Seen from a distance, the Steam Illumination Christmas Train appears like a rolling band of moving light cutting through the dark night as it rolls past the farms and fields of the Hampshire countryside. To those inside, the experience is even more magical, as they find themselves immersed in a rotating tunnel of brilliant colours and patterns. Covered entirely by LED lights, this special 120-metre-long train seems like something out of a fantastical Hollywood Christmas movie suddenly come to life in South East England. In reality, however, it was the result of extensive of planning and hard work by the…
Author: James Robertson
Formed in the summer of 1975, Britannia Row Productions – an early rock ‘n’ roll business pioneer – marks 45 years in live production, having navigated its most turbulent few months in over four decades. Pink Floyd’s equipment and crew had a rebirth when Britannia Row Productions evolved from the band’s desire to tour less frequently. The company’s first premises was both warehouse and studio, so while the band concentrated on recording at their own pace, they set up a series of rental companies so that their crew could remain employed between tours. It could be said that the first…
Designed by architects Rudy Riciotti and Jean-Michel Battesti, 6MIC (pronounced ‘seismic’) has been turning heads since opening its doors for the very first time this summer. Its lichen-covered concrete structure – both a technical feat and a world first – is designed to give a mountain-esque appearance to the building, seamlessly blending into the natural landscape. 6MIC’s goal is to become an epicentre for music and culture throughout France. Therefore, they required a sound reinforcement system to reproduce various performance styles and keep a minimal carbon footprint. 6MIC chose to install L-Acoustics throughout all performance spaces to hit both of…
25 years after the launch of the PS15, arguably the most ubiquitous 15” point source cabinet of all time, NEXO unveils the P15, its new top-of-the-range 2-way passive/active speaker which offers a compelling combination of heritage and contemporary design engineering. This model completes the P+ Series, a range of powerful compact speakers which offer meaningful advantages of scalability, compatibility and performance to multiple market sectors, many of which are currently adapting to new operational models. “The versatility of the P+ Series is especially relevant at this time,” commented Gareth Collyer, NEXO’s Sales & Marketing Director. “As venues and production companies…
The year 2020 will be remembered as one of the most difficult years for everyone working in the entertainment and events sector. In the effort to focus on keeping up the spirit of the people affected by the current crisis and to close this terrible year with a positive hope, Claypaky created Shine a Light. A song dedicated to everyone in the entertainment industry. It is written by Claypaky Product specialist and musician, Manuel Hahn, together with US based Claypaky Product Specialist George Masek. Shine a Light is a rock ballad celebrating everyone working in the entertainment industry. It is…
2020 has been the toughest year in living memory for the live entertainment industry, with almost all festivals, tours and concerts cancelled since the beginning of March. However, innovative promotors were able to organize a few shows over the summer using outdoor spaces to create COVID-safe environments. One such event took in the grounds of Landgoed Kasteel Limbricht and featured popular Dutch duo Spik & Span who performed two special anniversary concerts. With the historic castle – lit beautifully by ADJ IP65-rated wash fixtures – providing an incredible backdrop, the concerts proved to be unforgettable evenings both for the performers…
FIX8Group’s virtual events, broadcast and connectivity centre is fully operational and open for business. Known as ‘The Hub’, it is located at FIX8Group’s facility in Greater Manchester, and has been designed to enable virtual and hybrid events, shows or presentations to be produced entirely under one roof. Inside, The Hub offers a studio, gallery and master control room, along with competent technical operators. With all of the technology, systems, processes and talent in one building, The Hub facilitates on-site as well as full remote event production, including capacity for managing signals from broadcast locations worldwide. FIX8Group soft-launched The Hub in…
PUSH LIVE have announced the hiring of Larry Gale as its Head of Production Network. Gale joins from Boiler Room, the pioneering underground music culture platform, where as Head of Live Production he used PUSH LIVE to build their platform agnostic broadcast solution, creating and producing world-class live events in partnership with some of the world’s biggest brands. As part of his new role, Gale is leading the development of a global network of broadcast producers, training and upskilling live production talent to use the PUSH LIVE streaming console and harness the full power of its capabilities. In doing so,…
Colorado production house Brown Note Productions was hired by longtime client Danny Wimmer Presents to provide audio, lighting and video production for a special online performance by alt-rock band Puscifer from experimental town Arcosanti in the high desert of Arizona. Called on to create evocative visual atmospheres for the shoot was lighting designer Sarah Landau (A Perfect Circle, Childish Gambino, M83), who turned to an IP-rated rig of Elation lighting to brave the desert elements. Landau has designed for Puscifer since 2016 and handled production design for the Arcosanti event along with Puscifer guitarist and producer Mat Mitchell. Puscifer, known…
Hollywood heartthrob Channing Tatum’s acclaimed dance show Magic Mike Live opened in Sydney, Australia on 17 December. It features a complex, dynamic all-new lighting design created by Philip Gladwell, using a rig supplied by TSL Lighting. In contrast to its runs in London, Las Vegas and Berlin, the Australian production takes place in a specially designed Spiegeltent, named The Arcadia. For the Sydney dates, The Arcadia has been constructed in the city’s Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park. Within this ‘circus-like’ venue, the production team has created an immersive lighting experience that complements the energetic, exhilarating dance routines performed in the…
Released last month, Allen & Heath’s ultra-lightweight CTi1500 dLive surface brought its compact performance to Helene Bøksle’s Christmas tour of Norway. Helene Bøksle is among Norway’s leading vocalists and her winter tours of churches and concert venues have become a much-loved part of the festive season. Although scaled back due to Covid 19 restrictions, the 2020 tour covers a lot of ground, with long mountain drives and some internal flights bringing Helene and her accompanying musicians to 15 towns and cities on both sides of the arctic circle. Audio engineer, Kenneth Vadset needed a mixing system that could travel with…
Robb Allan, FOH Engineer for Radiohead, Massive Attack and Coldplay and Avid Live Sound Specialist, spent some time with d&b in Germany playing with d&b Soundscape in ‘a proper sized arena’: reinventing his mix and delighting in the idea that everyone in the audience would get a new dimension of listening experience. Watch him as he explores the system and explains the potential he sees in involving the artists in the creative possibilities of a Soundscape mix in ‘the new space’. www.dbaudio.com
Zach Scott has been a self-described “huge fan” of New Found Glory since sixth grade. Following the rise of the quartet from their early days through their ascendent to the top of the alt rock charts, he’s developed a deep appreciation of their ability to balance raw power with subtle emotions. So, when Scott got the opportunity to light a holiday show by the band in the car park of Seat Geek Stadium (home of the NSWL’s Chicago Red Stars), he decided to depart from his usual near-total busking mode and program a heavily cue-stacked lightshow for the band’s 90-minute…
DNEG is one of the world’s leading visual effects and animation companies, honoured with five Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects for its visionary work on Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049 and First Man. In 2013, it set up a TV episodic arm to expand its offering, which has grown exponentially with the boom of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV Plus. In recent years, and further driven by the impact of COVID-19, the company has developed its offering in virtual production – an exciting venture that has led to a close collaboration with Brompton…
#WeMakeEvents has launched the film The Show Can’t Go On in recognition of all events and creative arts people, and those who support and work in the industry to produce incredible experiences. “At this time of year, we should be working hard and enjoying the best live events and entertainment in the world,” says Lead Producer of #WeMakeEvents, Gary White. “This is a season that can be challenging for many. It’s now made harder by the lack of work. We wanted to create a film that is heartfelt, to show our industry that, as an organisation, ‘we have your back’ and…
Like many in the lighting industry, Costa Rican lighting professional Emilio Aguilar has used the pandemic downtime to learn new competencies and better his skill set. Finding himself back home in Costa Rica last spring following Cirque du Soliel’s bankruptcy, Aguilar got in contact with longtime collaborators Luces y Sistemas, the exclusive distributor of Obsidian Control Systems products in Costa Rica. “I inquired about the NX2 lighting console, which I thought would be the perfect console for the types of gigs I do,” he states. “They were happy to show me the console and in the end it was just…
John Jones has joined ChainMaster and Liftket as their UK and Ireland agent. Jones has gained extensive experience in the hoisting industry and has held various senior positions throughout his career. He has worked with several well known world class hoist manufacturers and of course he was the Managing Director of Pfaff and Lift Turn Move Ltd. Since the market launch of ChainMaster products in 1994, the medium-sized, Saxon-based company a subsidiary of Liftket since 2018 has developed into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric chain hoists and chain hoist controllers in the event industry and offers a…
Black Skull Creative, the multi-disciplinary creative studio responsible for stadium spectaculars, awards-ceremonies, and incredible commercial events, has welcomed eminent visual animation expert, Paul Gardner as a fourth Creative Director and co-owner. Gardner, whose client portfolio includes incredible global acts, including The Rolling Stones and Dua Lipa, is a global expert in producing show-stopping visual elements for tours, performances, and productions. The studio’s most recent work, which drew on the expertise of all four members (Ross Nicholson, Dan Shipton, and Jay Revell), was the BBC’s widely-praised, Little Mix: The Search. The incorporation of Gardner into the fold completes the studio’s comprehensive…
