the illusion of a cityscape, particularly when it was dark. We staggered the hanging height of the Sharpys from the lowest point on the barge floor to the highest point on the central tower, a cool 23 metres high, which looked spectacular. This gave us a great expanse of height to play with. The design became less about delivering a searchlight effect and more about playing with the vertical plane."
Collison certainly couldn’t have realised the show with such dramatic effect were it not for the compact footprint and lightweight nature of the Sharpy. "Large scale searchlights could not have been rigged on top of a 23 meter high tower, especially one rigged to a barge in the middle of a harbour," explains Collison. "Its one thing to have the creative vision but it’s another to actually implement it safely. The size and weight of the Sharpys meant that the crew could actually rig it without risking life and limb! Not only that the Sharpys performed flawlessly. Where conventional searchlights might sometimes generate too much heat and fail the Clay Paky Sharpy is reliable every time."
Collison also noted that the Sharpys give a fantastic beam effect comparable to a searchlight, but the fact that he could also add texture to the beam and use them like a profile only amplified their appeal.
It’s great to see the Sharpy being used in such a creative way and as part of such an uplifting and celebratory project," says Pio Nahum, chief commercial officer for Clay Paky. "Running at 189W and weighing in at just 16 kg there’s always room for a Sharpy in any lighting rig. The fixtures produce a sharply defined beam, free of any edge halo or discoloration. They also offer an interchangeable colour wheel, with fourteen fixed colours, and an interchangeable gobo wheel, with seventeen fixed gobos. This gives designers and end users, working on all kinds of projects, the creative flexibility they require in any situation."
photo: markbedson.com
10th April 2012
Radiohead Returns to the Road with L-Acoustics
Radiohead recently embarked on its first North American tour in four years and is firing on all cylinders with a full L-Acoustics K1/KARA/KUDO system supplied by Firehouse Productions of Red Hook, NY.
The North American portion of the tour, which kicked off at Miami's American Airlines Arena on February 27th, is divided into three legs, the last of which will wrap up at Toronto's Downsview Park on June 16th before heading overseas to Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
For most of the arena stops on the domestic tour, Firehouse is deploying left and right arrays comprised of 14 K1 line source elements with four KARA hung below for downfill. Coverage for the far left and right audience areas is addressed by outfill arrays featuring 10 K1 with six KARA flown beneath.
Sub arrays of eight K1-SB are flown adjacent to both of the primary K1 hangs, while 24 SB28 groundstacked in cardioid mode bolster the low-end reinforcement. Horizontal arrays of four ARCS on each side of the stage provide nearfill, as do six dV-DOSC spread out across the stage lip.
For larger venues, Firehouse deploys a delay system exclusively comprised of KUDO featuring left, center and right arrays of nine enclosures each flown in back of the FOH mix position. Amplification and processing for all loudspeakers is provided by LA8 amplified controllers housed in LA-RAK touring racks.
At the helm of the system each night is Radiohead's longtime FOH mix engineer Jim Warren, supported by system designer/engineer Sherif El Barbari and Firehouse system tech Jamie Pollock.
Said Warren: "I have yet to find another system which combines the even coverage and the dynamic sensitivity of the L-Acoustics K1/KARA system. With the use of KUDO delays in the larger arenas on this run, we have been able to further improve on the coverage, especially into the rear corners of the room, and have been able to minimize the amount of energy directed at areas where it was not required with very pleasing results."
At Warren's request, the tour's mix position is also equipped with a pair of self-powered L-Acoustics 108P and single 115P low-frequency extension cabinet. This small system acts as a reference when working on the mix from ProTools during the day as well as serves as a monitor during the show. A third 108P at FOH acts as a shout system for communication with the monitor mix area.
According to Rolling Stone magazine's website, Radiohead front man Thom Yorke revealed that the band has worked up more than 75 songs for this tour, including additional new songs and deep-track B-sides.
"Radiohead's list of songs to choose from each night is very diverse," notes El Barbari, who designed the system. "When it comes to styles and facets, their music is extremely dynamic and ranges from very quiet to physically capturing, which requires a PA system that performs evenly throughout various SPL levels. K1 and the rest of the L-Acoustics range of cabinets are well known for performing neutrally at all levels without changing tonality or coloring the sound, which makes this system the perfect match for a band like Radiohead."
On the band's previous North American trek in 2008, Firehouse officially put K1 through the world's first high-profile tour run. According to El Barbari, who was extremely pleased with the results then, this year's outing is even better thanks to the addition of KARA, digital AES cards for the LA8s, and the use of the new LA Network Manager 2.0 software.
Following the North American leg, the tour turns to Liverpool-based Adlib Audio to provide a similar PA for the European and UK portion. Firehouse, however, will continue to supply the control for the full duration of the international tour.
In picture: Radiohead's full touring system, including KUDO delays, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
21st March 2012
Television Set for Million’s Poet 5 Highlights Advancements in Stage Fabrics
Innovation in stage fabrics, laser cut finishing, and High Output LEDS for cyclorama diffused lighting effects along with the technique of custom bending steel framing for set decoration is offering major improvements for the industry in build-up time, weight of set pieces, safety, and special effects. Substituting traditional installations with lightweight fabrics and energy efficient LED lighting that only requires a small distance between the light source and diffusion cloth for cyclorama lighting effects on stage opens up a new world of possibilities for event and stage design.
ShowTex Middle East's new 3D compound curve bending machine shaped the steel framing for the 36 metre long "wings" covered in seamless StretchTulle for the set design of Million's Poet 5, the fifth edition of the televised competition for the most talented poet in Arabic poetry.
A high precision custom designed fabric layout and ShowLED laser cut patterns resulted in complete fabric and lighting integration. The ShowLED High Output Animation System combined with Frost diffuser foil F-welded with invisible joints created cyclorama light effects.
Onstage, the wings and walls were made out of a steel frame with 3D compound curves. Lighting for Million’s Poet 5 was provided by a video controlled ShowLED high output system driven by a grandMA media server. The ShowLED V-Box creates an interface for any media server. ShowTex’s Frost foil with invisible HF-welded joints served as a flexible diffuser cloth. The top wing was covered with Stretch Tulle, an elastic stage gauze, constructed by sewing specialists to produce no visible seams in the fabric, so any light and projection effects are pure and uninterrupted visually. Width of the wings was approximately 5 metres with a total length of 36 metres. Walls of the set started at a height of 3.5 metres running down to 60 cm. in compound curves. The ShowLED High Output LED patterns were laser cut with high precision and custom designed layout. The fabric panels themselves were laser cut to ensure the smooth flow of the fabrics.
23rd February 2012
grandMA2 joins Australia Day
Celebrated annually on 26th January Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day) is the official national day of Australia. The date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland. Community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies accompany the day in large and small communities and cities around the nation. A special event is always the celebrations in Sydney – like this year in the town’s Darling Harbour.
For the show taking place there lighting designer and video content producer Paul Collison again relied on MA Lighting products. In detail he used TWO grandMA2 light and an MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) as well as the grandMA2 3D software for previsualisation.
Said Collison: “We had to build an iconic display in the middle of the Darling Harbour bay and needed a concept that could entertain an audience with a specatular show to end the day. Our control room was some 250m away from the barge on which the display was built. We ran fibre for all services through the air to the edge of the bay, from there, the fibre dropped to the bottom of the bay and ran out to the barge. Needing a fully redundant system, we had the means to run the show from the main control room, or from the barge itself.”
“grandMA2 was the appropriate control system to use on this project”, commented Collison. “I could program in 3D using grandMA3D and had the rock solid network of grandMA2 for the show. Furthermore I had my main and back-up consoles in the control room and additionally an MA NPU and a grandMA2 onPC system on the barge in the middle of the bay. If there would have been a problem with the fibre, we could still have run the show locally from the barge. All in all, it was a lighting, video, fireworks and laser spectacular. A 26 minute sound track all linked together via SMPTE Timecode to culminate in the day’s festivities.”
Andrew Walsh worked as producer, Nick Eltis as technical director and Ian Baldwin as well as Ian Anderson as production manager. Chameleon Touring Systems delivered the lighting equipment. Show Technology is MA Lighting’s distributor in Australia.
photo: markbedson.com
23rd February 2012
VWV Invests in Robe MMXs - and Helps Save the Rhinos
Johannesburg-based VWV, One of South Africa’s leading production companies - responsible for the spectacular closing ceremony of the 2010 Soccer World Cup amongst many other events - has invested in Robe’s new ROBIN MMX Spot moving light fixtures.
"They are currently building up a carefully selected stock of their own lighting technology, which is starting to expand," explains VWV technical director Jonathan "Jonno" Royston, who co-ordinates all the company’s technical requirements.
The purchase of the eight MMXs is the start of an expansion in the kit they own. The units were supplied by Robe’s South African distributor, DWR, also based in Johannesburg.
Royston first saw the MMXs in action on the Robe stand at the PLASA 2011 lighting and sound exhibition in Earls Court, London. He was "Highly impressed" with the gobos, the animation wheel functionality and the high light output, and recommended that they make the investment. "I believe that you don’t need so many of them to produce a really great lighting show, either using them as front projected gobo effects or punchy back lighting – or a combination of both!" he comments.
This is VWV’s first Robe purchase, but Royston has been familiar with the brand for some time and also seen various Robe products in action on their diverse rosta of shows and events.
DWR and the Robe lighting factory in the Czech Republic turned the delivery around in lightening quick time, so the eight new units could immediately be used on a ‘Save The Rhinos’ event for the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Rhino Conservation Project staged in Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg.
Here, they were mounted on vertical trussing ‘totem’ towers concealed behind a wooden hide – where interested parties walked-in and talked to Rhino experts about the animals’ plight, and discovered how they can be proactive in contributing to the campaign to save them.
Six of the MMXs were used to project a selection of fabulous patterns and ‘liquid’ animations on the front face of the Sandton Library building at the end of the Square, with two units swirling around a couple of striking Rhino logos. The nightly show was programmed by lighting designer Sean Rosig, and it ran for three weeks to raise awareness of the need to save these wonderful animals from extinction.
It was Rosig’s first chance to use the MMX Spots – although he has used Robe products on many of his designs in recent years. He also really liked the units, saying: "They are great for dazzling aerial effects as well as more moody things like fire, water and snow effects."
He adds that features like the DMX controllable hot spot are extremely useful, which means you can get a nice even light field, even when the beam is irised right down. Although he didn’t really use this for the Save The Rhino’s show he says it will be amazing for rock and music gigs.
VWV’s MMXs were the second batch to be delivered in South Africa. Pretoria based retail company Blond Productions took delivery of the first to add to their growing rental stock.
22nd February 2012
W-DMX at Natal Luz Gramado
W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden AB recently helped bring a holiday shower of lights to the Natal Luz Gramado Festival in Brazil. Billed as the biggest Christmas party in the country, Natal Luz saw an audience of approximately 1.4 million people. The season lasted 74 days and the result exceeded the perspective of the organisation.
Four W-DMX transmitters and 12 W-DMX receivers handled a flawless signal to 48 Moving Spot IM700s, six Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500s,12 Atomic 3000s, 36 Moving Wash IM575s, eight Laser System DMXs, 60 Fire Machine DMXs, 36 Par LED 3W AQUALEDs, and eight fog machines. 120 Canais dimmers plus control was from a grandMA Ultra Light console and a grandMA NPU.
Daniel Ridano, owner of Lighting Bits based in Sao Paulo, Brazil was both the technical consultant and distributor for W-DMX for the show. Ridano has a background in lighting consoles and DMX control and has been a W-DMX consultant since 2010, with some of Brazil's biggest shows to credit, including the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu in Peru and the Bradesco Seguros Christmas Tree in Brazil, recorded as the worldâs largest Christmas tree.
Natal Luz was commissioned by the Do Natal Luz organisation and the technical production was handled by Veritas, with head technician Carlos Alberto Fumanchu and Carlos Fabio da Silva. Ridano commented:"They needed a DMX signal distribution system that could withstand long distances and a varied climate in a central area of town for a long period of time. After consultation, it was decided that W-DMX by Wireless Solution was the best way to solve this problem. It didnât let anyone down â the system worked perfectly throughout the entire season."
"We're very happy with Daniel's successes with W-DMX in South America," said Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution. "He knows DMX technology extremely well and has made many big event possible."
22nd February 2012
wysiwyg Tours with Roxette
wysiwyg, the award-winning previsualisation suite from CAST Software of Toronto, Canada is on the current world tour of the superstar band Roxette. The Swedish band, headed by Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, was formed in the late '80s and are known for their international hits, including "The Look", "Listen To Your Heart", "Joyride" and the classic love ballad "It Must Have Been Love", which was featured on the soundtrack "Pretty Woman" and sold 9 million copies. The group has had 33 chart-busting singles and total record sales exceeding 75 million.
Roxette began their current world tour in Feb 2011, their first world tour since 1995, and have so far visited Europe, Russia, South America, and South Africa, with the 2012 leg covering Asia, Australia and Scandinavia, for a total of over 120 performances.
Calle Brattberg is the lighting designer, set designer, programmer, and operator for the tour, as well as creator of the wysiwyg design used for lighting the show.
The main lighting for the Fall leg of the Tour was supplied by Starlight in Sweden, consisting of 40 Martin MAC 2000 Wash, 39 Vari*Lite VL3000 Spots, 11 Vari*Lite VL2500 Spots, 10 SGM Ribaltas, 11 Cromlech JARAGs, 14 Martin MAC 301 LED washes and 18 2-lites by James Thomas Engineering. Brattberg's own company, LXworks, is the supplier of the MA2 lighting desks and signal racks and Hippo Critter media servers by Green Hippo. The 2012 part of the tour will pick up different kits from different vendors at almost every show, although using the same design.
Pre-programming for all lighting and video was all done by Brattberg using wysiwyg Perform, beginning in September 2011 in his previsualisation studio in Stockholm. Video content was created by Brattberg, alongside Peppe Tannemyr of Digigobos.
Brattberg explains: "The benefit of working with wysiwyg is enormous. All preprogramming including video content was made and adjusted in wysiwyg before we went to production rehearsals and it saved me a lot of time since the rehearsal time was only three days with the band." (The band has been together for over 20 years so long so rehearsals are not necessary for the music.) As well, and just as important for the tour, all communications with vendors and venues were enhanced and simplified by reference to the plots done in wysiwyg.
Brattberg continues: "I was using R27 for all the pre-programming, however, the 2012 segment will be done in R28. I will also be using R28 in 2012 for many other projects such as the popular Peace & Love festival plus the Swedish Melodifestival 2012."
Brattberg happened to be one of the lucky winners of the daily prize drawing at the CAST booth during PLASA 2011, winning a one-year wysiwyg Perform Membership. "This was just icing on the cake," explains Brattberg, "I was already using wysiwyg - in fact it's such a standard in Sweden that it's actually difficult to work efficiently with others if you don't have it. So winning a year Perform membership was the perfect prize. Thanks CAST!"
Brattberg adds: "I'd also like to thank Starlight for their great support of gear and great engagement in the project, and One Two sales in Sweden, the retailer for wysiwyg and all of the LXworks lighting gear. Finally, the whole Roxette band, management and crew for just being fantastic professionals for being so great to work with."
22nd February 2012
Digitalism Connects with iLive
Popular German electro house duo, Digitalism, has been touring the globe this year carrying an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system to manage FOH and monitors.
"Early on in the tour, the band only carried one iLive system, to keep monitors consistent," explains FOH engineer, Daniel MacBean. "However, we were so impressed with how easy the system is to tour with and set up that we decided to get a second system in for FOH. It literally takes 30 seconds to set up at FOH: plug in Cat5, turn on power, and I'm good to go!"
The band has performed in America, Europe, Asia and the international festival circuit this year using two iDR-48 MixRacks and iLive-T80 Control Surfaces connected using Dante, which provides a digital split between the FOH and monitor systems and provides additional recording facilities.
"After ease of use, the most striking feature about iLive is the sound quality. It really is the most analogue-sounding digi board I've ever used. If you shut your eyes it genuinely sounds analogue, it has warmth that you canât find in any other digital desk. Plus, the effects, reverbs especially, sound amazing with very little fiddling, and the EQ's, dynamics in particular, are a definite cut above the competition," explains MacBean.
In picture: the iLive-T80 surface during a recent performance by Digitalism in New York.
16th February 2012
‘It Must Have Been Love’ as Vari*Lite Gives Roxette ‘The Look’
2011 was a fantastic year for Swedish Pop duo Roxette as they embarked on their first world tour since 1995. Forming the backbone of LD Calle Brattberg’s spirited lighting design were Philips Vari*Lite VL3000 Spot luminaires, supplied, for most of the tour, by Scandinavia’s largest rental company of stage, lighting and sound equipment - Starlight.
So successful was the 2011 tour that this year Roxette will embark on yet another ‘Round the World’ popfest with another 65 shows planned for 2012, and Brattberg will be with them. “The look for Roxette is fresh, sharp and vivid,” explains Brattberg. “I wanted the lighting to work in synchronicity with the well-known, upbeat Roxette pop anthems. I also wanted the feel of the show to resonate with the ever faithful fans.”
Lighting is indeed animated and colourful, however Brattberg has been careful to light the duo from a number of angles and, as the mood of the music changes, the Roxette set is punctuated with dramatically intimate, tightly focused looks.
“The reliability and accuracy of the VL3000 Spot’s optics and zoom are ideal for achieving the diversity of moods the Roxette set demands,” says Brattberg. “The ability to rotate a gobo smoothly, really slowly or zoom out to max and maintain the same focus are some of my favourite features. I‘ve always found the luminaires to be reliable with consistently uniform output, even across a large number of fixtures.”
Brattberg, who is based in Stockholm, is no stranger to the Philips Vari-Lite brand. “My first contact with Vari*Lite was in 1986 with the VL2b, and I can honestly say I have never looked back,” says Brattberg. “The output and quality of projected gobos and the vibrancy of the colours remain unbeatable. They move better than any other light and are spot on accurate every time. In fact, the VL3000 spot has everything I could ever want in a spotlight.”
The Vari*Lite VL3000 Spot luminaire features a 6:1 zoom optics, CYM colour mixing, variable CTO colour temperature correction, a six-position colour wheel, three gobo/effects wheels, a beam size iris and separate dimmer and ultra-fast strobe mechanisms. A standard pallet of gobos, effects and colours are provided, however custom gobos, effects and colours are available.
2nd February 2012
Game, Set and Match to Crosspoint Solutions and the Yamaha M7CL
Flexibility, sound quality and portability are just some of the requirements which equipment used by Crosspoint Solutions needs to deliver to its clients in the international broadcast market. The company has just purchased a Yamaha M7CL-32 digital mixing console, which is currently serving audio aces at the Australian Open tennis championship.
The Hampshire-based company specialises in the provision of temporary production and broadcast facilities for the television industry. A key service is the supply of master control rooms, where multiple signals need to be distributed.
“Our success in this field, and having relationships with many location broadcasters, led to enquires for more specific services,¨ says Crosspoint head Geoff Mann. “In response to this demand, we developed a small presentation studio that we take to different events around the world.”
The studio normally uses four cameras and a compact, high quality mixing console was needed for the associated audio requirements, including mixed returns from foreign home bases and local clean feeds.
“He had seen an M7CL in operation at other events and spoke to a close colleague, Trevor Beck, who is very well respected in the industry and whose credits include the opening ceremonies for the last few Olympics and other such high profile events. His advice to go with the M7CL has proved absolutely correct,¨ says Geoff.
Supplied by HHB Communications via Shepperton-based Altered Images, the console is already travelling the world with Geoff and his team. As well as the Australian Open, the M7CL will be hard at work at the other three Grand Slam tennis tournaments (Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open) in 2012, the World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, the UN Climate Change Conference in Qatar, celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and other globally-televised events.
“The M7CL is a very powerful console and provides the flexibility which allows us to work on events of all different sizes. It is a pleasure to use and gives us the ability to grow the facility, which is very useful,¨ Geoff continues.
“Yamaha's technical backup has also been excellent. In an industry where the options for equipment are widespread, one of the biggest elements of decision-making is support and reliability - Yamaha has both of these in abundance. We were given training on the M7CL and the session was directed at the right level for our engineering staff. Knowing that support is simply a phone call away is also very comforting.”
27th January 2012
Renegade Steams into 2012 with Kasabian Re:Wired Show Live on You Tube
Nick Gray of UK based visual design practice Renegade, designed lighting for rockers Kasabian’s live You Tube Re:Wired performance, streamed direct from London’s O2 Arena, to welcome in 2012 with a big bang and a few WOW factors!
Challenges included only having eight hours on show-day to get in, rig and complete show programming before handing the rig over to Chase & Status’ LD Neil Carson, so he could also squeeze in some programming time for their set. This feat was accomplished with some great teamwork between Renegade and the crew from London-based lighting contractor, Neg Earth.
The band have just finished the first UK leg arena of their new "Velociraptor!" tour, and some visual elements of this show were adapted for the New Year’s Eve event. Says Nick Gray: "It was great to be able to work on another technically ground breaking gig with the band, who are always up for challenges and different ways of communicating with their fans."
Due to the time restrictions, Gray re-modelled the O2 stage set without the main video dome from the touring rig. Instead, he introduced new lighting aspects that helped adapt the space to work in this different context, whilst keeping the basic look and style of the show. He says: "I wanted to get as much of a massive light show in there as possible in the time we had available – and one that was also practical enough to be able to programme a meaningful show," he explains.
They retained the impressive 20 metre by 10 metre high wide structural front arch from the tour, complete with 134 x 1.5 metre lengths of Barco MiStrip.
Three custom 12 inch trussing arches were added mid-stage area, all of them raking backwards and tilting upwards to contrast with the forward leaning angle of the front arch – and these were used to position a selection of Clay Paky Sharpies, Martin Professional MAC Aura LED washes and Atomic strobes.
Other lighting included 29 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300s, ten Atomics and 12 single cell blinders around the perimeter of the main arch; Robe ColorWash 2500E ATs and CP Alpha Wash 1500s on the front truss and a large floor package based on five vertical truss towers, all rigged with more Alpha Spot 1500s on top plus more strobes and blinders on scaff bars. There were also six 4K Big Lites in a line in front of these.
As with the UK tour, the show was operated for Gray by Paul Kell using a Road Hog Full Boar console, which also drove a Catalyst media server running content to the MiStrips (that were supplied by XL Video).
To illuminate the O2’s sold out audience, PRG supplied a series of trusses rigged with 20 Bad Boy moving lights and 70 Vari*Lite VL 3500 Washes, which were hooked into Kasabian’s lighting control system.
Pyro Junkies added some special effects to Kasabian’s set which ran from 11.30 through 1 a.m., rolling over into 2012 with a roof-raising rendition of "I Hear Voices". These included 40 black maroon-driven confetti drops at midnight together with 5000 black balloons. At the end of the set, six high powered blowers – four onstage and two at the front of house platform – pumped out a bespoke mix of feathers and black confetti showering the audience. (Black and feathers are both running themes throughout the various band artwork that stems from the Velociraptor! Album).
Kasabian next travel to Australia for the Big Day Out, then to Japan before touring Europe and the US until the end of April, with various versions of Nick Gray’s visual design, which will be operated by Rob Gawler.
In picture:Renegade’s lighting for Kasabian’s 2011 UK arena tour.
9th January 2012
Robe LEDWash 600s Impress at the New Zealand Music Awards
Leading New Zealand lighting designer Ben Cooper utilised 24 Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWash moving light fixtures – amongst others – for the 2011 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards (VNZMAs), which honoured the very best of established and emerging talent spanning a diversity of genres.
The high profile event, produced by J and A Productions for the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) was staged in the Vector Arena in Auckland. It is the largest and highest profile Awards show in the country. This 46th edition of the VNZMAs featured live performances from a host of stars including Brooke Fraser, The Naked and Famous, Ladi6, Six60, Tiki Taane and Avalanche City and legendary Kiwi band Supergroove. It was telecast live on national Channel FOUR.
Cooper was lighting it for the second year, bringing a fresh and innovative style to the visuality, with all the lighting equipment supplied by Auckland based rental company, Spot-Light Systems Limited.
Cooper is also the owner of Spot-Light Systems, which specialises in supplying international music tours and events and has a long history of involvement in the local music scene. The company has actually been involved with the lighting and/or design of the VNZMAs event for nearly two decades!
This year’s set, designed by Robin Rawstone, contained multiple video elements and LED screen surfaces, which were raised off the ground to allow artist entrances/exits and rolling risers to be pushed on and offstage at the back for quick changeovers. Cooper, Rawstone and production manager Peter Grumley worked closely to evolve a unique, interesting aesthetic for the fast paced show, and to ensure that all the lighting, set and digital scenic elements worked in harmony.
The LEDWashes were specifically positioned to provide back and ‘black hole’ fillers beneath the LED screens for certain camera shots.
The fixtures were configured in 37-channel mode with all the LEDs individually addressed, allowing the creation of lots of funky and kaleidoscopic patterns on the rings – one of the special features of Robe’s LEDWash series. This is brilliant for eye and camera candy effects.
The LEDWashes are a relatively new edition to Spot-Light’s rental stock. The first batch was purchased in May, and that was followed up by more just prior to the event, as they were pleased with the performance and scope of the units. The Robes were supplied by Robe’s very proactive Australia and New Zealand distributor, ULA.
Cooper had used LEDWashes only once before specifying them onto the NZMAs which was in a completely different context: at a charity gig in a hotel ballroom for front light. However, this was enough for him to realise the potential.
He jumped at the chance to used them on the Awards: “I like trying out new and exciting technology, so this was the perfect chance,” he explains, emphasising that lights positioned in the ‘back-of-camera’ are absolutely crucial, he needed fixtures with real power, punch and impact to fulfil the role, hence choosing the LEDWash 600s.
“They were awesome!” he declares. “Extremely bright and delivered exactly what was required, plus the flexibility to run them in zones and programme so many different shapes and effects was amazing.”
He adding that as a new product to Spot-Light’s inventory, they are all still at the start of their creative learning curves with the LEDWash 600, a process in which he and his staff are very much looking forward to engaging.
The LEDWashes and the rest of the lights for the 2011 VNZMAs were controlled via three Avolites Pearls running Expert Titan software running and the latest Touch Screen Wings, and the show was programmed and run by Cooper and Chris Browne.
Spot-Light’s LEDWashes are also out on two Coca Cola ‘Christmas In The Park’ shows, which will have a combined audience of approximately 250,000 and are shown on national TV during December.
22nd December 2011
Creating Organic Layers of Light
As the indie rock band Incubus prepared to launch their 2011 world tour in Berlin, lighting designer Robb Jibson stood ready to unveil both some old and new tricks. Having been the bands designer since 2005, Jibson was familiar with how the music and lighting should blend together, but this year he also had a brand new look that no audience had ever seen before. So to help him achieve his latest design, Jibson relied upon the lighting instruments that he knew would perform exactly as needed: VARI*LITE automated luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite, supplied by Upstaging and HSL (Europe).
“Having worked in the industry as a designer and technician, I am familiar with the complete product line and I have always been a fan of the Vari*Lite colour,” began Jibson. “I mostly default to Vari*Lite fixtures on my projects because of their optical clarity and colour systems, but on this tour I chose them for a few other reasons as well. First, the overhead system is extremely full with T-bars and pantographs. Next, production management stipulated that the show needed to fit in five trucks which would give us only about one and a half trucks for lighting. And finally, the tour is scheduled to play venues that vary in size and layout. So when adding all these requirements together, we knew the lighting rig had to be flexible with a smaller number of lights handling a variety of responsibilities.”
When Jibson began his design process, he started with the lighting aspects that he knew the band members would want to see. Knowing that there would be five main positions for band key lights and knowing how each band member liked to appear in the light, he started with identifying the key lights.
“The band doesn’t necessarily like to go over the top with lighting, but they do like to keep it fresh. To accomplish this, I try to develop organic layers of light that blend seamlessly with all the production elements of the show. This year we have a large video element with a 48’ wide x 19’ tall curved LED wall, so we knew that 1200-1500 Watt sources would be needed to punch through. As I first started laying it all out, there are always five band member positions on stage, and they each like to have their own ‘beam-me-up’ look with a big column of backlight. Since there was not a lot of room in our overhead truss or the trucks for a series of wash and spot fixtures, I had to find an automated fixture that could act as both. The VL3500 Wash FX fixture was perfect for this application because it has a great zoom that can easily wash a large area, it can create powerful columns of light and colour, and it provides aerial breakups. Plus, using the VL3500 Wash FX as a front-mounted truss spot, it is actually acting as my key light as well.”
With his key lighting elements identified and in place, Jibson next turned his attention to the newest aspect of the lighting design. Inspired by a look from the bands “Adolescents” video, Jibson was tasked to recreate a unique idea.
“For the customised portion of the lighting design, we were inspired by a look created by the art director of their latest video with what they called a ‘parabolic shroud’. The look consisted of a reflector from a sodium-vapour warehouse light that was welded into a frame to create the shroud. On the video, they used photographic flash bulbs inside the shroud for a unique lighting feature, so they wanted to apply this to the tour. Knowing that the flash bulb would not work for a live performance, the search was on for an LED-based fixture with a homogenised beam. At first I wasn’t even thinking about moving lights, because the light inside didn’t have to move, but as we looked at what was available in the LED market, nothing was really ‘wowing’ me. Then while we were at Upstaging preparing for the show, they mentioned that the VLX Wash might look great with the honeycomb face coming through the reflectors, and they were right. The VLX is bright and it’s all about the lumen count. No other LED can deliver the lumens and you actually get a beam in the air. I don’t think of the VLX Wash as an LED fixture, but rather as a powerful wash light with great colour and a fantastic zoom range. They look awesome.”
Now that he had found the ideal fixture for the new reflectors, Jibson worked on completing the rest of the design, which would also heavily feature Vari*Lite automated luminaires.
“All my hard edge fixtures are VL3000 Spots. I use them from the front truss for colour and a template wash; I use them as side light; and I use them for a low back light under the video wall. I love the colour flag system in the Series 3000 fixtures because there is no gap. In one effect during the show, I am in the lavender flag and I place it in a slow fade into the amber flag, slowly rolling in between the two colours using the colour timing of the fixture in programming. I personally like to use the colour wheel more than colour-mixing so the fact that there are two colour wheels in the Series 3000 system makes it a perfect fit for me.”
Now needing to round out the organic layers of light, Jibson looked for an automated wash fixture that was small enough to fit inside lighting pods overhead, but still powerful enough to create pure colours. For this, he turned to the VL500 Wash luminaire.
“The final portion of the design included five lighting pods that hang overhead to provide a general stage and audience wash. We needed lights that were compact enough to fit inside the pods, but able to colour-match what we were doing with the other lighting elements. So for this we chose the VL500 Wash for both overhead and side wash lighting. I love the colour that you can only get out of a tungsten unit and the unique VL500 colour system. They are a rock-solid fixture.”
As the tour rolls on to its final stop in Brisbane, Australia, Jibson continues to rave about the performance of the Vari*Lite luminaires. Understanding that there are numerous instrument options for his lighting fixtures, there are two main qualities of a Vari*Lite that keep him coming back time-after-time.
“For me, it’s all about the colour and optics and those are what make a Vari*Lite luminaire. Vari*Lite fixtures are the only fixtures capable of creating true projections with optical clarity and beautiful colour. I love the precision of the fixtures. They give me the precise colour and the exact colour temperature I need to create the layers of light night-after-night no matter what venue we are in.”
15th December 2011
Renegade Rocks Out With Kasabian
Nick Gray of Renegade has blended cool, contemporary and classic in a massive lighting and set design for Kasabian's ‘Velociraptor!’ world tour, which is currently storming the UK arenas, with a large, no-compromise, full-on rock aesthetic to the delight of fans - oodles of energy, brightness, power, sub bass and attitude.
Gray is known as one of the most innovative ‘new generation’ UK visual designers whose work is intelligent and original. On this he collaborated closely on the stage look with the band’s creative director Aitor Throup, who also designs the stage clothes through to the merchandise on sale, ensuring a creative – but flexible - coherence.
The stage design is highly architectural. Upstage is a massive ellipsoidal shaped LED dome, which is made up of nearly 100 square metres of BT-12, a 12 mm LED screen product which has been custom manufactured for suppliers Colour Sound Experiment.
In front of this is an impressive 20 metre wide by 10m structural high arch which is raked forward, fabricated by Lite Structures, and rigged with 134 x 1.5 metre lengths of Barco MiStrip LED, supplied by XL Video.
The lighting elements are physically integrated with the video structures throughout the whole stage set, and this was one of Gray’s specific aims – to have no visible trussing supporting the lighting. Combined like this, these two mediums form a complete and encompassing dynamic visual environment for the band to perform.
Gray explains: "The clean, clear, strongly defined lines of the arch and the video dome set a distinctive look and feel for the show. The band can get onstage and perform, backed by big, bold, expressive visual ‘blocks’ that match the energy of the music."
He chose the smallest, brightest capacity lighting fixtures available to fit the space, be unobtrusive and provide the base layers of the multi-level design, including Martin Professional MAC Auras, Clay Paky Sharpies and a splattering of single cell Moles.
Fixture placement was crucial to the look. While the lighting is big, bold and bright, when video playback is running on the Dome, the vibe subtly changes to allow footage its space and place onstage at the centre of the visual equation. The custom video content was created by Silent Studios.
Rigged off the Dome's scaffolding support structure behind – so they protrude through the surface - are ten customised lamp bars, each fitted with two Sharpies, a MAC Aura and an Atomic strobe. Attached to the perimeter of the arch are 29 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300s, ten Atomics and 12 single cell blinders.
The front/advanced truss, the only piece of conventional overhead metalwork, is loaded with four Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs and ten Alpha Wash 1500s, used to light the band and blast into the arena, reaching out to the audience and drawing them into the stage action. Either side of the advanced truss and in line with it are two ‘wing’ trusses for more audience lighting interaction, loaded with eight strobes and ten Sharpies between them.
Continuing the layered theme, Gray has designed a substantial ‘floor package’ element into the rig. The backbone of this are five 2.5 metre truss towers, all on castors for quick roll-on-roll-off deployment, each with two Alpha Spot 1500s on top and more strobes and blinders on scaff bars that are outrigged both sides of the towers. In front of the towers are six 4K Big Lites adding to Gray's arsenal of high impact light sources, but used sparingly for maximising their ‘wow’ factor!
It's basically a very beamy, potent rock show mix with some wild infusions with huge strobing moments - 40 Atomics on the rig, strobes create one of a number of special signature looks. The 40 single cell Moles are another, and these are scattered around for twinkly moments. There is plenty of mood and drama in the show but even the reflective moments are lit with assertion and presence!
"Ultimately it’s designed to support the band’s performance and get the audience on its feet, adrenalised and moving in harmony with the vibes coming offstage," states Gray. The all-action set storms through classic Kasabian hits and crowd pleasers through to and material from the critically acclaimed new fourth studio album.
Lighting contractors Neg Earth are also supplying two FOH followspots and plenty of smoke!
The lighting is being operated on the road by lighting director Paul "PK" Kell using a Hog 3 console, which is also triggering a Catalyst media server streaming video into the MiStrips.
Neg Earth’s lighting crew are chief Steve Arch, Ben Howell, Erwin De Gans and Ben Morgan.
Gray and Kell visualised a fair proportion of the show in advance in Renegade’s WYSIWYG studio, so they arrived for production rehearsals at LS LIVE in Wakefield well prepared.
The Velociraptor! tour is currently scheduled to continue well into 2012, and dates confirmed for the immediate future include Australia’s Big Day Out, shows in Asia and tours in Japan and the US.
12th December 2011
Lighthouse VideoBlades Off the Wall in Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour
Lighthouse's new product, VideoBlades, is the main video element in Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour.
Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour unfolds Michael Jackson's artistry before the eyes of the audience. Aimed at lifelong fans as well as those experiencing Michael's creative genius for the first time, the show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of the 'King of Pop', celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations.
VideoBlades, a result of an alliance between Lighthouse and Pix2o, is a revolutionary large-scale LED video display technology that straddles the worlds of video and lighting in the entertainment, events and architectural markets. VideoBlades 12 provides a 12.5mm pixel pitch, modular LED video screen that delivers superb image quality both indoors and outdoors, with a literal twist.
VideoBlades 12 comes in two formats, SkyRoll and GroundRoll, which can be deployed by rolling up or down from its patented rotating structure. The modular format allows for the seamless formation of large-scale screens limited in size only by a customer’s needs. VideoBlades 12 was selected as the best new video product at LDI 2010.
For Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour, over 2500 VideoBlades create the nearly 200 square metres of LED Video display that is the show's main display surface. For the show, the VideoBlades are deployed in three main ways:
1) Six GroundRolls seam together in pairs to build the massive up-stage screen that presents music videos from the Michael Jackson's past, as well as other vivid content.
2) The set's main stage is made of thin transparent plexiglass that covers the surface of 42 square metres (560 VideoBlades). While the LED video plays, dancers perform and set pieces move on top of the main stage. At select moments, the entire main stage hinges up to wow the audience with even more video surface.
3) The final piece of the set employing versatile VideoBlades is a column that splits into two separate pieces, exposing another 260 VideoBlades.
In total, the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour uses eight GroundRolls and 10 Stage Segments. Roughly 3.6 Million LEDs are used to create the various stage surfaces, but it requires only one video technician and a few stage hands to rig and assemble the VideoBlades portions of the set.
7th December 2011
LOBO Stages Giants of Technology
For two of its long-term customers, the multi-awarded show design team of LOBO implemented sensational show concepts. For the inauguration ceremony of the world’s largest paper machine for corrugated board of proGroup, the Germany-based multimedia specialist staged the entire plant with impressive dimensions by means of lasers, lighting, building mapping and aerial acrobatics. In addition, LOBO was in charge of the creative and technical master plan of the show programme and the overall direction of the event.
For the Wirtgen Technology Days 2011, which took place on the factory site of company Vögele in Ludwigshafen with the participation of 3.500 guest from more than 100 countries, LOBO’s team of around 50 people created a multi-sensorial overall experience inside the factory, on an exhibition ground, inside an especially developed, 110 x 60 m large membrane roof-tent as well as on the outside area in front of a huge seating gallery with 3,500 seats. Outstanding highlights were the spectacular laser and multimedia show inside the tent as well as the so-called ‘Parade of Innovations’. It staged the most innovative products of the Wirtgen Group in a mystic ambience in combination with fire-artists, pyrotechnics, fire effects, light and laser effects.
LOBO's creative director Alex Hennig explained: "We consider our strengths in the synergetic interplay of idea and technology. Often good ideas are born, but without focusing on the technical feasibility. On the other hand, sometimes equipment is applied without any sense or purpose. Poor results and disappointment among the spectators and clients are the results. However, we consider ourselves as doers and suppliers of ideas; folks who experiment practically with the interaction of different media and means of expression and so create something new."
To turn such projects into reality, LOBO maintains a huge multimedia studio complex in addition to its laser, video and CGI production. Jam-packed with the latest media and effect technology including dozens of projection surfaces, a large water basin with water screens and particularly rare equipment, like, for example, a 3D sound system from IOSONO based on wave field synthesis, it is possible to see during the conception phase of a show whether a new idea will really work in practice. Long before the set-up at the actual venue, clients can evaluate the results and undertake corrective action.
6th December 2011
Versatile MAC 101 Foundation of Cold Chisel Lighting Design
Described by Australian press as "everything a rock show should be", iconic Australian band Cold Chisel’s ‘Light the Nitro’ tour is playing dates across the country with lighting design by Francesco Calvi.
Because the tour is playing such a variety of venues - from large scale arenas to smaller amphitheaters, even circus tents - Calvi turned to Martin Professional’s compact MAC 101 wash light as the base fixture in a versatile lighting design.
"We had serious weight restrictions in many venues, and truck space was also limited," Calvi says. "Because the 101s are so light I was able to go with lots of them and keep the rig the same across all venues."
Calvi uses 150 MAC 101s as the foundation of his design with fixtures on eight towers per side for cross lighting and on five finger trusses that move throughout the show, as well as on the floor. "I like the look of the 101s. They give me an ‘old school’ look that suited this band," Calvi says of Martin’s remarkably small color changer. "I am able to get a big PAR can look as well as a lot of great movement when needed."
Calvi mentions the 101’s light weight, great output, good color and extremely quick movement as exceptional features. With regards to the fixture’s ruggedness, he says, "We have subjected them to every climate possible and they have performed every night."
Calvi also serves as lighting operator on the tour, directing the show from an M1, Martin’s popular, full-feature yet easy-to-use lighting desk. "This was my first use of the Martin M1 and it has been a real surprise for me," Calvi says of the easy-to-learn desk. "It has proven to be a very powerful console."
Calvi runs eight streams of DMX for the lighting via Artnet and two streams of Artnet for the media server. "We are running over 200 fixtures and it’s been very easy to get around. It is a simple desk to learn and like all things, I am still learning as we go.
"I love the way it handles effects; many of the things that I have been wanting over the years, it does well. The layout of the console is great too and it’s surprising how much playback is actually available to the operator. I think I will be playing with the M1 for many years to come."
Other Martin gear used on the show includes MAC 2000 Profiles and MAC TW1 tungsten wash lights.
Lighting supply for the tour is by Chameleon Touring Systems who source their Martin gear from Martin distributor Show Technology. "As well as local supplier Chameleon doing a great job, special mention should go to Show Technology. They are always supportive of any event I work on, without fail."
Ticket sales for the 10-week tour, the band’s biggest in 30 years, sold out in under a day.
6th December 2011
Anda Union Choose DPA to mic Mongolian Instruments
Mongolian band Anda Union are using DPA microphones on their current world tour to provide a powerful live sound for a large and wonderful variety of acoustic instruments. The band, who hail from Hohhot in China, formed in a mission to discover and perpetuate their Mongolian musical heritage, and have been performing worldwide for the past eight years. The mics were supplied by DPA’s UK distributor, Sound Network.
"The main instrument I needed microphones for is the horse head fiddle, which is like a smaller, two-stringed version of the cello," explains the band’s engineer, Tim Pearce. "One of the main problems I had using a mic on a stand is that they are so energetic it was impossible to keep them close to the mic. With up to eight of these playing at any one time, that is a lot of open condenser mics picking up a lot of ambient sound.
"The perfect solution was the DPA 4099C instrument clip mic, which I attach using the cello mount on the strings below the bridge. The mics sound excellent live, and by keeping them away from the openings to the sound box and close to the strings I avoid feedback problems and get an excellent level as well as sound. I use the same set up on an ancient instrument called the Ikil - a forerunner of the modern horse head fiddle - with excellent results."
Pearce also used DPAs to mic the two drums that the drummer alternates between. "This posed the problem of repositioning mics each time he moved them, and the mics and stands getting in the way when he tried to switch," continues Pearce. "The solution was to use the DPA 4061 miniature omnis mounted on the edge of the drum skin on both drums. I am sure I’m not the first person to be literally blown away by the response of this mic. One of the drums is a small kettledrum. The other - a double-sided bass drum similar to a marching drum - was hand made by the drummer using sheepskins from his fathers sheep herd. I need to mic each side of the drum to get the full sound, and this is then panned left and right to give a great stereo image.
"I have encouraged the musicians to treat the mikes as part of the instruments, as they have to ensure they are fitted correctly, so set ups just involve giving them a cable and we are good to go!"
Anda Union is currently in the middle of a two-month US tour performing mostly at major universities. The tour will continue through China, Australia, New Zealand and Europe in 2012.
28th November 2011
grandMA Worldwide with Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have embarked on an epic World Tour 2011-2012 with four grandMA full-size and a large complement of Clay Paky Sharpy lighting fixtures accompanying the band. The truly global world tour comes on the heels of the release of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ tenth studio album, "I’m With You". The band has sold over 65 million albums worldwide and scored nine singles in the Top 40 of Billboard’s Hot 100.
Premier Global Production, who serviced the band for their last world tour, has returned as the lighting vendor for the new tour working with lighting designer Scott Holthaus to fill his equipment needs. Holthaus uses four grandMA full-size, one running video from Catalyst and D3 servers and the other running lighting, two grandMA full-size are back-up. "They are wonderful, powerful machines – I used the grandMA on every tour and they always work great, never a problem," he says. "Of the 275 shows I did on the last tour, I only went to our spare desk once."
He praises the grandMA’s "sound operating system" and likes its ability to handle some of the server work. "The effects engine is really good. In the hands of a capable programmer, grandMA can do anything a designer can dream up." Holthaus’s "right- and left-hand man" for lighting and video on the tour is Leif Dixon; the lighting programmer is Zach Peletz.
"We had just gotten 78 Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, which are hot little items right now," adds Premier Global Production’s vce pesident of Sales James Vollhoffer. "We were excited to add them to our inventory – it was time to make the investment since we see a demand building for them. All of ours are now on a boat heading for the European leg of the band’s tour."
Scott Holthaus is using the versatile Sharpy fixtures "everywhere – every single place in the show". In a departure from his usual process, Holthaus is going solo acting as lighting designer and director for the tour and sharing video tasks with UVA, who brought in the scenics.
28th November 2011
Robert Juliat Aledin LED Profile – A Year in Television
One year after its release, the worldwide success of Robert Juliat’s Aledin LED zoom profile spot within the realms of television has shown it to be the fixture the studio market has been waiting for.
Growing pressure to cut energy consumption has seen many TV studios turning to LED lighting. Aledin has come into its own, brilliantly delivering powerful output with no loss of projection quality. Not only does Aledin retain all the famous features, functionality and optical precision of the Robert Juliat brand, but its lower energy use (85W) and lower heat output simultaneously decrease running costs whilst taking the heat out of the studio itself.
Aledin’s long LED life means fewer hours spent on maintenance, while superb optics and sharp shutter cuts give clean gobo projection and the precise control needed to provide perfect key light on presenters or when highlighting features on set.
Plastic gobos can be printed on site using a standard printer and projected in Aledin’s cool beam, granting an immediacy not possible with conventional lighting. This simultaneously gives economic savings whilst increasing green credentials – all with the same great projection performance and ergonomic features you would expect from a Robert Juliat fixture.
A choice of warm or cool LED sources and a silent, flicker-free, dimmable electronic ballast complete Aledin’s versatility within the studio environment and account for its huge popularity.
To date Aledin has been installed in countless television studios worldwide with Europe and Canada – both renowned for their environmental awareness - leading the way. These LED-savvy studios include i>Tele, Canal+ and France Televisions in France, Television Suisse Romande of Geneva, Star Academie of Montreal and CTV Toronto.
CBC Television of Toronto has currently taken the largest consignment to date with 124 pieces of Aledin 631CSX and 634 CSX warm white LED profiles.
"CBC/Radio-Canada is an industry leader in using LED lighting for broadcast studio environment," comments Ruthie Calarco, senior manager for media operations and technology at CBC English Services. "We have been using LED lighting in our studios across Canada for several years, but have made a greater step with this technology recently at our Broadcast Centers in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and Vancouver.
"We have seen the development of LED lighting to fixtures that mimic standard studio tungsten fixtures rather than units that resemble architectural fixtures. This has been a great plus for CBC/Radio-Canada.
"The Robert Juliat Aledin units have given us the ability to push forward with LED lighting while allowing us the light control, creativity and range that was previously only available in tungsten fixtures. While it is possible to use LEDs as a general wash lighting for on-air talent, the Aledin unit allowed us unique isolated definition for each on host position. With this control we can cater the lighting to each on-air talent which is crucial when lighting studio environments that require a number of hosts at a single news desk."
In picture: the Aledin rig at i>Tele Studios, France; Aledin LED 630SX Profile
18th November 2011
