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A Letter from “Dad”

Let me tell you about my friend Justin Lang. Like a lot of us, I knew Justin’s work before I knew him. A few years ago, he started a blog called iSquint and he gained a huge following by following the live event industry. But he did it surreptitiously without telling anyone who he was. I kid him that he did this on purpose so that his reputation actually would precede him. It’s been said about a lot of people but in Justin’s case, it’s really true.

Virtual Globetrotting with Colin Quinn: Long Story Short

Imagine being the video and scenic designer for a one-man show – more specifically, a comedian's irreverent take on the history of the world – and that person is Colin Quinn. His director is Jerry Seinfeld, and the show is a special history lesson that lasts only 75 minutes. But you only have a couple of weeks of prep time before getting into a Broadway venue. Sounds a bit challenging, doesn't it?

It’s Usher!

Creating OMG with Lighting and Video

If you meet and talk to Peter Morse for five minutes, you might never know what a rich history he has in the entertainment industry. He’s very modest and down to earth, and he doesn’t often drop names or bring up his many accomplishments.

Illuminating “God’s Singing Voice”

LD Aldo Visentin Shines the Light on Andrea Bocelli

Celine Dion has said: “If God would have a singing voice, he would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli.” Dubbed “the world’s most beloved Italian tenor,” Andrea Bocelli has performed for political figures, the Pope, and in packed stadiums. He’s collaborated with opera’s top names and pop stars as well as Muppet puppets.

VSFX3 Image Effects Projector by City Theatrical and White Light

For 40 years, London-based White Light has been supplying lighting equipment to the entertainment industry. Although manufacturing is not their primary focus, they have been building the VSFX image projector for some time. But they turned to City Theatrical to work with them in a joint venture to improve the product. According to City Theatrical president, Gary Fails, the VSFX had some "design challenges that White Light wanted to overcome."

Alignment Rectangles: The Simplest Tool for Raster Mapping

Many shows today involve combining multiple layers of video content, either on a single display screen or across multiple screens of various resolutions. When you're working with a media server, there are some tricks that you can take advantage of to set up the scale, aspect ratio, and X & Y position palettes to reduce the need to resize your content ahead of time. Here is a little known feature available in the Mbox EXtreme v3 that can make programming easier.

PRG’s Move into Post Production Reveals a Larger Picture

They say that economic downturns are opportunities if you have the leverage to take advantage of them. Production Resource Group (PRG), one of the biggest suppliers of entertainment and event technology systems, looks like it has done just that to broaden its reach into new markets. In January, PRG acquired New York-based AV post facility Pow! Pix.

The One-Off Concert

It is very common for an automated lighting programmer to be hired to program and operate for a one-time concert. These "one-off" events are often tied to other productions such as corporate events, houses of worship, parties or music festivals. The programmer must prepare for a band they know little about and operate the lights accordingly to keep the audience and band member's interest.