Over their 18-year career, TesseracT have become a prolific force on the technical metal-prog scene, famed for their technical prowess and faultless live performances. With live shows off the table, the band opted to turn their attention to the world of livestreaming. However, in true TesseracT style, this performance went further than sticking a camera at the far end of a studio and streaming to the world. Bringing in a collective of long-term collaborators including Director of Photography, Richard Oakes, the band created a live performance at Liteup’s studios that offered a veritable visual feast more akin to a short…
Author: Jacob Waite
Charlotte, North Carolina-based CSM Production was called upon to provide an IP-rated package of Elation lighting gear pre and post-race production for NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Daytona 500 is the most prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar and traditionally harnesses the highest television ratings of any auto race of the year. Delayed for six hours due to storms, the 2021 edition of The Great American Race was a rain-soaked affair that, despite a bit of waiting and the characteristic racing drama, went off without a hitch. CSM Production has worked…
Recognised as one of the Financial Times’ top 1000 fastest growing businesses for 2021, disguise will now be supported by The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm with $246bn of assets under management, who will take a majority stake in the company, alongside Epic Games who take a minority stake. In the past year, over 150 disguise xR stages have been built in more than 35 countries and disguise xR has powered more than 200 events. The disguise technology platform enables creative and technical professionals to imagine, create and deliver spectacular visual experiences and production environments. Combining its leading experience…
Unusual Rigging has welcomed the outcome of the UK Budget and what it means for theatres and other art venues. Specifically, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak’s pledge to give an extra £410m to the arts is intended to help the sector recover as lockdown eases. The funds are earmarked for theatres, museums, galleries and live music venues. Unusual Rigging Managing Director, Tom Harper believes that for the funds to be used most effectively, the industry should be regarded as an ecosystem, echoing the National Theatre’s Rufus Norris’ idea that ‘the funds should be pumped into productions and not…
Beyond Theatre has revealed what is considered the ‘largest line up of live theatre’ in the UK, scheduled to take place in Manchester in May 2021.The news follows the earlier announcement that the creation of the venue brings with it around 1,000 new theatre-related jobs. In this unique venue, which will be at Manchester’s Trafford Centre for four weeks from 13 May, the audience will drive to a dedicated parking space underneath Europe’s largest tent, a 68,000 sq ft marquee and the Theatrical Drive Jockeys will ensure the fun starts immediately. Creative Director, Paul Levin, explained: “We are looking to…
Having supplement existing inventory of technical production stock to University of Chester for a several years, Sterling Event Group were called upon to proceed with an ‘energy efficient’ upgrade of the education institute’s growing technical production facilities. Sterling Event Group worked closely with University of Chester’s Technical Team Leader, Colin Blanchard to devise a solution for the two studios – to be used for dance, drama, live music performances and conferences – that encompassed energy saving and production quality enhancing properties. “They were able to provide advice on a range of fixture options and also presented a very competitive quote,…
Strand has standardised its portfolio of Vision.Net architectural lighting components to use 35mm DIN rail for mounting. “Customers have relied on Strand’s custom lighting control enclosures for years,” said Fernand Pereira, Global Head of Marketing and Product Management, Entertainment Lighting at Signify. “Customers received exactly the solution they needed in a factory certified, UL rated enclosure that could be easily installed in the field. However, this required each solution to be custom designed and assembled in Strand’s factory. “By deploying standardised, DIN rail mountable modules, customers get the same flexibility in a solution that’s easier to order as boxed goods,…
DJ Florian Picasso recently staged a unique livestream from the confines of his great-grandfather Pablo’s former residence in Cannes, on the French Riviera in conjunction with artist Cyril Kongo, for the benefit of Maria Bravo and Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Foundation. The show sought to raise awareness and funds for Vietnamese orphanages and was staged from the living room of the villa which was transformed, with the addition of paintings, sketches and sculptures to its original state as Pablo Picasso’s studio. As Florian’s set progressed, Cyril Kongo worked beside him to paint a unique piece of art using a Pioneer…
London-based Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts has entered its production season amid the COVID-19 crisis with support from GLP’s UK office and some inventive programming of the company’s bespoke theatre fixtures from freelance designer and self-acclaimed ‘GLP enthusiast’, Adam King. When the academy relocated to its new building in Peckham from its former Wood Green base, where King had graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Technical Theatre specialising in Lighting, it had the benefit of a new reconfigurable theatre. This featured a purpose designed lighting grid on which the LDs could hang and focus their lighting, including a large…
The all-important wash light has evolved into a dynamic, multi-featured LED wash fixture that is vastly superior to wash luminaires found even just a few years ago. Join Elation’s Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif on this week’s Elation Coffee Break as they take a closer look at three premium LED automated wash fixtures that have given lighting designers all new creative wash possibilities, the Artiste Rembrandt, Artiste Van Gogh and Fuze Wash FR. Designers have asked for more features and versatility and Elation has delivered. Brighter, carefully tuned LED engines with CMY and SpectraColor (CMYRGB) colour mixing systems offer a…
To celebrate the recent launch of Carbon for Unreal, Imaginary Labs has just concluded its first ever #MadeWithCarbon Challenge. A total of 13 industry veterans evaluated the entries and the results of three winners – Lightology Australia, Dawson Becker, and Willy Su – have been revealed, along with People’s Choice winner — Peter Van Engelandt, whose entry received the most “likes” on social media during the voting period. “I am extremely inspired by the diversity of the entries,” noted Imaginary Labs CEO & Chief Architect, David S. Perkins. “Some were complete fantasy, and some were more akin to typical previs…
To mark the end of a difficult 2020 and the start of 2021, DJ, producer and remixer Nicky Romero stayed local and recorded a performance that was broadcast to fans around the world from his website to help them to celebrate the New Year at home. The lighting rig for the shoot comprised predominately ADJ fixtures, including Vizi Beam RXONE and Vizi CMY300 moving heads as well as Pixie Strip LED battens. Romero’s NYE broadcast also featured guest DJs DØBER and Timmo Hendriks who performed a back-to-back set. The venue for the shoot was Downtown Veenendaal, a modern community meeting…
3LR Lighting has appointed Christina Nowak as Film and Studio Liaison. Nowak has accrued wide experience of business development in the film-technology and production sector, working with leading brands including Red Digital Cinema, Ncam Technologies and G-Technology. Her work has seen her become a trusted figure across the industry, with a strong network of contacts, including acclaimed industry creatives, influencers, industry partners and societies. 3LR Managing Director, Matthew Lloyd commented on the appointment: “Christina will act in a consultancy role for 3LR, developing relationships and raising awareness amongst the film production community of the brands and products we represent. She…
Star Live recently enlisted the expertise of SES Entertainment Services to support the technical delivery of three key projects. Star Live Technical Director, Roger Barrett contacted SES Entertainment Services requiring a large amount of power distribution units and cabling for three large semi-permanent contracts that the firm had been awarded. “Due to the technical requirements and location of the brief at hand distribution was designed around a fixed brief, something that us here at SES are more than used to,” SES Entertainment Services Group Director, Gordon Cooper explained. “The first stage of the project was to have design drawings approved…
Green Hippo Hippotizer Nevis+ media server is proving to be an essential tool for smaller productions around the world, offering the features and power of its ‘bigger brother’ stablemates but in a more compact and affordable package. Maggie Zhu at KUPO (Keep Ur Performance Outstanding) Shanghai was one of the first investors in a Nevis+. “The main attraction of Nevis+ is its price, coupled with the fact we can use all of Hippotizer’s comprehensive software features,” she said. “For us, the main market for Hippotizer is for performance and theatre. Nevis+ is the right solution for these events, as one…
Integrated Systems Events (ISE) Managing Director, Mike Blackman, has issued a statement regarding the forthcoming ISE 2021 event, scheduled to take place in Barcelona on 1 to 4 June this year. “Together with each of you, our shared goal is to deliver a show that prioritises safety and brings a return on investment to our show community. With the rapid implementation of vaccines, and the current reduction in daily new cases, we see the COVID-19 situation in many European countries (including Spain) improving at an increasing pace. Based on this positive trend, we anticipate a climate that will make it possible…
Lighting professional Graham Hill is set to serve as Business Development Manager at Elation Professional. The latest recruit brings decades of valuable lighting experience to the position and comes to Elation from a position as VP of Business Development at 4Wall Entertainment, where he developed and maintained customer relationships in Europe and the United Kingdom. He is perhaps best known for his many years as Company Director of Static Light Company, the London-based supplier of lighting solutions for exhibitions, corporate events, and motor-shows. His new role at Elation encompasses building collaborative relationships across the industry internationally, including working closely with…
Russian rock band, KINO celebrated their long-awaited reunion with an online concert, which impressed the native rock community and teased KINO’s stadium tour later this year. The online performance was the first show to use Claypaky’s new Tambora Batten fixtures, specified by Lighting Designer, Marina Larikova. The online concert reunited members of the band who had not appeared together since the death of KINO’s lead singer, Victor Tsoi, in 1990. The performance featured two bass players who had played at different times with the original band, KINO’s original guitarist, a synthesiser player and a rhythm guitarist. Victor Tsoi’s presence was…
