TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • NOVEMBER 2016 • ISSUE 207 YOU SHOOT ME DOWN BUT I WON’T FALL…
SIA
Nostalgic for the Present: the artistically intricate US arena tour
PRODUCTION FUTURES • WEST END BARES • SPACE CLOSING FIESTA • BEAR GRYLLS: ENDEAVOUR HAPPY MONDAYS • EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY • BLACK SKULL CREATIVE • IN PROFILE: CLARKE CABLE
NOVEMBER 2016 #207
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EDITOR’S LETTER
PROTOUCH STAGEOPERATOR
Firsts and lasts… A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to Ibiza to witness the last ever Space closing party. The iconic club has become a global phenomenon over the last 27 years, with hundreds of thousands of partygoers throwing shapes until the early hours. Somehow, this punk became one of them... Pictured above with ex-Mondialer (and still family!) Michael Nicholson with Ann and Tony Andrews, we had a lovely, somewhat sparkly, end to the summer season. I’ve said this before, but if you have any interest in pro audio and you see Tony out and about, grab him for a brew. A conversation with the pony-tailed wonder is always an outside the box experience. Space was synonymous with an immense soundscape, indoor and outdoor. The evolution of which recently resulted in Funktion One winning the DJ Awards’ Cutting Edge trophy. In the US, cover star Sia’s crew talk candidly about the challenges and opportunities a tour like Nostalgic for the Present brings; from the perfectly precise stage build & set up to the audio mixing that comes with such powerful vocal chord territory, the team enabled that vision to become a tourable production, and the results were quite something. In a different kind of arena adventure, survivalist Bear Grylls takes his treacherous expeditions indoors and recreates the scenes that have saved people’s lives, only this time he’s brought in the acrobatics. And, of course, special mention has to go to Production Futures & the TPi Breakthrough Talent awards which took place at the beginning of October. The event saw hundreds of students and young professionals gather to seek opportunities within the industry via the companies who had a presence at the recruitment fair. To read the feedback and see why you should get involved next year, turn to Pg. 26. Plus, West End Bares create show stopping scenes for charity, NEXO sounds of Derby arena and Bruno Poet talks life on the road. All in a month’s work, eh folks! Kelly Murray Editor EDITOR Kelly Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Ste Durham Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742 e-mail: s.durham@mondiale.co.uk STAFF WRITER Stewart Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING SALES Georgia Guthrie Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8357 Mobile: +44 (0)7501 597837 e-mail: g.guthrie@mondiale.co.uk EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS Mo Naeem Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8358 Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313 e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk
GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNTS Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Sia by Vic Wagner
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EDITORIAL INTERN Kate Harvey PRINTED BY Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk Annual subscriptions (including P&P): £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW). Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, Mondiale Publishing Limited, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456 e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com www.tpmeamagazine.com Issue 207 - November 2016
TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence. ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2016 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2014 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.
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ITINERARY
EVENT FOCUS 08
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West End Bares: Excalibare PRG XL Video joins forces with Make A Difference trust for a very worthy cause.
12 Happy Mondays Sound of Music and NEXO provide the ideal audio solution at Derby Arena. 16 Killswitch Engage Metalcore titans hit the road with Chauvet Profesional’s Rogue R1 FX-B. 18 Adlib Launches Glasgow Wearhouse Over 150 guests attended the company’s offical Scottish opening. 22
Explosions In The Sky Famed Lighting Designer Tobias Rylander works with the Texan post rockers.
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Shure’s Rental Partner of the Year This year, Cardiff based Stage Sound Services walked away with the accolade.
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Production Futures & the TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards TPi and Production Park launch the event for the industry’s future faces.
PRODUCTION PROFILE 38 Sia: Nostalgic For The Present TPi talks to the crew of the sensational singer’s theatrical US arena tour.
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Space Closing Fiesta Kelly attends the closing of Ibiza’s most famous nightclub to hear that award- winning Funktion One sound.
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Peony Pavilion The 400 year old theatre production makes a temporary home at the Troxy.
Bear Grylls: Endeavour Stew travels to Belfast to witness the TV personality’s first arena tour.
IN PROFILE 78
Clarke Cable discusses its third year within the live events industry.
INTERVIEW 82
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Ste catches up with Black Skull Creative’s Dan Shipton for a Macau first.
ROAD DIARIES 86
Sigur Ros’ LD, Bruno Poet talks pre- production and succeeding on the road.
GEAR HEADS 88
Robe premieres its new Spiider; the next generation of LED WashBeam luminaries.
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS 90
The latest movers and shakers.
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
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PSA takes a look at UK Charity, the Music Venue Trust.
BACK CHAT 98
Colin Kavanagh, CEO of Philips Entertainment Lighting stops by.
EVENT FOCUS
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WEST END BARES: EXCALIBARE
Opposite: Graham Norton hosted the unisex burlesque theatre musical event once again; The show was produced by Making Productions.
WEST END BARES: EXCALIBARE MAD trust brings charity into the spotlight once more with help from PRG XL Video
Bigger and barer than ever before… this is what London-based Make a Difference (MAD) trust promised crowds when it released details of a new charity evening - West End Bares: Excalibare - hosted by TV host and comedian, Graham Norton alongside co-hosts Ramin Karimloo, Gina Beck and Ben Freeman with special guest Michelle Visage from Ru Paul’s Drag Race. As you can see from the ammount of ‘forgotten’ underwear,
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they weren’t joking. On September 25th, London’s Novello Theatre became home to the party. The evening is based on the original concept Broadway Bares which was created by legendary Broadway and West End director and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell. Excalibare was produced by Darren Lee Murphy from Making Productions and aided by the Artistic Direction of David Grewcock.
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WEST END BARES: EXCALIBARE
Above: Lighting Designer Tim Deiling lit the show with support from PRG XL Video.
The MAD trust was initially set up 25 years ago to raise aware and Harman MAC 2000 Performance Spots, 10 GLP Volkslicht 60 Zooms, 13 funds for those suffering from HIV / AIDs. 2016 saw the seventh year the SGM Q-7 Wash / Strobes and five Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlaze 72 LED organisation has created a West End production format in order to raise Washes, controlled via an MA Lighting grandMA2 console. He also utilised money for sufferers in both the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa. Panasonic projectors for scenic texture. To get the show into full swing, the production needed a lighting Continued Pauls: “Tim Deiling is one of our favourite clients. He’s a company which was on their wavelength. Enter PRG XL Video, which very technical LD and knows how to work around any potential problems returned for a second year of fun and frolics. that may crop up. The lighting didn’t require a technician to be on site but TPi spoke to John Pauls, Account Manager for PRG XL Video about the we were asked to provide a person for the projection elements, which importance of supporting this kind of live production. “A lot of people seem were also supplied by PRG XL Video. Technical support is available 24 / surprised that we actively seek out the smaller, perhaps more ‘unique’ 7 however, I’m pleased to report that there were no technical difficulties events such as this. Everyone and everything has to start small, and we here!” want to encourage and nurture the names we feel will become big in the “Account Manager relationships with LDs are the cornerstone of our future. Plus, in the UK we support a variety of charities in many different industry; direct communication between the designer and the supplier ways; in addition to West End Bares this year, we have supported Teenage make for better results which means that we can respond more quickly Cancer Trust’s live shows at the Royal Albert Hall; the lighting of Guildford to equipment changes. It also means that we can be used to sound out Cathedral in partnership with the Jigsaw Trust for Autism Awareness; equipment availability early on in the design process. This year’s show was several events for Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity, and we supplied great fun. From the initial enquiry right through to the show night which lighting and video technology for a Gala I attended with some colleagues from PRG XL Event for the 60th Anniversary of The Duke of Video. Edinburgh’s Award.” “The show was a great performance, both PRG XL Video also puts a spotlight on creatively and technically. Of course none of “The show was a great education in the sector, specifically with an this would have been possible without all of emphasis on youth engagement. Continued performance, both creatively and the support from our technical and operation Pauls: “We support a number of colleges who teams, who are some of the finest people you technically... run theatre and live production courses; by could want to work with. They are what make loaning them equipment which enables the our shows happen every time!” Of course it looked amazing, but students to get real hands-on experience - we’re Pauls concluded: “Of course it looked more importantly, Excalibare a big company, but we’re not just about ‘big amazing, but more importantly, Excalibare helped a very worthwhile cause gigs’, this event was a very special production to helped a very worthwhile cause which we are be a part of.” very proud to be able to support.” which we are very proud to be To aid the creativity on stage, LD Tim TPi able to support.” Deiling specified a rig he felt could enhance Photos: Darren Bell and Fiona Whyte John Pauls, the theatrical look of the show. The fixtures www.prg.com including four ETC Source 4’s, seven Martin by PRG XL Video Account Manager www.madtrust.org.uk 10
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EVENT FOCUS
HAPPY MONDAYS
Sound of Music utilised a NEXO STM PA package for Derby arena’s first major live music concert, rigged and tuned by its expert technical team.
HAPPY MONDAYS LIVE IN DERBY UK rental house Sound of Music explains how a scalable PA can allow a mid-sized company to become the ideal choice; from local fireworks events to arena rock concert. TPi speaks to owner Sash Pochibko at a Happy Mondays gig - Derby Arena’s first fullscale live music experience - about his adaptable NEXO inventory. Nineties rock giants Happy Mondays were the first major music act to play at Derby Arena, some 16 months after its £27m doors opened. The October gig, which featured lead vocalist Shaun Ryder and dancer / percussionist Mark ‘Bez’ Berry took to the stage in what is hoped to have been the first in a long line of well-known artists set to play Derby. Local rental house Sound of Music (SoM) deployed a NEXO STM system for the occasion. Since its conception in 2002, SoM has been providing event production services to the live entertainment industry. Although initially conceived as a concert PA rental company, its portfolio of production services has expanded to meet the needs of its growing clientele. Its in-house stock of lighting, video projection, staging and rigging expertise has made owner Sash Pochibko head of an increasingly dynamic production house. He told TPi: “Now in our 15th year, we have nine full-time staff and 15 regular freelancers who are capable of delivering in-depth and unique event production solutions.” As such, Pochibko’s experience has been interesting to nearly 200,000 viewers online, probably because SoM is a rather typical medium-sized hire company. It services a wide variety of local events and venues everything from festivals to firework displays, film premieres to awards
dinners, corporate presentations and arena concerts. Therefore audience capacities can range from 120 to 30,000 people. SoM even has a steady stream of sub-contracting work flowing in from other production companies. It’s clear that a good reputation is blossoming, and as part of its audio offerings, SoM has invested heavily in NEXO equipment, a speaker brand it has remained loyal to througout the years. It was NEXO which was relied upon for the Happy Mondays’ recent performance. A performance which had to prove successful for the arena, a brand new live sound venue now competing in the British marketplace. Pochibko looked back on his relationship with the brand: “The first Nexo system I bought was an Alpha-E point source system to install into Nottingham Trent University’s live music venue. And,” he smiled, “we haven’t looked back since! I’ve yet to know another system that you can turn on, turn up and still have it sound great, straight out of the truck.” More recently, SoM took delivery of its first tranche of STM modules in August 2014, adding the modular line array to an inventory that already included NEXO’s GEO S12 line array alongside plenty of ‘workhorse’ Alpha-E cabinets and the RS18 sub-bass units. Since then, the working relationship with NEXO UK has grown even closer; SoM has invested in the GEO M6
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HAPPY MONDAYS
SASH SAYS: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A TYPICAL NEXO SYSTEM… AT A SMALL FESTIVAL A weekend festival, hosted at a racecoure with an audience size of 5,000, SoM supplied the festival for the last four years. Starting with a GEO S12 system in 2013, then using STM groundstacks for two years, and an Alpha E system in 2016 because all the STM systems were all booked out. FOR A FESTIVAL VIP STAGE STM groundstacks are a favourite SoM configuration. Each stack uses two S118 subs, one B112 bass module and three M28 omni cabinets. This set up was recently used in the super-cool Studio Cocktail Bar at Creamfields where Tall Paul and other leading DJs could be heard spinning their favourite tunes. From old school to new school; SoM’s Sash Pochibko points up to the Alpha-E and towards the STM system. Viva la NEXO!
compact line array and, most recently, the super-compact ID Series. For the important execution of the Happy Mondays sound design, SoM supplied two hangs of eight STM M28 omni modules under three B112 bass modules. Additionally, 12 S118 sub cabinets in a double stacked sub array along the front of the stage, with an additional two M28’s utilised as front fill. Visiting engineers on the day were very complimentary of the system and indeed of the venue. “It was like listening to a big hi-fi rather than the expected battlings of a large PA in a ‘verby’ arena. Derby is by far the best sounding arena I’ve ever heard - as both engineer and punter. The black-box draping they’ve installed makes a massive difference. Then, the absorbent properties of a good sized audience complete the equation.” He concluded: “For us, it was great to have been the first touring PA company to work in this new venue. Especially as we are based only a km away!” TPi Photos: Shirlaine Forrest www.pahire.com www.nexo.sa
THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY With an audience of about 5000, this local event is a regular client for SoM. Serviced with just two STM groundstacks, Pochibko said: “This is our most frequently used mobile system because all the speaker cabinets, NUARs - NEXO Universal Amp Racks - and cables fit easily into our Sprinter van.” A CLASSICAL CONCERT EXPERIENCE At the Darley Park Classical Concert and Fireworks, in Derby, STM was used to scale up easily for the large events - 30,000 people to be exact. SoM flew two main hangs of six M28 omni modules under two B112 bass modules to cover an audience area 350m wide x 120m deep. Because of the width of the field, outfill hangs of 12 GEO M6 were also used. OPERA ON FILM For an outdoor screening of Don Giovanni, broadcast live from London’s Royal Opera House, SoM supplied a simple L-R PA with six M28 modules per side, below two B112 bass cabinets. This compact and very low profile system seamlessly covered an audience of 5000, over 100m deep in Wollaton Park, Nottingham. OUTDOOR FESTIVAL The Confetti Stage of the Splendour Festival hosted The Darkness, Stiff Little Fingers and The Fratellis this year. With flown arrays of nine M28
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plus three B112 bass modules, the system was comfortably throwing 80m. A sub-array across the front of the stage used 12 STM S118 subs, augmented by four RS18’s. “You don’t actually need a large number of STM cabinets because you can make more combinations out of the inventory,” he said. “When you account for the hardware and the accessories as a proportion of the investment, you can see that the cabinets offer very good value.” LARGE CORPORATE PRESENTATION SoM often sub-contracts to other technical production companies, supplying specialist audio systems and expertise. The SoM engineers assisted Aventeq with the first gig for its new GEO M6 system, where just 12 boxes of GEO M6 were used for an audience of 1500. Two groundstacks, each with six M6 cabinets, were used in this extremely large venue - all material was speech and musical stings - supplementing LS18 subs with RS18’s. Pochibko furthered: “GEO M6 is a better technological solution for corporate AV than the classic PS Series because it lends itself to NS-1 modelling, so you can predict the performance accurately.” AWARDS DINNER A small corporate awards dinner for 120 people was an opportunity to use the new ID Series supercompacts. With four ID24 cabinets, and two ID110 subs, the system was ultra low-profile as well as providing excellent coverage. “Most of the time, we use the ID24’s as front fills. They are so compact, they are ideal as a supplementary speaker; they are much smaller than the PS8 which we would have used in the past. We thought ID was a perfect solution for a conference, but this awards dinner showed us how well it performed with music, and with speech over music,” he explained. As SoM prepares to place an order for more ID Series, Pochibko concluded with a point about the return he sees with NEXO investments: “Both the GEO M6 and ID Series are extremely reasonably priced, even to the well-known PS Series cabinets.”
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EVENT FOCUS
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Lighting Designer Freddy Thompson explains how the addition of eight Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures from Chauvet Professional added the ferocity required for the metalcore quintet’s latest tour.
With over four million records sold in the US, a Grammy nomination, and songs on soundtracks for hits like Game of Thrones to their credit, heavy metal masters Killswitch Engage (KSE) have done it all. Still, 17 years after their founding, the band from Westfield, Massachusetts remains as raw, restless and hungry as ever. Not only does this celebrated group maintain a relentless touring schedule, they seem bent on pushing the musical envelope out a little further with each passing show. This passion for defying comfortable expectations is shared by the band’s Lighting Designer Freddy Thompson of JDI Productions. Working on the group’s current tour in support of their album Incarnate, Thompson tore up his old playbook and rewrote the rules to come up with a light show that matched his client’s ferocious sound with an explosive mix of fresh new looks. Key to helping him accomplish this feat was a collection of eight Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures from Chauvet Professional that he added to the tour rig. “I was looking for something that could keep up with the direction the band is taking and do justice to the fast-paced music,” he said. “When I first saw the R1 FX-B, I knew I found it. The RGBW colour rendering, pixel mapping, and 360° pan and tilts, give me this incredibly huge basket of looks to pull from to fit different stage setups at different venues. At the same time, it’s still practical for a rig that’s out on a constant touring schedule.” Thompson has made the Rogue R1 FX-B the central component of his floor package. “We have four 5ft upright truss structures on stage,” he said. “We put two of the FX-Bs on each of these units. A pair of the truss towers flank the drum kit, followed by two sets of 4ft x 6ft custom designed set carts on either side, each with two Rogue RH1 Hybrids mounted on top. The two other truss towers are located stage right and left. I use them to split the centre of the set carts.”
Mounting the Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures on the face of the truss uprights, one above the other, allowed Thompson to create a line of pixel mapped LEDs across the stage. This creates a greater sense of depth, said the LD, which makes the impact of his light show more dramatic and complete. “The FX-Bs are doing a spectacular job filling in any dark spots they may otherwise have been visible on the stage and creating some good eye candy with the beams from the LEDs,” added Thompson. “Being able to have control of each cell allows me to change the look of the fixture for certain songs. I also have to say that the beams we’re getting with the FX-B have really been impressive. I thought they would be more of a wash, but they’re very intense, which fits KSE’s music like a glove.” Critics have praised Incarnate for taking KSE’s music to a deeper, darker and more complex level. Thompson’s light show reflects this by creating multi-dimensional looks with a variety of different fixtures. In addition to the Rogue R1 FX-Bs and Rogue RH1 Hybrids, his rig includes four colour strobes, four Legend 230SR Beams, 12 Nexus Aw 7×7 warm white LED panels and eight COLORdash Par-Quad 7 fixtures. However, it’s the Rogue R1 FX-Bs in Thompson’s rig that bring the whole design together. “The FX-Bs are the first infinite pan and tilt fixture with five individual LED tilts per fixture that I ever worked with,” he commented. “They are giving me the ability to use this innovating design to create some different ACL style beam effects to add to the show. Josh Mihlek, KSE Production Manager, and Derek Iorfida of JDI Productions gave me some great input, and the FX-Bs have really helped me pull a lot of great looks together.” TPi Photo: Neil Lim Sang www.chauvetprofessional.co.uk 16
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31/10/2016 12:00
EVENT FOCUS
ADLIB’S NEW GLASGOW WAREHOUSE LAUNCH IS A BIG SUCCESS Over 150 guests attended the launch of Adlib’s new warehouse and office facility in Glasgow which took place in mid October offering an opportunity for locals in the area to meet some of the brands and manufactures who often collaborate with the rental company.
Located on an industrial estate a stone’s throw from Glasgow of two areas dedicated to audio and visuals where they set up their key International Airport, the event offered locally based individuals, products. The lively interaction of all in close proximity helped create a companies and organisations from all industry sectors the chance to highly convivial atmosphere. meet some of the brands, manufacturers and people with which Adlib A diversity of guests attended encompassing sound, lighting and regularly collaborates. AV rental companies, venues – from live and On the audio side these include L-Acoustics, classical music to houses of worship, installation CODA, DiGiCo, Soundcraft, Midas, Sennheiser, specialists, engineers and assorted designers Shure and DPA, with lighting and visuals and creatives. “We are proud of our initial represented by Martin Professional by Harman, Adlib highlighted some of its plans for the team of people here and the Chauvet, Robe, Avolites, Clay Paky, MA Lighting future which include hosting extensive training and Panasonic. Canford Audio and Audio and product awareness initiatives via the warehouse, offices and training Technica were also present. Glasgow hub as well as developing sales and facilities mean we can emulate Adlib’s Scottish operation is focused on cross rental opportunities and the supply of providing alternative premium products that are audio, video and lighting as complete technical everything that we do and not currently available in the local market. solutions packages. provide down south.” Resembling an informal trade show, each Adlib’s association with Scotland goes back Andy Dockerty, Adlib’s MD brand was allocated a compact space in one over 25 years. MD Andy Dockerty commented: 18
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21.10.16 19:33
ADLIB WAREHOUSE LAUNCH
First page: Adlib’s Scottish team; Barclay Dakers, John Hughes, Andy Dockerty, Dave Kay, Graham Cochrane, Ian Tomlinson and Steph Fleming. Below: Adlib’s open day presented a chance for locally based individuals and companies a chance to meet some of the brands, manufactures Adlib work with on a daily business.
“Having worked closely with many Glasgow artistes such as Texas, Del Amitri and GUN since the early ‘90s I have personally had a great bond with the Scottish music scene and see Glasgow as being almost identical to Liverpool. I have so many friends in Glasgow that I feel absolutely at home here and in many respects question why it took us so long to open a facility up here. To witness the turn out from across Scotland for our opening day has actually been quite humbling. We are proud of our initial team of people here and the warehouse, offices and training facilities mean we can emulate everything that we do and provide down south. We genuinely hope we can enhance our older relationships and develop some new ones.” Dockerty joined the Adlib Scotland team of Graham Cochrane, Steph Fleming, Barclay Dakers and Craig Hamilton. They, plus Dave Kay, John Hughes and others from Adlib in Liverpool welcomed a steady flow of guests throughout the afternoon. Adlib is working with some of the leading sound, lighting and video technologies on the market, and the training infrastructure that has worked so successfully in Liverpool has been physically replicated in Glasgow, with a classroom space and a series of flexible demo areas that can be divided up and sized according to the exact requirements of the session in progress. Adlib has also lost no time in organising the initial training programming, with a DiGiCo event taking place the following week highlighting its SD series of consoles on the first day followed by the S21 and S31 on the second day. This is followed by a three day L-Acoustics product training experience scheduled for the end of October, covering system fundamentals on the first day, KARA on the second day and K2 on the third day. The company has also announced several Soundcraft Vi console training days confirmed for November. Over £1million has been invested in the Scottish operation since its launch at the start of 2015. The new warehouse completes the current phase of development which also includes a substantial amount of new equipment available to the Scottish market. TPi Photos: Louise Stickland www.adlib.co.uk
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The world’s biggest tours... Jim Warren & Mike Prowda Radiohead Paul “Pab” Boothroyd Paul McCartney Caram Costanzo Guns N’ Roses Greg Price & Myles Hale Black Sabbath Greg Nelson Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog Jason Decter blink-182 Aaron Glas Fitz & the Tantrums Josh Osmond The Lumineers Steve McCale Elvis Costello Snake Newton & Charlie “Chopper” Bradley Duran Duran Gerard Albo a-ha Keith “Meaux” Windhorst Journey Jody Perpick & Robert Nevalainen Bryan Adams Harley Zinker Young the Giant
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10/25/16 7:15 AM
EVENT FOCUS
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY Award-winning Production and Lighting Designer Tobias Rylander created a dynamic and versatile light show for Texas five-piece, Explosions in the Sky, entirely from 16 of GLP’s impression X4 Bar 20 battens.
The long-standing post rock quintet are certainly not short on ambition. For the band’s recent international tour, Explosions In The Sky’s team decided to forgo a conventional rig in favour of one centred around a handful of GLP’s impression X4 Bar 20’s. For the US leg of the tour, Production Designer Tobias Rylander sourced the battens from vendors, VER, and set about the task of trying to make the fixtures fill the shoes of an entire rig. The design and scenography evolved only after a number of conversations with the band, who specialise in elaborate guitar-oriented instrumentals, which they refer to as ‘cathartic mini-symphonies’. Rylander explained: “I visited them rehearsing in Austin many times and presented a couple of different versions of set designs that we all really liked. But we ended up agreeing that just the fields of colours and light created by the X4 Bar 20’s and Solaris LED flares would carry the show and enhance the music perfectly. It was all that was needed to push the band’s instrumental music.” He said that creating big fields of colour is what these award-winning battens do best. “For Explosions In The Sky we use just three layers - one in front, one mid-stage at backline and one upstage - so it’s simple and efficient. The floor kit is their main touring package and for bigger shows the
FX on the floor will be mirrored on the trusses - with double the amount of fixtures doing exactly the same thing.” With their extreme versatility, Rylander said that the X4 Bars 20’s quickly became his ‘go-to’ solution when seeking a tiltable fixture with big mid-air sweeps and random strobing, while still having the ability to function as a conventional cyc light. He stated: “These lights have become a workhorse for me and, unlike a lot of fixtures, they deliver a nice true white and have a good dimmer curve. They colour mix very well and very smoothly with good throw distance and can fill a whole proscenium.” Programming and tour duties were entrusted to the capable hands of Corey Mattonen - another massive fan of the GLP battens - who has been directing and designing shows on the road for the past five years, including Schlomo and Brillz. He was recommended to this tour by fellow LD, James Casteneda. Mattonen said that, since the rig needed to be scalable, it was simply a case of cutting one or two X4 Bar 20’s off the plot to fit the room, without sacrificing any of the dynamic. “I remember being blown away by the seamless connection of fixture faces the first time I saw these Bars,” he commented. 22
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
“They offer much more versatility with the zoom range, colour punch and movement than any similar fixture I have come across. In fact they have outperformed my expectations and hold up extremely well on the road. They perform just as they should - day in, day out. “Through festival conditions to club settings they always pack the punch and perform exactly as I would like them to, but it’s the zoom and pixel map ability that really stand out. The colour output is stellar but when in a narrow zoom it is quite incredible how tight the beam can go, and it never loses its hard edge. Compared to other pixel mapped fixtures they are much easier to make perform the way you want them to.” Overall, he said, the X4 Bar 20’s provide exceptional punch and versatility for such a compact unit. “I cannot tell you how many times I have
recommended them to colleagues,” he enthused. While in London recently to pick up a Knight of Illumination Award (KOI), Rylander witnessed the lightshow on the GLP booth at the PLASA show, which had been designed by a 2015 KOI winner, Tom Campbell. In seeing the integrated display, featuring the full suite of GLP’s new products (including X4 atom and GT-1) he was delighted to find that the five-minute presentation had in part been choreographed to an Explosions in the Sky soundtrack. TPi Photos: VPS www.explosionsinthesky.com www.germanlightproducts.com www.ver.com
Photo: Ralph@Larmann.com | Design: Thomas Gerdon
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EVENT FOCUS
STAGE SOUND SERVICES RECEIVE SHURE RENTAL PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD Shure UK has awarded the second annual Shure Rental Partner of the Year Award to Cardiff-based Stage Sound Services. The award was established in 2015 to recognise the efforts and achievements of Shure rental partners across the UK, with the first accolade going to Wigwam Acoustics. Stage Sound Services received this year’s award in recognition of their commitment and dedication to excellence in delivering the best outcomes for their customers. With particular note to their adoption of new wireless systems, Stage Sound Services have fully embraced the diverse range of Shure products to deliver exceptional results - often under challenging circumstances. The awards was presented to Stage Sound Services MD, Phil Hurley
(centre) by Shure UK Pro Audio Group Manager, Tuomo Tolonen (pictured right), and Shure UK Area Sales Manager, Stuart Moots (left). “Over the course of this year, we’ve really seen Stage Sound Services come on board with Shure to deliver first-class results for their customers,” comments Tolonen. “Particularly in light of the challenging RF environment faced by modern productions, it’s been a pleasure to work in close partnership with such a committed team.” Phil Hurley added: “It’s an honour to receive the Shure Rental Partner of the Year Award. We’ve developed a strong working relationship with Shure UK over many years, and I look forward to strengthening this further.” TPi www.shuredistribution.co.uk 24
35 Years xy
d&b is 35. Sara is d&b.
Sara Sowah is Head of Marketing Communications at d&b. She’s been on board since 2014. “Being part of the d&b team is like being surrounded by your brothers and sisters – they’re annoying, they’re fun, they’re determined. It’s a big passionate family totally obsessed with sound. I feel like it’s where I belong.” In 35 years d&b has evolved from a small garage venture to a worldwide standard in professional sound systems. It’s people like Sara who make this story possible, and just that bit different from the rest.
Welcome to System reality.
EVENT FOCUS
PRODUCTION FUTURES
PRODUCTION FUTURES The first event of its kind, Production Futures, took place at Production Park in Wakefield on 6 October 2016 alongside the inaugural TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards. Production Futures was an idea originally kicked around by TPi and Production Park in early 2016, with little certainly as what it would actually become. The issue, or opportunity, was clear, but the solution wasn’t – how exactly do you begin attempting to bridge a generation gap that exists across an entire industry? As is often the case, the Field of Dreams adage rang true; ‘if you build it, they will come’. The double-edged result was a brand new initiative designed to support and subsequently reward emerging talent in the concert touring industry the former being covered at industry-specific recruitment fair, Production Futures, and the latter being catered for by the Breakthrough Talent Awards (the slightly better behaved sibling of the TPi Awards). In its first incarnation, Production Futures presented a recruitment marketplace offering real employment opportunities for students, graduates and freelancers, plus an education zone and an industry forum with an inspiring programme of panel sessions, demonstrations and industry-driven networking opportunities. All attendees had the opportunity to interact with a broad spectrum of trade organisations and, crucially, live events companies looking to recruit. The first-ever Breakthrough Talent Awards, sponsored by PRG XL Video, Justlite and d3 Technologies, celebrated the stars of the future, recognising young talent whose exceptional commitment has seen them excel in their chosen field. Both sides of the event were designed for students, graduates and young freelancers to meet with current industry experts and veterans with a view to connecting the worlds of theory and practice. Given Production Park’s standing as the home of Brilliant Stages, Perry Scenic Creative, Litestructures, LS-Live and Backstage Academy, the venue was something of a no-brainer. Co-Founder of Production Park, Lee Brooks, commented: “It was an enormous pleasure for us to host the inaugural Production Futures. Knowing, as we do, that the future of the industry will be driven by the people who push the technology, and after years of investment in Backstage Academy, the very DNA of Production Futures is close to ours. Production Futures is all about connecting great young talent with careers in our dynamic and rewarding industry. Production Park is very proud to play part in that. “With the TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards, we hope to reward technical
talent and backstage brilliance. We know that across the UK there are young people working behind the scenes with bands, on the road and at a wide range of live events, and it’s time to recognise these unsung heroes.” The awards took place in a room adjacent to the main show floor that was complete with a fully kitted-out stage area, which also hosted the day’s panel sessions. Awards co-sponsor Justlite supplied everything for the stage, including an array of Chauvet Professional kit for the lighting rig, which consisted of 30 Legend 230SR Beams, 28 Maverick MK2 Washes, 16 Maverick MK2 Spots, eight Ovation E-910FC profiles, eight Strike 1 blinders, and 12 Rogue R1 FX-Bs, as well as 10sqm of the company’s PVP X3 3.9mm video panels to display content and the winners’ names. The panels ran using d3 Technologies media servers, and the entire visual side of the event was controlled using an Avolites Sapphire desk. The audio system was sponsored by KV2 Audio and was made up of a VHD2.0 line array with VHD 4.21 subwoofers. Justlite’s John McGunniess explained the choice of gear: “We sell and stock a lot of KV2 and Chauvet equipment so, as we’ve recently taken an office at Production Park, we decided to use the event to show what we can do. We’re currently the only supplier of lighting and audio in the park so we treated it as a kind of a introductory offer. All of the lighting was pre-rigged and pre-cabled at our warehouse in Dublin, with the idea being that the Backstage Academy students could assist me in setting it up and operating the show. Another in-house company, Knight Rigging Services (KRS), supplied the rigging, while Justlite took care of trucking duties. McGunniess continued: “We had done an MMA show in Glasgow on the Saturday before using the same rig in a different configuration, so we just drove south after and were able to get straight into Production Park. We programmed the basic looks and then the awards, though we will try an help out more next year with the audio and so on as there wasn’t much to play with.” As well as helping to operate and set up the stage, the Backstage Academy crew had time to create the impressive and inspiring video content that kicked off the awards. The positivity and excitement of the evening was a fitting conclusion to what was an incredibly successful first event – but don’t take my word for it… TPi www.productionfutures.co.uk
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PRODUCTION FUTURES
A WORD FROM THE SUPPORTERS Glen Rowe, Backstage Academy
“I was totally blown away by Production Futures. It’s the first time that someone with a passion to get into the live industry can walk into a room and talk to a load of old industry idiots like me, and even more, some very smart industry legends. It felt like a baton exchange from the old to the new. “I can’t wait to stand next to a tour manager or production manager at Reading Festival while they’re watching their headline act, happy in the knowledge that they had a great education at Backstage Academy, or something similar, to get them there. Viva youth!”
John McGuinness, Justlite
Lee Dennison, Head of Audio, White Light
Sam Bowden, Chauvet European Product Manager
Andy Lenthal, PSA
“As a company moving into the UK it is difficult to get hold of crew, particularly those who are up-and-coming. However, it’s reassuring to see fresh faces that are interested and have learned the correct skills to set them up for a career in our world. If they can come out of education with the appropriate skills, knowledge and work ethic, companies can take them in and enable their growth.”
“It’s a fantastic concept! The students really engaged with us. It was great that we had dedicated time to answer their questions properly and thoroughly. It’s really important that we invest in the future of the trade. As much as we love our jobs and our industry, we can’t go on doing it forever. It was great to see the continuation of the passion and humour that is so important to this industry.”
“It’s amazing what can be achieved when you combine a big empty space with several heads for of ideas. The inaugural Production Futures event was proof of that, proving that new methods of transferring skills and knowledge are resulting in skilled, knowledgeable, enthusiastic young people, equipped to become the next generation of production stars. and PSA members, naturally. Let’s do it all again!”
“Production Futures was such an enjoyable event. It was great to see a large volume of students genuinely interested in the products that were on show, and the companies exhibiting. We feel this early exposure of young professionals en masse is a great way to accelerate knowledge and increase awareness of new, relevant technologies.”
Jonathan Reece-Farren, KV2 Audio
“Production Futures was a great concept and a very rewarding event to be a part of. The excitement of the students visiting our stand was uplifting and their openness to embrace new or alternative technologies was very refreshing when many of the more established “industry professionals” can so often settle for second best by taking the path of least resistance.”
Dan Mott Director of Pyrojunkies
“It was great to be involved in the first ever Production Futures. We had an interactive area where students could have live demos of our Confetti Guns, LED wind effects, Lasers, & push buttons to fire off Flames! We had lots of interest on the day & hopefully some of the enquires will follow through to expanding our event & warehouse crew in the coming months. We hope this will be the first of many Production Futures.”
Paul Hadfield, Distributor Manager, Prolyte Group
“I was really impressed by Production Futures. I felt it was representative of the commitment we have to support education and knowledge within our sector. I particularly enjoyed the look of absolute awe on many faces, not to mention some very positive and encouraging discussions Prolyte Group had with the students on the day.”
Peter Harding, Hawthorn
“It’s vital that our industry engages, encourages and nurtures young talent so it was great to meet so many new faces at Production Futures. The event was a fantastic way to showcase the opportunities that are out there for people who are starting out in the industry. As Hawthorn continues to grow, we’re very much on the lookout for future stars, and can’t wait to work with the next generation of production geniuses!” 28
Proud to be a part of the first Production Futures show! We have opportunities for students and graduates to train and develop their careers with PRG XL Video. Based in Longbridge, Birmingham and Hemel Hempstead near London, we offer mid-course Work Placements; Live Event Technician & Live Event Rigger Apprenticeships; and our own Graduate Training Scheme. For more details on any of these schemes, or to apply for a placement with us email: ukworkplacements@prg.com
www.prg.com/uk
0845 470 6400
Just Lite Productions are excited to announce
Just Lite Creative
Just Lite Creative is the freshest development of the JLP Group, now offering bespoke design for Lighting, Video, Audio and Stage Setting, alongside our mainstay of equipment hire and technical support. Our consultant designers, masters of their craft, skilfully mine the capacity of JLP’s awesome equipment range to deliver a truly world class experience.
Tel: +44(0) 1977 659850 | Email: info@justlite.com
PRODUCTION FUTURES
Mark Baddams, Beat The Street
William Cheng, Sales Engineer, Avolites
John McEvoy, Event and Development Director, PRG XL Video
Shaun Pearce, Pearce Hire
“Production Futures was something new to us and the production industry so we really didn’t know what to expect, but participating really opened our eyes. It was great to see the amount of talented people, with passion, vision and aspirations all gathered together to pave their futures. We were very happy to be involved and hope it will be the first of many to come, for the people who will grow this industry in the future.”
“Beat The Street was proud to be involved in Production Futures. It was great to be invited by the organisers to park two of our vehicles on the show floor. The event had a great turnout and it was good to see so many youngsters interested in the industry as a whole. Keep up the good work we look forward to next year!”
“The first Production Futures worked very well and we feel it could become an annual industry event that leads the way for the recruitment of next generation technicians. With a shortage of technicians with the required skills, we need to fill the void quickly. These types of initiatives will go a long way to solving this problem. “We really enjoyed the day, the relaxed atmosphere helped the students get more from it. We have several CVs and some have requested work placements for next year; I’d call that a result, wouldn’t you?”
“The calibre of the students that attended Production Futures was very high and there was a lot of interest in the various schemes we had on offer - mid-course placements, graduate training schemes, and apprenticeships for live event technicians and live event riggers. Following the event we’ve already had a number of applications and I’m looking forward to starting the selection process and getting some students signed up.”
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PRODUCTION FUTURES
Ian Turner, GLS Lighting
“GLS Lighting, along with our colleagues at PSI and HSL Group were delighted to be involved in the Production Futures event. We welcomed lots of people to our booth during the day and met even more around the bar which we were delighted to sponsor. I think we can all agree the future for production is going to be an exciting place with such talent coming on stream right now – welcome to the family”
Tim Volker, Creative Technology
“Production Futures was a great way to bring companies closer to the students and vice versa; just as much as they might have learnt from us, we also learnt a lot from everyone we spoke to. It’s amazing to see what sort of courses are available and all the opportunities that academies, colleges and universities offer. It was impossible to not be excited about the amount of passion and young talent that was there throughout the day.”
Richard Wear, Interfacio
“We loved the event and found it refreshing to see so many enthusiastic young people engaging with the industry and looking to learn and carve out work opportunities. One of the best things was discovering many of the visitors had found out about it via social media and come on their own steam, many on their own. We were also able to get some good ideas of how we can possibly refine and develop what we offer next time. It was a very successful first year and the organisers deserve plenty of credit for having the insight and drive to put this together.”
Katy Huke, d3 Technologies
d3 are very proud to have sponsored Production Futures. It was inspiring to see so much passion over the course of the day. It showed how the appetite for the industry is quickly growing. It was a perfect platform for allowing us to meet students who were keen to discover or learn more about d3. It was really valuable being able to show live d3 demonstrations and guide the students through some of d3’s fundamentals. It was also helpful to offer career advice to those interested in applying for internships. We’re looking forward to see it grow next year!
plays nicely with others r14 is here • real-time generative effects • device recording d3technologies.com/r14
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PRODUCTION FUTURES
Since the inception of Production Futures, one of the goals was to find a way of recognising young talent in our industry. The result? The TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards. The inaugural awards saw the presentation of three trophies to individuals who had shown true innovation within their chosen sector. Once a long list of nominees was created, several previous winners of the TPi Awards got together to judge those they saw a worthy of the accolade. These included Helen “Hels Bells” Smith, Ed Warren, Rob Sadler, Jac Nott, Chris Kiely, Oli Metcalfe and Dick Tee. Three of the judges were there on the night to present the awards.
Jubilee visit. Working his way up the rungs of the live event services he now heads up EnTEEtainment, the highly successful site coordination, event management and production services. • Oli Metcalfe: With an impressive portfolio of clients, Metcalfe is one of the names in the visual world. Having been at the helm of Muse’s light show for several years, his work on the latest Drones tour led Metcalfe to walk away this year with both the Mark Fisher Set Designer of the year award as well as the Des Fallon Video Visionary award. • Chris Kiely: Starting out in the live events industry playing in his band, he was biting by the touring bug and in his town time started helping out his friends on the road. Several years down the line and Kiely is now Tour Manager of singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald. www.productionfutures.co.uk/awards/
• Dick Tee: Winner of multiple Production Manager of the year at the TPi Awards, Dick Tee is one of the true legends of the industry. With over 35 years of experience in the industry he was worked on a vast array of events including Glastonbury, Reading Festival and the Queens Golden
A WORD FROM MULTIPLE TPi AWARD WINNING PRODUCTION MANAGER, DICK TEE “It was a pleasure to be asked to present the first ever TPi Breakthrough Outstanding Contribution Award at the inaugural Production Futures Recruitment Market Place. Huge congratulations must go to TPi, the PSA and The Production Park for organising and hosting this event which saw the ‘production industry stars of the future’ from universities and colleges across the UK coming together for a day of workshops, presentations, demonstrations and general networking. Supported by trade stands from many of the UK’s leading suppliers – the participants had a really valuable and informative experience. Along with my fellow judges it was so gratifying to see the hard work and dedication already put into this industry by the awards entrants – many of whom, without doubt, will be on the stage addressing future audiences of aspiring live event and touring production professionals in years to come. This Industry is very demanding and can be very cruel in terms of long periods away from home, friends and family – working its hours under huge pressures. It requires true dedication. However, you work within a tremendously rewarding industry alongside other like-minded people who become your support network and surrogate ‘family’ – and that is something unique and very precious. Congratulations again to everyone involved in the organisation of the event and to all the richly deserved award winners.”
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PRODUCTION FUTURES
AND THE WINNERS ARE... winner
Kat ellis
“As someone who doesn’t study events at university, and does technical theatre alongside studies instead, it was such a shock to win this award and I am so thankful to the judges and to TPi for putting on this event! Hopefully it will help me along in my plans to move into the live events industry once I graduate this coming summer, in hopes of eventually production managing in the future.”
winner
James Coghlan “It was a bit of a surprise to receive this award but it’s great to have been noticed at a relatively early point in my career for the work that I have been doing. I’m really grateful to Adam Hill, one of my university lecturers, for the original nomination. I also wanted to say thanks to everyone that I’ve had the opportunity to work with so far and hopefully I’ll see a few more of you in a venue or muddy field somewhere soon!”
winner
Ria Sioux Byers “To be a part of the first ever TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards means so much to me - it certifies not only how much effort and hard work I have put in, but how much everyone in the industry has believed in me and helped me to achieve so much in such a short space of time. I hope that winning the award will help me further and show more people how determined I am to make this my career. I’m here to stay and I’m ready for new challenges. “I am unsure of what the future holds, as I’ve never been much of a ‘life plan’ type person - studying to gain a MA is very appealing to me but at the same time I’m caught up in the whirlwind of being self-employed. What more could a girl want at the age of 22 - travelling, being at some of the most exciting events and working with leading, interesting creatives!”
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Thank you to all of our visitors and supporters for making Production Futures such a success, we look forward to welcoming you back next year
VOTING IS LIVE!
WWW.TPiAWARDS.COM/VOTE-NOW/
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PRODUCTION PROFILE
SIA: NOSTALGIC FOR THE PRESENT Sia is truly a musical force to be reckoned with. Her musical integrity shows a passion for her art, which, during her career has seen her move to three different continents in pursuit of a constantly evolving vision. From the band days in her native Australia, to her gloriously intimate time in with UK (both as a vocalist for Zero 7, and during the development of her own solo career), to her success writing for some of the biggest female stars on the planet in the US, 2016 is the year that Sia Furler quirkily and creatively as ever became a US arena selling sensation. From the intricately produced show concept to the world-class audio package, TPi speaks to the team putting the show on the road for one of pop’s most endearing leading ladies…
Production Manager, Javier Alcaraz, like much of the crew, had recently finished touring with pop sensation Demi Lovato. And, straight away it’s clear that Alcaraz is a man who likes to be surrounded by a touring family. He told TPi: “Once I landed the Sia gig, I brought my team over one by one. I am almost fully staffed with the same team that I had worked with on Demi’s tour, and some of the team members were with me prior to that, when we did Selena Gomez together.” His years as a sound engineer and tour manager has enabled him to garner a rounded view of what to expect from a production manager. Speaking about the tour’s original concept, Alcaraz told TPi: “It’s actually quite difficult to explain in text. In fact, it was described to me over the phone in the initial interview process and it was hard to grasp then! I have even described it to colleages in the industry and they are a little perplexed until they see it live… Essentially, Sia shot a ‘movie’, basically 14 vignettes, one for each song. This was shot as a live performance with cameos from some of her actor friends. They wanted to perform the ‘movie’ exactly as it is displayed on the screens; it was an art piece.” The momentously creative show was first debuted at Coachella, and continued through the summer to outdoor festival stages. “However,” stated Alcaraz, “this show was never intended to be performed outside - it needs a very controlled environment to achieve the original look. Sia was highly involved with every aspect of the creative development - naturally everything needs to be approved by her; there won’t be a single change made without her approval.” Alcaraz described the tour’s pre-production was a ‘two step process’. “When we were thrown into Coachella, the festival pre-production was a tall task… We were still learning everyone’s names, so having to deliver
a production that replicated the movie to a T was a huge challenge to say the least.” That’s certainly one way to start a touring bond! Post Coachella, Alcaraz and his crew had a festival run across the US and Europe. He continued: “Once we had completed the festival run, we were well versed in what needed to happen for the US arena tour. We started tour pre-production rehearsals in Hollywood about a month before the doors opened and were in rehearsals for about 10 days, adding some supplementary lighting looks, deploying some newly built set pieces and touching up the overall final look of the show. The departments which faces the most challenges is our stage / carpentry / props crews; they have to make sure the stage looks exactly like the movie and there are so many challenges to that. I can’t emphasise enough how imperative that the stage must look exactly the same. We are measuring props, stage decks, lighting fixtures, etc to the inch.” When it comes to vendor choice, the PM describes his supplier list as “more or less the same over the last few tours - I even have many of the same crew chiefs! It’s a formula that has worked out well and I will continue to use it for as long as it does.” The tour’s key vendors include Sound Image for audio, VER for lighting and video, TAIT Towers for staging, Sound Moves for freight duties, transport by Hemphill Brothers and Upstaging trucks, with Latitude 45 Catering feeding the troops. SOUND REINFORCEMENT Sound reinforcement specialist, Sound Image, provided the tour’s audio requirements. Jesse Adamson, Director of Business Development at San Diego-based Sound Image, commented: “The Adamson E15 system 39
SIA
FOH Engineer Jon Lemon (right), pictured with Vic Wagner, said of his DiGiCo SD5 console: “This desk provides me with all of the tools I need to be extremely thorough on such an unusual show. Not only because of the fantastically solid pre-amps on the SD192 Rack, but having two Waves SoundGrid Extreme servers loaded with the Waves Pro Pack gives me massive flexibility for such an automated show.”
was definitely a key selling point on this tour. FOH Engineer Jon Lemon and I started working together years ago when I was still part of the Adamson organisation, and we’ve since developed a strong friendship. He is a fantastic engineer and one of my favourite people in this industry. Adamson is his preference and I always have a little soft spot for it myself, so it was a good fit for both sides. “The PA system is simple to operate and has one of the best rigging systems available. It has been a smooth rollout in my opinion. Javier is also great to work with and is always on top of his game. He really makes it easy for everyone and I think the Sound Image crew is doing a great job because of this too. I have been out to see the show quite a few times, and it’s running very smoothly - most importantly, it sounds and looks absolutley fantastic.” At FOH, mixer Jon Lemon took up the story: “I was asked directly by Sia last year to come on her tour as her FOH engineer, but I also had to build the playback from the original mix sessions, so it’s been an interesting job. As Jesses stated, I had used Adamson in the past. I used the E15 on a Ray La Montagne tour about 18 months ago and found it to be the most linear and responsive speaker system currently available in the market. It helps to draw out the subtleties of the music easily, and now, in the large format arenas we’re working in, it’s performing amazing well. “We use a full complement of Adamson E-Series speakers. The large arena shows utilise L-R hangs of 15 E15 line array enclosures with side hangs of 12 E15’s. Up to six E12’s are hung below the main and side arrays - audience geometry permitting - to provide more coverage when needed. A total of six E119 subs are flown just behind the main arrays to fill out the low end. Further support is provided by 16 E219 ground stacked subs - eight stacks of two, to form a continuous spaced sub array about 65ft long.” To mix the show, Lemon opted for a DiGiCo SD5 console. He explained his preference: “This desk provides me with all of the tools I need to be
extremely thorough on such an unusual show. Not only because of the fantastically solid pre-amps on the SD192 Rack, but having two Waves SoundGrid Extreme servers loaded with the Waves Pro Pack gives me massive flexibility for such an automated show.” Yet, it’s not just Sia’s tour upon which Lemon opts to use the brand. “I always use DiGiCo consoles because, for me, they are the best in the market place. They’re so pervasive these days too - if there is ever a problem, the backup service is second to none.” With his entire preferred tools in place, Lemon is surely having an easy time of mixing? “Strangely, this is not the easiest show I’ve ever mixed, even though the consistency of all the tracks Marco Gamboa and I put together should make it easy, but because of our direct instruction to make it sound as much like the records as possible I employ a large amount of automation now. Also the show is so synchronised with the film and dancers everything must be precise at all times. Having said that, the tour is going so well that I’ll keep using this exact equipment for as long as possible!” Vic Wagner has been ‘looking after’ Lemon and handling system duties on the US full production leg, alongside the tour’s PA Tech, John Leary. Wagner’s relationship with Lemon goes back to the aforementioned Ray La Montagne tour. He stated: “I initially met Jon when I was photographing the tour for Adamson Systems. While visiting that tour, we started discussing the topic of sound reinforcement, mixing and the various avenues of information technology that has interlaced itself into our industry. Over the years, we kept in touch and hoped someday we could tour together. It finally became a reality when my schedule with Zac Brown Band opened up and Sia started carrying a full audio package. Wagner added: “Sonically, the Adamson system is well suited for the frequency response and dynamic range required for a huge pop sound like Sia’s show, and for the stereo mix that Jon sends to the PA. My approach was to create a flown system that is full range, thus the combination 40
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Sound Image provided an Adamson E-Series PA system. Vic Wagner stated: “Sonically, the Adamson system is well suited for the frequency response and dynamic range required for a huge pop sound like Sia’s show, and for the stereo mix that Jon sends to the PA.”
of E15/E12 and E119’s (flown behind the E15/E12 hang) to deliver the best possible coverage and phase coherence within each bandpass to as many seats as possible in these large venues, sold 180-220 degrees. Then a ground stacked spaced sub array that is horizontally linear in low frequency response on the floor and allowing me the flexibility to steer energy away from a classic power alley at mix, and minimise fatiguing sub energy in the seats closest and in the centre of the array. In addition, with the combination of the flown subs and ground subs, I can control where the vertical null caused by the unavoidable summation between the sources using the Blueprint prediction software and careful multi mic transfer functions measurement after the system is deployed. Conveniently, the spaced sub array of E219’s are the perfect height for a significant S10 front fill system, providing pristine coverage for the first few rows. Basically, I wanted to design a system that sounds like big huge studio monitors for Jon Lemon to insert his mix onto and everyone in the arena to listen to. I want everyone to hear the same thing no matter where your seat is or how much you paid for it. We have the prediction and analytical tools to deliver that experience and I try my best to execute that every day regardless of acoustic and physical limitations. “The sub and low-mid energy in much of Sia’s music is very controlled dynamically and goes well below the normal range of most pop and rock music. That being said, the Adamson stuff has excellent phase response and boatloads of headroom in the low-mid and sub band passes, so the two go hand and hand. It’s exactly how her music is produced, how Jon Lemon has it mixed and how the system performs right out the box with minor time alignment and very little shaping equalisation”, he concluded.
year, which like a large portion of the crew, followed on from a number of years with Demi Lovato. Jackson selected a DiGiCo SD10 console and a Shure PSM1000 in-ear system for the task in hand. He told TPi: “We are using DiGiCo consoles because of the fibre loop that our playback runs through. FOH, monitors and playback are all in this digital loop to ensure we always have clean, consistent audio for our show.” Sia’s years of experience in producing her own music has lead to a clear but realistic idea of what to expect from her monitor mix. Jackson continued: “When it comes to how things are supposed to sound, she is right there with all of us. Her powerful vocals make it easy for ‘both ends of the snake’ to get what we need to make the show sound incredible. She is one of the most consistent vocalists I’ve ever had the pleasure of working for.” Despite the reliability of Sia’s vocal, her performance style is not without its challenges – namely the fact that Jackson is unable to rely on eye contact like he would with other artists because of her now trademark face wig. “We have moments between some songs where I will check in with her to see if she needs anything and she is great about keeping any notes for these times. We make it brief every time so we don’t delay any songs,” he said. “Knock on wood, we haven’t had a reason to stop the show. I do, however, have to pay attention at all times in case she needs something because there is no eye contact like with a normal artist-engineer setup.” Jackson concluded: “This is a very special show. It’s like nothing we, as a crew, have ever worked on before. Sia expects only the best and we are always ready to give her just that. There are many movements and changes that happen during the show and everyone has to be on their game. “After months of planning, it feels unbelievable to be able to take this on the road and show everyone what we do. From the crew to the dancers to
MONITORS Monitor Engineer Adam Jackson has worked with Sia since March of this 42
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The rigging team is led by Chris Regan, who declared advance rigger Russ Keith’s overlays being “crucial” to the tour.
Sia, we believe this is being delivered to the audience exactly how we planned it. Nothing feels better than that. My wish is that every fan could experience this amazing show!”
had a wide variety of lighting packages to use throughout the run. “It should also be mentioned that the local vendors and festival programmers, too many to mention, were all wonderful to us and really helped us put our theatre show into their rock and roll festivals.” In order to realise the theatrical vision Sia had for the show during this US run, VER supplied 35 Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performances, 28 MAC Viper Air FXs, 37 GLP impression X4 Bar 20’s, 14 Solaris LED Flares, eight Ayrton MagicBlades and a pair of MDG theONE atmospheric generators. The rig was controlled via two MA Lighting grandMA2 consoles – one live and one for back up. While the crew managed to maintain a lot of the original specifications, some key additions were made in order to achieve the sense of scale that was needed in the larger venues. Smith explained: “We have several different fixture types, but I would say we’re leaning heavily on two fixtures that are really making the show work. First off, our workhorses are the MAC Viper Performances. Our show relies heavily on shuttering fixtures to frame many specific areas. In Europe, with our rig changing to local spec every day, I got to try out just about every shuttering fixture I know of and I’m still impressed with the Viper’s ability in this regard as well as their flexibility. We’re framing at some very odd angles and they’re making it work!” He continued: “Secondly, for our US Tour, we added a 10m x 10m ‘proscenium’ of GLP X4 Bar 20’s. They do a great job of framing our set and filling up the large spaces that we have inhabited. Their uniform beam and tiny beam angle is allowing us to extend that fourth wall out into the audience in a very nice and subtle way.” Given his standing as relatively fresh blood within the Sia camp, Smith said that he views his time with the artist as a tale of two tours. He enthused: “Our first leg in Europe was a wild and wonderful ride, hopping from country to country and putting our unique show into many different venues. There
LIGHTING Touring LD Chris Smith was another relatively new addition to the crew having joined in May for the tour. “Sia’s current LD had a conflicting gig and could only stay on for so long, so Javier called me and we went from there,” reminisced Smith. “I’ve worked with him on several tours before and I consider him one of the best, so the choice was pretty easy. “It’s been quite the journey, but Sia and her creative team have been very involved in every aspect of the design. By the time I had arrived, they had created a whole movie of the show and filmed it in a studio. For this part, the lighting was designed by Michael Keeling and programmed by Michelle Sarrat.” Once Smith arrived, his first task was to execute what the crew had originally designed in a plethora of different environments. He continued: “Once we moved to larger arenas, we enlisted the help of Cory Fitzgerald to design a lighting package to help us ‘scale up’ while still keeping Sia’s original vision intact. I programmed the extra additions as well as some new material that was filmed with Sia and her team giving a lot of input.” Before commencing with headline tour in the US, the crew went on a festival run through Europe. As it turned out, this would serve as something of a contrast to the stability of the US tour that would succeed it. “Our show is super theatrical and it requires total precision in order to maintain Sia’s vision,” Smith commented. “Putting it into the hectic festival schedule day after day was quite the challenge! With a lot of advance work, including sending a separate advance team to prep and pre-programme the show (thank you Tyler Trofatter), we were able to get our show done even though we 44
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were many trials and tribulations to be sure, but we got through it mostly unscathed. Back here in the ‘States we have had a lot more structure. More than any other tour, this one is really reminding me of how much of a luxury it is to be able to use the same fixtures every day! Overall it’s really a pleasure to be working with such a great and supportive team and I’m glad to be on board.”
other members on the video team, all from VER: David Cruz, Crew Lead who also took care of setting up IMAG projection; Sonny Harker, who set up the two 18ft x 32ft fastfold screens and helped with IMAG projection; and Lance Duvall, who took care of projection for the stage as well as the robocam that was set up at FOH to help the set change crew and dancers see what was happening on the stage. Iftimie said: “The robocam has become very useful for me as well, considering I do not have a clear view of the stage, so I have a feed available to tweak the warp of the projection through the d3 if the upstage wall starts leaning a little (it is dead-hung with sandbags securing the bottom against the dance floor) or if there is some movement from the truss that our projections is on. “While I’m running the video content for the show, Lance is also keeping an eye on the stage projectors and is on standby to take manual control of projection in case the d3 fails to trigger a shutter command or if we have need to switch to a backup projector.” Although the amount of gear used by the video crew may seem minimal compared to tours of a similar calibre, this also meant that the system was designed with an easy rig and de-rig in mind. “Load-in on average, with four main crew and six house-provided hands, will take us around three hours on a good day, while load-out with same amount of crew takes up about an hour and a half. There are a total of no more than six trucks used for all departments combined, with the video department using about 22ft of one of the trucks,” Iftimie said. “This tour is a prime example of when less is more.” VER’s Account Manager, Bob Suchocki commented: “We already had a strong working relationship with Javier, so we were really honoured when he asked us to get involved with the production after we helped out on Sia’s performance at Coachella. First we supported one-offs from our various shops around the country, which led to VER supporting the US tour. Our lead on creative screen control, Drew Atienza, lighting crew chief Joe Gonzales, video crew chief David Cruz and their teams are proud to be
VIDEO VER also supplied video kit for the tour, which included two IMAG screens; an upstage video wall and LED dance floor, as well as nine Barco HDF-W30 projectors and two d3 Technologies 4x4 media servers. Video Engineer Radu Iftimie was suggested for the tour by Dustin Engelskind, a representative for d3 consulting and programming company Lucid Creative, and also began in May of this year. He picked up the story: “Sia and her team have thought up a unique and theatrical approach to the show. Our IMAG content is pre-recorded performance of Sia and the dancers on stage. As a result, the job of the Video Engineer is to match the content we are shooting on the stage with the content on the IMAG and matching timecode. “We use two d3 media servers, one set up as a main and the other as an understudy. Only three outputs are being used, one for IMAG screens, one for the upstage wall and another for the dance floor. Other equipment used includes a 10 gig network for media, a Lightware DVI router, six Barco Image Pro II (four main, two back up), one Blackmagic SDI Router, one Brainstorm sr-112 Timecode Distripalyzer, and a 400Amp distro.” The crew also travelled with a total of 20 lenses of various lengths for the Barco projectors so they were ready for each venue, and a Playback Pro for ‘sponsor loops’. Iftimie explained: “Sia is involved with various pet adoption agencies in each city we are in and we receive new content for each show. This is a pretty standard set up and it has worked well for us.” For the show itself, given the flexibility of the d3 system, only one person was required to run the content. This meant there was only three
45
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The stage had to be set up to the inch in order to maintain synchronicity to the ‘movie’.
helping to bring this extraordinary production to life for Sia’s fans.” STAGING Pennsylvania-based TAIT was tasked with taking an existing set concept and replacing it with a more roadworthy version - although the screen and dance floor set pieces had been used for one off shows and music video shoots, they were not built to tour. TAIT also provided an automated Austrian curtain that was rigged downstage, two manual tracking curtains on the sides of the stage, and several more masking curtains to help frame the show for arenas. Aaron Siebert, Project Manager, TAIT caught TPi up to speed with TAIT’s way onto the tour: “We were originally contacted by the head carpenter Minh Nguyen, and then connected with the Javier and the LD, Cory. We did not supply any crew, and the majority of equipment supplied was rental stock, with a lot of custom-built soft goods. “It was a pleasure to work with these guys. We were able to talk through the show’s needs and work through all the challenges to cover everyone’s concerns. Since we knew what the show needed to look like, it was simply a question of choosing the proper gear and implementing it correctly.” RIGGING Head Rigger Chris Regan was introduced to the Sia camp from the Lighting Crew Chief, Joe Gonzales. Regan said: “We had spent the summer together touring with Pitbull, and as we had no rigging issues for the entire duration of the tour, he suggested to Javier, that he should bring me on the road.” But it wasn’t just one recommendation that would do for a new face in the veteran PM’s camp, as Regan elaborated: “Being as completely thorough as Javier is, he called another PM from my hometown of the San Francisco Bay Area to check my credentials!” Russ Keith, our Advance Rigger who overlays the show to every venue that we go into is so crucial to the tour. With decent advance work there are no surprises or obstacles to prevent a smooth load in and load out. I do use local riggers of up to 14 flown riggers over seven ground. “The rigging process starts with an hour to check the house stage, to and mark out all of the rigging before every department is called to the
floor to start their own days. After the house stage is checked, we then chalk the stage and floor with our chain motor points. The local riggers build the steel needed to pull the show and stay until the show is at trim. They are then released until the load out that evening. I rig a show thinking of the load out; a smooth load in is very important but also a smooth load out is just as important,” he clarified. MOVING AND FEEDING THE TROOPS Trucking for the US leg of the tour was taken care of by Upstaging, which again started its relationship with Alcaraz three years previously through Demi Lovato. Upstaging’s Jeni Clark commented: “We provided six trucks for the tour and luckily they didn’t have to deal with any logistical challenges or unforeseen circumstances. It’s been a great experience. Production makes everything seamless - we’re just stoked to be out there with such an innovative tour and professional crew. It’s been awesome.” Tennessee-based Hemphill Brothers provided six luxury coaches for the tour, with a team managed by Mark Larson. Sound Moves’ Justin Carbone account managed the tour’s freighting logistics and Latitude 45 Catering’s Chris Mitchell was in charge of feeding the tour’s production crew around the US. If the reaction to Sia’s tour in the US is anything to go by, Alcaraz has certainly got the right idea when it comes to creating a trustworthy touring family; from concept to creation, the crew behind nostalgic for the present are clearly at home on one of the most unusual - and technically successful - touring productions US arenas have ever seen. TPi Photos: Vic Wagner www.siamusic.net www.sound-image.com www.ver.com www.taittowers.com www.upstaging.com www.soundmoves.com www.hemphillbrothers.com www.latitude45catering.com 46
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PRODUCTION PROFILE
The Space production teams worked for over a week to ensure the venue was ready for a grand finale; Funktion One provided sound reinforcement ot the site, which was longer than ever before; DJ Carl Cox and Space owner, Pepe Rosello.
SPACE CLOSING FIESTA
Legendary Ibiza nightclub, Space, sadly closed its doors in October after a 27-year party history. The name dominated the white isle’s clubbing experience, and was a must-visit venue for any passing raver. Thanks to a sterling send-off with the audio expertise of Funktion One, partygoers were given a sonic experience to remember. TPi flew to the Spanish island of dance music culture for the exclusive, end of an era story.
When Space first opened in the summer of 1986, no one could have prepared for the global reputation that was about to unfold. Three years after its inception, Ibizan nightclub owner Pepe Rosello took charge and soon became the face of the club. The who’s who of the DJ world began to take notice, with the likes of Alex P and Brandon Block and, more recently, Carl Cox became synonymous with the club. When Rosello decided to move on, Cox followed suit, resulting in a 22 hour party made possible by over 40 DJs both inside the club, and in its outdoor production area. A space within the Space phenomenon that was streamed live online as a 7,000 strong audience partied on the tarmac. Bringing the sound of a 27 year reign to a close fell to long-time technical associate, Funktion One. Namely the company’s audio wizard, Tony Andrews.
As that friendship grew, so too did Funktion One’s involvement in the Space Opening and Closing Fiestas. These events grow the venue’s normal indoor capacity (5,000) to 12,000 as the venue utilises its carpark outside. The result is a technical transformation. In 2016 this outdoor area hosted the closing party to end all closing parties, giving the club’s 27 reign a fond farewell. For Funktion One founders, Tony and Ann Andrews, Space’s development has been of personal significance. Their connection with the people behind the iconic brand, such as Rosello, and renowned DJs Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin and Nic Fanciulli, this stretches far beyond the standard business relationship. For a start, if you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Tony, you’ll know he was born with an insatiable need to invent; a need to push new boundaries and beat new paths. Over the last decade and more, Space has given him the freedom to express himself and develop new pro audio products. Speaking a couple of years ago, he said: “It’s somewhere we can try out new things, and we do. Space gets some of the newest ideas first. In that respect and for many other reasons, it is a very important venue for us.” That experimentation continued right up until the curtain fell down on the legendary nightclub. On 26th August 2016, the drawings for the outdoor stage at Space’s final Closing Fiesta landed in Tony’s inbox. He noted that the outdoor area would, this year, be 25m longer than ever before, taking
THE SOUND OF A GENERATION Funktion One’s relationship with Space goes back to 2004, when, at the recommendation of We Love Space on Sundays’ Darren Hughes, the first of the company’s loudspeakers were installed in the club’s Terrace area. Over the subsequent years, the takeover continued until every room of the iconic nightclub was home to Funktion One sound. This has been a special relationship, built on trust, pioneering audio and the freedom to experiment. 51
SPACE CLOSING PARTY
The Space audio team comprised of Funktion One’s Tony Andrews, Oz Jefferies from Audio Feed, Richard Fleming of MC2 and Michael Thöne and Lucas Gripshöfer of German-based Funktion One rental house, Thöne und Partner.
it to over 90m long and only 23m wide. From an audio perspective, this 40m from the stage. These flown arrangements comprised two Funktion presented somewhat of a challenge. One Evo 7T’s together with two Evo 7TH’s (Touring High-Pack). “The THs “I looked at the plans and deciphered that the outdoor area could be were positioned so that they were a mirror image of the Evo 7T’s below. broken down into two zones,” explained Tony. “We had to look at the extra That way we could get maximum coherence,” explained Tony. A stack of 25m and thought carefully…. It couldn’t just be a case putting more main five F221’s was also positioned at this delay point, on the left-hand side. A system up because noise complaints do happen in Ibiza. We immediately second set of delays, consisting of two Evo 7T’s on either side, was installed started to think about how we’d deploy delays. at the back and aimed at the raised VIP area. “We initially decided that we’d use Vero for the main system and as Delay speakers were powered by five XTA APA-4E8 amplifiers, all delays, but about a week before we were due to go to the site, it transpired connected by Dante. XTA’s Richard Fleming was on hand to tech the delay that the towers for the delays wouldn’t work system. Commenting on the amplification and with the surrounding VIP areas, so we re-visited processing, Tony said: “The APAs were very it and settled on Evos instead. This meant good. We were using Dante everywhere, which adding a second line of delays to ensure is a huge benefit. Whether we’re talking about another VIP at the back had plenty of coverage.” the APAs or the PLMs, the fact that they’ve got A column of two Vero V315’s and three all the processing on board means that all Vero V60’s were ground stacked at either side you need to do is send the network cable to of the stage. Tony decided to split the bass the amplifier and you get all the control and and sub-bass - a technique that he has been signals you need. The Dante networking made deploying to great effect on recent projects. life much easier from the point of control and This avoids conflicting sources, resulting in everything else.” A Lab.gruppen LM44 was used smooth - and even - bass coverage. This meant to connect the main system network with the a left-hand stack of four Funktion One F132 subdelays. “The more real and true the bass enclosures and a right-hand stack of 12 “After the success of APA and the prise speakers are - and that’s a huge Funktion One F221 bass enclosures. All of the for sound quality they garnered at the opening Vero speakers were powered by Lab.gruppen party in this very carpark, it’s great to get them subject - the better things can PLM 20K44 amplifiers, operating over a Dante out again on Evo for the closing event. APA has be.” network. been used in the main room at Space this year Tony Andrews, Funktion One The first set of delays was positioned about as well, and their immense reserves of power 52
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SPACE CLOSING PARTY
Funktion One deployed its Vero system for the first time in Ibiza.
and adaptability with their new support for FIR filtering should mean we true the speakers are - and that’s a huge subject - the better things can can fully support Vero systems in the future.” be. Obviously it’s got to be spectrally correct, but there’s way more to it Timing the system correctly would be fundamental to this set-up than that. It’s the speed, transient ability, the intactness and everything working. The audio crew, which also included Thöne und Partner’s Michael lining up. Then it starts to change from being a smear of paint on a wall to Thöne and Lucas Gripshöfer who shipped Vero from Germany and Audio something with depth. Feed’s Oz Jefferies, spent almost five hours dialling in the system to ensure “If you’re looking at a pond on a windy day, you see the water but that sound held together. The result was flawless. because the surface is all chopped up the surface is the only thing you see. Before 7,000 people poured into the audience area of the outdoor stage, When it’s calm and still, you can actually see into the water and appreciate it was possible to walk in a straight line right the scale and detail of what lies beneath. I think up the centre of the space. An opportunity that that is difference between Vero and everything was helped by the fact FOH had been pushed else that’s out there - it allows you to get the off to the side for health and safety reasons. depth, the dimension and the separation.” Though the FOH position wasn’t ideal, being Throughout the night, Tony was often seen able to walk the full 90m from front to back, for mixing the show behind a Yamaha CL5 console the most part with your eyes closed, was hugely at FOH. enjoyable. This system was so together and so even ISLAND OPERATIONS “The difference beetween Vero that it was impossible to tell (without looking) The rest of the Space team in Ibiza comprised when you entered into a new zone. From the local suppliers including production company and everything else that’s out front right to the back, the sound was present Artprotech, Pro Audio Ibiza, Nussli which there is that it allows you to get and with you. When, during the sound check, supplied structures, Galindo for staging and the sound guys put on ‘Ramblin’ by Rico Proyect arte provided lighting and video screen the depth, the dimension and Rodriguez, the space and dimension, and the requirements. the separation.” detail of each instrument was breath-taking. A crew of 40 technical and structural staff Tony Andrews, Funktion One Tony commented: “The more real and worked for eight days during pre-production 54
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SPACE CLOSING PARTY
Artprotech headed up the production team in Ibiza, with staging and visual vendors Galindo, Nussli and Proyect.
and set up. The production’s visual feat - three trucks worth - included 90sqm nothing short of spectacular. It brought together everyone who had been of LED video panels, 161 pieces of truss structures and utilised around 100 involved with the club over the last 27 years, which, as you would expect, lighting fixtures, primarily of Robe and Clay created a very special energy and vibe throughout Paky origin. The lighting design was created and the duration of the party. It couldn’t have been operated by Eduardo Valverde who opted to use a any more perfect for us. ” ChamSys Magic MQ100 console. MC2’S Richard Fleming gave his final It’s fair to say that the Space Closing Fiesta thoughts: “Where will I go for my holidays now? “Whilst it’s a real shame that this Seriously though, whilst it’s a real shame that this went down in the history books, for the club, for amazing clubbing institution is its loyal corwds and for the expert teams who amazing clubbing institution is closing its doors, it brought the show to life. is going out on a mega-high. I don’t doubt there’ll closing its doors, it is going out Kurro Zamora, Production Manager and be a bigger and better Space very soon…” on a mega-high. I don’t doubt Event Manager, Ivan Andrades Turon both from TPi Artprotech spoke to TPi about the farewell event. Photos: Richard Fleming, Ana Ruiz de Villota, Julián there’ll be a bigger and better Andrades Turon stated: “It was truly was amazing. Farina, Vitorino, Nel Photography Space very soon...” After working for a decade on the opening and www.spaceibiza.com, www.funktion-one.com Richard Flemming, MC2 closing parties at Space, this final event was http://artprotech-events.com
CUTTING EDGE SOUND On October 3, Funktion One was the recipient of another prestigious accolade, the DJ Awards’ Cutting Edge title. The award was received by Ann and Tony Andrews for the manufacturers’ ability to push the realms of live sound and bring new depth and dimension to the clubbing experience for both the audiences and the DJs. Congratulations team! http://djawards.com
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ER P R O DU CT I O N S SH I N E AT THE 2 0 1 6 I N T ER N AT IO N A L L ASER D I SP LAY ASSO CI AT I O N AWAR D S !
AWARDS
AWARDS
AWARDS
AWARDS
2016
2016
2016
2016
BEST LIVE STAGE SHOW
BEST LIVE STAGE SHOW
BEST LIVE TV SHOW
INNOVATION APPLICATION
WINNER FAITHLESS World Tour
2nd PLACE KYGO World Tour
2nd PLACE X-FACTOR FINAL Wembley
WINNER ON YOUR WAVELENGTH
For more information or a demonstration contact ER Productions: info@er-productions.com UK +44 1322 293 135 | USA +1 214 2700665 | AUSTRALIA +61 403 703 731 | SPAIN +34 938 000291
www.er-productions.com
SPACE CLOSING PARTY
SPACE, IBIZA: 27 YEARS AT THE TOP TPi talks to Seth Griffith, a graduate in Lighting Design from the University of South Wales, and ER Productions’ Ibiza technician during the 2016 season.
ER Productions has been supplying lasers to Space for the last seven years, working on the Carl Cox’s Music is Revolution residency and Sundays at Space over the summer season. Tell us about the laser set up week on week? We had a very dynamic laser installation at Space this year using our scanning lasers, which included Laserblades, Beambursts and ARC Regus systems with DMX, controlled through our FB4 racks. Beamburst lasers were rigged across the bottom of the LED screens, which flanked the side of the stage. Additionally, Laserblades lined the edge of a huge screen at the centre of the stage behind the DJ, which I operated and programmed during the live shows.
What about new technologies – have you introduced any recent innovations at the club? This is the first year we have used Laserblades in Ibiza. The full colour laser battens create a unique effect, which we capitalised on this season. They were rigged at the back of the main stage, crisscrossing over Carl Cox’s head between a plethora of LED screens. Tell us about the process involved in creating unique laser looks for Space, Cox’s residency and Sundays at Space? All the lasers at Space have been customised to create a unique look for each night, which can’t be replicated by any other venue. For example, we used the customised crisscrossing Beambursts and scanning lasers on Carl Cox’ shows. On Sundays at Space we used the same scanning laser set up as Carl Cox, but built a bespoke spinning truss with ten Beambursts rigged to it. The speed of the spinning truss was DMX controlled with rotations of 60rpm, filling the room with a sea of multi directional beams.
Can you tell us about Carl Cox’s closing set – did you create a different look for his big finale? We programmed Carl’s final show a bit differently to his other shows. He arrived armed with vinyl for his last set, which set the tone of the laser design. It was a much simpler, cleaner look, using retro style laser content to reflect the ‘old-school’ vibe.
What about ER’s operation in Ibiza – do you have a permanent base there? ER Productions has had a permanent manned warehouse and office facility in Ibiza for the last five years. Being on tour is part of the job and I’ve been lucky enough to work on some incredible shows but the Ibiza 2016 season has a special place in my heart. We work on a wide variety of different projects on the Island, ranging from high end private events to nightclubs. I look forward to doing it all again next year. TPi http://www.er-productions.com
In terms of the laser production, how does SPACE differ to other clubs you’ve worked with in Ibiza? As far as Ibiza goes, Space is probably the most versatile venue on the island. From the terrace and other outdoor areas, to the dark and atmospheric inner sanctum, the physical space lends itself perfectly to laser production, which gives us the opportunity to create a range of distinctive looks. 58
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PRODUCTION PROFILE
BEAR GRYLLS: ENDEAVOUR Do you have what it takes to battle against the odds? Bear Grylls, TV’s favourite survival expert, takes audience members on a journey of discovery telling stories of individuals who showed tremendous courage and spirit in some of the globe’s most hostile environments. With spectacular visual effects, surround sound and aerials acrobatics, TPi’s Stew Hume eagerly travelled to Belfast to meet the technical crew behind the live action encounter.
Since Bear Grylls ran (covered in mud) onto our screens back in 2006 with his Man Vs. Wild show, he quickly became know as the man who could survive anything. From parachuting out of a helicopter to spending a night in the most inhospitable destinations on earth, he is now one of the most recognisable faces on TV. This year saw Grylls attempt a whole new challenge; putting on a one-man arena show. Having been in development for almost two years, the show’s goal was for Grylls to take audiences up and down the UK and Ireland on a journey through some of the globes most treacherous destinations, telling stories of resilience and surviving against the odds. Once the wheels were in motion the challenge was on for Grylls’ production team to find a way of giving the survivalsit a vehicle to bring these tales to life. The result; a hybrid show that was part theatre production, part immersive experience. Complete with surround sound and an impressive video mapped rock face, Grylls and several other actors could display their finest aerial acrobatic work. Travelling up to Belfast’s SSE Arena, TPi met up with Production Director Jim Baggott from Harvey Goldsmith to talk about how the show first came to pass. “Bear had been developing the idea for this live show for some time. He had already written an initial script to the show and had laid out the stories he wanted to tell,” began Baggott. “The idea was presented to myself and Harvey Goldsmith and we began to realise the potential of this show and the chance to do something a bit different. We approached AEG to become our producer partners. They are also co-promoters of the UK tour.” Heading up the technical production for the show was a task that fell to the The Live Firm, with Luke Carr, Production Manager, along with the crack office team Charlie Johns, Production Coordinator and Marissa Bellon, Tour Coordinator. With the production management in place, the next stage of the process was to figure out a way that Grylls could effectively tell his stories while creating a visually stimulate show. “Our first go-to when beginning to tackle the practicalities of the show, was Stufish,” stated Baggott. “The company have become known for their set design work along with the production side. One thing that made them incredibly appealing for this
project was their work with automation and tracking systems, an idea that was intrinsic to the show from the very beginning.” One of the first to be involved with the project from the Stufish camp was Project Leader, Ric Lipson. “The production side of the business is still a relatively new side of the business for us. But it means that we oversee everything from concept, including the scripting of the show and ideas on how it would look. This is one of the reasons we were very excited to work on the the Endeavour tour as we could see the project from creation to completion.” ALWAYS BE PREPARED Often tours only spend a week or so in a rehearsal space, however, Endeavour required a slightly different treatment. Talking TPi through the timeline of 2016 was Production Manager Luke Carr. “Once we got the green light from all the stages of management we began to put all the plans into action. One of the first things we needed to do was to get Bear used to the flying system. This first took place in a barn down the road from his house when he trained. Meanwhile Stufish began to do some R&D in its facility in the Dordogne, France, assessing what aerial system would be best to use to make the show work.” From there, the production moved into the famous 007 Studios at Pinewood to begin to rehearse the stage show. Finally, before unleashing the show onto the world, all departments moved into London’s LH2 to pull all the pieces together. “We have to give mention to Malcolm Birkett for his work during these early stage,” staged Carr. “He was bought in early during the pre production process as Technical Designer to oversee the various CAD drawing requirements. His experience and knowledge from numerous high profile and technically complex productions were an essential part of the overall development of the show.” Carr explained that the long development period was essential for the show to ensure they completely flushed out the ideas that Grylls and the Stufish creative team had come up with. One such creative on this journey was Abigail Yeates, Show Director. “I met Bear earlier in the year and began to work out all the various ideas for the show along with Chris Hynes, 61
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Production Manger, Luke Carr with Head Rigger, John Ashton, Technical Stage Manager, Matt Caley and Production Director, Jim Baggott; Set Crew Chief, Chris Aram; Show Director, Abigail Yeates; Richard ‘Dicky’ Brennan with John Ashton, Head Rigger.
Creative Producer and Script Editor. During our time in France we were able to work out which aspects of the show would and would not work, especially with the aerial work.” After taking on the role as show director in the development stages, Yeates then took up the role of Resident Director while on the road. “So my role now is to watch the show every night and effectively be Bear’s eyes during the show. I feedback post show and make sure it staying true to the original concepts we discussed. She added: “It’s funny, I remember when myself and Bear were first talking through the idea of the show and he was jumping from sofa to sofa to explain his ideas, now it exists as a massive stage show where he flies 10m up in the air.”
12 tonnes and obviously, in the confines of touring there are physical limitations on what you can put into a venue. Our solution was to create a wall that was built in a similar way to a regular LED screen, so that a row of 2.5sqm panels were put together. This was then lifted to clip on the next row.” Responsible for ensuring the wall was hung every day came down to Chris Aram, Set Crew Chief. “I was brought in once the show was on the road so had to pick it up pretty quickly. I have three main responsibilities; the b-stage platform, the main stage and the massive video wall. There is a fair bit of time pressure, as all the other departments can’t really get on untill the structure is built. Thankfully, all the departments on the tour have worked really well together and we are aware of each other is needs. There is no stepping on toes thankfully.” Carrying on the conversation about the logistical challenges of the tour, TPi spoke to Matt Caley, Technical Stage Manager. “My day starts along side John Ashton, Head Rigger and his number two, Richard ‘Dicky’ Brennan. At about 4am while they begin marking out the floor I begin to tip the two rigging trucks.” Rigging suppliers PRG XL Video provided over 140 motors for Ashton and the rest of the rigging department. This had not been Ashton’s first run of shows with The Live Firm having worked with them on the Hans Zimmer tour. “I had known about the tour for a while and once it became clear that my schedule would be free I put myself forward. Very quickly I realised I would need Dicky with me who was invaluable on the Hans Zimmer tour. The show itself is around 33 tonnes, but the biggest challenge for us is time. It’s an early start on this tour and everything has to be incredibly precise. If we are not on our marks it creates a hard job for the video department that have to map onto the wall. But more importantly, it could create a dangerous environment for Bear and the other performers who have a predetermined routine using the wall.” Despite the hard work and the long hours, Ashton was quick to commend Harvey Goldsmith and the rest of the production team. “They are great people to work for. They have an understanding of what it takes to get things done, and they treat us really well. For example, during the day some of the crew try to catch a bit of sleep and don’t always make it to dinner. The fact that you can wake up to some hot pizzas in the lounge can really turn
THE WALL There is no doubt that one of most striking elements of this show is the set. Standing at an impressive 10m high and 30m wide the massive upstage wall played the dual role of both projection surface and obstacle course, upon which Grylls re-enacted several stories from climbing Everest to base-jumping off the top of a mountain! “The idea of the wall was thrown around really early on in the design process,” explained Lipson. Initially the team toyed with the idea of a revolving stage, but in the end opted for one wall that could provide the base for all the various environments. Lipson continued: “The result was what we have dubbed as a 3D faceted piece of origami. I guess you could say that he wall give a ‘language’ to the video projection giving Bear platforms and arm and foot holds that enable him to interact with what is being projected onto the walls face.” Stage One were commissioned to provide the wall as other various staging elements. The wall had a movable element near the top of the structure which was removed several times during the evening to act as another platform for Grylls, as well as an entrance for various props such as a tree branch used for a rainforest scene and the Apollo 13 space capsule. Incorporated into the side of the wall were two IMAG screens that blend seamlessly into the overall set design. UP IN THE AIR “With such a massive stage show one of the first issues that the production faced was how to make it tourable.” stated Lipson. “The structure is around 62
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BEAR GRYLLS
Bear spent several months training with the aerial flying gear; The video team: Gerry Corry, Richard Thomas, Stuart Rowsell, Rob Currie and Kevin Parry; Aerial team, Kim Swaden-Ward and Ross Maynard.
your tour around.” Dicky added: “It really takes out a lot of the frustration of a tour when you know that the people on top will take care of you.” The rigging department throughout the show was supplied with 25 local riggers along with an additional 50 stage hands to aid Matt Caley, Technical Stage Manager. The Stage Manger explained the logistical choreography that was required everyday while dealing with the massive set. “In many ways the order in which we tip trucks is not different from a regular rock ‘n’ roll show with rigging, followed by set and then video, lighting and audio. However from day one we had to get in a system where when we brought in a piece of set we would have to build as the wall alone take about three hours to create. Also, due to the size of the set piece we have had to take on five curtain truck which can be slightly in convenient while loading into a venue as they take up the room of three vehicles.”
FLYING HIGH One of the really ambitious parts of this project, was always was going to be the aerial work. “Early on in our discussion we asked Stufish who they thought we should bring on board to handle the flying automation for the show,” stated Carr. “And we opted for Stage Technologies.” Kim Swaden-Ward took on the role as Project Manager for the automation department. “I first got involved with the during the development stages in June we tried out different moves with our show stunt double.” What the production settled on was for four separate flying systems. This included a four way bridal system which allows Grylls to fly anywhere within a 3D space of the stage which is used several times during the show for Grylls to move up the various ledges as well as to create a zero gravity look during the space scenes. Additionally a two way bridal,
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The crew from PRG XL Video: Martin Golding, Scott Monahan, Dave Bexter and Tom Harris; Touring LD, Nico Bray.
which was used to get Grylls to the B-stage during the base-jump scene was utilised. There was also a tracking system that was used to bring in the various props such as the tree branch for the rainforest scene and the Apollo capsule. Finally, there was a two point system hoist system used to fly both Grylls and his younger son during the last section of the show. Swaden-Ward went on to describe an average day for him and the rest of the automation team: “After tipping the trucks, we have to build the tracking system which has to go above the rest of the set. We then set up our bridal system onto the mother grid. The next stage of the process is set up our racks and automation system and then we start to survey the stage to work out the 3D geometry. Then, before we get anyone harnessed up we do several test with sandbags. The final stage is for our aerial expert run through the moves of the show before we get Bear hooked up before doors just run through some movements and get himself warmed up.”
would be able to bring Bear images to life. Most of what you see on the screen during the show came from him. He was really keen to play a role in the show which is quite refreshing.” Currie acknowledged a rather surreal experience where he found himself sitting on Grylls’ living room floor while he and the star came up with ideas for content, along with the adventurer’s eldest son, Jesse. “Jesse actually played quite a vital role and there is more than a few points in the performance where one of his ideas has come to life.” In fact, the whole project was quite a family affair for the Grylls contingent with the youngest in the family, Huckleberry, playing an integral role in an elaborate space scene depicting the Apollo 13 incident. Creative Technology (CT) provided a total of 12 Panasonic PT-DZ21K projectors as well as a VYV Photon media server package. “I had used the Photon server several times before but this is the biggest and longest tour I have done with it. Everything else prior to this has been a few one-offs. It’s been quite nice to have a bit more time with it. It’s a fantastic tool for touring due to its process speed. We are able to calibrate 12 projectors in a hour,” stated Currie. “We also have an elaborate tracking system using 11 Infrared cameras on the truss as well as several IR emitters in the wall. This means we can accurately place the wall model in the 3D space in photon. It also allows us to track the movement of the wall and we have extended that to tracking the actors on stage. We are using small IR emitters on the shoulders of Bear and his cast and using parented 3D objects in the software we can motion track them around the stage and assign 3d effects to react with them. For instance, there is one point where we have rain appear on the wall and, using
VIDEO From the beginning of the tour, one aspect that was always going to be prevalent within Endeavour was the video content. Carr explained how early on in the process they employed the services of Richard Turner from Lucky Frog who worked on the visual content. In collaboration with Rob Currie, Video Director, the duo worked incredibly closely with Grylls to ensure the content that they produced on the screen matched up to his vision of the show. Speaking to Currie in video world, TPi asked about the origins of the video concept. “Between myself and Richard we put together a content team who
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CLFLIGHTING
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The audio team: Josh Thomas, Audio Crew Chief; Sergyi Zhytnikov, Systems Tech; Nathan Todd, System Tech: Barrie McLeod, Audio Comms Technician and Fergus Mount, FOH Engineer.
the information from the emitter, we are able to make it look as though the rain is bouncing off Bear. Similar in the underwater scene we have on of the actors flown around the stage in diving gear and we are able to make bubbles appear from him.” This was not the first time Currie had worked with CT. “I was with the company for over five years and I still work in collaboration with them quite a lot. When you know the people in the company it makes such a difference and you know exactly what to expect.” As well as being heavily involved with putting together with the content side of the show, Currie is also responsible for video directing the show handling the content that was streamed onto the integrated IMAG screens. “We knew we would have IMAG fairly early on in the design process,” stated Currie. “But we wanted to try and integrate the camera IMAG into the environments more so as you travel through Antarctica and the Jungle the IMAG changes in its style and shape. We wanted to avoid the standard rectangular camera PIP completely. We used a four camera PPU along with the Photon System which included four Sony HXC300’s and a Panasonic 450 vision mixer.” LIGHTING Brought on board to handle lighting design responsibilities was Woodroffe Bassett. The project saw the collaborations of Adam Bassett and Assistant Designer, Terry Cook. “The integration of video and lighting has been amazing,” stated Currie. “We worked really closely with Terry during the rehearsal stages of the tour. At LH2 we would we would spend our evenings simply working out scenes where I would project a various part of the show and he would beginning to map out how the lighting would best complement the show.” For the tour, operation was handed to Nico Bray, who talked TPi through the various looks in the show. “The brief was to be as immersive as possible. In many ways it’s a cross between a theatre production and an secret-cinemaesk event. The goal was to have the audience brought into the reality of the stories that are happening on the stage.” Bray stated that the major role of the lighting department was to complement the video design, ensuring the grading and the colouring matched the content. In Bassett’s design he also incorporated the crowd within the show with an audience lighting truss. Giving an example, Bray commented: “One of the
most effective uses of this is seen during a simulated plan crash and the audience lights mirror what is going on in the story.” PRG XL Video worked as the sole lighting supplier for the tour, providing 36 PRG Best Boys Spots and 18 Bad Boy HP Spots along with Philips VariLite VL3500 Washes, nine GLP Impression X4’s, nine I-Pix BB4 LED Battens and 54 Chauvet Professional Strike 4’s. For effects, Bassett deployed three Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlaze 72’s as well as three Hungaroflash T-Light 88 LED Modules. For control Bray manned an MA Lighting grandMA2 desk. As well as supplying the complete lighting package, PRG XL Video also provided a hardy set of lighting crew, headed up by Crew Chief Aidan McCabe. The PRG crew members were responsible for the arsenal of six PRG GroundControl Followspots. Scott Monahan, Lighting Technician, talked about using the new control system. “We were with the production for the rehearsals as this show was slightly more complicated from a spot stand point due to all the various cues and all the aerial work done by Bear and the other performers. The GroundControl proved ideal for this show due to the fact that you can put them almost anywhere. We have six separate truss spots so it would have been awkward to have traditional seated spots in all six possitions.” Bray was also complimentary of the new GroundControl system. “As a tool it’s incredibly powerful. First and foremost you can hang them almost anywhere, which opens up so many more possibilities for key lighting. On this tour we have three on the main truss with a spare for emergencies, then we have two at the mid stage of the rig and finally, one in place at the back of the venue. The fact that you can do almost everything with this followspot that you can do with a moving fixture really opens up design options.” The final element from the visual world came courtesy of Quantum Special Effects. Daniel Ivory-Castile, Special Effects Operator, discussed the various elements of the show he was involved in. “Quantum’s main brief was to produce ‘atmospheric’ effects. This included steam effects for the rainforest scenes as well as some smoke to recreate the arctic conditions.” These effects were achieved by using two Smoke Factory Captain D. Fog Machines as well as two LSGs (Low Smoke Generators) and two Smoke Factory Scotty handheld smoke machines. One of the biggest challenges for Ivory-Castile was arguably one of the most notable special effects of the show. In the final story when Grylls appears in a replica of the Apollo 13 pod, several Co2 blasts are fired from 66
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The Eat Your Hearts Out team: Sean Stone and Michael Hurley; Fly By Nite provided 13 trucks to transport the massive stage show; Due the moving, live action scenes, production opted to use a DPA 4066 Microphone with d:fine directional headsets.
the underbelly of the capsule. “This was probably the trickiest part to design,” stated the special effects technician. “We had to create a bespoke Co2 rig within the capsule. We couldn’t use standard Co2 jets because they are too big and the capsule had to fit Bear in it when first revealed. So we worked out a way of doing the Co2 so it looked like a jet without having a big cylinder on the side of the capsule. The other issue was the weight limitation; the capsule by itself was already quite heavy and with the inclusion of Bear we were limited in how much extra we could add. So we attached several smaller cylinders and I personally handle all the control so we have minimum kit on board to create the biggest look possible.” Ivory-Castile concluded saying the main goal from the special effects department was to have effects that did not distract the audience, but helped to created various worlds for them.
enjoyed playing with the system.” During the performance various sound effects were played throughout the PA to mirror the environment prorated on the stage as well as for some key point in the story. To go alongside the various sound effects, the production brought The Elements, an original music and catalogue licensing company, to produce an original score for the performance which was recorded at the world famous Abbey Road studios. Once all the music and sound effects had been delivered, Colin Pink and FOH Engineer, Fergus Mount set to work to translate the content into the arena setting. Fergus, discussed the process: “Everything that came from Abbey Road was sent to us having been mixed to 5.1. However, to make that work within a live arena environment with this particular surround sound set up, we had to do quite a lot of experimentation to see what sounded right while setting up the playback thought Figure 53’s QLab. It’s not strictly a 5.1 system so the files still need to be treated on our end.” Mount explained that he had 24 outputs coming in from QLive where he splits it into two sections. “We have one for the music and one for the effects. The simple reason for this is that sometimes music requires a slightly different treatment to the effects; you might want to effect one mix of one while leaving the other.” Mixing was via a DiGiCo SD5 console, situated at FOH. The department opted not to have a monitor desk for the show, instead deploying an SD rack on the stage end, using the desk in a more traditional theatre style. In fact it was the SD5’s history with theatre show that made it the ideal choice for the Endeavour tour. Mount elaborated: “The SD5 was the go-to desk for the West End for a long time. It was great for this show because the busses can get quite complicated when your dealing with 5.1 stems. Normally you would have a stereo master, but since it’s in surround you can end up with up to 8 busses replacing your master. It quickly adds up and having 24x24 matrix also makes thing simpler. On the whole the console gave us lots of flexibility on that front as well as having a great surface to mix the show on.” Due to the all the aerial acrobatic work done by Grylls, the only real solution was to use a headset microphones. The tour opted for DPA Microphone 4066’s with d:fine directional headsets. For IEMs the department opted for the Shure PSM-1000. “I am also on the in-ears throughout the show,” stated Thomas. “I keep an eye out on Bear’s mix which vocal-heavy with a sprinkling of music under the surface. Thomas had another role on the tour and that was to oversee the majority of Grylls’ costume changes. “Apart from one costume change, which takes place on the b-stage, I am there for every single one. It’s good to be on hand from the audio point of view just to make sure both the mics and the IEMs are all
AUDIO During the early stages of the show development one of the overarching aims was for Grylls’ performance to be as immersive as possible. The solution from the audio department; a surround sound speaker system. Brought on to find a solution was UK audio specialist, Britannia Row Productions. Lez Dwight Project Manager for Brit Row was involved from the concept stage and asked Sound Engineer/Designer Colin Pink to come on board to bring the design together. Talking TPi through the audio set up for the show was Audio Crew Chief and RF Tech, Josh Thomas. “The system that we have got out on tour is a L/R rear surround system. On the first shows at Wembley Arena, we had a slightly different set-up which also had a mid-section L/R surround array.” To increase the immersion of the audience, sound effects were delivered from behind the audience to really engulf the audience in the story. For example, before the intermission, in true Bear Grylls fashion, the production creates the illusion of a helicopter flying in to pick up the star, an illusion that was helped in great part with the audio department creating a sound effect that sounded as if it came from behind the audience traveling toward the stage. Britannia Row Productions made use of its healthy L-Acoustics inventory, deploying a main PA of L-Acoustics K2 with a main flown sub array of K1SB’s. For side hangs, K2 elements were used with ground stacked KS28’s. KARA was used for the design’s front fill. Finally, for the rear surround sound, the audio team deployed KARA. The main PA was powered by L-Acoustics LA8, while the subs and the surround sound as run by the new LA12X. “Brit Row have a big stock of L-Acoustics and have been really helpful on this tour,” stated Thomas. “The PA has works extremely well for this tour and our System Techs, Sergiy Zhytnikov and Nathan Todd have 68
“From mix position to any position in the room, it’s hard to mentally process how consistent it is and how easily we achieved it. Anya has the purest impulse response I’ve ever gotten off of a PA system. The acoustic phase response is just breathtaking.” Robert Scovill FOH Engineer, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Anya sounds more like a giant pair of nearfield monitors than a typical concert array, with a transient response that allows for an extremely dynamic show. In the Paramore show there are a lot of subtle elements that don’t always translate well into the mix. But with Anya, everything was immediately present.”
Everyone knows all of that processing compromises fidelity. Right?
Eddie Mapp FOH Engineer, Papa Roach, Paramore “Anya is extremely musical, very powerful and can be customized to match any environment. What else can I ask for in a system? This system should be on every rider.” Stanley Soares FOH Engineer, Juanes, Sepultura “I have been in a lot of challenging venues. It is amazing to experience how easily Adaptive Systems can blanket the seating area and drop off everywhere else – and sound better than any other systems out there. Every show has sounded fantastic.” Jason Decter FOH Engineer, Blink 182, Bassnectar “I was hearing a really clean, pure vocal and a very natural open sound. As I said, I really love it when you don’t hear the speakers. For me, that’s the mark of a great system! Thank you!” Jerry Eade FOH Engineer, Placido Domingo “I have to admit, I have never been that impressed with a loudspeaker in my life – it’s a game-changer listening to those loudspeakers.” Joe Patten Project Design Manager, CDA
photo © Mark Hanna, FxN Productions
That depends on the machine. Conventional line arrays use few, relatively large sources – like ‘acoustic pixels’. Applying discrete processing to each source means adjacent devices produce very different signals. This ‘acoustic pixelation’ creates impulse response problems that you can hear. Adaptive Systems are different. With a large number of sources that are small for their bandwidth, these systems were developed to harness the power of signal processing without compromise. They apply sophisticated algorithms to the high resolution array of sources to ensure that processing changes from source to source are small. The result is unprecedented control, consistency and most importantly a pristine impulse response everywhere. Like rendering the same image with a lot more pixels. You don’t need better processing to fix your machine. You need a new machine. eaw.com/products/adaptive
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6/29/16 1:22 PM
BEAR GRYLLS
Grylls recreated the tales of Everest and those that have battled the mountain.
working correctly and we don’t have any issues.” With such a cue-heavy show, it only made sense that the audio department made use of a lot of timecode. “QLab generates all of our timecode. We have two different channels; one for lighting, one for video.” stated Mount. “The simple reason for this is that sometimes the timing alter between the lighting video and having it done via two different channels means it becomes slightly move of a live show.” It was not just a PA that Brit Row provided for this tour, but a fully integrated touring coms system. “We are running a Helix Net for all the wired communication along with two Telex BTR800 Dual channel wireless base station. Altogether we have eight Telex Dual channel wireless belt packs with eight Helix net dual channel wired packs. Overseeing the coms was Barry MacLeod.
always been a delight to work with, being clear about what they need from us, and always available if we need any information makes our job as a supplier much easier. I can’t speak highly enough of them. Hopefully we can continue to build on this relationship in the coming future.” Fly By Nite supplied 13 trucks for the tour. Due to the size and the shape of the set pieces, the company supplied five curtain sided vehicles as some of the larger set pieces simply would not be able to be removed from a traditional rear opening truck. Matt Jackson from Fly By Nite discussed the company’s involvement with the tour: “We have worked with Jim Baggott for quite along time now on various tours and have got to know each other quite well. More importantly we know how each other other work which lead to a great customer relationship.The Endeavour tour has been a great show to work on as it is slightly different. Once we heard about the show we were intrigued to see what the show is about!”
TRUCKING, BUSSING AND FEEDING THE ARMY There are several things that come to mind when you think of Bear Grylls but one of his most well-known traits is his tendency to consume some rather outlandish dishes. From eating the faeces of various animals to drinking bodily fluids, it’s safe to say that you sometimes require a strong stomach to get through some of the Born Survivor’s shows. On tour, however you’ll be happy to hear that when entering catering, TPi was not met by a strange collection of tropical insects to dine on but the fine folks from Eat Your Hearts Out, led by Sean Stone. The caterers where brought along to the rehearsals at LH2 before heading out on the road. “On this tour we are feeding about 70 crew although with the nature of touring that sometimes goes up by an extra 10 with local visitors. Due to the early starts on this tour we find that we are also feeding the majority for breakfast as well.” Stone went on to state that every day he provided a selection of healthy dishes including a sugar-free desserts, which he said Grylls himself enjoyed checking out daily. Providing transport and a home on the road for the entire production fell to Beat The Street. Director Jöerg Philipp discussed Beat The Street’s involvement with the tour. “This is the third tour this year we have provided buses for this production team. In April we started a long run with Hans Zimmer and just recently a short hop with Andrea Bocelli.” For this run BTS provided three, 16 berth double-decker buses and a 12-berth super high deck for the crew, as well as supplying a Phoenix double deck Star Bus for Grylls and his family. Philipp continued: “Jim Baggott and his whole production team have
AGAINST THE ODDS It is in our nature as humans to complain, granted some more than others. But after witnessing Bear Grylls’ two hour show where he told stories of individuals battling against the odds in order to simply survive, it certainly put the problems of the ordinary into perspective. However, unlike the other thousands people that witnessed the show at Belfast arena, TPi got to witness one more extra story of endeavour… that of the hard working crew who made this concept a touring reality. In our opinion one that deserves just as much admiration. TPi Photos: Courtesy of Bear Grylls Ventures www.beargryllslive.com www.harveygoldsmith.com www.aeglive.co.uk www.thelivefirm.com www.britanniarow.com www.stufish.com http://patrickwoodroffe.com www.stageone.co.uk www.stagetech.com www.ct-group.com/eu/en www.prg.com/uk/en www.q-sfx.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.beatthestreet.net 70
4 acre site based in the midlands 43,500 sq ft state of the art heated warehousing for theatre and stage set individual secured cages for backline storage seperate areas for preperation and testing backline equipment specialised vehicles for the conference and music industry one of the largest fleets of megacube trailers and 26t vehicles in the business.
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PRODUCTION PROFILE
NOT ALL HYBRIDS CREATED EQUAL. A R E
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73
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The Far East met East London as Troxy played host to The Peony Pavilion, an incredible spectacle produced by renowned Chinese writer Kenneth H. Y. Pai and performed by the Suzhou Kun Opera Theatre of Jiangsu Province. Similar in story to Romeo and Juliet and written at the same time, The Peony Pavilion celebrated its 400th anniversary in memory of playwrights Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare and featured spectacular Chinese opera, coupled with a traditional Chinese orchestra and an impressive production. Told in 27 scenes, this nine-hour opera was spread across three nights, making it the longest consecutive show that the venue has ever hosted. Will Poole, Events and Compliance Manager at Troxy, explained: “Troxy originally opened as a grand cinema back in 1933 and regularly hosted Gracie Fields, Petula Clark, Cliff Richard and even Clark Gable. When the cinema closed down, the building remained empty for almost three years, until 1963 when a tenant was found and the London Opera Centre was created in Troxy. Run by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Troxy was used primarily as a rehearsal space. “Since then, Troxy has mainly played host to music concerts, sports events and awards ceremonies; theatre isn’t something we have dipped our toes in since those early days. It’s fantastic to see the venue being once again used for performances of this nature, after all a building of this grandeur was designed for spectaculars just like this.” In order to host the incoming theatrical production, Troxy’s in-house production team had to make a number of major modifications to transform the space from a live events venue to a temporary theatre. Steve Singh, Troxy’s in-house Production Manager, explained: “This was totally different from anything we’ve ever done before at Troxy. To accommodate the incoming production we increased the footprint of our house stage using ZEROdb Live, who provided additional decks so we could more than double our 40ft x 20ft stage to accommodate all the action. “Theatre uses a very different lighting rig than the one we’re used to for live music. The Troxy house rig is designed for multifunctional use to accommodate the venue’s varied client base and had to be adapted to make it suitable for this performance. Usually our rig consists of moving heads, however this had to be changed to static lights for theatre, and an additional 120 lights
PLATINUM SBX™
Written in 1598, The Peony Pavilion is perhaps the most critically acclaimed Kun opera and one of China’s oldest forms of dramatic expression. This year the performance made a temporary home for three nights in London’s Troxy.
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THE PEONY PAVILION
The Peony Pavilion took place over three consecutive nights (nine hours in total) making it the longest consecutive show that the Troxy has hosted; The production utilised Troxy’s in-house audio, augmented by an APB DynaSonics Spectra 32-channel analogue desk, along with 15 radio mic packs for the cast.
were added. We used Colour Sound Experiment to supply the lighting, and art kit. This stopped the need for any scenery changes, as this could all be they provided us with 66 ETC Source Fours, 35 PAR 64’s, eight 2Kw Fresnel indicated via the visuals on the backdrop and the on-stage props, which Spotlights, along with two Avolites ART 2000 dimmer racks, two, eight made the show flow much better.” by six Fast-Fold projector screens and two 30,000 lumen Barco HDF-W30 The production utilised Troxy’s in-house audio, augmented by an APB projectors. DynaSonics Spectra 32-channel analogue desk, along with 15 radio mic “What makes Troxy so special is its status as a Grade II Listed building, packs for the cast. however this means that there is no grid above the stage to hang the rig. Myles Hayden, Troxy’s in-house Sound Engineer, explained: “The Therefore, we had to utilise a floating truss to accommodate this extra incoming Chinese production manager specifically requested an analogue lighting, adding three additional trusses to our in-house ones.” desk, so we searched all over London for an APB DynaSonics 32-channel Troxy’s in-house production team worked closely with Rachael King, desk. We eventually found one at Hark that had been in storage for 10 years Euroscope TV Production Manager, who was brought in to help oversee the and it was amazing to see this working on a show that itself is so steeped venue transformation and ensure the shows ran as smoothly as possible. in history. Due to the language barrier, the Chinese sound tech hasn’t been King explained: “I’ve been managing able to translate what’s on the sound desk, so relationships between Troxy, the incoming I’ve been on hand to assist and support the technical suppliers and the Chinese production team throughout this production process. team. The only thing brought over from China We’re having to make use of WeChat as a form was the drapes, props and the lighting desk of communication to try and break down the “That’s the interesting thing so Steve and I have worked together to bring language barrier and ensure everyone is on the about The Peony Pavilion; it in all the suppliers and accommodate what is same page.” coupled traditional Chinese often last minute changes. We’ve opted for a Hayden continued: “It was an interesting traditional theatre style lighting rig, coupled set up for The Peony Pavilion. The production theatre and traditional costumes with two high end 30,000 Barco HDF-W30 brought a full Chinese orchestra which was with a high-tech scenic backdrop projectors. positioned in front of the stage, which is where “That’s the interesting thing about The the audience usually sits. Therefore, we had to that used state of the art kit.” Peony Pavilion; it coupled traditional Chinese turn off certain parts of the PA and re-adjust the Rachael King, theatre and traditional costumes with a highsound system to ensure the performance could Production Manager, Euroscope TV tech scenic backdrop that used state of the be clearly heard by everyone within the venue. 74
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THE PEONY PAVILION
Above: Troxy’s in-house Sound Engineer, Myles Hayden; Euroscope TV’s Rachael King.
Our in-house line array is designed to cover the Circle, but because we have Troxy has been a great experience. Over the course of the production we had to use the front of stage as an orchestra pit, the main PA was flown witnessed a few differences from the production processes back home. For higher than normal to ensure the sound hits the whole audience. one, the stage was very different, it was much bigger than we’re used to in “We supplemented the lower areas with a point-source PA system to China and the actual size of the room was also much bigger. This is great for ensure crisp sound throughout the whole venue. Because none of the the performers, and although it was a change to bring The Peony Pavilion orchestra instruments were close-miked, we used Audix Hypercardioid into a bigger venue, it actually worked really well.” Pencil Condensers, which are good for miking at distance, without picking Sam Song, The Peony Pavilion’s UK Promoter, added: “Both Rachael and up the unwanted areas of sound.” the Troxy team have worked to support us on the production, which was a The Chinese production team used the two video screens that flanked determining factor when choosing a venue to host this show. It’s been very the stage to run subtitles in both English and Chinese throughout the different to doing it in China, the venue is newer, the people are working production. In addition, Troxy’s in-house much quicker - it’s a different culture and the display screens were utilised throughout the production team we have brought in have been venue, to bring the subtitles closer to the excellent. audience on both the Ground Floor and Circle. “We’ve also noticed huge differences in the “The stage was very different, it King continued: “The Circle in Troxy is close way tickets have been sold here and we have was much bigger than we’re used seen different purchasing patterns in the way to the stage, which creates a really intimate atmosphere within the venue, all adding to people have been buying. The first night we to in China and the actual size of the guests’ experience. I’ve found Troxy to be have sold 1,200 tickets, the second night has the room was also much bigger. a really versatile venue that lends itself to all seen about 800 tickets and the last night about genres of events.” 1,100, and this isn’t including any walk-ups.” This is great for the performers, This is the second time The Peony Pavilion TPi and although it was a change to has come to the UK, having first visited back Photos: Plaster Creative Communications and bring The Peony Pavilion into a in 2008. With a touring Chinese production, Liu Xing the team identified a number of differences www.troxy.co.uk bigger venue, it actually worked between staging this show in China and the UK. www.coloursound.co.uk really well.” Hong Ji Wang, Audio Assistant and the www.euroscope.tv team’s translator, commented: “Working in www.hark.uk.com Hong Ji Wang, Audio Assistant 76
VerTech stages
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IN PROFILE
CLARKE CABLE
Opposite: Head of Product Development, Dave Clarke and Commercial Manager, David Broadhurst.
IN PROFILE: CLARKE CABLE When the basis of British manufacturing changed, many companies faced a choice: adapt or bust. Cheshire-based Clarke Cable opted for the former, choosing to take its skills and bring them to the live events industry. Stew Hume’s TPi visited the company’s Congleton HQ to talk about the industry’s development over the last three years.
At TPi we’re used to meeting companies that have enjoyed longevity within the live events sector. However, its refreshing to meet the emergent companies which are exploring the flip side of this prestige, challenging the industry as they break into the sector. The name Clarke Cable may be new to many of you but in a very short time - from its base tucked away in Congleton, Cheshire - the team are creating solutions that have the potential to save productions both time and money… Now, do I have your attention? On a brisk autumnal afternoon TPi paid a visit to meet Commercial Manager David Broadhurst who told us how the company went from kettle leads to concerts in a few short years. “In this warehouse space we used to produce 340,000 kettle leads a month,” began Broadhurst, as he walked us through the company’s backstory. Clarke Cable’s story first began back in the ‘70s producing power cables that were used for everything from household appliances to hospitals. “However, as you can imagine that business has evaporated since production moved outside the UK,” said Broadhurst. The company faced a challenge in the wake of globalisation and was forced to completely rethink its goal, strategy and ethos. Chairman of Clarke Cable, Julian Baseley summarised: “We had a strategy review three years ago which led us to completely change our thinking. The goal posts shifted to focus on producing high tech answers to cabling needs.” Broadhurst explained the idea of building products for the live events market had been in the pipeline for several years. So when the Manchesterbased video and projection specialists, AtoV, came knocking on Clarke door the company was able to make the jump into the industry. “AtoV have one of the largest fleets of high end Christie Projectors in Europe and they mainly cater for clients in the corporate sector.” AtoV came to Clarke’s with a question: Was it possible to house two three core power cables
and a fibre optic cable in one single cable? After some time developing the product, Clarke Cable’s Head of Product Development, Dave Clarke, created a product that enabled the affirmative answer. His cable houses all three in one singular product complete with a robust and durable splitter housing. “This was so appealing to AtoV and other companies that took this product because they could run a projector with just one cable rather than three. It makes a big difference when you have a show requiring up to 30 projectors. The solution had an added benefit; as the expensive fibre optic was inbuilt to the cabling system it is easier to keep a watchful eye over it and there’s even less chance of someone ‘walking out’ with it.” This was the first step towards a broadened horizon for Clarke Cable. After its project with AtoV, the subsequent months saw the company develop several new projects including a solution for PRG XL video – featured on Muse’s Second Law tour – where Clarke’s was commissioned to put three Cat7’s and six power circuits in one cable. As the company continued to expand its black book of contacts, the cable specialist stuck up a relationship with VER, who came to Clarkes requesting a waterproofed Socapex Spider to combat the effects of weather in an outdoor environment. Thankfully, waterproofing was something of a Clarke’s speciality due to its strong relationships within the Earlex group, with companies specialised in steam powered wallpaper strippers – where waterproofing is an obvious necessity. VER invested in the new product, which was used on the One Direction world tour. Clarkes began to branch out, working with companies from the audio world as well as the visual. “Our next big step forward was our work on Martin Audio’s Mini MLA series,” stated Broadhurst. “We came up with a solution where you could connect the bass speakers with the flown boxes in one cable, which was debuted at Glastonbury in 2014. 79
CLARKE CABLE
A selection of products to come out of the Clarke Cable warehouse over the last three years: Y splitter with XLR male, a socapex and data distribution string, Neutrik Moulded Splitter.
HIT THE SHOW FLOOR Clarke Cable developed relationships with companies in the rental and manufacture sector in a short time, showing the potential of its position within live events industry. However its was keen to expand and the only way to do this was to hit the trade shows. “We went to Frankfurt for Prolight+Sound for the first time last year. We had a fairly modest display but during the show we made some invaluable ties with the likes of NEG Earth as well as Prolyte.” The team were back at Frankfurt this year, this time showcasing its latest product; a socapex and data distribution string, which Broadhurst described: “Basically it is a standard socapex with your standard six power circuit and on the circuit there are six individual drops. At each drop where you would place a luminaire there is a DMX to go with it inbuilt to the cable. There are no joins or anything technical, we have simply produced a system where you have several loops of DMX in a robust casing. The response we had at Frankfurt was stunning. Typically, if you wire up a standard 10ft truss, you put all moving heads in, then the cabling and finally the socapex which takes a tech around an hour. With our product the whole job can take 20 minutes. It’s the definition of plug and play.” The goal of this cabling system is to save time and money, a popular subject that Broadhurst was invited to talk about during this year’s show. “The advantage with this system is that you only change the luminaires, and the cabling never leaves the truss,” enthused Broadhust. The Commercial Manager went on to explain that Clarke Cable offers the ability to see cables in a completely different light; not as something cumbersome or time-consuming. He added, “Cables have been seen almost as a throw away commodity. What we offer is an investment that will pay you back over time.”
cable with polyurethane. It’s the same technique we use for the retractable power cords, which we provide for the NHS. It can be completely wiped clean.” CHANGES The industry newcomers have certainly seen flux in the past few years. Most notably, both the services and the management structure have adapted. Three years ago (around the time when it made steps to move into live events) part owner Tim Hopper and Julian Baseley, Chairman decided to take Clarke Cable out of the Earlex group, once again reinstating its position as an independent company. With complete control of the business, the small management team have plans to build on the growth of the business. Baseley commented: “The aim of the shareholders of Clarke Cable is to take the business to the forefront of modern cabling technology in selected industries, with events being the premier market. The directors are committed to invest in new equipment and technologies to make Clarke’s the number one choice for cabling solutions in the events industry.” Clarke’s prides itself on the service it provides. “We always want to bring customers in and talk through a solution,” stated Broadhurst. “I think it’s our skillset that sets us apart. On this journey we have been able to develop a solution for one customer, which then can be morphed into a divergent solution for another. It’s a hands on side of the industry and we want to keep it that way.” As the company continues to develop more intricate solutions for power and data distribution, Broadhurst emphasises the company’s commitment to safety. “In the last 40 years we have learnt how to make things safe and we hold our prototype cabling solutions to the same standard as we do with the plug sockets we have produced for four decades.” All the products Clarke Cable have produced are unique, thus there is currently no standard to hold them to. However, the company is currently in discussion with the German trade body who will begin the process of giving Clarke’s bespoke products a recognisable safety rating. With such rapid growth in both its client base and the products specially designed for the live events industry, there is no doubt that Clarke Cable is a name that we will be hearing more of in the years to come. And with so many new projects on the horizon, you can bet that TPi will be back to talk cables over a brew and a biscuit. TPi Photo: Courtesy of Clarke Cable and Arcadia. www.clarkecable.co.uk
RECENT PROJECTS The cable specialists have recently been involved in the Arcadia (Winner of 2016’s Live Production of the Year at the TPi Awards). Clarke’s now supplies over five miles of cabling for the spider structure. The new relationship was another that blossomed at this year’s Prolight+Sound when Broadhurst met Technical Production Manager, Tim Smith. “Tim told me the Arcadia Show was planning to be road ready for the later part of 2016 and he wanted a more plug and play solution. The project was interesting because the whole structure has to be waterproofed and the production recently began using bio fuel for its pyrotechnic effects, which has a wide dispersal but has to be cleaned after every show. To combat this we coated all the 80
INTERVIEW
THE PARISIAN, MACAU: GRAND OPENING When you need to open your $2.5 billion hotel with enough bang to stack up against the half-sized Eiffel Tower that serves as one of its main landmarks - what do you do? Call Black Skull Creative, of course. TPi’s Ste Durham caught up with Dan Shipton to discuss how he helped to realise the “best opening ever” in Macau.
It’s fair to say that this isn’t a run of the mill assignment - how did you originally become involved and what were your initial visions for the project? Was there a core team involved in the design phase? We began work with Hong Kong-based event agency Uniplan in February 2016. Our starting point was to create a one-off spectacular unlike anything Macau has seen before. As the show was the Grand Opening we wanted to fully integrate the design into the architecture of the building and we felt using the structure of the half-size Eiffel Tower the resort had built outside their hotel was the perfect way to do this. The extensive pitch process lasted months before we were finally awarded the job. At that point we had to mobilise our team, which included Imagine Believe to practically realise our vision, Bryte Design to look after lighting, Michael Sharp to take care of costume and Blink TV to deliver content. All of our amazing team worked extremely hard to deliver this huge show in 10 weeks in a space that had never been used before, with only concept drawings to go on!
elements an extremely complex process - that was even before we got into the detail of the show! One of the greatest challenges was for the finale where we wanted a hot air balloon to fly to stage carrying our leading man. In order for the client to sign off the budget for this idea we needed to guarantee that the stunt could happen in all weather up to and including Typhoon Level One. We looked to some expert engineering from our partners at Showtech Australia, combined with the support of the designers of the Eiffel Tower structure itself who managed to overcome the issues, giving us the wow moment we had been dreaming of. Did you have to take care that the show was equally impressive to both the cameras and the crowd below? How was this accomplished? From conception of the show we were always aware that, due to the sheer scale, the live audience would be reliant on IMAG to see close ups, not to mention the fact that many of the audience would be watching this on TV or on the relay screens down the Cotai strip. From a legacy point of view we also knew that the show would live on through the footage we captured and so we worked closely with the in-house team at Sands (who were providing the broadcast set up) to make sure that we were getting the right coverage. From a creative point of view one of the benefits of working with
Were there any set pieces that were particularly challenging and did you have to employ any innovative tech or design to overcome this? Creating a theatre-style space outdoors, within the complex geometrics of the Eiffel Tower and in typhoon season made the engineering of all the 82
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BLACK SKULL CREATIVE
Black Skull Creative helped realise Macau’s best-ever opening ceremony.
How does this show differ from more straightforward rock ‘n’ roll show? Is this something the team was just as well-versed in? This was totally different to a rock ‘n’ roll show in so many ways! Luckily the Black Skull team has a wide range of experience in putting on a variety of shows including Olympics ceremonies, arena shows, experiential shows in weird and wonderful venues, and even theatre shows. We also collaborated with a great team at Uniplan and Imagine Believe to help us over the challenges of putting on a show in a different market. From a technical point of view, the complex structure of the Eiffel Tower and the garden over which we had to build raised infinitely more intricate variables than working within the (usually) straightforward environment of an arena space. When you add to this the fact that our load-in started on a building site where power had not been completed and we were unsure if our rigging points would be completed and rated in time (they were, with two days to spare), as well as incomplete fibre and CAT6 patches, the venue was certainly a challenge! Local labour laws in Macau, and the shortage of the local expertise to deliver a one-off event of this scale, definitely increased the build period required and necessitated a lot more ‘micro management’ than usual. Lastly, once the building was open and we had a de-rig to do, we had to do it in total silence and tidiness - the stage and grandstand space (holding 1,000 VIP guests) sat on the forecourt of Macau’s newest five-star resort, and arriving guests could not be subjected to the sight of trucks or a halfdismantled structure! All of this, however, fell well within the experience of the team and we pulled off a great show that the client believed was the “best opening ever in Macau”. TPi Photos: Uniplan www.blackskullcreative.com www.uniplan.com/hk-en www.imaginebelieve.com www.brytedesign.co.uk www.showtechaustralia.com.au www.blinktv.com www.deltasound.uk www.jkbrothers.net
Blink and Bryte Design is that we all have a very strong understanding of putting on performances designed for camera and so we were able to drive the Sands team harder than they were used to and got really good results. Of course, the crowd watching got a very special experience because only when you were sat under that huge Eiffel Tower did you fully appreciate the scale of show and what we had managed to achieve. How were decisions made on technical suppliers and kit? Did they have much input in what was used? Macau rarely gets to host events of this scale and complexity, so the suppliers that can deliver are far and few between. Creative Technology’s global presence and expertise made them the obvious choice to deliver the video and audio elements of the show, whereas JK Brothers are Macau’s only sizeable lighting and rigging company. Some things however, like the high-end automation from Showtech Australia and comms systems from Delta Sound Dubai are simply not available in the region. Tom Attenborough, our Technical Director, had to called on his trusted suppliers from around the world to pull these aspects together. Cate Carter, our Lighting Designer, worked extremely closely with Tom in order to achieve her design. Local availability of equipment in the region with the added challenge of the weather and the unusual structure meant there were a number of changes along the way. That said, with a flexible approach and local expertise from Imagine Believe, they were able to develop and adapt the design to work within the environment as the project progressed without too many creative compromises. Did you encounter any technical difficulties during either the build or show? Sometimes cultural differences can be the biggest of challenges - especially when it comes to doing things that are not entirely within the ‘norm’ of a theatre or arena show - but the biggest problem was definitely the weather conditions. Rain during the build and rehearsal resulted instantly in the site shutting down with both plotting and rehearsal sessions being cancelled with the assurance that “the rain will stop in time, don’t worry”. Luckily it did indeed stop raining and with a very fluid schedule and a lot of added pressure we were able to deliver a great show. 84
THE UK FESTIVAL AWARDS 28 NOVEMBER 2016
TICKETS SELLING FAST, BOOK YOURS NOW / WWW.FESTIVALAWARDS.COM Join us on November 28th for the 13th annual UK Festival Awards & Conference, as we bring together an eclectic cast of the nation’s most beloved events and suppliers for a day and night of reflection and revelry. Taking place at The Roundhouse in London, the illustrious and internationally recognised awards will be presented by Mary Anne Hobbs. The conference, which runs throughout the day, features panels on disaster aversion, virtual reality, ticketing, cashless technology, and local venues. For more information on the Awards & Conference, please visit our website.
ROAD DIARIES
BRUNO POET
Lighting Designer for Sigur Ros and ALD member
production rehearsals allow you to create an extraordinary show. On the technical level, designing a show that could play theatres as well as large venues such as the Hollywood Bowl…with the same kit, was a challenge. I never get bored listening to Sigur Ros tracks over and over again, honing the visuals to match. You can feel in your gut when something is working and the music encourages you keep on seeking the perfect way to support what the band are playing. Working with the team to push each other creatively. Having a great dialogue and collaboration between departments, Lighting and video were programmed together and work as one. On a creative level it was hard to move on from favourite looks we used on the last tour. There were some moments that we all loved from the 2013 tour, and it was very hard to let them go, especially when the new ideas initially seemed less satisfying. But we keep plugging away – knowing that something different can be found, and knowing that the band want new visuals for their first tour as a three piece. Listening to the band’s instincts about what their show should be. It’s really important to be comfortable to criticise and challenge each other in the team. Not being satisfied with the first idea, or the easiest solution. Being open to ideas, and playing with the possibilities until everyone is satisfied. We put in the hours and try not to be overcome by tiredness and grumpiness – we plug away. When you are tired and frustrated you really need the support of a tightly knit team encouraging you to push forward. Being a freelance LD is sometimes a very lonely job creatively, there is usually only one LD on each project, so I feel it’s important to feel as though you’re a part of something bigger. I’m an ALD member and the ALD makes you part of a very broad and diverse lighting family. It has a subliminal impact on my whole career. When you’re up in the middle of the night, fighting tiredness and the laws of physics to achieve a particular look, you know that you are not alone. Many of your ALD colleagues are in exactly the same situation in venues all around the world. Early on in my career the established lighting designers in the ALD proved to me that a career in lighting was possible and inspired me to continue. I quickly learned that the lighting world is incredibly friendly and supportive. Lighting designers get on really well and are happy to collaborate and share information. It’s a hard job, it always involves long hours and juggling multiple projects at the same time, often for little financial reward. When you start in a creative career you need role models, the ALD gives you access to them, and an understanding of the diversity of the lighting world. My path to lighting design was though lighting many student shows. I didn’t even realise that it was a career option, it was something I fell into and loved doing. The ALD introduced me to this world of professionals who did lighting for a job. Once I knew the job existed, there was nothing else I could imagine doing. The ALD has helped the performance industry and the public (and critics) appreciate the importance of lighting and the role of lighting designers. It has helped push managements for better fees and recognition. It’s the reason I am doing what I do – and am able to do what I do. We are all honoured to have been invited back to light another tour for Sigur Ros and delighted that we managed to build on the success of the last one to make something new and even more exciting. Bruno Poet
Being back in production rehearsals for Sigur Ros, in Abbotsford, near Vancouver, has been a really memorable time. The same amazing team from the last tour are with me – and the last Sigur Ros tour was a huge success, winning great critical and audience acclaim as well as Knights of Illumination awards for Lighting Design and Projection/Video design. This time around, the band have decided to tour a more intimate show, with only the three main band members; Jónsi, Orri Páll Dýrason, Georg Hólm - last time they had 8 additional musicians on stage with them. They wanted to be immersed in the visuals more than ever before, and to play with scale, from tight and intimate to huge and epic. Making lighting visuals for Sigur Ros’ extraordinary music is one of the most challenging and satisfying points of my career. The production period was a wonderful collaborative phase and culminated in a really successful opening night of the tour. During the rehearsals I worked with Sarah Hopper, creative director, Matt Daw, lighting programmer as well as co-designer, Damien Hale as video content creator and Ray Gwilliams as video programmer. We also Chiara Stephenson on hand who worked on the set. It’s not my preferred way, but this tour started with festivals. The festival schedule is so hard on the crew - I’d much prefer to get the show tight before moving onto that challenge. Having said that, the European festival season gave us a first stab at the design, giving us something to develop for the North American tour. It proved to be a really supportive tour in terms of production management, mainly thanks to Thomas Stone and a fantastic crew, with perfectly prepped kit from Dan Curley at Upstaging. Everything was set up so well that we could focus on creating the show. It’s often easier to moan about the bad experiences and talk about overcoming difficulties, so it’s wonderful to be able to demonstrate how perfectly set up and managed
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GEAR HEADS
INTRODUCING ROBE’S SPIIDER The Czech manufacturer’s brand new LED wash / beam luminaire has been tipped to build on the success of its ‘industry standard’ LEDWash series with completely new concept and optics. TPi’s Ste Durham spoke with Robe Product Manager, Ondřej Hegar, to find out more.
Can you talk us through the concept behind the fixture? Our LEDWash series was launched six or seven years ago, and in that time the technology has changed a quite bit. We wanted a brighter fixture, but one that could also stay the same size and bring another effect to the table to result in a more multi-purpose unit. By combining the features of a wash, beam and effect lighting into one unit, we are achieving something that the LEDWash series cannot. The new fixture’s design is centred around one super bright 60W RGBW LED multichip in the middle, which is surrounded by 18, 30W RGBW LED multichips in an intricate optical design that resembles a spider web. It can be used as a beam or an eye-catching flower effect, which is a first for LED wash light stage luminaires. The zoom is an impressive 4 - 50°, and the light output is outstanding, offering more than 50,000 lux at 5m. The Spiider has all the great features that has made Robe’s LEDWash series such a well-respected industry standard, including its virtual colour wheel, tungsten lamp emulation, individual pixel control, built-in wireless DMX on request and much more.
Where does the Spiider fit in terms of both the Robe portfolio and the wider industry? We have seen a change in the market in recent years. In the old days people were happy to buy separate wash, beam and effect lights for their rig, but now everyone wants one fixture to do it all. While this is partly down to the cost factor, it’s also a result of people being more conscious of saving weight on the truss and monitoring the power required. It also makes life for the LD much easier when they can cut down on the amount of universes they have to control just by choosing a certain fixture. We are part of an industry that develops at a fast pace so it is our job to make sure we are always keeping up with current trends. For me it’s a nice combination. We are not replacing the older range of LEDWashes - this is more like an extension of that series. What were some of the key developments within the R&D process that led to the creation of the Spiider? What we try to achieve with all the new fixtures is to make sure we 88
ROBE SPIIDER
Opposite: The latest offering from Robe, the Spiider. Below: The fixture impressed at PLASA in London during a web-themed display - not one for the arachnophobes in the audience.
What feedback have you received since the launch of the fixture? I must say the feedback has been brilliant. Everyone loves the flower effect in combination with the extra control options at the back, and there’s been no negative feedback on how it looks. The key is that we have just the one single pixel in the middle of the fixture that has a special optical element that rotates, which can create a nice beam in the air. In combination with the other pixels around you can achieve a really impressive effect that is basically two layers. This is what the customers have loved the most. There are already 40 Spiiders out on the current Placebo tour, as specified by tour LD, Jvan Morandi. They were bought especially for the tour by UK rental company Colour Sound Experiment, who were the first in the country to purchase the Spiider. A similar amount can also be seen on The X Factor UK at the moment. I’m just looking forward to seeing it in the flesh on a real show! TPi www.robe.cz
get enough feedback from our customers. Everything is based on the requirements of the market - it’s then up to R&D to try and find the solution and push the technology to its limits to deliver as much as possible. One of Robe’s owners, Josef Valchar, is very strict when it comes to this and was the visionary in this case. He spends so much time with people in the industry and is one of the major authorities in our R&D department. He suggests changes, which then results in my colleagues and I travelling around the globe for product demos and opportunities to get hands-on with other prototypes. This is the best way to find out what is possible and allows us to tweak the units accordingly. With the Spiider, we realised that developing the unit is one thing, but controlling it is another. The fixture was well-received in the market but we were struggling to control all of the effects efficiently. We spoke with many LDs who suggested that we change the DMX footprint to make it easier. We did, and that difficulty was averted because we listened and adapted our design. 89
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Above: David March, VER UK; Matt Frazier, LOUD Technologies; Michael ‘Mickey’ Curbishley, TAIT; Nick Tetlow, Tech LED; Complete AVL Solutions and GLP.
Bangkok-based Complete AVL Solutions, premium provider of audio, video and lighting technology, has taken on exclusive distribution of GLP products in Thailand. “Complete AVL Solutions had been looking for an internationally recognised brand with a strong history that is frequently seen on international riders,” said David Toh, Manager of Complete AVL Solutions. “GLP fulfilled all these criteria and for us it was an easy decision after we had made contact, and found out that the company was looking for a distributor in Thailand.” Currently operating with eight personnel, Complete AVL Solutions are now planning expansion since all the products they represent are performing well in the Thai market. “GLP has a very strong range of products, which are aiming for the professional market, so the rental companies, theatres and the TV studios will be very important for us,” he continued. The entire GLP product range will be available from Complete AVL Solutions with immediate effect. UK-based supply and design company for LED lighting equipment and UK distributor for Acclaim Lighting, Tech LED, has moved to Production Park. The company joins existing customers Perry Scenic Creative, Brilliant Stages and Litestructures, bringing it within reach for easy project collaboration. The move coincides Tech LED’s appointment of a new Sales Manager for
the Northern region, specialising in installation sales. Nick Tetlow, who has quickly secured successful projects, will maintain the buoyant installation side of Tech LED’s business, operating in the field. Tech LED’s Managing Director, Gordon Addison, stated: “I’m very pleased to introduce our new Sales Manager, Nick, especially at this very exciting time for Tech LED. The move to Production Park meets the expanding needs of the company whilst allowing us to maintain stability and consistency with customers.” VER has announced the expansion of its lighting division with the opening of a full-support lighting department in their London branch, which includes the appointment of David March its Head of Lighting for VER UK and sister company, UK broadcast lighting specialists Aurora, along with the engagement of Craig Hancock, Tim Massey, Ben Taylor and Joe Marter as Senior Lighting Project Managers. March’s appointment emphasises VER’s commitment to its wide range of clients and continual investment in expertise, equipment and leading edge innovation. With nearly 30 years of experience working with production lighting, March joins a highly-skilled team of technical and project management professionals at the London headquarters. VER UK’s lighting department will include a large prep space with a fulltrim grid as well as pre-visualisation suites to provide ‘digital rehearsals’ of lighting, video and scenic elements together; a new workflow VER have used on a number of productions. 90
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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Below: CODA Audio has appointed highly respected audio company Tommex as its exclusive distributor in Poland.
Speaking to his new key role, March said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to help build the lighting business of a world leader in equipment provision.” TAIT has announced Michael ‘Mickey’ Curbishley has joined its team as the Senior Vice President of Live Event. Curbishley joins TAIT with over 30 years of entertainment experience having most recently served as Global CEO of PRG Music. As SVP of Live Event, Curbishley will focus his efforts on driving impeccable customer service, generating new business, and continuing to grow TAIT’s position as a global market leader in live experience.
“I cannot think of a more imaginative, innovative and progressive group of people to join,” Curbishley commented. While TAIT continues to advance its technology and expand its capabilities into new markets, its entertainment roots remain at the forefront. The addition of Curbishley reinforces TAIT’s position as the premier, world market leader in live event. “Mickey has been my close friend and colleague in the industry for 30 years,” shared James ‘Winky’ Fairorth, CEO of TAIT. “It is truly an honor to finally have him on the same team. His vast reach of relationships, which he has curated throughout his career, will make this ‘party’ much more enjoyable. I
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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Above: Nicholas St. Hilaire from eclipse Venue Services; The Rewire team; Jotham Jackson and Lucy Jenkins of SSE Audio.
couldn’t be more excited about the future.” MA Lighting has appointed Total Solution as an exclusive distributor for Malaysia and Singapore. The Singapore-based company is one of the leading distributors for premium professional light, video and rigging products in Asia. Total Solution also started a regional service centre in 2005 to enhance its after-sales customer support. Riku Kauppinen, MA’s Director of Sales, commented on the cooperation: “Strategic partnership with Total Solution will bring MA Lighting even closer to users in the region.” LOUD Technologies has announced the appointment of Matt Frazier to the position of Director of Sales, APAC Region for the Mackie and Ampeg brands. Frazier joins LOUD after more than 20 years in the professional audio industry. In his new position, Frazier will work with distributors throughout the Asia Pacific region and support their efforts as they continue to expand the footprint of the Mackie and Ampeg brands. Frazier commented: “The Mackie and Ampeg brands in particular are legendary in so many ways. Every musician and recording engineer I know has spent countless hours making music with this gear, and it’s fantastic working for a company at the forefront of Pro Audio technology. I’m looking forward to supporting the events and activities of Mackie’s and Ampeg’s great partners in the region.” Nicholas St. Hilaire has joined eclipse Venue Services as the new Project Director with over 15 years’ experience in various aspects of the hospitality and events industries across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Based at the headquarters in Dubai Investment Park (DIP), Hilaire is responsible for the technical project direction and execution of all projects across all partnering properties. Previously, Hilaire has been a vital member of teams from renowned establishments such as The Starwood Group, Fairmont Hotel & Resorts, The Intercontinental Hotels Group, PSAV and most recently, PRG. “Nicholas has the ideal combination of hospitality, audio-visual and creative expertise, which make him a great asset to the team,” concluded Sacha Morazain, General Manager for eclipse Venue Services. SSE Audio Group has appointed two new Sales Executives to strengthen its sales capabilities in London and the Midlands: Lucy Jenkins based in London and Jotham Jackson working in its Redditch 92
HQ. Commenting on the new appointments Alex Penn said: “I’m delighted to welcome Lucy and Jotham to SSE Audio Group. They each have a wealth of knowledge and experience of the Pro Audio industry and will be tremendous assets to our sales team.” CODA Audio has appointed highly respected audio company Tommex as its exclusive distributor in Poland. The launch of CODA Audio’s gamechanging AiRAY system has had a major impact and international demand for all CODA Audio ranges is growing strongly. Marcin Zimny, Sales Director at Tommex is confident that Poland will offer opportunities aplenty: “We were actively seeking a partner to work with in the area of line-array PA and we wery impressed by the fantastic new patented technologies within the CODA Audio range.” Paul Ward, Sales and Marketing Director for CODA Audio, expressed great satisfaction: “Tommex is a very well established company with a track record of success built on a thorough understanding of the market. As a distributor offering comprehensive support services, it also has a level of technical understanding which its customers trust implicitly and we feel that CODA Audio products in Poland have been placed in very good hands.” Rewire, the newly formed Japanese audio distribution company has added Adamson S-Series loudspeakers to its inventory, bolstering its sound reinforcement support in the region. CEO and veteran of Japanese audio market Mack Miyamura explained: “Adamson products come highly recommended by western sound rental companies and we are looking forward to expanding their presence in Japan.” Rewire invested in a turnkey S-Series demo system powered by Adamson E-Racks loaded with Lab.gruppen PLM amplifiers. Packaging the S-Series with the E-Rack, guarantees an efficient system with rock-solid performance and reliability. Rewire will also utilize Adamson’s 3D simulation software, Blueprint AV, to assist in fine-tuning the design of a system as well as facilitate deployment of the rig. He added: “We are prepping to participate at the public shootouts at the INTERBEE Show in November and let people experience for themselves what Adamson has to offer.” TPi www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/
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PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
Discussing progress and future action: Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 Music; Laura Dyer, Arts Council England; Adam Sherwin, The Independent; Lord Tim Clement Jones CBE; Jo Dipple, UK Music; Mark Davyd, Music Venue Trust
SOWING THE SEEDS Music Venue Trust is a UK Registered Charity that exists to preserve, improve and protect UK grassroots music venues for the benefit of venues, communities and upcoming artists, formed in 2014, it gathered together people from venues and the wider live music industry to report on an impressive amount of progress coupled with some key announcements to move from immediate, emergency action for venues under threat to creating a thriving grassroots music scene. They gave us a run down of some of the initiatives.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM They have assembled an Emergency Response Team which includes the UK’s leading experts on licensing, acoustics, noise, legal and tenancy issues. Any music venue facing a threat from licensing, noise complaints, legal action or planning applications can now access this expertise simply by completing a form on the MVT website. They will have the UK’s best advice on the issue back to you within 72 hours. Wherever possible it will result in a letter dealing with the issue, or an objection to the application, or a complaint that’s rigorous, factual and correct. By doing it this way they can build up a casebook of how things were handled, making it easier to deal with similar issues in the future and spotting big issues as they emerge. Experience shows that a poor first response to a threat is often what leads to the eventual closure of a venue; not knowing where to turn, who to ask or not having the money for expertise. This new service removes that problem and ensures that the venue doesn’t feel it is alone in dealing with the issue. MVT are fundraising to keep experts on retainers
changes likely to come in sometime after July 2017. MVT’s part in these discussions has been largely focused on the minimum fee; a fixed fee of £38 any time PRS catalogue is performed. £38 may seem like an inconsequential amount, but across over 400 grassroots music venues in the UK, putting on over 80,000 shows per annum, minimum fee is removing hundreds of thousands of pounds every year from the venues on this circuit. MVT have been asking PRS for Music to take urgent action on minimum fee since March 2015, and it is now 18 months later. Minimum fee applied to these shows is resulting in over payment of royalties substantially above and beyond 3%; venues like Green Note in Camden (capacity 60) or Louisiana in Bristol (100 capacity), where 3% of the door takings almost never amounts to £38. On a show selling £200 of tickets, where 3% would produce a fee of £6, minimum fee is an effective rate of 19%. This is more than six times the amount being paid by large concert halls or festivals, amounting to an overcharge of £32. This money would not be due if PRS for Music applied an equitable rate of 3% across the board. Music Venue Trust believes strongly that writers deserve to be paid for the performance of their work. They are committed to ensuring that the venues we represent play a role in recognising that work and ensuring
PRS FOR MUSIC – END THE TARIFF LIVE PERFORMANCE MINIMUM FEE Discussions on the review of PRS fees for live performances are continuing. An industry wide agreement is expected to be announced shortly, with 94
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
those writers are adequately remunerated for it but we cannot wait another nine months for minimum fee to be removed. Put simply, Music Venue Trust believes that artists, writers and venues share common challenges. We believe that a thriving Grassroots Music Venues sector is vital to all our interests. As a matter of urgency, unilaterally ending the collection of minimum fee and replacing it with the collection of 3% would have significant impact. They are asking PRS members and all partner organisations across the industry to support this call to PRS. GRASSROOTS TICKETING A major partnership between Music Venue Trust, TicketWeb and .tickets, Grassroots Ticketing is a brand new ticket offer to Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs); a multi-faceted platform that delivers a radical overhaul to ticketing in the sector, a platform specifically designed to empower independent venues and promoters. The partners have worked together to create a new transparent ticket for customers that offers massive improvements to Grassroots Music Venue ticketing in four specific areas, with no extra cost to the customer: • Transparency to the customer – who is getting paid, what are they being paid for and why. • Support for the individual venue – in the theatre sector customers have been encouraged to invest directly into theatres through the Restoration Fund. We thought that this should apply to GMVs where customers have a close connection to their local venue. • Support for the national network of GMVs – as we start to make strategic inroads to support a national network of venues, we should start to do something that replicates that with a ticketing offer and that audiences know about it. This is based on the Chain with No Name concept. • Ensure artists and writers are paid for the performance of their work – enabling accurate calculation and payment of PRS fees.
“Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to play in venues of all different shapes and sizes, from tiny clubs to massive stadiums all over the world. Without the grassroots clubs, pubs and music venues my career could have been very different. I support Music Venue Trust because artists need places to start out, develop and work on their craft and small venues have been the cornerstone for this. If we don’t support live music at this level then the future of music in general is in danger.”
Grassroots Tickets is offered in Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Packages. Exclusive: The full package for venues. Join a national network of Grassroots Ticketing using this service exclusively for all ticket sales and receive substantially reduced booking fees, your own .tickets website and support, and complete management of PRS compliance. Non-exclusive: A significant number of improvements to ticketing for venues who wish to be part of the national network but want to continue to use multiple ticket retailers.
Paul McCartney
Music, Film & TV PRODUCTION
SOUND + VISION Sound + Vision is an audacious plan to stage a major intervention into the grassroots music sector across the next five years. MVT looked at examples from across Europe, especially the Netherlands and France, where government, the music industry and the cultural sector took direct action to support grassroots music venues with subsidies, investment and a long term strategic plan. Our grassroots music venues should have excellent sound, lighting, staging. They should be incredible places to play, where artists can learn to hone their skills, and incredible places to visit, where audiences know that they are going to enjoy the best sound, a great light show. MVT think someone needs to put forward a plan to achieve that outcome here in the UK, and it needs a bold target, and we need to rally behind it. They want to improve every aspect of the sound, light, access and promotion of at least 100 venues across the next five years, creating a truly world class touring network. Partnerships with suppliers have been formed, offering specially reduced packages on equipment so that whatever money goes in has the biggest impact. Key partners such as leading promotions and ticketing agencies in the UK, Ents 24, Jack Daniel’s, Ticketweb, who have all offered to support every venue taking part with direct show support, relaunching each venue as it is improved. Sound + Vision is a touring concept; MVT plans to create touring packages of great artists to relaunch these venues and to promote the improvements. MVT are calling on Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and others in the cultural sector and in the music industry to make this a special investment project. We already have our case study of how effective this could be: In response to the needs of artists, the Momentum was created, a fantastic fund to support new artists that’s already benefitted over 100 artists. A similar fund for venues could drastically improve the experience of every artist that passes through those venues. Support for this initiative has already been gained from Help Musicians UK. TPi www.psa.org.uk www.prsformusic.com
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COLIN KAVANAGH CEO, Philips Entertainment Lighting segments of entertainment lighting: automated luminaires, architectural, theatrical and live event, fixtures controls and dimming; data and distribution, and television fixtures. Our brand portfolio is in a very unique position of leveraging technology and commonality and being able to offer total solutions to the end customer. It is our strategy to grow each brand independently while also offering a total solution package to our customers. Not all of our customers are fully aware of the different brands and the depth of our portfolio, and we are addressing this through training, marketing, and consolidating our separate brand websites under one business website. Controls and Dimming; Data and Distribution, and TV Fixtures. Our brand portfolio is in a unique position of leveraging technology and commonality and being able to offer total solutions. It is our strategy to grow each brand independently while also offering a total solution package to our customers.
How did you get your start in the entertainment technology industry, and what has kept you within it to this day? “I had a summer job as a lighting designer and console operator for a hotel theatre and it turned out the job also included building the console and installing the lighting rig. It was certainly low tech compared to today’s standards. Later, I moved to Silicon Valley and entered the world of technology. The entertainment side came many years later in the form of a small startup called Element Labs. In reality, my background is more in business development, technology application, product development and customer service which, over the years, has served me well in this industry.”
During your time at Philips you’ve held several different roles. What opportunities does your latest post as Head of Entertainment Lighting bring? “On one hand, I have a passionate and capable team that possess incredible industry knowledge supported by four signature global brands. On the other hand, we are part of Philips Lighting, a global leader in Lighting Products, which boasted 2015 sales of EUR 7.5 billion, with approximately 36,000 employees in over 70 countries. The opportunity is leveraging this amazing resource and innovation powerhouse to deliver value to our customers and grow the Entertainment business to the number one spot. In my past role I was fortunate enough to have worked across all businesses, which has granted me deep insight into the capability and available resources.”
What has been the most significant evolution in the pro lightning sector over the last five years? “The improved efficiency of LEDs delivering instant on / off, silent dimming and colour changing, as well as the IoT, connected lighting. Also, Pixel Mapping and Magic Sheet technology have really come into their own. These are all areas where Philips Lighting holds the No.1 spot. My preference is for the LDs not to be constrained by their knowledge of technology, but instead, use their amazing creativity and imagination to deliver an incredible experience. My job, our job, is to use technology to enable your imagination. Our challenge is to hide the technological complexity and provide LDs with powerful yet easy to use tools. In all, the most significant evolution is that lighting went beyond illumination to become a creativity tool.”
You’ve just returned from LDI 2016. Can you share your insights? “Firstly, I must thank my team - they did an incredible job! I wanted to make a bold statement at LDI that Philips Entertainment is committed to the industry. We had team members from all over the world at the show and some very interactive discussions. All the feedback was extremely positive. One of my first decisions was to have a private showing of our latest technology. This completely exceeded my expectations, every show was at maximum capacity with requests for more. I also had the opportunity to meet with many customers and really appreciated their feedback and offers of support. The energy at LDI was electrifying, I really enjoyed the event.”
From your native Ireland to Philips’ Netherlands HQ, to your current base in Texas, how are you hoping to further the brand worldwide? We have four distinct brands within our portfolio, which are Showline, Selecon, Strand, and Vari-Lite, our most well-known brand. The brands are tailored to different 98
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