There used to be a time when you designed your show around two types of moving lights — hard edge and wash fixtures. I grew up in a time where the hard beams were from Vari-Lites or lekos and the wash came from pars. The only color changing we saw was from color wheels and color scrollers on conventional fixtures.
A selfie is responsible for setting off a massive three-year technology renovation at the Redemption Church in Greenville, SC.
Since founding the church in 1991, Pastor Ron Carpenter sought new ways to spread the church’s religious messages. As his popularity grew, so did the rise of social media.
Metallica’s current “WorldWired Tour” is in support of the band’s Hard Wired… To Self-Destruct album, released last fall. We spoke with the band’s longtime lighting designer and director, Rob Koenig, about working with Dan Braun (show director and set designer) and the tour’s design and logistics he’s encountered for this massive production that’s been filling stadiums around the world. The tour began last year and included a run of stadium dates in North America this past summer. The band is continuing with a series of dates in the U.K. and Europe this fall and next spring.
From the beginning of the creation of media server technology for live events, it has been common for a server to have only one or two video outputs. With the increase in popularity of LED walls, multiple projector projection blends, and 4K resolution content, however, the number of video outputs required from a server has grown and, as in the case of the d3, as many as 16 in a single d3 server are now needed in order to accommodate the demands of today’s visuals used in productions.
Video Content Producer, Video Director and Lawyer-in-Training
Marcia Kapustin, principal of Kosher Pixels, is a video content producer and a video director, working extensively in concert touring. She has currently taken a hiatus from touring to get a law degree. She has worked with a variety of bands, most notably Paul McCartney and Metallica, since her first major tour as assistant video director for U2’s 1997-1998 PopMart tour.
I’m reminded of an old commercial that went something like, “ When EF Hutton talks…people listen.” The “EF Hutton” in this case is Laura Frank. When someone with the level of experience and accomplishments of Laura suggests that I spend some time getting to know a new workflow tool, I listen. She is at the top of her craft in the world of screen management, having directed screen content on some of the largest projects in television and live entertainment.
LD Makes Use of State-of-the-Art House System for Six Sold-Out Shows
In retrospect, there was no question: Who else could have opened a new stadium in Detroit but Kid Rock? The hometown favorite sold out the new 20,000-seat sports complex’s six dates in mere hours. And, while all the shows went well, a few of the early ones didn’t go perfectly, as longtime Kid Rock LD Nook Schoenfeld was the guinea pig taking a brand new technologically-advanced stadium out for its first ride.
Blizzard Lighting is based in Waukesha, WI. I’m not sure where that is either, but it turns out it’s about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee. Blizzard Lighting is a newer company to the industry, but not as new as you may think. They have been manufacturing lights since March of 2010. In fact, their first LED moving light was called “Flurry Wash,” which certainly aligns with their theme of “cool” and “wintry.”
New Arena Immerses Attendees with State-of-the-Art House Systems
“I believe we just opened the nicest, coolest arena I’ve ever had the pleasure of gigging in,” says Kid Rock LD Nook Schoenfeld after six sold-out shows at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. “It is an amazing structure; the likes of which do not exist anywhere in the world.”
Irasshaimase! Over the years, I have noticed that a majority of the automated lighting programmers I know also enjoy eating sushi. There are, of course, some exceptions, but I feel pretty confident in saying that most do. It actually makes sense if you think about it; there are many similarities between the raw fish cuisine and the craft of programming automated lighting. The skill of the chef, the varieties of available options, the creativity and more all align between the two very different topics. Since I personally love sushi and programming, I feel it is time to really compare the two.
Tirso Lighting Helps a Popular Manhattan Nightspot Rebrand
Arka Lounge operated for 16 years as one of the more successful nightspots in the Washington Heights area of upper Manhattan. Rebranded last December as Arka Room, owners of this sophisticated, intimate place to party are hoping for the same run of success they enjoyed for nearly two decades.
Ryan Adams described the look he was going for on his current tour as “a 1980’s dystopian Star Wars junkyard.” LD Heather Cossette has been out with Ryan Adams’ tour as designer/director since March, supporting his new album, Prisoners. The tour ends Oct. 17.