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School of Street Smarts

More happens from the Bones tour (cool pics in this one)

 

Soooooo now that Denver/Telluride (I just got this cool pic from the Telluride Fest above, enjoy) is out of the way we headed out to good ole California for a few dates. We started in San Diego at a local college which turned out to be a really cool gig. The college radio station aired the show live and had a great stage to work with. When we loaded in there were several students who were instructed to help me setup and shadow what I was doing and how I set my rig up. Thus began my first teaching experience which was awesome considering the guy hasn’t got the chance to work with automated lighting yet. I guess a lot of those cats only get introduced to the traditional theater style with par, ellipsoidal, fresnel, source 4 lighting, etc. So I explain it to the best of my ability and get everything ready. 

New ColorWash 2500E AT

Robe’s new ColorWash 2500E AT moving light fixture is the sister of the ColorSpot 2500E. It is designed for use in large lighting rigs and for venues and installations of all types needing a punchy moving moving light effect. It is also designed for outdoor applications including washing large surface areas (like walls and buildings), and as a searchlight effect.

How much more pink?

So I light this fashion Gala every year. It's a big show with various theme segments and entertainment mixed with good old fashioned runway modeling. But this year I had the extra pleasure of lighting a professional stripper doing her burlesque act.

Martina McBride

Lighting Designer Abigail Rosen Holmes:  “I was very pleased to be asked to work with Martina again. She’s very involved in the design and very clear about what she likes, and really knows what is going to feel right for her and the music.  Martina’s great production team and crew, Trevor included, were just fantastic to work with. They make touring a show like this look a lot easier than it is!”

Dennis Mirabella, Pro Tapes

Who: Dennis Mirabella, marketing manager arts & entertainment business unit

What: Manufacturer and converter of pressure-sensitive tapes

Where: Edison, New Jersey

Digital Lighting

What the heck is genlock … (and where can I buy one)?

I actually overheard that very question at a recent training session and thought that I might be able to shed some light on the mystery. For us propeller-heads in the video world, we’ve grown up with the knowledge of “genlock,” so it’s not a foreign concept to us. But for those in the lighting and projection realm who are now dealing with video equipment on an ever-increasing basis, the mysterious genlock connector might need some clarification.

Technology Meets Humanity: A Vision of Two Towers

If you’ve been reading my blog, The Complex, you may have caught that I’ve recently relocated to the city that never sleeps, New York. (And if you haven’t been reading my blog, along with the other great stuff on PLSN.com… get to it!)
The day that we got to our new apartment in Manhattan, I told my wife that one of the things I was going to make a point of seeing was the “Tribute in Light.” I did, and this month I’m going to reflect a little on one example of technology intertwining with humanity.

But first, a little background…

Ocean Optics Sea Changer Wash Fixture

The Sea Changer Wash is a dichroic color changer with a Fresnel lens built by Ocean Optics out of Dunedin, Fla.  The company has devised an in-strument that is designed to attach to the lamp housing of an ETC Source Four ERS series of conventional lighting fixtures. In other words, it’s a cool color changer that converts a leko to a Fresnel. Ocean Optics already had a Sea Changer dichroic color changer that uses the Source Four lens, but due to high demand, it recently released the “wash” version of the product.

Fall Out Boy and the Art of Lighting the”Mini Tornados”

How does a production designer light and stage the most human form of a natural phenomenon?

“They are like little mini tornados on stage,” laughs Production Designer Alex Skowron. “They just spin all over.”

“They” are Fall Out Boy (FOB), the hot young band that just finished its successful Infinity on High tour. It’s led by sarcastically slanted bass-ist/songwriter and potential tabloid-fodder Pete Wentz. (Between his club fights and rotation of high-profile girlfriends, he’s precariously close to becoming this country’s answer to Pete Doherty). Wentz, a talented showman with a whacked imagination, pushed to create a show that would become a visual orgy of the senses, filled with moving video screens, pyrotechnics and pranks. Keeping up with the band and supporting their energetic show takes some of the most creative minds in the business.

And the Parnelli goes to…

Below are the nominees for the 7th Annual Parnelli Awards. Cast your vote to honor those individuals and companies who have done outstanding work in the past year. Voting for the Parnelli Awards is limited to subscribers of Projection, Lights & Staging News and Front of House. To cast your vote, go to www.parnelliawards.com/vote.

To ensure only one vote per person, you much input the subscription code from your address label. (See Web site for details.)