Just in time for the Christmas season, Magmatic atmospheric effects reveal Crisp Max – a snow machine in Magmatic’s Polar series that makes it easy to create scene-setting wintry settings. Crisp Max is capable of producing high volumes of naturalistic snow with the capacity to adjust snowflake size for greater versatility. Small flake or large, short throw or long, this 1250W high-volume snow machine can project snow up to 12 meters (40 feet) with the flexibility to adjust to the occasion. An optional 120° pan motor is available that increases the coverage area. Crisp Max includes a 20l fluid tank…
Author: Jacob Waite
Production Park has announced four senior hires to lead its £7m research and development (R&D) project on its Wakefield campus – dubbed the live event industry’s “Pinewood of the North”. The project, XPLOR, will be used to deliver a support programme to facilitate growth for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) across the live events industry, and will be headed up by Jim Farmery, ex Partnerships Lead at Creative England. Jim has been announced as XPLOR’s Development Director and will oversee the day-to-day running of the facility. Upon completion in Spring 2022, the site will become one of the UK’s first specialist innovation centres in the live events industry, with sector comparisons being made with the world-leading film and television institution, Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. Engaging…
Metallica, known for their energetic, all-encompassing live concerts, raised the bar for virtual performances during their Helping Hands Concert and Auction charity event on 14 November. The band used Virtual Crowd technology to get up close and personal with fans around the world. Virtual Crowd, a fully customisable and scalable multimedia technology, allows artists to interact with their fans in real-time while showcasing high-quality production value and design — something that Metallica took to the next level with their show as they rocked out while surrounded by walls of video screens displaying faces of their fans, some of whom they…
Over 16 years Carollon has grown from seven to over 70 employees, and spawning spin-off companies Pharos Architectural Controls, Brompton Technology, and new start-up SixEye. Pharos and Brompton have both been regular winners of high-profile awards for their innovative products, with Brompton Technology recently winning the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2020: International Trade. As of May 2020, Carallon is now owned by an Employee Ownership Trust, which acts for the benefit of all current and future employees, and through elected employee trustees gives all staff a say in major strategic decisions. Managing Director, Richard Mead explained: “On day one,…
Lighting Designer, Tom Kenny chose Ayrton Khamsin-S profiles as key lights in his design for this year’s iHeartCountry Festival, presented by Capital One, which was live streamed globally and broadcast on iHeartMedia’s country radio stations on 23 October. Bandit Lites supplied 24 of Ayrton’s Khamsin-S fixtures for this 7th annual celebration of country music which was rescheduled from its original slot in May at the Frank Erwin Centre in Austin, Texas, and relocated to The Steel Mill in Nashville, Tennessee. Kenny is a lighting designer with over 40 years of experience on both sides of the Atlantic who moves easily…
disguise has launched its new vx 1 and vx 2 media servers as it continues to support its user community in adapting to the new era of live production. Used in combination with disguise’s new rx render engine hosting platform and RenderStream support for Unreal Engine and Notch, the new vx machines significantly bring down the cost of xR production, while simultaneously introducing scalability and flexibility. For the past six months, disguise has paved the way for xR innovation, enabling creative and technical producers to deliver breathtaking live experiences in a virtual environment, thus allowing brands and artists to continue…
Powersoft has introduced a new care plan for its rack amplifier customers, which will be available via the company’s MyPowersoft portal as of 20th November 2020. The plan – which has been introduced so Powersoft customers can have increased certainty over their investments in these uncertain times – includes two distinct services; Warranty Extension and Service Shield, both of which can be purchased separately. Powersoft has always ensured that it builds products to the highest quality standards, and this no-compromise approach is what has consolidated the company’s reputation as a manufacturer of reliable, durable, and dependable machines, used by the…
It was “like riding a bike.“ That’s how John Garberson described his experience working the lighting console for the opening acts at Arizona Bike Week. The president of Creative BackStage, Garberson hadn’t run the boards at a show in six years (his work managing his business prevented that!), when he sat down at the desk for this four-day festival. Given the way Creative BackStage was growing, Garberson really didn’t expect to be running boards again. But in 2020, few things have gone as expected. With his festival and event business halted in March, he occupied himself by turning his home…
Elation Professional and the ADJ Group of Companies has announced the sudden passing of friend and colleague of the company, Joe Adams on 14 November 2020. One of Joe’s most deeply held beliefs was that he was better because of the people he served. Joe’s family shared: “It doesn’t matter if you are the owner, stagehand, or the repair technician in the back, each of you had a lasting impact on Joe. You were never his dealers, his clients, or his work. You were friends and family; never a chore, obligation, or dollar sign.” An esteemed and beloved colleague, Adams,…
Evolve Technology has reinforced its commitment to its new Immerse business segment with a $5 million investment in LED displays and related technologies specifically engineered for the film and television markets. Launched earlier this fall, Immerse offers turnkey xR stage solutions for augmented and extended reality, LED and projection technologies, and interactive tools for customers seeking immersive solutions for their productions. The capital investment will enable Evolves Immerse division to focus on film and television as that space increasingly moves to virtual production workflows. “The film and television markets are dynamically changing and implementing technology we know well from the…
Squeeze, the first socially distanced live music event due to take place at The O2 arena on Saturday 5 December, has been rescheduled to Saturday 27 February 2021 due to the current lockdown in England which has created logistical concerns. The gig, which would have seen the venue’s capacity reduced from 20,000 to 4,700, was due to be the first live music event with fans since the venue closed in March. Extensive planning and a number of new safety measures had been put in place to welcome fans back to the arena safely. Steve Sayer, VP & GM of The…
disguise welcomes Streamliner Productions in New Zealand to its worldwide partner network. Streamliner are now a disguise xR Creative & Rental Partner and will enable new levels of creativity for virtual productions in a country that has been described as a thriving mecca for the global film industry. The disguise partner network consists of over 200 partners specialising in the disguise workflow and hardware, enabling end-customers to source the best equipment as well as technical and creative talent to help bring live and virtual experiences to life. Streamliner has recently invested in disguise’s award-winning vx4 as well as the newly…
Building on a steady year of sales and market growth, Focusrite bolsters its long-term strategic business plan with the announcement of two new appointments in its sales force representing its pro division, which includes RedNet range of Dante-networked audio converters and interfaces, Red interfaces and ISA mic pre’s. The new appointments include Matt Pliskin as Focusrite Pro Broadcast and Immersive Audio Sales Manager, and Peter Tilley as Focusrite Pro Educational and Post-Production Sales Manager. Both Pliskin and Tilley are being promoted from previous positions with Focusrite Pro. This strengthening of Focusrite’s Pro sales team reinforces a long-term sales growth strategy…
Lost Horizon is back. Dubbed the ‘world’s largest virtual reality music and arts venue’, organisers have revealed the first season of huge virtual events set to take place throughout December 2020 in the immersive world of Sansar. The sprawling Lost Horizon multiverse, created by the team behind Glastonbury’s legendary Shangri-La, reopens with a series of virtual events, promising all of Lost Horizon’s surprise magic including wild dance floors, secret headliners and hidden wormholes. The star-studded line up features the likes of Armada Record Box, Blond:Ish Presents Abracadabra, Hospitalitydnb, Infected Mushroom (Live Band Show), Krust: The Edge of Everything, Little Gay Brother,…
First Option has underlined its position as the largest, most experienced safety consultants in the media and entertainment industry with the launch of its events-specific course for touring, festival and live event production professionals and key decision makers. To assist the events sector during the second lockdown and pre-vaccine period, First Option’s new Event COVID-19 Supervisor / Compliance Officer Advanced Level Training has been adapted from its highly successful TV and broadcast course to equip any crew able to work intermittently. The new sector-specific course material, written by Event Safety Expert and Course Leader Martin Barraclough, incorporates procedures outlined in…
Red Rocks partnered with video streaming service Nugs.net to cap the summer off in style with local Colorado production house Brown Note Productions providing a full Elation IP-rated rig for the limited capacity four-night run at Red Rocks. Tiësto, Fitz and the Tantrums, Billy Strings and Lotus headlined the four nights respectively with all but Billy Strings performing before a live audience limited to 175 fans per Colorado’s COVID-19 guidelines. As a guarantee against any weather issues, notably Colorado’s notorious cloudburst rain showers, Brown Note dipped into its inventory of Elation all-weather IP65 luminaires to light the four shows with…
While the majority of festivals and concerts scheduled for the summer of 2020 had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, a few smaller events were still able to go ahead with social distancing in place. One example was the fifth annual Birds of a Feather Music & Arts Festival, which took place during August in Northern Kentucky. It featured an eclectic line-up of bands playing across two adjacent stages, which both featured identical lighting rigs comprised exclusively of ADJ fixtures. Located at the picturesque Thornhill Drag Strip in a little town called Morning View in Kentucky, Birds of a Feather…
Creative Technology (CT) worked closely with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) to help deliver its 3rd annual Conference from Riverside Studios Hammersmith. The virtual event was livestreamed to a global audience on 6–7 October. The initial challenge faced by Rob Day (Senior Project Manager) and Emma Rössl, (Project Manager), was to find a suitable venue that could guarantee the right internet bandwidth, which is key in establishing a high quality connection and vital in delivering a successful online event. All spaces at our Crawley facility were fully booked so our friends at Riverside Studios provided Studio 2 for…
