With lockdown looming back in March 2020, Avolites Titan Training Manager, Gordon Clarke began transforming the company’s online training capabilities, crafting a new bespoke online platform which offers ‘holistic’ training for Titan and Ai software. “This was a discussion we at Avolites had almost two years ago,” reminisced Clarke, speaking at the tail end of several months of development. The platform offers seven courses to work on from home, with even more in-depth, hands-on training courses available at one of Avolites in-person academy sites. The courses are designed so that users can start applying their knowledge directly to examples they…
Author: Jacob Waite
When did development of the two new MAC Ultra lighting fixtures begin? “While the concept of the MAC Ultra started many years ago, development started two years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic has obviously presented us with some challenges at our R&D office in Denmark as staff members were in lockdown and operating mostly from home. However, the flexibility and perseverance of our engineers has made it possible for development to continue at good speed.” What was the overarching goal of the two new fixtures? “We wanted to bring real next-generation workhorses to the market, aimed to support the biggest live…
How has the past 12 months been for The Manual London? “When COVID-19 struck, we were stopped in our tracks. Our core business centres around live events with large audiences, which meant all our client plans were suddenly meaningless. Now, it feels like we’ve reached a tipping point. Restrictions are being eased, appetite for events is high and we’re match fit, ready to jump back in. We’re already in advanced conversations with the Middle East, diversification looks promising, and we’ve just produced the LAUGHNow Comedy Club for our new client, LIVENow.” What can audiences expect from the LAUGHNow? “LAUGHNow is…
A tribute by son, Will Harkin Bill Harkin, constructivist. His work could leave you with more questions than answers, but it always excited and captivated – whether it be his geometric carvings etched into Welsh slate or his iconic stage and set designs. His lightweight, tensile designs had a lightness to them, as like a single pencil stroke, enough to define the shape, but not too much as to ruin the lines. Nothing in nature comes in straight lines, he would say. In contrast, Bill would also use strong geometric shapes in his work to give strength to its structure…
Arts Council England and DCMS has confirmed that Symphotech has been awarded a grant as part of the second round Cultural Recovery Fund. The company launched its ‘Recover & Reopen’ programme to support the industry work towards re-opening, with over 110 organisers accessing their free webinars, presented in partnership with Association of Festival Organisers (AFO). Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director, Arts Council England said: “We’re pleased to be investing in Symphotech through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, giving them the opportunity to plan for the future and offer important support to the live music and the events sector as it…
Integrated Systems Events has released more details about #ISELive&Online programme, scheduled to run throughout June 2021. Highlighting the future of AV and innovative solutions, ISE Digital and ISE Live elements will integrate to bring the industry together in a safe and richly rewarding way. Whether joining online or in-person at a regional event, attendees can expect content from innovation leaders, networking opportunities and the latest technologies from LANG, Panasonic, AVI-SPL, Control4, Barco, Biamp, NEC, Sharp, Shure plus many more. ISE Digital is a two-day festival of content powered by CISCO technology. The platform will provide an intuitive, digital tv-style menu…
Acorn Event Structures based in Sherburn in Elmet has received a loan of £4million from the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and rebuild. More than £300m has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Acorn Event Structures in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today. Acorn Event Structures is one of the UK’s leading staging and temporary structures companies. They work in the main with the event, arts, film, television and sporting sectors, delivering innovative solutions whether design, event or utilitarian lead. As…
Berkeley Dent, Jason Pastel, Trevor Creany, Dustin Lee and the team at 81 Productions demonstrate the unifying power of music with the launch of The Space Shop Sessions, a series of five livestream concerts, each featuring a different Roanoke band, and each supported by a different hometown business. Taking place over a two-month period, the sessions helped feed the local appetite for live music, while also providing gigs for some of the region’s favourite groups, and giving businesses a chance to engage directly with customers. Helping the 81 Productions team create a flowing series of distinctive, colourful looks that reflected…
#WeMakeEvents campaign has joined forces with over 150 live events industry insiders to call for crucial UK government support for the specialist transport vehicles – carrying artists, crew, and equipment involved in touring productions – which have been rendered inoperable. An essential component to music, film, and TV tours, passenger transportation relies on operating freely in the EU. Under the current post-Brexit EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) hauliers are restricted, stopping the 30 companies in the sector from returning and UK artists from being able to tour. This is instead opening up opportunities for trucking companies to be set…
Panasonic has launched a solution for Real-Time Tracking Projection Mapping that expands the creative possibilities for the entertainment and production industries to merge digital and physical realities with stunning results. Amazing visual effects can be achieved by projecting images in real-time, with pin-point accuracy, onto fast moving objects using the Real-Time Tracking Software Development Kit (ET-SWR10) for the Panasonic PT-RQ35K projector. The projector, in combination with an infrared emitter, camera, marker and a content server, creates a Real-Time Tracking Projection Mapping System that is ideal for use by production companies and at live entertainment events, theme parks, museums and esports.…
Space Coast City Fest represented Events United’s first large-scale live event – with the exception of a few smaller outdoor projects – since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. As if putting together a stage for Dove Award winners Casting Crowns, Zach Williams, Social Club Misfits, Andy Mineo and other praise music stars while dealing with COVID-19 safety protocols wasn’t enough, they also had to contend with problematic weather throughout the two-day event. “The winds got pretty intense at some points. The gusts ended up peaking around 35mph,” reported Jon Martell, who made up the Events United team along with…
Vectorworks has launched a Partner Network, offering an engaged and diverse group of technology organisations in the architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, landscape design and entertainment design industries that bring transformative solutions to embolden a designer’s vision and creativity. “Our network of global partners are innovators and collaborators who create solutions that empower designers to transform the world with great design,” said Vectorworks CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar. “Together with our partner community, we’ll pioneer and deliver innovative solutions, address customer pain points and maximise user workflow efficiencies. Our promise for all stakeholders in our partner network is that collectively, we’re…
The 55th Montreux Jazz Festival is set to go ahead, from 2 to 17 July 2021. Taking into account the current guidelines of the Swiss authorities and the uncertainties surrounding this year’s summer season, the Festival has completely reimagined its format. In a Festival first, a stage will be constructed on the beautiful Lake Geneva, with a maximum capacity of 600 seats along the shoreline. Three other stages with a smaller capacity, located in the event spaces and gardens of the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace hotel, will host jazz concerts, jam sessions, workshops and more. The 55th edition of the…
When Sullivan King, Ghastly and Shiba San appeared at Rawhide Western Town & Event Center in Arizona over three nights, headlining a series of EDM shows produced by Relentless Beats, COVID-19 safety protocols restricted the number of fans that could be present. Those lucky enough to score a ticket had to stay within widely-separated 8ft by 8ft pods. Still, everyone was able to enjoy the sense of connectivity that this venue is known for, despite the limited crowd size, thanks to an engaging lighting design by Luis Torres that featured a collection of CHAUVET Professional Rogue and Maverick fixtures. “There…
Robe moving lights and two RoboSpot systems provided a creative solution for Eesti Laul 2021 – Estonia’s preselection competition for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Lighting and Set Designer, Rene Jõhve was approached to work on the project by Estonian national broadcaster, ERR. This event marked a decade of year of lighting the finale and semi-final events which were aired live and staged without an audience. The lighting rig included a selection of Robe fixtures including two BMFL WashBeams, 13 DL7 Profiles, 12 300E Spot, 42 Pointes, 25 Spiider LED wash beams, 18 LEDBeam150s and eight MMX WashBeams, among other…
ChamSys has named Chromasound as a distributor of its QuickQ range of consoles and software in Hungary. Wannabe Studios, the current ChamSys distributor in Hungary, will continue to focus on the company’s flagship MagicQ range of products. Both companies will distribute the ChamSys SnakeSys line. “We are focusing our distribution to better serve all levels of the market in Hungary,” said ChamSys International Sales and Business Development Manager, Aziz Adilkhodjaev. “Wannabe Studios is a strong partner, and now having Chromasound on board expands our capabilities even further.” Based on Chromasound’s extensive 20-year experience in the market, ChamSys is confident that…
Matt Hallard has become the latest member of Ayrton’s international sales team. The new recruit assumes the position of Regional Sales Manager for the UK, Ireland, Benelux, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Greece, Slovenia and Turkey. Hallard brings extensive experience of the lighting industry and the European market from a career that spans over twenty years. He first cut his industry teeth with an eight-year period as a production manager on cruise ships, after which Hallard returned to dry land in 2005 to launch a career as a specialist in European sales with some well-known moving light brands. “This was…
The 2020 League of Legends World Championship took place at the new Pudong Football Stadium in Shanghai, China on 25 September to 31 October 2020, boasting a versatile production lighting design by Mat Stovall of LampedUp, featuring Robe lighting fixtures. A total of 37 Robe RoboSpot systems were part of a large lighting rig for the event – specified by Stovall and Associate LD Trevor Stirlin Burk of Visual Noise Creative – supplied by Christie Lites to the event’s main technical contractor, Creative Technology (CT) Shanghai. Robert Roth coordinated for Christie Lites, working closely with the CT Shanghai team headed…
