MARS Volume is a 12,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Virtual Production film studio located in Ruislip West London. Bild are looking for a highly motivated individual with strong communication skills, to lead the facilities management of the studio buildings. The required candidate will need to be comfortable working in a fast paced highly innovative environment. You will work closely with the MARS technical teams, producers and commercial team to ensure the provision of an outstanding facilities service to staff, clients and visitors. Although an in-depth technical knowledge will not be required for this role, given the highly technical nature of the studio,…
Author: James Robertson
In March 2022 CEG, a UK-based independent equipment rental provider, made the first of a number of investments in Ayrton with a consignment of Diablo LED profile fixtures, purchased from Ayrton’s exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions. “We chose Diablo because it is the trifecta of what you want a product to be: cost-effective, feature-full and very popular with our clients,” says CEG’s Ben Bowles. “Our core business is to supply industry providers, all of whom have been telling us that Diablo is the fixture they want and the key spot of its type for the foreseeable future, and we couldn’t…
Lighting Designer/Director, Brian Jenkins of Flicker Designs, who has worked with Maroon 5 for nine years, specified two MDG theONE generators for the band’s 2020 tour before it was postponed due to the pandemic. After an 18-month enforced break, the tour resumed last summer with the band visiting many of North America’s largest outdoor amphitheatres playing to 15,000 to 30,000 capacity crowds. Rehearsals for the 8-week tour, which was in support of the band’s seventh studio album, Jordi, started in late July with the first show slated for 10th August 2021 at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn Washington. The…
Last year Martin Audio’s Bosnia & Herzegovina distributor, SD Sistemi, sold a large WPL system to prominent hire company ProRent, who quickly followed up their initial purchase in September with a further acquisition three months later, with the upcoming events season in mind. “They really needed a larger system for big outdoor events and for general hire use,” reports SD Sistemi’s Tijana Milovanovic. The sale had been initiated as far back as February 2020, but the global pandemic brought a summary halt to proceedings. In the end ProRent committed to the system on brand reputation alone, in time to fire…
Sweden’s Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra performed at the imposing Göteborgs Konserthus recently, enveloped in video projections driven by Hippotizer Media Servers. The 90-minute orchestral performance, entitled The Crescendoing City, immersed the audience in a ‘visual flow’ designed to perfectly complement the piece. Stockholm-based Pixelfield Studios – styled PXLFLD – was commissioned by the Gothenburg Symphonic Orchestra to design a visual concert experience based on ‘The City’ as an overarching concept. The PXLFLD team responded to the brief by considering what defines a city, taking in architecture, communications, culture and, most importantly, people. Over two nights of performances, audiences were treated to…
ASM Global has appointed Jen Mitchell, as General Manager of the AO Arena, Manchester. Jen joins from the ASM Global operated first direct Arena in Leeds, where she has spent the past 5 years working as General Manager, leading the team successfully through an array of industry challenges and venue enhancements. With 23+ years working in the venue and entertainment industry, Jen’s varied career includes working with venues and festivals from 400 seats to 80,000, with teams ranging from 30 to 800 staff. With a career that has taken her around the world, Jen has worked in Qatar, Australia, and…
Focusrite has announced the acquisition of Linea Research, the UK based designer and manufacturer of professional amplifiers, controllers and software. Linea Research becomes the ninth brand of the Focusrite Group joining Focusrite, Novation, Ampify, ADAM Audio, Martin Audio, Optimal Audio, Focusrite Pro and Sequential. Linea Research, headquartered in Letchworth Garden City, UK was formed in 2003 by a team of experienced professional audio specialists, and they design, develop, manufacture and market innovative professional audio equipment globally. Their products include a range of ground-breaking amplifiers, including the world-renowned M Series, together with Digital Signal Processors, audio networking and software products. Two…
Global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks will once again open its doors (virtually) to the Vectorworks community on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The event will allow users in the architecture, landscape architecture, and entertainment design industries to connect face-to-face with the Vectorworks team in a fun, casual setting, all from the comfort of their own homes or offices. This completely free event will also provide the opportunity for designers to ask questions and learn more about Vectorworks’ latest features, updates, and design topic areas directly from the minds behind the software. “We are constantly inspired by our users and…
Live Dans Ton Salon (Live In Your Living Room), a converted warehouse in the suburb of Chambly, was created at the start of the pandemic as a means of providing people with professional quality livestreamed performances they could enjoy at home. Although some might have seen this as a “temporary” solution during a crisis, the overwhelming response to the studio’s wide mix of livestreamed programming indicates that Live Dans Ton Salon is committed to remaining a vibrant force in the entertainment scene long into the future. The level of this commitment is evident in the growth of the busy venue’s…
Nashville-based CTS AVL, a full-service audio, video and lighting company specialising in live events, has expanded its lighting inventory with a large complement of Ayrton Khamsin profile and Mistral-S ultra-compact spot luminaires. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting fixtures in North America. CTS AVL had been an audio company for almost 40 years when it branched out to video and lighting about half-a-dozen years ago. The addition of Ayrton Khamsins and Mistrals, the company’s first Ayrton purchases, offers more high-end lighting options for customers across all markets and across the US. “We needed a high-output fixture with…
Slovenian lighting designer Crt Birsa and rental company Event Lighting’s CEO Jernej Gustin thought laterally – with the help of 48 Astera Titan Tubes – when lighting a livestream event staged at the impressive Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies (KSEVT) in Vitanje, Slovenia. The spectacular award-winning circular building – designed by four dynamic architectural practices – is a concrete monolith comprising two low cylinders that create an impression of levitation and rotation. Inside, the central hall is surrounded by a main exhibition area, and both are connected by a round opening in the middle – a feature that makes…
A musical epic that defies categorisation, David Byrne’s American Utopia has earned acclaim as a Grammy-nominated record album, a sellout concert tour, an HBO film directed by Spike Lee, and finally as a Tony Award-winning Broadway production in a split run. The first engagement, at the intimate Hudson Theatre, ended its performances in February 2020 and a second run at the larger St. James Theatre opened in September 2021. For both productions, Meyer Sound LEOPARD line array loudspeakers were selected to anchor the main audio systems. Visually and aurally, American Utopia is atypical of Broadway. There is no set, and…
Are there “right” and “wrong” ways to use a lighting fixture? There certainly are when safety and product integrity issues are concerned, but when it comes to how a fixture is worked into a design and where it is positioned on a rig, Chip Self prefers to follow his own rules. Creativity, he believes, tends to flourish more intensely that way. “The very first thing I do with every fixture is find a way to use it ‘wrong,’” said the owner of Logic Systems. “For example, I find that traditional, lighting angles get really predictable and boring – very quickly.…
Martin P3 System Controller Software Version 5.3.0 is now available as a free update for the entire family of Martin P3 System Controllers. The update introduces a range of features and improvements that benefit newer products such as the MAC Aura PXL, MAC Ultra and VDO Atomic Bold, as well as classic Martin products including VDO Sceptron, Exterior PixLine and VDO Fatron. Highlights include: Video input: The P3-PC System Controller now supports the industry-standard NDI protocol, allowing P3-PC to receive video-over-IP from various sources such as media servers, webcams and media players. DMX/Art-Net/sACN input: sACN is added as input protocol…
An exciting new initiative and a first for Australia, the renowned Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) recently transported the performance out of the concert hall and into the outdoors to present the Festival of Orchestra (FOFO), a six-concert series celebrating an eclectic mix of musical genres. Supported by the Australian government’s RISE Fund and technical partner, Novatech Creative Event Technology, the event was staged at the Adelaide Showground, with the stage for the 5000-capacity central arena fitted with three large LED screens in different configurations throughout the six concerts. Brompton Technology’s industry-leading LED processing was deployed throughout, giving an overwhelming sense…
In a shifting event landscape with travel and health restrictions constantly changing, event production can be even more stressful than what we were used to. Finding an easy solution that ensures pristine, quickly adaptable audio is crucial for the success of today’s live, virtual, and hybrid events. For customers worldwide, Shure Microflex Complete Wireless (MXCW) serves as an all-in-one instant sound system for any event space requiring professional quality audio, helping users navigate live event challenges. Originally intended for users in government and corporate meeting spaces, the system is becoming a popular choice for conferences and hybrid events where quality…
Cameo debuts the new OTOS H5 at Prolight + Sound 2022. Developed in Germany, the IP65 Beam Spot Wash Hybrid features a wide range of application options and has the potential to position itself as the standard for outdoor-capable hybrid moving heads in the professional segment. The OTOS H5 Beam Spot Wash Hybrid Moving Head IP65 targets the requirements of professional lighting designers, as well as rental and installation companies. The multifunctional spotlight has an impressively high light output and is used in clubs and large-capacity locations, and its IP65 certification makes it particularly suitable for outdoor areas, such as…
The new Big Boys Toy Truss (BBT Truss) can take a distributed load of 20 tons over a span of 30 metres. This makes it the strongest aluminium truss in its class and it can carry up to 60% more load than previous comparable trusses. This is possible by the fact that the Big Boys Toy Truss does not have a single weld and is completely bolted with the patented Ripp Lock Nut System. At the same time, the BBT offers enormous flexibility with minimal volume: since there are no welded parts, damaged bracing can be replaced directly at the…
