At the beginning of this year, singer/songwriter Niall Horan had to take the decision to cancel his Nice To Meet Ya world tour. But earlier this month, he announced a special, one-off live streamed show from London’s Royal Albert Hall and promoted by livestreaming company, Driift.
Audio equipment for the show, which achieved a massive 150,000 ticket sales, is supplied by Wigwam Acoustics with Ant Carr, Niall’s long-term head of touring and production, at the helm and regular crew members Matthew Kettle and Joe Campbell handling broadcast and monitor positions respectively, both deploying DiGiCo SD5s.
Featuring songs from his two smash hit albums ‘Flicker’ (No1. in the USA) and ‘Heartbreak Weather’ (No.1 in the UK), the show streamed on 7th November and gave loyal fans a chance to be part of what they are so sorely missing.
It is also providing much needed financial support for touring crew, with all profits divided between Niall’s own crew and the #WeNeedCrew relief fund, and also helped raise further awareness for industry campaign, #WeMakeEvents. The team had been working on Niall’s radio and television promotion last autumn, which was due to wrap up in March. They were about to move into an extended period of worldwide touring, starting with a North American arena tour in April. What happened next, notes Kettle, will likely be of little surprise to anyone.
Joe Campbell facing his SD5 and the Hall !
“With his tour cancelled and unable to promote his #1 album Heartbreak Weather, Niall wanted to produce something different from some of the lockdown content we’ve seen,” explains Carr. “He wanted it to be a special experience for his fans and streamed from an iconic venue that was recognised worldwide. He also made the decision to donate the profit from the show to help his band and crew.
“Rather organically, while we were discussing this, I was working with some of my touring team from another act to start up a hardship fund called #WeNeedCrew. Niall is endorsing it and helping drive funds to it. He’s worked really hard to try to educate the public that the live industry is on its knees and any financial support for touring crew, if they were even eligible, has been minimal. His understanding of what a touring crew does for his show is beyond most artists I’ve worked for.”
Niall on stage
The console set up is not significantly different from the unusual touring configuration, with multiple inputs from various SD-Racks in different parts of the stage and performance areas going to the broadcast SD5, all connected via an Opticore loop, and shared with Campbell’s SD5 at monitors. However, there were some additions that made the broadcast its own unique experience for the audience.
“The SD5 is my favourite console in the world,” says Campbell. “I love it and, because DiGiCo products are well proven and rock solid reliable, we rarely have to include them directly in what we do. Wigwam look after us and prepare all our equipment perfectly. My desk is so clean you could eat your dinner off it – although I wouldn’t let you actually do that.
Kettle is excited that he was able to mix for a massive online audience, who will be watching from all over the world. “It was a lot of fun,” he says. “Most importantly though, I’m extremely pleased to help Niall bring attention and support to the many people behind the scenes in live music, whose working lives have come to a complete stop, and who may not be able to go back for a very long time. I hope it inspires more artists to do the same!”
“It’s good to be involved in this project and it’s the first time I’ve ever done a gig in the Albert Hall with no audience,” Campbell concludes. “I feel that artistic performance is an essential part of civilised society. What are we without music? Without the shared experience of live musical performance? Musicians and their support staff (crew) are being left behind in this pandemic, most with little or no support from government. Dedicated professional artistic people, expected to re-train? Re-train as what? Who will express the feelings of society if we are all driving vans or laying bricks?”
With ‘Big Performance – Who is the Star in the Star’, RTL has launched a new entertainment show in which celebrities slip into the shoes of other successful singers with the help of make-up artists. Half a song is performed in full playback mode before continuing with the artist’s own voice. The team of panelists, comprising Michelle Hunziker, Motsi Mabuse, and Guido Maria Kretschmer, had the task of guessing the true identity of the performers.
GLP JDC1 Hybrid Strobe
Lighting designer David Kreileman and associate designer / technical director Tim Franken specified an impressive 156 JDC1 hybrid strobes from GLP in order to effectively punctuate the big moments in the show.
The special requirement in developing the lighting design was to clearly and visually represent the exact moment of change from playback to live singing. “After some considerations, and a direct discussion with set designer Florian Wieder, the idea arose to create the stage design with partially transparent LED walls,” reports Tim Franken. “As technical service provider, Alexander Klaus from Entertainment Technology Concepts was at our side and had the right product for us.
“Behind the partially transparent LED panels, we then used double rows of the well-known and highly respected JDC1 from GLP. Due to the flat housing and the really massive output of the hybrid strobes, the application was perfect. So, we were able to meet the specifications and also work to great effect with the versatile JDC1 in order to design varied looks for the individual performances.
“When we heard about the content implementation of the show, the choice quickly fell to the JDC1 from GLP,” confirms LD David Kreileman. “These effective devices have already proven their functionality and reliability in several previous shows to generate a real ‘wow factor’. Whether for reduction, strong light changes or accentuation, we have always enjoyed using the JDC1, ever since its launch. Since we are tasked with many music and game shows as lighting designers, the 3-in-1 function allows us to always have new and fresh looks for the programmes. With the crisp strobe, the tilt function and the ability to ‘flash’ with colours as well as to animate the pixel control, we have a great and versatile device at our disposal. »
“We were also very enthusiastic about the expansion of the JDC family, the first device being the JDC Line,” concludes Tim Franken. “At the anniversary concert of the Cologne band Kasalla on 13th June, we were able to integrate 12 pieces into the lighting design. The effect was just fantastic! We will certainly use this new device more frequently in the future.”
The four Big Performance shows were produced by Brainpool in its own studios in Cologne Mühlheim in August and broadcast from 12 September to 3 October. In addition to LD David Kreileman and associate designer / technical director Tim Franken, the crew consisted of WYSIWYG designer and operator Udo Rath, show light operator Sebastian Huwig, gaffer Christian Peters, white light operator Adam Balke, video operator Ingo Rath and Server specialist Wiebke Wilde. The technical service provider was Cape Cross.
With a history in film, TV, VFX and production, Sydney-based Spectre Studios strengthened its virtual production (VP) toolset whilst working on the Hollywood Blockbuster X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The company used real-time engines and virtual production to help visualise complicated stunt and VFX shots for the film, a technique that has been mastered by the team at Proxi and successfully replicated on Triple Frontier.
In the true spirit of creative company collaboration, Spectre Studios joined forces with NEP Studios and Big Picture to create ICVFX: Australia’s first full-service LED virtual production solution for local and international content creators, bringing the future of in-camera VFX under one roof. Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 4K LED processor was chosen as the driving power for the studio’s LED virtual production workflow. The facility demonstrates a fully functioning LED wall volume and dynamic 3D environments for VP, as well as motion & facial capture all in one facility, and all with remote access.
“It made sense for us to approach NEP and Big Picture to see where we could help leverage their extensive experience and technical capability to help bring our concepts and research into a reality. NEP had been developing an offering of its own and it seemed like the perfect storm to join forces to see what could come out of this partnership,” says Spectre Studios’ Technical Director, Rick Pearce.
The team decided to fully demonstrate the capabilities of their LED screen by developing a wide range of content from SimTrav [simulated travel], interior and exterior locations, as well as a range of sci-fi environments that they staged in order to demonstrate what shooting a production on LED would be like.
“We were lucky enough to have our friends at Arri and VA Hire provide some great camera and production gear to create a dream combination of concept, tech, production, and talent,” continues Pearce. In their testing of different products, Pearce and the team at Spectre quickly found that the solution that Josh Moffat, Business Development at Big Picture, developed for ICVFX was perfectly aligned with what the team was trying to achieve in terms of production workflow.
The team chose four of Brompton’s cutting-edge 4K Tessera SX40 LED processing system along with eight Tessera XD 10G data distribution units to drive 13.5 by 4.5 metres of ROE Black Onyx 2.8mm HD-LED displays for the wall, as well as 46 square metres of ROE CB5 LED panels for the ceiling, and additional 20 square metres of ROE CB3 panels for ambient lighting and as reflection screens.
Brompton SX40
“Choosing Brompton was a no-brainer for us,” says Moffat. “The company has been our loyal partner and a perfect LED processing solution for years, with its Tessera processors offering exceptional colour control and comprehensive image manipulation, coupled with quick easy tools like the OSCA seam correction feature. The advanced remote control options have also been a particular benefit to us in this workflow, given the current situation.” The feedback about the virtual production facility has been really positive. “The opportunities for use keep growing each week,” shares Pearce. “ACS (Australian Cinematographers Society) chose to visit us to hold an information session and facilitate a hands-on creative session with some of the country’s best DOP’s to provide them a playground as they explored the edges of what was possible.”
As the team continues to educate Australian production companies and studios looking for solutions in VP, and in a broader COVID production world, Spectre Studios team are having a lot of conversations as to how they can put the technology to use at scale.
“We hope the LED Volume with Brompton processing will have a permanent location here, as we see versions of Virtual Production becoming a mainstay in many film production workflows,” Pearce adds. “With all the many benefits it provides creatively, and the added bonus of being post-pandemic friendly, we’re confident ICVFX will be home of many exciting new projects.” With many projects already in the pipeline, the team knows it would not be possible without the technical capabilities of Brompton’s system and support from the Brompton team. “The high quality of Brompton processing is an integral part of our entire VP [virtual production] workflow,” concludes Pearce. “We are one of Australia’s most prominent studios utilising tools like Unreal Engine 4 for everything from animation, VR development, and now LED Volume virtual production.
The Brompton Tessera SX40 processor is really helping us bring the content to life by offering ultra realistic visual backgrounds that produce astounding results. The fact that the Australian Cinematographers Society wanted to use our facility for its creative session speaks volumes, and that’s in no small part thanks to the amazing visual performance and true-to-life colour accuracy delivered by Brompton processing.”
In 2005, the OVAL, designed by lauded Roman architect Massimiliano Fuksas, opened its doors at the EUROPARK shopping mall in Salzburg, Austria. The 227-seat cultural showcase stages unique shows ranging from music, drama, cabaret, cinema and more, and has earned a firm place in Salzburg’s already rich calendar of events.
Under the direction of EUROPARK Managing Director Christoph Andexlinger, the OVAL has added another attraction to its offering since July 2020: L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology from L-Acoustics. Right from the start, the room’s extraordinary architecture, which features a steep atrium grandstand and a 13-meter-wide stage that is only 15 meters from the control room, posed significant challenges to conventional L-C-R sound reinforcement systems. “Thanks to L-ISA, not only was the conventional technology replaced, but a completely new, immersive listening experience was created at every seat,” explains Rupert Pichler, Managing Director of Pansound and project manager for the L-ISA conversion in the OVAL.
From left to right: Tim Vermeer (Pansound), Martin Rode (L-Acoustics), Martin Rieder (Pansound), Rupert Pichler (Pansound), Martin Wurmnest (L-Acoustics), Tom Erlinger (Pansound), and Flo Pichler (Pansound).
The sound design by Martin Rode, Head of Application Install D-A-CH, comprises a Scene system with five arrays of three A10 Wide, evenly hung above the stage and across its entire width, along with two sets of three KS21 subwoofers each, flown horizontally behind the Scene system and configured in an end-fire cardioid array.
Five 5XT placed in front of the stage serve as frontfill. Three coaxial X8 per side are placed along the walls, with a further two X8 on the rear wall, and five ceiling-mounted 5XT create surround and overhead sound. The entire system is driven by LA4X amplified controllers. Signal Sound & Light Distribution, L-Acoustics Certified Provided Distributor for Austria, provided the OVAL system.
The OVA L-ISA design.
Even before the final choice of L-ISA was made, the project team played with the idea of immersive sound reinforcement. “The central requirement was, and is, the optimization of the listening experience,” says Rupert Pichler.
Pichler and Andexlinger first heard the L-ISA immersive sound technology at a demonstration in the L-Acoustics Creations headquarters in Highgate, London. Their decision to opt for L-ISA was based on the flexibility of the technology as well as the audio quality of L-Acoustics systems.
“When Rupert Pichler told me about this completely new kind of sound, I didn’t think that it was possible,” explains Andexlinger. “So we went to London to get to the bottom of this auditive ‘mystery’ and experience it live. It was breathtaking. Never before had I heard music from loudspeakers in such a clear way.”
On the stage, a drum kit ready to be fully and faithfully reproduced by the L-ISA immersive rig.
“The EUROPARK shopping center is considered the most successful mall in Austria. With the OVAL, we wanted to expand the offer for our visitors to encompass both art and culture. Initially, we were met with skepticism from artists and artist agencies,” says Andexlinger.
“However, we didn’t want an artistic fig leaf in a shopping center, but a stage with its own personality for jazz and world music on the one hand, and a programme of cinema and cabaret on the other and all this in a combination that makes it possible for both art lovers and newcomers to feel comfortable and be inspired.”
“L-ISA is outstanding,” concludes Pichler. “You hear what you see, and you hear it at every seat in the room. L-ISA technology has brought a completely new listening quality to the OVAL.”
Where live audience normally sits, LD Tom Sutherland fills space with creative camera eye candy. Tom Sutherland was back on the set of Dancing with the Stars recently, lighting his second season of the American reality dance competition for the ABC network.
Lead designer at DX7 Design, Sutherland, who used Elation lighting on last season’s show, again turned to Elation fixtures to light the myriad of dances while finding a unique visual solution to fill empty audience space.
“There were some challenges this year as there was no audience, which usually plays a big role in the show. Nobody, especially in television, likes black holes,” said Sutherland, stating, “When you have an expensive set that looks like a million dollars, you don’t want to sacrifice that by a few dodgy shots. With HD cameras and 360-degree looks we have to make sure we have all our bases covered.”
Dead space on the set was something Sutherland was especially wary of when lighting this year’s shows. How could he fill the blank space and still achieve the kind of drama you would have with an audience present? “We did that by adding more lighting and extra video screens,” he said, “and a good chunk of that extra lighting was from Elation.”
Filmed at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, the drama and glitz of Dancing with the Stars has kept fans coming back year after year since its debut in 2005. This year’s Season 29 premiered on September 14th with Elation fixtures again a key component, including DARTZ 360 LED moving heads, and new to this year’s set, ZCL 360i and SixBar 1000 luminaires. Lighting vendor for Dancing with the Stars is Felix Lighting.
Sutherland says they started this year’s design work by looking to see how many black hole positions there were to fill in the studio and how they could best do that. “That meant we needed to find fixtures that were going to fill those blank spaces while giving me lots of flexibility through an 11-week season. I needed fixtures I could vary up and produce different looks with, fixtures that could be subtle and pretty if we needed them to be, but also give us the drama and tension in the moments where we needed that.” In other words, the designer needed fixtures that have a lot in them. “We did 150 performances on this stage last year and another 150 performances this year so I’m a great fan of having lights that have a lot in the barrel so to speak.”
Runway of lights
Sutherland looked at filling all of the floor seating space with Elation’s tiny ZCL 360i™, a single beam RGBW moving effect with zoom and continuous 360° rotation. He lined three rows of fixtures along the dancefloor, 90 fixtures total, to create a runway of lights left and right of the stage for nice camera looks.
“Joe Holdman, who programs the show, has done some incredible effects with the 360-degree spin,” he explains. “As we go into a tense judging moment, for example, they all tumble and spin while manipulating the zoom; it looks like a massive cascade running up towards the stage and is really beautiful. Because of the zoom, they can just be a subtle twinkle or we can beam them up with a bit more haze if we want to create a bit more drama. We also found that because it’s a black shiny floor they look great just bouncing off and reflecting off that so it looks like we’ve got double the amount of fixtures. They’ve been a fantastic addition to the rig and everyone loves them.”
On 2019’s Season 28 of Dancing with the Stars, the LD used Elation’s DARTZ 360™ beam/spot LED moving head as a principal luminaire in an immersive 360-degree lighting environment. This year, he upped their number, using 104 in his design for soft looks that blend with the set before coming to life for dance performances.
“Lots of the camera work on the show is done on a Steadicam and is 360 degrees around the dancers,” Sutherland explains. “Of course we’ve got nothing at one end of the room so we use the DARTZ to just completely fill that space. It’s just a wall of light and the director and producers love it. You can’t even see that the cameras are there. The director’s been opening a lot of the shots in a reverse look, pointing to the back of the room so you see the DARTZ as a backdrop because it’s so stunning.”
Sutherland plays with the DARTZ’s two independent rotating prisms and 14 gobos to create some dazzling effects. “Originally we had 80 fixtures because we thought that the added video screens on the bottom of the set would extend up to the top of the lower balcony but there was a gap there and we decided to fit Dartz fixtures there. I talked to account manager Nicole Barnes at Felix Lighting and she was able to get us another 60. We completely filled out the lower balcony with those and I’m so glad we did because it’s made all the difference. It’s so striking, especially on those Steadicam reverse shots and the 360 shots.” The rig also includes other LED and discharge-based moving heads.
Blend of light and screen
Dancing with the Stars is a shiny, sparkly show with an art deco set and lighting that is essential in complementing the look. Another Elation fixture new to this year’s show is the SixBar 1000™ with 110 of the meter-long six-color LED battens used for expanded color and sparkle. The SixBars fill the void where the audience normally sits, frame the judges’ close up shot, and occupy the gaps between the added LED screens, including on the middle balcony where contestants wait.
“It’s a beautiful blend of light and screens that merges really nicely. The SixBars have been fantastic to add a nice subtle twinkle to the set which we’ve blended in with our main host looks and main dances as well,” Sutherland says, adding that they have been a cost effective solution and are great at filling up space. “We extend the content on the screens into the SixBars and blend everything out into the room nicely so they’ve been fantastic for us. Joe programs lovely effects into them and they really come to life on moments when we need them to.”
Dancing with the Stars has been a mainstay of American reality television for 15 years. With changes implemented last year designed to freshen up the format and a new host in Tyra Banks this year, not to mention a host of stunning lighting designs for each performance, ABC’s staple Monday night show has enjoyed renewed energy with its best ratings in years.
Lighting Programmers: Joe Holdman and Nate Files Assistant Lighting Designer: Hunter Selby Gaffer: AJ Taylor Best Boy: Danny Vincent
By awarding the distribution of its products in France to Axente, Minuit Une moves into full distribution mode, in order to focus on the potential of its core business, the R&D at the heart of the little twist that has made the difference in the stage lighting market.
Do you recognize these guys? From left to right: Aurélien Linz, Jérôme Bréhard, Yannick Danguy, and Eric Phelep.
Minuit Une, a young French company, developed a new lighting technology in 2013 and launched a revolutionary fixture in 2016. Over the past five years, the IVL technology has been seducing the whole world at meteoric speed thanks to some forty distributors. Minuit Une, which had previously retained the distribution in France, has now awarded it exclusively to Axente. What does the future hold for this emerging French company and its innovative luminaires? We got some answers from the co-founder of Minuit Une, Aurélien Linz, in a videoconference together with Jérôme Bréhard, CEO of Axente.
SLU : What made you decide to entrust the distribution of your products to Axente?
Aurélien Linz : It’s part of a general move towards a full-scale distribution model. We have expanded very quickly into about thirty countries abroad, including the USA in October of 2019. Since May, there has been an increased interest in the IVL solution and a steady stream of new partnerships, which is quite encouraging.
We are approaching 40 companies, between distributors and dealers. For example, Inner Circle distribution in the USA, Luxilag in Belgium, Entedi in the United Kingdom, VCI in Spain and Portugal, Tongsuh Technology in South Korea, TreTi in Italy, Complex V in Ukraine, ShowAtelier in Russia, Damei in China, Lisys Project in Hungary, PS Teatr in Poland, etc.
A broadcast TV show in Australia.
We were operating directly on the French market but we did not have the means to deploy a sales team capable of covering all the potential sectors in the territory. So we decided to move to a full-fledged distribution model. It’s the logical progression of our growth and having a partner like Axente is the best way to serve the French market and spread our technology in broader circles. We are now focusing on R&D and partnership with our distributors.
SLU : These days, one realizes what percentage of sales is from exports.
Aurélien Linz : We are exceeding 80%. The U.S. has significantly tipped the scale.
SLU : Are you still concentrating on laser sources?
Aurélien Linz : Using a laser was not the initial solution. The idea was to develop a new lighting technology and to take advantage of a series of patents. The IVL technology needed to satisfy the following requirements: coverage of a very large area; a multidirectional approach for increased efficiency; and a very efficient ratio between the area covered and the number of units used. We chose the laser source because it provided an optimal solution. We will first expand the IVL range so that everyone can access an IVL product that corresponds to their needs.
Aurélien Linz : The first product, IVL Carré, exists in two versions: square and pyramidal. These are two different products that produce different results and they are not used in the same way. Since then we have developed a version of the square IVL Carré tailored to meet the standards in the USA, the IVL Square. In 2021, the IVL range will be further expanded.
SLU : Are they still made in France?
Aurélien Linz : Yes, we have the Made in France label. We work with a partner factory that assembles the products in France.
SLU : What sort of turnover are you doing now?
Aurélien Linz : We don’t disclose our figures. I can only tell you that we have almost doubled our turnover every year since our foundation.
SLU : Which vendors in France currently have IVL fixtures available?
Aurélien Linz : B-Live was the first vendor to invest in our products. At the time, we had an exclusive six-month partnership with them that allowed them to secure a return on their investment. It was a kind gesture and we will always be grateful to B-Live for being our first customer. After the exclusivity period, we promptly began selling to other companies.
Today, there are also Alive, De Facto, Dushow, GL Event, Lagoona, MPM, S Group… These top-tier vendors are taking our technology on their small and medium-sized tours, because with a single flight case of IVLs (2, 4, 6 or 8 fixtures), they can make the difference in terms of efficient logistics and reasonable costs. The IVL range has been designed to make an impact with just a few units. And the need for more efficiency has increased dramatically in this age of Covid.
One of the big challenges right now – and we’re starting to hear it in discussions with lighting designers – is to deliver the experience, but with reduced logistics, less budget and more restrictions. And our products provide a real solution tailored to these conditions.
SLU : How is IVL positioned, in terms of price?
Jérôme Bréhard : It’s about the same price as a big moving head, but it’s not outrageous. The experience that the fixture provides compared to its purchase price is extremely attractive and is one of my main reasons for distributing Minuit Une in France. The market that will be coming to us, as the upcoming months – hopefully not years – will force everyone to do more with less budget and reduced logistics. I think that IVL technology really meets these challenges.
SLU : How did you enter into this agreement?
Jérôme Bréhard : It’s a brand that we’ve been keeping an eye on since its inception. We talked to each other, not in a negotiation context, but in a framework of exchanging ideas. I have the greatest respect for this venture. Now they’ve convinced us to distribute the brand because it’s been around for four years, it hasn’t gone out of style, and it still generates a “wow” effect. That’s important.
It’s a product designed for different experiences in smaller rooms. It is also a real complement to everything else that exists today. For the same price as a big mover – and therefore reasonable – it really gets the job done. It delivers great visual performance, both graphically in 3D as well as in projection, with its digital gobos. It is important to use it correctly, but that is the case with any multifunction intelligent fixture, as well as for lighting in general.
Franz Ferdinand
SLU : It is controlled like any other motorized fixture, right?
Jérôme Bréhard : Yes, completely. There are some nuances that you need to be familiar with, because the possibilities are very extensive, so a little training is necessary to fully exploit them. It goes without saying that fixtures with a lot of parameters require the same approach. Minuit Une has created “Quick Start Shows” for all types of consoles. It goes beyond the patching. It really allows you to start with a library of presets and to get the best results out of the fixture quickly. This saves a lot of time. There are also some very simple control modes in these units, so they’re not just for the most experienced operators. These modes allow you to send a lot of different patterns that produce great effects.
SLU : Jérôme, the distribution of Minuit Une is part of a larger search for alternative lighting fixtures…
Leader Conference
Jérôme Bréhard : Yes, alternative and differentiated. This is extremely important for our customers today. With Ayrton, we have always wanted to offer different products and Minuit Une offers something very different in both technology and results. They are hyper-creative and it feels really good. We believe very much in the future of this company.
SLU : Aurélien, you started off with three people in 2013…
Aurélien Linz : Yes, we were three founders, including two engineers and a salesman. Currently there are fourteen people in the company, including seven development engineers. This is our DNA.
SLU : What kinds of shows have used your products?
Aurélien Linz : After the first electronic music tours with Olivier Germain, our reference projects in music have widened to jazz, metal, rock, hip-hop, variety, dance shows… As far as events are concerned, we have done the fashion shows of major labels, classic corporate events, a lot of video-clips of product launches…
Jérôme Bréhard : There is no limit to the possible applications of the product.
SLU : What’s been your largest or most important deployment?
Aurélien Linz : Obviously, we’re happy and proud to have had 40 IVLs on a Louis Vuitton event. But we are also proud when, because of a limited budget, on a show like the Fever Ray show at the Olympia, three of our fixtures are used from start to finish by Sarah Landau, bringing a different feature to each track. In such cases we provide a major added value.
Louis Vuitton event.
We are also proud of an EDM festival where two stages were deployed. The “Main” stage had lots of resources, a video screen and a lot of moving lights. The secondary stage, which had a small budget, used twelve of our fixtures, with hardly anything else but a spotlight for the artist. The audience couldn’t tell which one was the main stage. That’s very satisfying!
SLU : Has Axente become a shareholder in Minuit Une?
Jérôme Bréhard : Not at all. Axente is “only” the French distributor. It’s our job to go and find pearls like this. It’s also a question of timing, which today works for everyone. We know that the coming months will be difficult for all our customers and, consequently, for all of us.
We believe in working from the ground up and we are going to do it with the same spirit and the same desire and the same enthusiasm as before the Covid tsunami, because life is going to get back on track. There will be shows, people want to get together and we know that IVL technology really makes it possible to deal with this somewhat troubled and difficult period. You have to have nice products and good stories to provide a little bit of positivity.
In my opinion, the IVL has not yet reached all the markets where it can potentially be used. It’s true that it has a strong live show connotation but it’s a product that I see perfectly in fixed installations in music venues or more present in certain types of TV programs. There is a lot to be done. To do this, we’re going to get closer to the relevant people and we’ll do as usual, consult them and suggest that they use the product.
PLK
Aurélien Linz : Axente is a leading distributor with many years of experience and a highly specialized sales organization. This is obviously valuable and it will make us stronger for our international network. Things you learn in one territory can be duplicated in other countries. It allows us to further refine our resources, our support and assistance for our partners.
We have entered into a partnership for the future. New challenges imply finding new solutions and changing habits. We have to be patient, but I can’t wait to see what will happen when the recovery comes. I think that the public will be thirsty for events more than ever and the expectations will be very high, and for this, lighting really makes the difference.
SLU : Where will the after-sales service be carried out?
Jérôme Bréhard : Our after-sales team is trained by Minuit Une and we will, of course, provide full after-sales service for all products already sold in France. This is what we usually do when we pick up a new product line for distribution. It would be out of the question to ask the purchase date in order to differentiate. We are their partner so we handle the future and the past. But the after-sales service remains minimal. The products are manufactured to a very high industrial quality standard and are extremely reliable.
SLU : Has IVL made it into clubs?
Aurélien Linz : Not in France. We didn’t really have the sales team for this market, generally speaking. Abroad, there are some very nice installations. The most outstanding one is the DC10 in Ibiza. They based their scenography on 18 IVLs, a mix of square and pyramidal versions in the center of the dance floor and all around. The impact is immersive. A lot of clubs in South East Asia are also equipped with IVLs and Ledscontrol has integrated them into several clubs.
SLU : Is there anything new coming in 2021?
Aurélien Linz : The IVL solution is going to expand with a brand new product: a different option that complements the first product, again with a little twist so that the IVL technology is used in the best possible way to support the artist.
HDMI 2.0 cables are great for transferring large amounts of data, therefore they are used in 4K/85 @60Hz Ultra HD video applications like home cinema’s, gaming, video conferences, and many more. Traditional copper HDMI 2.0 cables do a good job at this, but their length is limited.
Procab™ therefore already introduced 4K fiber optic HDMI 2.0 cables for various applications with cable lengths ranging from 10 meter up to 100 meter. Now they are expanding this range with the CLV310A. The new CLV310A is an active optical HDMI 2.1 cable, designed for transmission of the next generation of 8K video content.
It is able to transmit resolutions up to 8K (7680 x 4320p) 4:4:4 at 60 Hz with a bandwidth of 48 Gbps via OM3 optical fiber technology, eliminating the possibility of electronic interference. It is backward compatible with HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 1.4, guaranteeing an optimal and future proof solution for any kind of installation.
In this sectional view, we can see the 4 OM3 fibers (50/125 m) sheathed and the copper links for the power supply and the complementary slow data. The sheaths are in polyethylene, the screen in aluminized mylar, and the outer coating in polyurethane.We can clearly see on the gold-plated metal part, the Semi-Lock device ensuring a secure connection.
This brand new HDMI cable is equipped with a smart Semi-Lock™ feature. This ups the withdrawal force for unplugging the connector, which means that the cable cannot become detached or loosened by accident, avoiding intermittence or signal loss.
From the start of July to the end of August, locals and visitors could both experience the Danish city of Odense in a completely new light. The two-month “Odense in the Dark” festival of lights shed beautiful light on numerous buildings of the country’s third largest city. The Danish RR Group used Cameo ZENIT W300 outdoor LED washlights for the architectural lighting of the historic Graabrødre Franciscan Monastery Church.
Cameo Zenit W300
Project managers Julian Leker and Jonas Bäckström opted for the Cameo ZENIT W300 after searching for the right outdoor spotlight to showcase the 13th century old monastery building. They used a total of eight IP65-certified LED washlights as uplights along the bottom of the building and pointed them upwards onto the facade. Leker and Bäckström employed a wide array of Cameo SnapMag filter frames with varying beam angles to ensure the greatest degree of lighting flexibility for the Graabrødre Franciscan Monastery Church.
The innovative SnapMag technology makes it possible to magnetically attach the filter frames in mere seconds and also disassemble the spotlight.
The Cameo ZENIT W300 will become an increasingly common sight in the city of Odense in the future, the RR Group already plans on using the LED outdoor washlights in upcoming event and architectural lighting projects. The following products were used at Odense in the Dark: 12 Cameo Zenit W300 Outdoor LED Washlights
Out of concern for the safety of its employees and global community, ETC has announced that it will not participate in traditional trade show exhibitions until July of 2021. With the pandemic affecting many people’s ability and desire to travel, the company has instead decided to focus its resources on remote demos and online events.
A major part of the trade show experience is the chance to see the latest gear and get one-on-one face time with product experts. With this in mind, ETC has been hard at work converting in-house demo spaces throughout the company’s offices into studios for online product demonstrations.
Customers may now use an online portal to schedule live, one-on-one demos of some of the company’s newest fixtures ColorSource Spot jr, Source 4WRD Color, and the fos/4 Panel and fos/4 Fresnel studio products from the comfort of their own homes or workplaces. With plans in the works to expand these online offerings, ETC hopes to make online demos a permanent resource for customers looking for the latest in lighting technology.
Until live events can safely return, ETC is also turning its focus to online events and programs. The company’s online Study Hall seminars ongoing since the beginning of the pandemic shutdown continue to provide remote learning and Q&A opportunities, with past sessions posted to an ever-growing YouTube library. Having held a successful training workshop for reps and dealers over the summer, ETC is also planning customer-facing events in the first half of 2021.
“Live trade shows, customer visits and trainings in our offices around the world all these activities will return to us in the future,“ says David Lincecum, ETC’s Vice President of Marketing. “For the short term, we will focus our business plan on learning new ways to connect with customers.”
The RCF Audio Academy hosts its first in-depth certification course called RCF Professional Team. RCF Professional Team certifies pro audio engineers and certifies their knowledge of RCF products. This in-depth training course is creating a team of professionals and companies that guarantee the best sound quality for the listener, and optimum results for the client, when deploying RCF systems.
Between the two tubular towers erected permanently in the factory and facing a long lawn, the first batch of graduates surrounded by Emanuele Morlini and Lucio Boiardi Serri.
“We felt the need to certify the best professionals who use RCF products,” said Fabrizio Grazia, RCF Sales Manager and coordinator of RCF Professional Team [Italia]. “Although RCF products are easy to use and incorporate technologies that facilitate installation and setup, we also want to educate our customers with extensive knowledge for optimal use of our technologies in every scenario.”
The first session was held on October 19-20, 2020 at the RCF Audio Academy, the company’s training center, taking all necessary safety precautions with social distancing guidelines in place. The course, held by RCF system experts, includes two full-day sessions. It starts with an entrance test to examine each participant’s proficiency so that the lessons can adapt to the students The course ends with a final verification test to evaluate the knowledge acquired and to clarify any uncertainties. With a passing test result, each student will join the Team. Each student will receive a certificate of participation and subsequently certified as a member of the RCF Professional Team.
RCF Professional Team opens the door to numerous advantages. It is a continuous training course that certifies both the audio professional and highlights the company’s quality to clients, productions, promoters, and artists. It’s an opportunity to improve the company’s know-how, develop cross-rental activities, collaborations, and create synergies between companies and professionals. RCF Academy will continue to develop its coursework on new technologies for the RCF Professional Team.
The DSP section of RDNet 4.0
New and upcoming technologies have been anticipated in addition to lessons about acoustics, electroacoustics, and insights into RCF technologies. Among the new products’ presentation, the participants welcomed the release of RCF’s proprietary RDNet 4.0 Management Software with a complete course. The latest version of RDNet revolutionizes audio system optimization’s operating flow, with advanced functions fully-integrated into the platform. RDNet 4.0 will be available for the public by Q4 2020.
Lucio Boiardi-Serri
“We thank the many professionals who took part in these two days of certification,” said Lucio Boiardi Serri, RCF product expert and team coordinator of RCF Audio Academy. “I am sure that our colleagues now have all the necessary skills to manage RCF products on the field. I want to congratulate all the participants of this first edition! All passed the final test positively and earned the RCF Professional Team certification. » Welcome to the RCF Professional Team!
Molpass srl, the exclusive distributor for MDG products in Italy, recently supplied an ingenious fog solution to film company, 2aFilm, for a shoot on the banks of the River Po. The new film, Lei Mi Parla Ancora (She Still Speaks To Me), is directed by Pupi Avati, Italy’s prolific, award-winning director, producer and screenwriter, Pupi Avati, who is especially renowned for his work in the horror genre. he is working with his long-time director of photography, Cesare Bastelli.
One scene, a long stretch of road beside the River Po for a number of cars to pass through, called for a naturalistic covering of fog.
One of the cameramen, Carlo Molinari was familiar with MDG products, being the son of Giorgio Molinari, CEO of Molpass, and recommended an Me4 fog generator because of its huge output capacity and ability to cover the outdoor distance required.
To ensure a perfect, substantial supply of realistic fog along the full length of the road, the team at Molpass used an ingenious solution, suggested by MDG, of a 150m long inflatable plastic sleeve (what MDG calls a ‘bottine’) for outdoor fogging, and a single MDG Me4 fog generator.
“When we arrived on site at 7am there was the most perfect covering of natural fog from the river,” says Giorgio Molinari. “Unfortunately, this evaporated completely by 8.30am when the temperature reached 25°C! Our job was to recreate this beautiful atmospheric environment in the best way possible for the cameras.”
To achieve this, the Molpass team attached a fan to one end of the custom-made plastic tube which, being sealed at the opposite end, inflated in just 15-20 seconds and was then filled with fine white fog from the Me4 in only 20 seconds. The tube was then positioned on the embankment below the road level to conceal its eye-catching appearance from view of the cameras. Before filming commenced, a series of holes was punched at intervals along the length of the tube, allowing the fog to escape and drift across the road, successfully recreating that perfect fog of early morning. Molinari noted: “It confirmed the MDG saying: ‘we produce the closest thing to the real thing.’”
The whole assembly of Me4 generator, fan and plastic tube was rolled into place on a trolley and powered from the film company’s power generator. It took less than 30 minutes to install and was easily lifted and moved to the opposite side of the road to optimise the effect of drifting fog according to the wind direction. The Me4 was used for two sessions of 1.5 hours each and the filming completed successfully in a 4-hour shoot, using two bottles of gas and less than 3 litres of MDG Neutral fog fluid.
“We were extremely happy with the whole system and result,” says Molinari who is very excited by this new development and its additional potential for live performance installations. “This is just one possible set up for a film shoot, but the potential for live performance is very exciting. It is an efficient, economical and clean method of deploying fog to targeted points along the tube’s length or delivering fog to an output a long distance from the source, using just one MDG fog generator.
“Under other circumstances, a distribution of this size would require 6-8 machines from other manufacturers, which would generate a lot of residue and dirt. But the Me4 is powerful enough to handle this alone, eliminating the need for multiple, less efficient machines and the associated costs and cleanliness problems they would cause.
“By substituting a clear tube with a black one, this system presents a great solution for backstage, on stage and front of house, delivering output exactly where you want it in a very short time. It is very compact for storage or transportation, so good for touring, and is a simple solution that works well. We are very happy with it.”
Green Hippo, creator of tools for the real-time manipulation of video for the AV industries, has welcomed two new distribution specialists to its international sales network.
Representing the brand in Australia and New Zealand is Melbourne-based Corsair Solutions. Established in 2009, Corsair imports and distributes professional and commercial audio-visual equipment and has established itself as a trusted partner of audio-visual system integrators, pro audio and video equipment resellers and equipment rental companies throughout Australia and New Zealand. Corsair also distributes Green Hippo’s sister brand within Spitfire Creative Technologies, tvONE.
At the same time, Wholestage has been appointed to represent Green Hippo in Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in Venezuela in 1998, Wholestage is today based in Miami, Florida, with offices in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Chile and Spain. It specializes in the distribution of pro video, audio, rigging, lighting and control, and provides the latest technologies and solutions to the Central American, South American and Caribbean markets.
The team at Wholestage, newly-appointed Green Hippo distributor for Latin America & the Caribbean.
Mark Lampard, managing director of Corsair Solutions, comments, “We are extremely proud to be representing Green Hippo. As a distributor of many complex, highly technical products, we thrive on educating our partners and end users on their technical benefits and why they are valuable. As a market leader, Green Hippo naturally provides us with an exciting new entry into the live production and entertainment industries which will also allow us to cross-promote some of our other brands.”
Speaking on behalf of Wholestage, CEO Luis Duque says, “Green Hippo brings solutions for the management of media content which integrate perfectly with the brands that we already distribute. Our reputation allows us to recommend and demonstrate product directly to our customers, who have complete confidence in our recommendations. That’s why we take great care in what we offer, we have to be sure of the product and the brand behind it. We welcome Green Hippo with great enthusiasm, their range will undoubtedly reinforce our premium portfolio of comprehensive solutions.”
Green Hippo’s Sales Director David March comments, “We are delighted to partner with Wholestage and Corsair Solutions, both of whom have strong, professional reputations in their respective markets, and share our commitment to providing the best possible solutions and support. We look forward to working with them and their customers in the future.”
ETC announces the addition of the Fresnel to the fos/4 studio family. Fresnels have been around for generations and are known for their smooth wash, adjustable zoom capabilities, and brightness. fos/4 Fresnel takes the important features of an incandescent Fresnel and adds in the nuanced color mixing, smooth fades, and LED technology of ETC’s other professional grade fixtures. With fos/4, you get a true Fresnel with an LED engine, not the other way around.
The fos/4 Fresnel includes the adjustment of the 15-50 degree zoom from either the front or the rear of the fixture. The accessory slot let the user add any number of beam-control accessories such as barn doors and soft boxes. The adjustable yoke enables easy balancing of the fixture after focus, and the homogenized optic gives an impressively seamless beam of light.
Remote control and contactless features of fos/4 include wireless communication using City Theatrical’s Multiverse technology and contactless programming using ETC’s Set Light app via NFC from a mobile device.
Like the fos/4 Panel, fos/4 Fresnels are available in two arrays, Lustr X8 for the full gamut of color mixing and Daylight HDR for the brightest whites. Both arrays include deep red LEDs for the most nuanced rendering of skin tones, fabrics, and scenery of any fixture on the market. The fos/4 Fresnel outputs up to 9700 lumens.
fos/4 Fresnel is currently available with a seven-inch aperture, with 10 and 5-inch variants scheduled to be available in the coming months.
When Big Picture announced its partnership with South West Solutions and Ikonix to offer the most technologically advanced and connected virtual event space in Australia, the industry was anticipating something spectacular. Brompton Tessera processing played a part in it.
The live event studio was the first one to open in Australia, offering a professional soundproof studio with full backstage facilities, global broadcast-grade fibre connectivity and industry-leading production technology, not to mention “our knowledge of the Australian market for the live event, corporate theatre and music sectors, as well as the support of our studio partners,” says Josh Moffat, Business Development at Big Picture.
The main studio set showcases a 40 square metre ROE Black Onyx 2.8mm LED screen, made up of 243 panels in its largest configuration, built in a concave curve. Dual ROE Carbon 3mm LED screens are used for presenter feedback, showing visuals like remote audiences and presenter notes, all connected by Barco E2 control system and disguise GX2C media servers.
The secondary set features an XR stage offering complete virtual set customisation with Panasonic 4k PTZ cameras, with total tracking integration to the disguise servers and presenter interaction in real-time. “We chose Brompton for both our main and secondary sets, with four Tessera SX40 4K LED processors and 10 Tessera XD 10G data distribution units running in the main studio, with the XR stage using Tekken 3.9mm LED screens running off Brompton Tessera S4 processors,” explains Moffat. Brompton’s calibration technique, reliability and proven track record of delivering complex workflows all played a part in the team’s decision to use the company’s products on such virtual production.
“We have been using Brompton processing for years,” adds Moffat. “Their colour control and depth of image manipulation coupled with advanced remote control makes the company the perfect LED processing solution for this workflow. We have also found pre-sets very useful and the OSCA seam correction feature is incredible!”
Big Picture’s partner Ikonix agreed
“Ikonix and Big Picture have worked collaboratively on a number of projects over the years,” says Zachary Burton, Director at Ikonix. “2020 has created new opportunities in the virtual market and, as we have strengths in content design and technical integration, our relationship has grown even stronger.
Ikonix’s team of animators and programmers create virtual environments and program the integration from real world hardware into the virtual space. We know we can always trust our content will be delivered at a high standard with products like Brompton processing delivering the end result. It has been a great learning experience and we look forward to more exciting opportunities in the future.”
Following the announcement of its premium virtual event space, the Big Picture team has been receiving high praise from their customers on presenting yet another innovative solution for companies looking to move events and performances into the online realm.
“We have been seeing a lot of interest in our virtual facility, with anything from corporate presentations to musical performances, and we have some really exciting projects developing in the coming months,” Moffat concludes. “Being a Live Events Company, the spirit and the excitement of a live show run through our veins. We have put all our knowledge, as well as the expertise of our partners, into creating a virtual environment of the highest quality that will preserve the live experience in its closest form. Brompton has been our loyal partner throughout the entire journey, always delivering stunning and exceptionally realistic looking visual playback.”
British American Tobacco launched glo, a Tobacco Heating Product utilizing new tobacco heating technology, with a spectacular display in the sky over Hamburg, Germany’s waterfront on September 19. Tasked with creating a drone light show as a guerrilla-marketing action by agency Inovisco Mobile Media, Jens Hillenkötter deployed 30 Claypaky Xtylos fixtures, the first moving head light with a laser light source, to light up the sky with a dynamic backdrop for an intricate drone ballet.
Hillenkötter, a well-known designer and creative director for international shows, is no stranger to big events. He’s been involved in the ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing or the Summer Universiade in Kazan. The glo display, which ran parallel to Hamburg’s salute to club culture known as Reeperbahnfestival, featured 150 drones equipped with LED lighting. They flew for eight minutes forming 16 animations and motifs, including the product logo, packaging and slogan’s hashtag.
Vue générale
The lighting spectacular marked the first time that Hillenkötter used Claypaky Xtylos laser-source fixtures. “We had several shootouts with outdoor moving lights,” he reports. “But none of the fixtures could deliver strong colors over long throw distances of 400 meters or more. I’m always keen to use new technologies, and laser fixtures are something I find very interesting. So I invited Jens Konstanti of Claypaky for a shootout with Xtylos. The Xtylos’s colors over long distances are second to none compared to other moving lights.”
Hillenkötter positioned the Xtylos in a line in front of the water from which they projected enormous color changing beams that served as a dynamic backdrop for the drone ballet. The Xtylos “performed very well; they were quick and reliable,” he says noting that he looks forward to using Xtylos IP fixtures for future lighting installations. He adds that, “the support was spot on from day one.”
At Inovisco Mobile Media GmbH Patrick Oligschläger was the Project Manager. Massimo Bolandrina is Claypaky’s Area Sales Manager. VisionTWO, the Claypaky distributor in Germany, provided support.
