The Eurovision Song Contest’s official slogan #UnitedByMusic is applicable not only to the artists and audiences. To stage a live broadcast of this magnitude – reputedly the largest live broadcast in the world – takes huge teamwork and cooperation over a long period of time, even before the artists appear on stage.

Stormby used Ayrton Rivale Profile, Kyalami and Huracán Wash to stunning effect on numbers like this, the winning entry from Switzerland, Nemo – The Code.

Behind the scenes is no exception and under the experienced hand of veteran Eurovision technical show director, Ola Melzig, the production designer, Florian Wieder, and lighting and screen content designer Fredrik Stormby of Green Wall Designs, worked closely with associate lighting designers Mike Smith and Michael Straun to ensure the 68th Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in the Malmö Arena was the most impressive to date.

“As this was the 3rd time Sweden had hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in ten years, we set ourselves the challenge of doing something new and brave that would respectfully challenge the traditional Eurovision concept a little, and introduce a more large-scale concert tour feel to the familiar ‘studio show’ concept,” explains Stormby.

Taking inspiration from Swedish music, songwriting and local architecture, and a tricky request from the producers to put the audience in shot for every performance, the duo developed a stage without any traditional scenic elements or shapes, based on in-the-round layout and using light and video to shape the stage. Overhead a highly dynamic rig on almost 200 automation hoists carried over 200 tons of equipment.

“Most of the lighting design was to work with strong lines of fixtures – not many types – but densely used to give very strong expressions,” explains Stormby. “We could then use many combinations of these individually strong lines of lights and the many automated rig positions to create a very interesting palette.”

Spain entry.

Key to Stormby’s exclusively LED and laser-based design were 384 new Ayrton Rivale Profiles and 146 newly-released Kyalami fixtures, along with 32 Huracán Wash, supplied by Creative Technology Group.

Ayrton Rivale

“I like to approach my television designs using dedicated keylight fixtures that have a certain quality of light to function well as key lights,” says Stormby. “I also like a single type of workhorse fixture throughout the rig that I can use for beam effects, mid-air effects, and to frame in on props or dancers, but can also support the key lighting to fill in as back or side lights. And that became the job of Rivale.”

Twenty automated ‘pods’ each carrying Rivale Profiles in a 3×3 configuration formed the main feature of the lighting design and allowed for a near-infinite number of aesthetic and practical positions. More Rivale Profiles were rigged in the audience trusses, above the stage and around the bleachers.

“I was looking for a workhorse LED fixture with shutters and good colours that was affordable in large numbers. I also wanted good light quality, a narrow zoom, gobos, shaper blades and all the traditional stuff,” says Stormby. “We also needed to be careful of weight as there was so much hanging above the stage.
I saw Rivale in Paris when it had just come out of development. It checked all those boxes and came in a compact, light-weight package which was perfect for what we wanted to achieve with this moving lighting rig.”

Huracan Wash

Thirty-two Huracán Washes were rigged on front of house and audience trusses: “I wanted a wash instrument with shutters that I could use for audience lighting but be able to shutter off the bleacher sections to avoid spill. I thought the Huracán Wash was a good pick because I had this idea that I might use soft gobos – which I didn’t in the end – but it was one of the features that attracted me. It turned out a nice big powerful, traditional wash light with some extra features which was exactly what I was looking for.”

Looking for a fixture to outline the stage design in all dimensions, Stormby chose Ayrton’s newly-released laser-sourced Kyalami. These he mounted on Wahlberg lifts around the stage edges where they could be raised and lowered to define the shape of the stage as required. More Kyalami were rigged in a long vertical line in each of the two 18m high towers that flanked the main video screen.

Cyprus shines under the twenty pods lined with wash Ayrton Huracan in 3×3 matrix.

Yet more were rigged in “the biggest truss in the world!” – a 32m long truss using 62 universes alone which hung in front of the main video screen, completing a ‘football goal’ effect with the side towers.

Ayrton Kyalami

“The Kyalami on the truss and the towers could form a box of light for framing the back screen. We could also lower the massive truss right down to stage level so the Kyalami could act as a floor package or raise it really high to open out into very wide effects, and so many different ways in between,” says Stormby.

“Kyalami was nearing the end of its development when I was shown it, but we could see it was a compact unit with a good strong beam which we made good use of punching through all that video! I really liked the speed of Kyalami’s optical effects. That is what that fixture is about: it’s small and quick, and the prism and frost can be brought in and out really quickly – you can create a lot of different effects with that.”

The result was a design with enough flexibility to create unique looks for the each of the 37 participating countries’ very diverse performances, with less than a minute turnaround time between each song.

Kyalami can create a very define “box of light” with their laser source as seen during the Lithuania entry.

“It was great fun working with this rig because we could position it in so many different places that, as well as giving us all manner of side light, backlight and low lights, we could really play with the lighting and directions of lighting as well. The openness of the 360° stage allowed us to invite the audience into the shots in a very natural way as part of the background. This is when we had to rely on the skills of our programmers!

If we were shooting from one side of the stage, for example, we had to clean out all of the lights hitting the bleachers on the other side to make it look good. So we really produced the show shot by shot to achieve the big clean cool rock concert looks, yet were able to instantly cut to the hosts and back into Eurovision mode again. Eurovision is a cross over between television, theatre and show lighting and I think we succeeded in making the performances look like a big arena show.

Croatia entry.

“I was really happy with the overall outcome. It was 10 weeks of bonkers production but I’m proud of the result and we certainly ticked all the boxes in ‘respectfully challenging the concept.’ I like the fact that Rivale and Kyalami especially are such small fixtures but we can still pull off a show of this scale with them. That’s quite cool.”

#UnitedByMusic goes beyond the artists and creatives, and it took great collaborative teamwork between suppliers and distributors to bring this huge amount of equipment together for Eurovision 2024, led by Eurovision’s official lighting supplier, Creative Technology, and Ayrton.

Creative Technology Group made a substantial investment in 276 Rivale Profiles and worked closely with VIGSØ Denmark to sub-hire the remainder of the huge inventory of Ayrton fixtures. The fixture selection process was supported by TopStage of Sweden who worked closely with the lighting designers to introduce, demonstrate and facilitate their choice of the new Ayrton fixtures.

Estonia gives its all in an unstructured design that stands out for its inclusive geometry.

Emil Højmark, CT Group’s Head of Lighting for Sweden comments: “We’d been looking into investing in Rivale long before Eurovision came along, but Eurovision sealed the deal! Eurovision has always pushed the technology and Ayrton, which has had a long involvement with Eurovision, has always pushed the envelope in product development.

“We had over 384 Rivale Profiles on site and very few issues – it’s proved a really stable platform. The Huracan Washes were similarly reliable and one of the few fixtures we had no problems with at all. Eurovision is a high tempo project with unique challenges, and having direct access to the Ayrton tech team on site made such a difference. They are so passionate and dedicated delivering outstanding communication and support.”

Ayrton joined forces with VIGSØ to ensure everything was delivered and prepped in under 48 hours. “It was very impressive,” concludes Højmark. “VIGSØ did what I’ve never seen before from a distributor to pull this together. All departments worked really well together. It was hard work but good fun and all done in good Eurovision spirits.”

Slovenia entry.

“The collaboration with Creative Technology was great, and it was exciting to be involved in the decision-making process from the start,” says Linnea Ljungmark of TopStage, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Sweden. “When Fredrik came to me early in the process to discuss lights for Eurovision, it was clear to me that he was looking for a very unique look – not a specific brand – with what the fixtures could achieve. Ayrton was able to provide this and it’s been really great to follow him through the process from initial idea to final design.”

Kenneth Jakobsen, Head of Sales at VIGSØ Sales, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Denmark, says, “VIGSØ was very happy to work with CT on this mammoth production. Everyone involved put in a huge team effort under challenging circumstances to collectively deliver the entire, massive project on time.”

“I think CT carried out an excellent delivery,” says Stormby. “With a rig designed like this with everything in straight lines, it really comes down to the finish of the build to make it look good and they really pulled that off. I’m really happy with CT and I’m really happy with the support from Ayrton.”

“It took an amazing collaborative effort to gather so many products in one place and make sure all was running smoothly and on time,” says Michael Althaus, Ayrton’s Global Sales Director. “Special thanks to Emil Højmark who coordinated the operation, to CT for its huge investment in Ayrton, and to Kenneth Jakobsen, Christian Vigsø and Linnea Ljungmark and their teams for all their hard work. It couldn’t have been done without them all, and thank you especially to Fredrik and the team for making everything look stunning!”

Eurovision Song Contest 2025 Final and semi-finals took place in Malmö Arena, Sweden in front of the massive arena audience and 160million+ television viewers across the three live performances. “They were, as Eva Beckman, Director of Program SVT says, “three magical shows, bursting with creativity, temperament, humour and professionalism. And a more beautiful TV-production I have never seen. I didn’t even dare blink my eyes of fear in missing a single detail.”

More details on Ayrton Rivale Profile, Kyalami and Huracán Wash, and the full range of Ayrton LED and laser-sourced lighting fixtures can be found at www.ayrton.eu

The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) was staged in Malmo Arena, Sweden, and was memorable for many elements including a superlative technical presentation which took the show production aspect of one of the largest and most-watched live music broadcasts in the world to new levels of excellence.
Under the show technical direction of Ola Melzig, a team of highly talented creatives, programmers, engineers, network architects and technicians collaborated to stage the first ever in-the-round ESC, breaking technical barriers and records!

Lighting designer Fredrik Stormby of Stockholm-based creative studio Greenwall Design and his team took care of all things lighting as well as co-ordinating the screens content, working in close conjunction with production designer Florian Wieder, and included on the lighting plot were 52 x Robe Fortes, 57 x T1 Profiles and 14 x T2 Profiles.

Robe FORTE

Robe T1 Profile

Robe T2 Profile

These Robe moving lights were used to cover all the stage and Green Room key lighting requirements. Rigged on multiple roof and side trusses flown above and around both these major areas, all lighting equipment was supplied by Creative Technology Sweden together with the video and audio equipment packages.

The show also featured an extensive automation system that helped boost the dynamics of three vibrant live broadcasts – the two semi-finals and the grand finale – encompassing a total of 37 entries. These specific Robe fixtures were chosen for their excellent CRI, intensity, and overall quality of light.

The Fortes were fitted with the HCF (High Colour Fidelity) Transferable Engine module from Robe’s TE series of ground-breaking self-referencing, data-capturing LED light engines that are all designed, developed, and manufactured at the Robe factory in the Czech Republic.

The 1,000W White 6.000K HCF LED engine offers 35,000 lumens and an exceptionally high inherent CRI of 96, making these luminaires perfect for this scenario. The T1 and T2 both have CRIs of 95 and are already well established in broadcast and theatre worlds for optimising skin tones and colours. As well as being utilised for general key lighting, several Fortes were configured to run part of an extensive remote follow spotting system, so they could be called up and activated as needed.

“As with any broadcast show, key lighting is one of the fundamentals, so we were extremely pleased that Fredrik was happy to work with these Robe fixtures,” commented Emil Hojmark, CT’s head of lighting for North Europe, who co-ordinated the lighting production. He added that they received “great support from Robe’s technical team” throughout the event period.
The load in at Malmo Arena – which also staged ESC in 2013 – started on April 3rd and was preceded by four days’ prep at CT’s warehouse in Malmo, used as a production hub for all the equipment procurement and provisioning.

Fredrik’s programming team included lead programmer for effects lighting Ishai Mika, lead programmer for key lighting Dom Adams, plus Isak Gabre, Linus Pansell and Leo Stenbeck. The assistant lighting designer was Louisa Smurthwaite (who was follow spot caller for the 2023 event in the UK) and the two associate LDs were Mike Smith and Michael Straun who worked in day and night shifts during the five-week rehearsal and development period.

Eurovision 2024 was won by Switzerland’s Nemo with their song “The Code”, closely beating Croatia’s Baby Lasagne with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, with Ukraine’s Alonya Alonya & Jerry Heil in third place with “Theresa & Maria”.
The 68th Eurovision Song Contest was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) and was presented in Sweden for the seventh time.

For more information about Robe lighting, you can visit www.robe.cz

ETC announces two software releases for the Hog 4 console’s operating system. Hog 4 OS v3.21 and v4.1 are the bridging releases with export/import features to get old show files into Hog desks running v4.x software.

Senior Product Manager Sarah Clausen commented, “We recognize the value of our users’ hard work overtime and the cost of having to recreate shows to move forward with Hog into the future. These two releases create the bridge needed to bring older show data into the v4 world and beyond.”
Hog OS v3.21 is required for users that wish to import / export existing show files. Show files can now be exported to an XML format which allows for easier transitions between software versions where show file compatibility may be limited. Section 4.12 of the Hog OS v3.21 help manual offers details on how to use the Show Import/Export feature.

Additional features in v3.21 include cloning per type palette rules for fixtures when change type is used and a dedicated timecode frame rate option for lists. Additional details are available in the release notes and help manual.
Hog OS v4.1. facilitates importation from exported v3.21 data into v4.x OS. Please note that some show cleanup will likely be needed, especially in situations where colors are stored in a non-native color system for a fixture. Section 4.12 of the Hog OS v4.1help manual also has the most up to date details on how to use the Show Import/Export feature.

Additionally, in v4.1, the SPD view of the physical tab in the Colour Picker Window has been simplified by removing the selected emitter info section and Locked Physical Function tray area, and a new “optimize palettes” button has been added to the show manager window.
Pressing this button starts a background task that scans all the palettes in the show for repeated per fixture values and rolls them up to per type rules when possible. This is intended to improve performance in editors and playback and improve palette editing overall.

For more information, you can visit www.etcconnect.com/Products/Live-Events/Hog-4

Most artists of significant stature will name their tours, perhaps inspirationally, perhaps whimsically. Andrea Bocelli, the 11-time Grammy Award-nominated singer whose oeuvre comfortably straddles classic opera, romantic pop, and Latino genres, needed only a couple of letters and numbers to moniker his most recent sojourn:
AB30 his initials and the number of years he’s recorded and traveled the world touring. And even that abbreviated signature is simply shorthand for millions of fans who just say “Andrea!”

On the current tour, which crossed North America in February and April, including Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Montreal, and Detroit, with a brief stop in Brazil in May before heading to Europe from July through November, will ultimately return to the US in December. Throughout, Bocelli has been accompanied by 60-plus-piece orchestras, often some of the flagships of their respective regions, such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Indiana Symphony Orchestra, all conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio.

Equally impressive are the two new DiGiCo Quantum852 mixing consoles traveling with the tour, which also includes a full band and 60-voice choir. The two consoles, representing the latest iteration of DiGiCo’s acclaimed Quantum series, were supplied to Andrea Bocelli’s audio team as part of a complete production package by OSA International, Inc.

“Upon seeing the Quantum852 we knew it was the best choice for both the artist and OSA. Nothing else touches it and we’re proud to have some of the first in the US,” says OSA Executive VP Carmen Educate. “Adding the Quantum852 desks to our locations in Las Vegas, Nashville, and Chicago is a ‘win’ for our clients and these world-class desks perfectly complement the top-tier equipment and services that we proudly offer.”

For the AB30 tour, both desks are used for front-of-house mixing

One for mixing the orchestra which ran to 68 musicians for the São Paolo dates in May helmed by Stefano Serpagli, and the other for the overall mix, managed by Davide Lombardi. He takes Serpagli’s mix and blends it with the band used for the more pop and Latin numbers choir, some occasional playback tracks from Pro Tools, and ultimately Bocelli’s magnificent vocals. In addition to all of that, the two consoles also provide all of the onstage monitoring required.

“I come from a pop background, but I’ve also done some classical music before, and I love it,” says Stefano Serpagli, who has previously mixed live sound for Natalie Imbruglia and Dido. “The complexity with orchestras is that there’s a large number of live mics and musicians, and it’s all about the subtleties and finding the right balance.

Stefano Serpagli, en charge du premix des orchestres symphoniques.

There are also differences between orchestras: you can go from the London Philharmonic, obviously so well drilled, and then we have a young and enthusiastic orchestra like São Paulo’s. The difference can be huge from what you get out right out of the box.

And even a great orchestra will just give you a good starting point; the challenge is the difference in environments we encounter. Bocelli is an arena- and stadium-sized artist, and so you’re dealing with the subtleties and the complexities of mixing an orchestra in environments like these.”

Serpagli says the Quantum852 has taken what had already been his choice for mixing orchestras to the next level. “I’ve been a DiGiCo user since the D5 and then into the SD-Range, and I love how it has progressed with regards to onboard dynamics and then came the Quantums,” he says. “We’ve used the Quantum338 and the Quantum7, which was previously my favorite work surface with its central bank of faders easily at hand.

But the Quantum852 is its own category! It has a huge, intuitive surface that is absolutely incredible to work on. There are no compromises on this console. I can have whatever I want and as much of it as I want. And although I was already impressed with the clarity of the Quantum7’s screens, the Quantum852 makes visibility and control even better.”

He’s also a huge fan of the Quantum processing. “I use the Chilli 6 [six-band, dynamic multiband compressor] across each section of the orchestra to help me smooth it out,” he says. “For instance, the younger orchestras may have more attack, dynamically speaking, and it lets me deliver a smoother result for Davide to mix in with the other vocals and the rest of the show.”

Davide Lombardi, superviseur audio, sound designer et ingé de mixage pour cette tournée de Bocelli.

Davide Lombardi has worked with Bocelli since 2009 and has the role of audio supervisor, as well as sound designer and co-FOH engineer for this tour. He has also enjoyed employing the progressively more powerful Quantum processing during his time with Bocelli. “The Quantum852 is a natural progression to the future, with bigger screens and extra power,” he says.

“That really helps because we also do stage monitoring from out front, and the availability of the Spice Rack and Nodal Processing offer us excellent tools for that. We can have as many as we need, and we can automate them, so we can cover both monitors and front of house at the same time. There is not a large amount of monitoring onstage, but what there is needs to be very precise, and Quantum852 makes it very easy for us to be able to do different cues for different sets.”

Lombardi is managing 158 channels of audio for each show, including the mix sent over from Serpagli’s Quantum852 console and Bocelli’s vocals from the Schoeps Mk21 microphone capsule on his DPA headset, which passes through the 32-bit Stadius mic preamps on the DiGiCo SD-Rack onstage. “The Quantum852 lets me lay out the console exactly the way I need to manage the show,” he says. “That’s something else that DiGiCo has gotten right—every new console model is more ergonomic than the one before. I can only imagine what they’ll think of next.”

More information on Andrea Bocelli’s upcoming tour itinerary at www.andreabocelli.com

OSA International can be found online at www.osacorp.com

Everything about the Quantum852 with digico.biz/consoles/quantum852

ETC dealer Stage Electrics has supplied ColorSource Spot jr fixtures to upgrade the lighting in London’s Park Theatre. Park Theatre is a local venue in north London which houses two performance and rehearsal spaces that showcase a diverse mix of new and emerging productions.

The team at the theatre were looking to upgrade the existing lighting rig to LED as part of an initiative to reduce tungsten and also make a more sustainable investment for the future. ETC’s affordable ColorSource Spot jr was the preferred choice with 14 of the fixtures being selected for the theatre.

The compact yet powerful nature of ColorSource Spot jr was just one of the reasons that made it a good solution for the venue as the theatre space features a thrust stage whereby many of the fixtures hang in close proximity to the audience. The fixture’s built-in zoom capability also offers extra flexibility and makes it an all-purpose luminaire that is suitable for short trim heights and longer throws, ideal for the Park Theatre.

Technical Sales Consultant at Stage Electrics Aaron Porter comments: “Our first conversation with Gianluca Zona (Technical & Building Manager) at Park Theatre focused on what the units would be used for, how the fixtures could help the operation of the theatre, improve the tools for incoming designers and teams, as well as what units make sense financially.
The team at Park Theatre were keen to have ETC fixtures in the venue as they are well-known to incoming companies and designers, and ETC has a history of producing excellent products for theatres, making it a solid investment.

“Ultimately ColorSource Spot jr was the unit of choice. We went with the original array of fixtures as the units will mostly be used to light people and would need better neutral tones rather than deep saturate colours. In addition to this, because of the price point, more units were purchased which allows more versatility within the space.”

ETC Associate Regional Sales Manager for the UK & Ireland Matt Cowles comments: “It was great working together with Stage Electrics and Park Theatre to find the best solution for the needs of the space and ensure there was a quick turnaround with delivering.
The cost-effective ColorSource Spot jr is a great addition to ETC’s ColorSource family of fixtures, and like the others in the range, it offers a great feature set, colors and dimming at a very affordable price point. We’re thrilled to see it at the Park Theatre and have plenty more stock on our shelves to share!”

Aaron Porter adds: “The theatre had a big fundraising event where they wanted to use the new fixtures. Working closely with ETC, all units were delivered, installed and ready to go around two weeks after the order confirmation. It was great to be able to deliver this project on-time and within budget.”

For more information on ColorSource Spot jr visit etcconnect.com

Located in a former bicycle workshop that’s been transformed into a nightclub as well as a record label and agency representing DJs and producers, The Other Side has put itself squarely at the forefront of European nightlife with its new L ISA spatial audio system.

The world’s first nightclub to offer an L-ISA immersive experience, The Other Side’s main, 900-capacity room boasts a fully immersive 14.1.5 L-ISA configuration designed to wrap the audience in a 360-degree auditory experience. The system offers a unique and creative palette for artists and takes the nightclub experience to a whole new level for revelers.

“If you start a club like this, the main product has to be sound.”

Doeshka Vrede and Jasper Löwik, the multi-hyphenate duo behind The Other Side – in addition to owning and managing the club, both are producers, musicians, and artist managers as well – explained that from the outset, optimum audio quality was at the forefront of their minds. “The Other Side is a place where artists grow, creativity flows, and self-expression is the name of the game,” explains Vrede.

“If you start a club like this, the main product has to be sound.” The couple has worked with Stefan Liem, sound engineer and spatial audio expert, to ensure their vision. Liem, already familiar with L-Acoustics and L-ISA spatial technology, relished the opportunity to deploy such groundbreaking technology.

The DJ booth and, above it, the central element of the 5-piece Scene system, comprising an A15 Focus and an A15 Wide.

Working with Netherlands-based L-Acoustics Certified Provider Audio Solvation, Liem designed a 5.1 Scene system comprised of one A15 Focus and one A15 Wide per hang. Nine X12 coaxial enclosures provide surround, three each on the left, right, and back walls. Five further X12 are placed in the ceiling for overhead sound.

Two stacks of four KS21 subwoofers are placed on either side of the stage for low-end extension, and two X8 coaxials are situated near the DJ booth for front-fill. The system is powered by one LA7.16i and five LA4X amplified controllers.

Immersive sound turns a venue into a creative instrument

Visiting DJs choose how they wish to use the technology – they can perform in stereo using L-ISA Stereo Mapper functionality, or they can delve into the full immersive capacities and explore the creative potential of L-ISA to the fullest, with Liem’s guidance. “He’s our sound wizard – he uses the space as an instrument,” says Vrede.

“L-ISA is amazing,” says Liem. It was really important for The Other Side to be at the forefront of technology, to bring new experiences to our audience, and to have a high level of involvement from the artists who want to use it. All the right assets were there to get this whole project moving, and L-ISA has been much more stable than other immersive technologies that I’ve worked with. We needed everything to work seamlessly, and L-ISA does that.”

The best sound system in Amsterdam

Looking forward, Vrede is excited about what the future holds for The Other Side and how they can continue to push boundaries.

“Since opening in November, we’ve created a big buzz,” she exclaimed. “Many people talk about the sound system being the best in Amsterdam. It’s a new experience for both the audience and the performers. Everyone is excited to be a part of it.”

More information on:

– The Other Side
– L-ISA. L-Acoustics
– Audio Solvation

Slovenian writer, actor and TV personality Lado Bizovicar presented the 2024 “Slovenska Muska” extravaganza event, staged at Ljubljana’s Stožice arena, the first time in the venue’s history that a 360-degree show had been presented, which bumped up the capacity to 13,000, with every seat sold.

The production and lighting design was created by Crt Birsa of design studio Blackout and Greta Godnic and recorded for broadcast. Crt utilised 355 Robe lighting fixtures in the 500+ luminaires on the rig, from the high-powered Forte to the scenic Patt 2013 plus seven other types of Robe product, all supplied by rental specialist Event Lighting from Ljubljana.

At the heart of this unique production design was an elaborate metal structure, the top part of which resembled a giant multi-level spider crawling through the roof area! This structure cleverly incorporated the venue’s video scoreboard with the surfaces used for production video during the show, and contesting it presented multiple rigging challenges requiring some serious brain-teasing, bridling and mathematics … to get everything in the right places!

It was the first time that Crt had worked with this artist, originally asked onboard due to his experience in delivering high level arena and stadium shows. He and set designer Greta devised a unique high impact look and style for the show to get the artists closer to fans and look as good live as it did for the multi-camera shoot directed by Nejc Levstik, an integral part of this creative triumvirate.

Bizovicar riffed through a light hearted A to Z take on Slovenian musical talent, with each letter of the alphabet corresponding to a genre or a related music artist, e.g. R for Rap, M for musical, A for artist (e.g. Avsenik) etc., as he cracked jokes, sang songs and welcomed a string of guests onstage, from a symphonic orchestra to dancers, musicians and singers all wrapped up in a fast paced all-action romp.

From above, the trussing resembles a complex kaleidoscopic pattern that all fits together with millimetre accuracy! The giant trussing spider in the roof had eight right-angled legs stretching out into the roof void from a 10-metre square box truss which provided ideal positions for high level audience lighting. There were additional trusses at each side of the arena loaded with more ambient and the main key lighting fixtures.

The bottom part of the spider structure sat below the large arena video cube and featured a 7-metre square box truss connected to 8 vertical ‘fingers’ trusses running horizontally down, joined together in the centre immediately above the stage.

Stožice’s winter snow loading meant that the already tight weight loadings were further restricted, so trussing was juggled with the points needed to facilitate the 8 x PA arrays. Some trusses were deaded off and motors removed to save weight and meet requirements without compromising the design. With no time available for a pre-rig and two special lifts in the venue that must be used for accessing the roof structural beams, it was imperative that all metalwork went straight into the roof as envisioned in a carefully calculated risk-to-art ratio!

Robe Forte

Twelve Fortes were used for the key lighting, with three fixtures each rigged on four ‘ambient’ trusses around the edge of the arena. The central Forte on each of these was on one of two RoboSpot systems, so front / back and left / right key lights could be alternated, and specials worked in unison to pick up Bizovicar and guests.

Eighty Robe LEDBeam 150s were on the rig with 24 on the floor outlining each side of 3 x stairways accessing the stage. The fourth side of the stage was occupied by an accompanying musician who was surrounded by 8 x Pointe luminaires.

LEDBeam 150

Another 32 x LEDBeam 150s on the eight vertical truss fingers and 24 on the ends of the 6 spider legs offered excellent high beams and other eye candy effects. This is a fixture that Crt finds bright and handy for multiple positions, and he used them frequently. Another Blackout client, the band Laibach, were gigging at the same time, so between this and their show … it is likely that all the LEDBeam 150s in Slovenia were in use!

Another 24 x LEDBeam 350s were deployed on the left and right ambient trusses where they were ideal for washing the audience.
Six MegaPointes on each of the spider legs were outrigged on pipes, part of 72 of these fixtures which constituted the next biggest group of Robe fixtures after the LEDBeam 150s.

Robe MegaPointe

Forty-eight MegaPointes in total were used at the top of the eight spider legs – 6 per leg – and another twenty-four – 6-a-side – on the four sides of the 10-metre box truss. Like many designers, for Crt, MegaPointe is still one of the best multipurpose luminaires on the market, and he never tires of discovering new ways of using them in a show.
The balance of 32 x Pointes were used on the 4 x ambient / audience trusses, 8 units on each truss, with 59 x ParFect 100s for truss toners covering all the fingers and ‘spider’ legs.

Robe Painte

Sixteen Robe Paintes were positioned on the floor around the stage, chosen for their compact size and big punch. “I needed a good spot that could be close to the artists and the audience,” Crt noted. It was the first time he’d used Paintes, which he thought were “very nice mid-range fixtures.”

A total of 63 Robe Spiider LED wash beams were utilised – Crt loves the colours and colour mixing – running in three different modes, with 5 each around the sides of the smaller square truss, three covering the top section of each ‘spider’ leg, one as static back light for guest musicians, and 16 on the front and back ambient trusses for audience lighting. The final two were ensconced under the stage.

Robe Spiider

At the centre of the stage stage was a hydraulic lift, which started the show in the down position (with Bizovicar standing on it to make his entrance) so the under-stage Spiiders lit the void that was filled with smoke for the entrance sequence.

The Patt 2013s were positioned on the end of the legs in the higher position, with some similar looking scenic fixtures at the bottom of the fingers. Crt decided that he needed some “interesting and cool looking luminaires in these positions that would look good on camera.”

Patt 2013

Tight timing necessitated an amount of pre-vizzing, although it’s quite a conundrum to pre-programme a 360 degree show on a flat screen, so calculated adaptation was needed once on site, and as soon as he had the lighting rig, he worked extremely fast, a modus operandi that is familiar! Crt used feeds from 4 cameras set up at the top of the lower tribunes on each side of the venue to help him see the stage from all perspectives.

He worked with his Blackout colleague Klemen Krajnc who took care of running all the show key together with the under-stage lights, guest artist back lighting and the battery of fog machines. Everything else was controlled and run by Crt.
Klemen maximised the Fortes’ highly accurate shuttering to contain light spillage and ensure the audience were not irritated or distracted, which in an in-the-round scenario is as challenging as it is essential!

Everyone was very proud to deliver an outstanding show which received rave reviews. “The team from Event Lighting were amazing,” declared Crt, “they went all out to ensure that I had everything I needed and that it ran smoothly on site.”
Drawing the design is one thing but bringing it to life is another.

“Nothing would have happened without some amazing people and companies involved,” he commented. “Rok Ložar from B-Projekt was the production manager co-ordinating the teams to make this event happen. Mitja Zupančič, who knows the arena inside out, created very precise rigging plots and minutely detailed rigging logistics so that the Prozvok riggers could build and install the rigging and trussing accurately.”

On top of this, Andrej Testen, a crew chief from Event Lighting, assembled a top team to put the whole lighting system together. “We did not have a single fixture problem on the event,” concluded Crt.

For more information about Robe Lighting, you can visit the Robe Lighting website

L-Acoustics announces the appointment of Anne Hamlett to Chief People Officer, marking a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution. Anne, joining co-Chief Executive Officers Hervé Guillaume and Laurent Vaissié in leadership, places the company’s people-centric education and innovation culture at the core of its strategy and future.

In addition to providing a people-focused contribution to key strategic topics at the C-level, Anne will also directly lead three L-Acoustics divisions: People; Legal, Tax & Compliance; and Education & Scientific Outreach.

The teams Anne leads will cultivate an empowering experience for all employees, strengthen the company’s brand, and create an internal and external education program that boosts the creativity, employability and resilience of L-Acoustics team members, partners, and end users

With over 20 years of experience leading teams at L-Acoustics, Anne has been instrumental in shaping the company’s success. Anne holds a postgraduate degree in business law. Before L-Acoustics, she oversaw contract negotiations for a direct marketing firm and managed human resources for an IP consultancy.

Since joining L-Acoustics, she has overseen the recruitment of countless talented individuals and, over the last two years, has skillfully navigated the company through a 30% employee increase during accelerated growth that will see the company reach 1,000 team members this year. Anne’s strategic vision has significantly enhanced the company’s strength and established a “people first” culture.

Hervé Guillaume et Laurent Vaissié.

“For years, we have valued collaborating with Anne and we value her unwavering contribution to the growth and success of L-Acoustics,” said Hervé Guillaume and Laurent Vaissié, co-CEOs at L-Acoustics, in a joint statement.
“Her expertise, leadership, and strategic acumen position her as the right leader to shape our global workforce, enhance employee experiences, and help define our path forward.”

With Anne’s appointment as Chief People Officer, L-Acoustics takes a decisive step toward future-proofing its success. Anne’s steady leadership and deep understanding of organizational dynamics ensure that the company remains agile, resilient, and poised for continued growth in a constantly evolving industry. Her ability to foster a culture of innovation, coupled with her talent for implementing effective organizational structures, allows L-Acoustics to continue creating elevated audio experiences for audiences around the globe.

“As Chief People Officer, I’m proud to elevate our ‘people first’ culture at the heart of our global strategy,” says Anne. “The People, Legal, and Education teams have evolved into an exceptionally talented group, united by a mission to encourage growth and development for our teams and partners worldwide. Continuing to support their advancement—and the company—will be my honor and privilege.”

More information on the L-Acoustics website

Astera launches a brand-new LED fixture – the LunaBulb. The new LunaBulb will be debuted – alongside a display of Astera’s full lighting ecosystem – at Cine Gear LA Expo 2024. LunaBulb is ideal for cinematographers – for on-camera practicals or to highlight faces with perfect skin tones – and is also handy for events, offering designers, organizers, and décor specialists a myriad of creative possibilities.

The IP44 rated LunaBulb looks like and can emulate the effect of a traditional incandescent light bulb but works like a professional luminaire.
The IP44 rating means LunaBulbs can be used outside, even in wet conditions, if the socket they are screwed into is also IP44 rated, making them perfect for statement lighting – such as festoons – or anywhere where lighting might be used to shape moods and atmosphere.

Drawing just 3.5 watts, the LED-based LunaBulb is available with an E26, E27 and B22 fitting and, like a conventional bulb, screws directly into an AC-wired bulb socket.
LunaBulb is remote controlled wirelessly via the onboard CRMX or Bluetooth receivers using the same tech as any other Astera wireless DMX fixture running via a remote controller or through a lighting console.

Unlike a conventional bulb, users have unrivalled creative control with the ability to adjust both white levels between 1,750K – 20,000K, and color (RGB, Mint and Amber, with HIS, XY and Filter Gel color selection options), providing beautiful, flicker-free lighting in a variety of settings.

This control is built upon the underlying Titan LED engine, which underpins the full Astera ecosystem, which also this makes LunaBulb ideal for wider applications – from enhancing intimate stage performances to theatrical scenes to being integrated with other lighting for spectacular large-scale events.

Présentation vidéo

LunaBulb_LaunchVideo from AXENTE on Vimeo.

It is super lightweight!

Each LunaBulb weighs just 0.81 grams, less than a tenth of a kilogram, while the CRI of over 96 is simply great for natural skin detailing. Importantly, the bulb itself can be converted quickly between a classic bulb shape – ideal for practical lighting – and a slimline bulb, which allows insertion into multiple different lamps and spaces. The conversion is simple, involving attaching or detaching the ‘classic’ dome over the slimline bulb using a spring-loaded clip. Configuration is achieved using the Astera LunaBulb PrepCase.

Holding up to eight LunaBulbs, the PrepCase provides a quick and efficient way to configure the bulbs – either individually or as a group – according to the preferred control option of the user. The PrepCase is also available as a PrepInlay, enabling users the flexibility to build the inlay (without its surrounding protective box) into their own setup, be that a flight case or other custom unit.

Because the PrepCase and PrepInlay are battery-powered, with up to an hour’s runtime or indefinitely using a Titan Tube charger, LunaBulbs can be pre-configured before arriving on-site for more efficient setup and deployment. Each bulb maintains its own CRMX chip and the PrepCase and PrepInlay can be used to auto-assign DMX addresses for individual control or to pre-configure dimming and color, enabling users to integrate the bulbs into their existing workflows.

Alternatively, the box can be used to quickly place the bulbs in blue mode, with control facilitated through the app, which allows for pre-set groupings and effects to be applied.
Astera will be offering a range of purchase options, including PrepCase and PrepInlay Kits, which include eight LunaBulbs, as well as the PrepCase and PrepInlay alone, which are sold with a power supply, but require separate purchase of the bulbs. These different options give users the flexibility to scale their LunaBulb setup as required.

Additionally, both the individual bulbs and the PrepCase itself can also be set as a Bluetooth Bridge (BTB) to facilitate control over the rest of the set. And finally, with a single combo-press on either the Astera White or FX remote, a connection can be established by pointing the remote at any individual light, allowing for at-a-click control.

Combined, these LunaBulb control options assist gaffers, cinematographers, console programmers and lighting technicians to seamlessly integrate LunaBulbs into their wider lighting rigs. Crucially, the lights are suitable for film and TV productions – though their practical design and exceptional lighting of skin tone make them ideal for realistic lighting environments – and ideal for events of all types.

The name LUNA comes from the desire to emulate classic lighting at night with modern control, efficiency, and color mixing. Some of the best human experiences and memories are linked to fairy lights and parties, amusement parks, arcades and illuminated trails and gardens … so these bulbs are providing a very personal artificial style of unique ‘LUNA’ moonlight.

On film and television sets, LunaBulbs can be used for variable lighting anywhere needed with maximum control, and for directors, DoPs and gaffers, LunaBulb further expands the scope and impact of an Astera ‘smart ecosystem.’
For shows, sets and events, multiple LunaBulbs can be used as a festoon effect helping to craft special atmospheres and define mood enhancing spaces.

Ben Díaz, Astera’s head of product management, commented: “LunaBulb is the culmination of many months of intensive development and represents all that Astera is here for: a focus on combining creative control and flexible application with something exceptionally practical, robust, intuitive, efficient, and easy-to-use. “We are so excited to bring LunaBulb to market and can’t wait to see how filmmakers and event designers find innovative ways to apply this unique tool in their projects.”

For more info about Astera LED, you can visit astera-led.com

Novatech’s Ayrton Domino Wash, Domino LT and Perseo Profile are put to dramatic effect by Damien Cooper in the sands of Glenelg Beach for the Adelaide Festival. © David Solm

Novatech Creative Event Technology of Adelaide, the first production company in Australia to hold stock of Ayrton’s IP65-rated Domino Wash fixtures, invested in 48 units, supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Australia, Show Technology, and immediately put them to work on the Adelaide Festival.

Domino Wash is an all-terrain luminaire developed specifically for resisting hot or cold weather, wind, rain, hail, sand or dust. It combines a 210mm Fresnel lens with a 6.2° – 75° zoom, and a feature set that includes framing shutters, gobo and animation wheels and the same excellent colour mixing as Ayrton Huracán Wash.

© David Solm

“We’d been looking for a high-powered moving wash light with a Fresnel lens for more theatrical uses, as well as outdoor uses,” explains Novatech’s Ashley Gabriel, Director of Sales and Marketing. “We needed one with enough punch and zoom to handle long throw distances, and a Fresnel lens which was important to us to differentiate it from the other traditional LED wash lights in our inventory.

“Domino Wash answered all these criteria, plus the gobo wheels are a nice-to-have feature for the lighting designers to consider for effects and textures. Being IP rated, we can use the Domino Washes outdoors on large events whenever needed, as well as the more traditional indoor events.”

© David Solm

Novatech’s acquisitions were put to good use by lighting designer, Damien Cooper, on the world premiere of Baleen Moondjan which opened the Adelaide Festival and ran for four nights on the sands of Glenelg Beach from 28th February to 2nd March.

A contemporary ceremony created by Stephen Page, the show celebrated the First Nations’ relationships between baleen whales and their communities, and featured the central motif of enormous 8m high whale bones that spanned the entire 53m width of the stage. Fixtures with enough firepower and breadth of zoom were certainly needed to cover this expanse of set, as well as deal with the challenging environment.

© David Solm

Twelve Domino Washes (6 per side) were set into trenches dug into the sand on either side of the stage from where they provided side light for the performers and washes of colour to the front of the whalebone structures. “We didn’t have any front-of-house towers, and no follow spots. It was all done through carefully placed lights and great programming by Harry Clegg,” says Cooper.

Four more Domino Wash lights and 30 Ayrton Perseo profiles were sited behind the whale bones for backlighting, while 12 Ayrton Domino LT fixtures were rigged on a side tower for higher lighting angles, completing the all-Ayrton rig.

“The Domino Wash has a great wide beam angle, going up to 75°, and I was happy with having a shutter system,” says Cooper. “Plus they’re waterproofed to IP65 which was obviously very important on this production!
“The Domino LTs were excellent, the furthest shot they were doing was 65m and I had six of them hitting performer Elaine Crombie as she walked out into the ocean. It was like a corridor of light shooting hundreds of metres into the water.”

© David Solm

Sand and the elements were the enemy of the production with sand pushing up on to side lighting positions one day. However, the Dominos did not even flinch. “We threw sand, rain, tidal spray and sunshine at these Domino Washes,” added Cooper, “but we had zero problems, just great output. I’m thrilled with the result!”

“Our Domino Washes have been in heavy use since we first received them with indoor theatrical and corporate events following on from the Adelaide Festival beach production,” says Ashley Gabriel. “Right now they are in the centre of Australia in the Outback city of Alice Springs, being used at Parrtjima – A Festival in Light.”

© David Solm

“We are extremely happy with them, and with the service we have received from Show Technology,” Gabriel concludes. “The team there demo’d the Domino Washes and ran us through the feature sets, giving us options while all the time understanding how important our ‘must-have’ criteria were to us. The Domino Washes were just what we needed, and as always, Show Technology delivered for us right on time for this landmark event!”

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light is the only Aboriginal light festival of its kind, which runs from 12-21 April. In this application they are lighting a mountain range from a distance of around 400-600m.

Ayrton Domino Washes illuminate mountain ranges from 600m at Parrtjima 2024.

For more information on Ayrton Domino Wash, Domino LT, Perseo Profile and Ayrton’s full range of LED and laser-sourced lighting fixtures, visit www.ayrton.eu

More info on Show Technology can be found at www.showtech.com.au

Novatech can be contacted at www.ncet.co

ROE Visual takes pride in its integral role in Veles Productions’ ground-breaking LED-based Virtual Productions during the 2023 Polish Election night. As the preferred LED screen provider for the studio, ROE Visual’s Ruby RB1.9BV2 panels contributed to creating a captivating and seamless virtual environment for TVP viewers.

The 2023 Polish election night, broadcasted live by national television in Poland Telewizja Polska, marked a significant milestone in television production, with an ambitious 10-hour marathon pushing innovation’s boundaries. From noon on election Sunday, 15 October 2023, to the early hours of the next day, viewers were treated to a dynamic and immersive viewing experience.

Veles Productions, known for its Virtual Production (VP) expertise, seamlessly integrated LED technology into this live broadcast media production. The studio was equipped with an ROE Visual video wall featuring Ruby RB1.9BV2 panels, renowned for their on-camera performance and compatibility with cutting-edge technologies like GhostFrame.
The innovative VP technology eliminated the need for physical set constructions, significantly reducing production costs while enhancing visual quality.

The Election Night project was spearheaded by Veles Productions’ expert team, with support from leading manufacturing partners in the industry. Martynian Rozwadowski led the project, orchestrating the integration of crucial technologies to ensure seamless operation. Additionally, Jose Barbella’s architectural designs for the virtual set were instrumental in crafting lifelike and captivating environments for the show, showcasing his proficiency in both real and virtual set design.

ROE Visual’s Ruby RB1.9BV2 panels served as an impressive backdrop, elevating the lighting and visual appeal for presenters and guests, ensuring a captivating broadcast experience. Engineered for high performance, the RB1.9BV2 boasts a remarkable refresh rate of 7680Hz. It supports framerates of up to 450fps, making it an ideal choice for multi-camera virtual production alongside innovative GhostFrame technology.

While the panel can display up to four video signals at 50fps, achieving 200fps, the additional framerate enhances the naked-eye performance, providing a seamless, flicker-free experience for crew and presenters alike in a situation where only a single background is visible, but where in reality multiple videos are displayed at nearly the same time to give each camera its own perspective.

Olaf Sperwer, Business Development Manager for Virtual Production at ROE Visual, highlights the significance of having dedicated perspectives for multiple cameras on LED screens. He emphasizes that this capability allows for seamless preview of various camera angles and facilitates safe camera switches in live broadcasts.
Sperwer emphasizes ROE Visual’s commitment to rigorous testing of these workflows to ensure flawless integration with the complete technical ecosystem, thereby delivering optimal performance for clients like Veles. Providing a stable and secure technical environment is paramount for enabling clients to produce high-quality content.

Vizrt’s revolutionary system, VizArc, masterfully handled election data and graphics integration. This setup provided dynamic, real-time updates, CGI-based AR elements, and full-screen visualizations of the election data, enhancing the night’s narrative quickly and efficiently.
The Veles team used the Stypeland system from stYpe to create a seamless and accurate integration between the LED wall, virtual set, and set extension. At the same time, spatial color correction seamlessly blended the colors between the two, ensuring that the transitions between the virtual set on the LED wall and the virtual set on set extension were indistinguishable to viewers.

Video présentation

The 10-hour live broadcast demonstrated that TVP’s choice to work within a virtual production-based setting could create an impressive virtual venue and contribute to sustainable practices by drastically reducing the need for disposable physical sets. The Veles team played a crucial role in pulling this all off successfully!

The success of the Election Night project underscores ROE Visual’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge LED solutions that elevate the production value of live events and broadcast media. As a trusted partner, ROE Visual continues to push the boundaries of innovation, driving the evolution of the entertainment industry.

More information on ROE Visual

The multi-award winning and internationally known musical Hamilton has selected ETC fixtures and control for its UK and Ireland tour. The hit musical – which has already been a huge success around the world – is composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and tells the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

ETC dealer Encore supplied the equipment for the tour which included High End Systems Halcyon Titanium and Halcyon Platinum automated fixtures, Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr entertainment luminaires, and Eos Apex 10, Gio @5, Ion Xe and Ion XE RPU for lighting control.

The Hamilton productions around the world utilise lighting equipment which was released over a decade ago and the team working on the UK and Ireland tour were ready for a change. They wanted lighting solutions that would make this tour more sustainable in terms of power consumption and equipment support.

Warren Letton – UK Associate Lighting Designer for the show comments: “We had already started discussions a while ago about the potential to upgrade the older discharge parts of the rig for Hamilton, as the equipment is certainly reaching an age where maintenance, replacements, environmental sustainability, and lamp change costs were all becoming more serious issues to consider.
When the UK Tour was due to go out for bid, we started looking in earnest at the options that were out there with the features and brightness that we needed.

The existing lights get a real work out in the show, and whatever was going to replace them had to have the full feature set, in very particular orders, speed requirements and reliability. There are many sequences in the show that are quite iconic, and we needed to maintain that for the legacy of Howell Binkley’s design (Hamilton’s original lighting designer).

“Between Ryan O’Gara (International Associate Lighting Designer), David Arch (Original Programmer) and myself, we discussed the possible options that were out there that we’d experienced or heard about. On paper the Halcyon range was going to give us what we needed, and the beauty of keeping the replacements all within one product family was very appealing.

Halcyon Titanium was a great option to replace the existing fixtures, they are that much brighter which meant that we could punch through more in the moments that we couldn’t before. We could also bring the overall fan ‘noise floor’ down significantly as we didn’t necessarily need the full power range at all times. ETC’s Matt Cowles worked really diligently with me to make sure that our color wheel had the correct dichroics in the right order to make our setups identical.”

Hire Account Manager at Encore Tom Mowat says: “Supporting the iconic musical ‘Hamilton’ on its UK and Ireland tour could not be more exciting for us at Encore. We’re delighted to have been chosen to supply lighting to the production.

“Warren Letton, UK Associate Lighting Designer, and the team put in a lot of work to find the right solution to replace the lamp-based products seen on other productions of Hamilton around the world. With sustainability leading the decision making, ETC’s Halcyon Titanium and Platinum moving lights were proven to deliver and, in some cases, exceed the feature set of their predecessors.
Our focus at Encore is always to ensure we deliver the right product for the right job so investing in ETC’s Halcyon range was a no brainer for us, it was actually more just a matter of time. We look forward to working with the tour team and being a part of its continued success as Hamilton continues to tour the UK and Ireland.”

ETC Associate Regional Sales Manager for the UK & Ireland Matt Cowles comments: “We are thrilled to see that a wide selection of ETC products were chosen to light this hugely successful musical. Being given the opportunity to be a part of the world-famous Hamilton couldn’t have been possible without the support of Warren, Encore and the Hamilton team. It’s been a brilliant experience working together and making sure that with the switch to Halcyon fixtures we were able to maintain the iconic look of the original show.”

For a chance to learn how tours of this scale operate, ETC created the Hamilton Programming Project in 2020; it follows the actual touring paperwork from the US tour of the musical. Players can take the roles of Associate, Assistant, and Programmer as they finish preparation on the provided show file.

More on the ETC website