BLUMANO will expand into Germany with BLUMANO Deutschland. This base, located in the heart of Western Europe, will work closely with BLUMANO’s network of offices in Ireland, the UK, Italy, South Korea and the Netherlands. Laura van Haperen joins the organisation as a qualified DGUV V 17/18 (formerly BGV C1) expert in Germany. “During several after-work get-togethers throughout Europe, we found out that we share the same visions and mindsets,” van Haperen commented. “To give an example, standards and guidelines should always be written in a way that gives technical development departments, as well as designers, the maximum artistic freedom to design new spectacular effects. Of course — above all…
Author: Jacob Waite
Squeek Lights has expanded its rental inventory with the purchase of 36 ADJ Jolt Bar FX fixtures. Squeek Lights was founded by Victor Zeiser, who continues to run the company alongside partners Ben Jarrett and Steve Kosiba. “We had a demo of the Jolt Bar FX and thought it was cool, so placed an order for 12 units,” explained Zeiser. “As soon as it arrived, and we had the chance to play with it, we immediately decided to order more! We really like it because it’s one fixture, but lets you create two layers of effects. It’s also very visual,…
Illumixx — a new distribution company owned by Christie Lites — has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Elation Professional products in Canada. The distribution partnership with Illumixx, which also covers the distribution of Obsidian Control Systems and Magmatic atmospheric effects products, goes into effect as of September 2022. Claudia Pfaffinger, CEO of Christie Lites Sales, the sales and integration arm of Christie, stated: “Illumixx brings an understanding of the needs of the professional lighting marketplace. We are confident that this partnership will result in wide product range availability and local stock for quicker deliveries and service.” Christie Lites provides…
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of outdoor events has increased dramatically, meaning the demand for IP65 rated fixtures has too. To this end, Makin Lightin has invested in PROLIGHTS’ Solar 27Q wash lights to meet its customer’s needs and growing desire to continue developing creative options. Jonathan Makin, owner of Makin Lightin, commented on the investment: “When it came to selecting an outdoor wash light, there are a large number of options on the market, but it was never a question for us, PROLIGHTS was the obvious choice. We have been using their products for a number of years…
Having learned a range of technical skills during 3T’s latest free, practical training course – which helps people from underrepresented gender and ethnic groups gain the skills to begin careers in the live events sector – recent graduates have developed into all-round tour technicians. Since graduating, 3T’s class of ‘22 have demonstrated their utility, delving straight into the dynamic world of live events with hands-on experience at festival sites, venues and houses of worship, as well as touring campaigns throughout the summer months. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/108 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here. www.3t.charity
I was born in East Anglia into my parents touring circus – Croissant Neuf – which, in the mid ‘80s, decided to ditch generators and switched to using renewables such as solar, wind and recycled batteries to power the entire show. In 1992, during the Rio Earth Summit, my parents took the circus to a vast sustainability event at Birmingham’s NEC called The Green Show where they realised that sharing information about the environment was essential but needed to reach a wider audience, so the circus evolved into a touring eco-exhibition centre – The Green Roadshow. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/104 This article originally…
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/112 What’s behind the rise in venues adopting community business models? “Music Venue Trust (MVT) has worked for the past 8 years to gain recognition for the cultural, social and economic value of grassroots music venues (GMVs). Unlike other cultural buildings, such as arts centres and theatres, GMVs are treated as profit-making businesses in most legal contexts even though the role they play in developing talent and new music is economically loss-making. The move to change to CICs, CBSs and other recognised non-profit management structures is part of the solution but needs to be complemented by tackling the fact that…
Through their long standing relationship with Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD), Proper Productions has a history of introducing new talent to the live events sector. Past interns have gone on to advance for some of the world’s biggest festival sites, straight through to tour site managing the likes of Ed Sheeran. At American Express presents BST Hyde Park, CSSD alumni, Owen Donkin as Production Coordinator and Proper Productions intern, Fríða Frosta as Production Assistant and for the festival’s long-awaited return. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/98 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here. www.bst-hydepark.com www.properproductions.org
Backstage Academy’s latest tour, which stretched across the UK from the North West to Truro in Cornwall, saw final year students from various degree courses showcase their skills, higher education experiences and encourage prospective students. The tour, which was supported by Blitz Rigging, 4Wall Entertainment, Avolites, Sennheiser, Shure, KV2 Audio, Midas, ROE Visual, Green Hippo and STS centred on the technical production of a live band, Listomania, and focused on the core disciplines of live entertainment. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/94 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here. www.backstage-academy.co.uk
Founded in 2012, Brompton’s roots are embedded within live events. One of the core goals of the company was to address the challenges of using LED video for live events, ensuring not only that the image quality was to the highest possible standard, but also that its products could withstand the rigours of touring and be set up quickly. Since then, while still being the go-to LED processing solution for many productions, the company has seen significant growth into the film and TV industry – something that increased yet further during the pandemic. A decade on, the company now has…
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, live events came to an abrupt halt and rental houses around the world saw their warehouses full to the brim with unused equipment. During this time, many businesses had a similar idea of creating a studio space. The range of offerings went from low-budget DIY streaming stages all the way up to high-end XR studios demonstrating the latest in-camera technology. Falling into the latter of these two categories, 80six’s studio space in its Slough HQ has now become a major part of the company’s portfolio and taken on a life of its own. …
To be held on 6 December at Manchester’s Escape to Freight Island, the UK Festival Awards presents the ideal opportunity for festival organisers and suppliers to get together and reflect on the past season while looking forward to the next. The awards themselves will be decided by either fan votes, an expert panel, or a combination of both in categories including: Best Major Festival, Outstanding Contribution and, for this year only, the Perfect Pivot Award, which acknowledges the festival business that applied its skills to alternative activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/76 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of…
In what has become a long-term collaboration, the d&b audiotechnik team was once again back on the WOMAD Festival site deploying its Soundscape system on the d&b Stage and being utilised by artists including Joe Armon-Jones, The Selecter, Hollie Cook and SEED. Overseeing the d&b Stage was FOH Engineer, Gavin Tempany. Although he has worked on the festival a number of times in the past, this was his first time working with the Soundscape system and TPi was keen to get his thoughts on the experience. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/72 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here.…
Known for its propensity for large LED screens and jaw-dropping productions, UK dance music mecca, Creamfields by cinch, has always pushed the envelope when it comes to stage design – and that certainly didn’t change in 2022. Not only did organisers launch a brand-new festival – Creamfields South – but the northern rendition of the event now benefits from a brand-new stage by Lucid Creates with Video Illusions technical infrastructure. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/71 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here. www.lucidcreates.co.uk www.videoillusions.net www.zeallive.com
Spanning two days in Wembley Arena, HallyuPopFest saw 14 different bands performing in a fast-moving visual spectacular, with a generous amount of special effects and high-quality audio, delivering a distinctly different live experience for fans in a format breaking from traditional Western rock or pop concerts. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/18 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here. www.hallyupopfest.com www.symphotech.co.uk
In support of her sixth studio album, Chromatica, Lady Gaga and her production team hit the road with perhaps their most ambitious touring campaign to date. Having paved the way for immersive wearable technology in recent years, PixMob was enlisted by Lady Gaga’s longstanding creative team, spearheaded by Lighting and Production Designer, LeRoy Bennett, to enhance The Chromatica Ball experience. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpi271_digitallr/16 This article originally appeared in issue #271 of TPi, which you can read here. www.pixmob.com
Plenty of companies working in the events sector can claim a rich heritage, but when it comes to history, there can’t be many that date back further than Pains Fireworks. The Pains name can be traced back hundreds of years and even ties its original founder to Guy Fawkes’ planned ‘display’ at the Houses of Parliament. With documentation of the name cropping up over the centuries as a commercial seller of fireworks to the public, in more modern times, the company became one of the world leaders in large-scale firework displays and, as more keen-eyed readers will know, Pains Fireworks…
If you look at the changing working practices of crew over the decades, one clear trend is the amount of offline work that happens between shows. From audio engineers using virtual sound checks to hone their mixes to lighting designers using pre-visualisation software – and more recently VR – to ensure that their show looks perfect before an artist even walks on the stage. One department where this level of preparation outside show hours doesn’t exist to the same extent is within video – specifically when it comes to live camera feeds for IMAG content. However, this may be about…
