Archive for December 21st, 2011

Thinkbox Software has released new versions of its cross-platform render farm management and high-volume particle rendering, manipulation and management solutions. Deadline 5.1 and Krakatoa MX 2.0 are now available as no-cost upgrades to current customers.

Deadline 5.1
Deadline’s hassle-free administration and rendering toolkit offers management options for render farms of all sizes, and the flexibility to run the software on a range of platforms and rendering packages. Version 5.1 delivers significant performance improvements and new features including:
* Shotgun production management integration – For a seamless render and review data flow
* Native Python support – Native installation of Python 2.6 is bundled with Deadline; Python.NET integration allows Deadline to run native Python scripts and load CPython modules
* New Thinkbox license server with built in auto-configuration
* Multiple slaves on one machine – Launch/configure a number of slaves on a single machine
* Database statistics – Users can now store Deadline stats in an existing Postgres database

Krakatoa MX 2.0
Krakatoa MX provides an efficient pipeline for particle acquisition, caching, modifying, deforming, shading and rendering inside Autodesk 3ds Max; enabling artists to recreate natural phenomena and solid objects or deliver abstract images in unparalleled detail. New features in V2.0 include:
* Hair rendering support – Conversion of 3ds Max Hair&Fur, Hair Farm and regular Bezier splines into particles
* New atmospheric effect – Allows the direct integration of voxel rendering in any renderer that supports native 3ds Max atmospherics
* Chaos Group Phoenix FD particles rendering support
* Faster, more powerful Magma system – Thinkbox has completely re-factored Magma for V2.0
* PRT Creator fractal designs generation – Combined with Magma, this new object generates complex particle distributions and animations procedurally

Deadline 5.1 is available as a no-cost software update to Deadline customers on active support contracts. Deadline software is priced per slave at an MSRP of $185. Krakatoa MX 2.0 is available as a no-cost upgrade to Krakatoa customers on active support contracts. 

About Thinkbox Software
Thinkbox Software provides creative solutions for visual artists in entertainment, engineering and design. Developer of high-volume particle renderer Krakatoa, render farm management software Deadline and Frost particle mesher, the team of Thinkbox Software solves difficult production problems with intuitive, well-designed solutions and remarkable support. The artist-driven company creates tools that help artists manage their jobs and empower them to create worlds and imagine new realities. Thinkbox was founded in 2010 by Chris Bond. http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com

— Company caps year of strong growth as it opens its tenth store in 2011 —

— Guitar Center’s new Ridge Hill location features on-site guitar repair services —

Westlake Village, CA (December 20, 2011) – On December 15, 2011, Guitar Center opened its newest retail location, Guitar Center Ridge Hill, at 214 Market Street, Yonkers, New York. The store’s opening caps off a strong year of growth for the nation’s largest instrument retailer, as the Yonkers location is its 10th new store opened this year and its 224th store overall. The Ridge Hill store brings vast product selection, along with the unparalleled knowledge and experience of its dedicated staff, to the Yonkers area. To celebrate the opening, Guitar Center hosted a Grand Opening Weekend featuring exclusive savings, gear giveaways and free events tailored to local musicians.

Gene Joly, Guitar Center Executive VP of Stores, stated, “The New York City Metro area is one of the most important music markets we serve. With the addition of our Yonkers location, musicians from Westchester County and beyond will now have easier access to Guitar Center’s vast assortment of new and used gear at great prices. Like all previous locations we’ve opened in 2011, GC Ridge Hill reflects a number of new design and merchandising principles including a more open layout that makes categories such as live sound, recording and keyboards more accessible to our customers.”

GC’s Ridge Hill location features well-equipped showrooms with the latest products for the musician, from guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ, lighting and recording equipment. In addition to special Grand Opening Weekend programming, early shoppers also enjoyed exclusive savings throughout opening weekend with deals that included guitar and drum essentials at significant discounts.

The store also features GC Garage, offering on-site guitar repair services. Throughout the opening month, musicians can test drive the GC Garage, with a free restring or 50% off their first setup on any stringed instrument (strings and parts not included).

Building on their ongoing initiatives designed to educate and inspire artists nationwide, Guitar Center Ridge Hill offers unique opportunities for musicians to craft their skills, maintain their instruments and experience many aspects of the music industry first-hand. Musicians interested in learning about all aspects of the industry were able to interact with and pick the brains of several industry leaders. Aspiring musicians attended a clinic hosted by Guitar Hero’s Marcus Henderson on Friday, December 16, a “Music Production 101” session with Pro Tools creators Avid on Saturday, December 17, and session and performance by A Perfect Circle/Devo/Puscifer drummer Jeff Friedl on Sunday, December 18.

Ridge Hill shoppers are able to enjoy Guitar Center’s new multi-channel “endless aisle,” with multiple combinations of shopping options to conveniently choose from not only the Ridge Hill inventory, but also the over $400 million in gear Guitar Center has to offer nationwide. Consumers can combine a myriad number of in-store, online and phone options to purchase music equipment from anywhere, allowing for a completely personalized and endlessly convenient shopping experience for every customer.

In addition to special programs at the store, each year Guitar Center offers nationwide programs designed to spearhead creativity and highlight the nation’s most promising undiscovered talent. Yonkers area residents will now be able to participate in these ongoing national events from their hometown:

• Your Next Record gives artists a chance to record with some of the top recording artists in the country, including legendary guitarist Slash, country superstar Keith Urban, and rock icon Travis Barker.

• Guitar Center On-Stage gives undiscovered bands the opportunity to compete against their peers for a chance to share a stage with their idols. The most recent On-Stage competition featured Jane’s Addiction, for more info go to http://gc.guitarcenter.com/onstage/.

• Guitar Center’s Drum-Off and King of the Blues are national competitions that highlight local talent from across the country, giving them widespread exposure and the chance to win incredible prize packages.

Guitar Center Ridge Hill is open seven days a week. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

— Company opens its ninth store in 2011 with special savings and events —

— Guitar Center’s new Block at Orange location features on-site lessons and guitar repair services —

Westlake Village, CA (December 6, 2011) – On December 1, 2011, Guitar Center opened its newest retail location, at 20 City Boulevard West, Orange, California. The store’s opening brings vast product selection, along with the unparalleled knowledge and experience of its dedicated staff, to the Orange area. Guitar Center Block at Orange also features Guitar Center Studios, an embedded lesson and rehearsal facility. To celebrate the opening, Guitar Center hosted a Grand Opening Weekend featuring exclusive savings, gear giveaways and free events tailored to local musicians.

Guitar Center’s latest location features fully stocked showrooms with the latest products for the musician, from guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ, lighting and recording equipment. In addition to special Grand Opening Weekend programming, early shoppers also enjoyed exclusive savings throughout opening weekend with deals that included guitar and drum essentials at significant discounts.

Guitar Center’s Block at Orange location offers much more than simply the biggest selection at the best prices. The store includes Guitar Center Studios, an in-house, state-of-the-art lesson facility, which creates unrivaled opportunities for Anaheim-area musicians of all ages and skill levels. Guitar Center Studios provides music lessons from beginner to advanced featuring certified instructors providing world-class curriculum, as well as one-on-one Pro Tools, Logic Pro and GarageBand courses. Guitar Center Studios is the most modern and affordable lessons facility in the area.

The store also features GC Garage, offering on-site guitar repair services. Throughout December, musicians can test drive the GC Garage, with a free restring or 50 percent off their first setup on any stringed instrument (strings and parts not included).

Building on their ongoing initiatives designed to educate and inspire artists nationwide, Guitar Center Block at Orange will offer unique opportunities for musicians to craft their skills, maintain their instruments and experience many aspects of the music industry first hand. During opening weekend, musicians interested in learning about all aspects of the industry were able to interact with and pick the brains of several industry leaders. Aspiring musicians attended a clinic hosted by Guitar Hero’s Marcus Henderson on Friday, December 2, a “Music Production 101” session with Avid, makers of Pro Tools, on Saturday, December 3, and a session and performance by A Perfect Circle/Devo/Puscifer drummer Jeff Friedl on Sunday, December 4.

Block at Orange shoppers are able to enjoy Guitar Center’s new multi-channel “endless aisle,” with multiple combinations of shopping options, to conveniently choose from not only the Block at Orange inventory, but also the over $400 million in gear Guitar Center has to offer nationwide. Consumers can combine a myriad number of in-store, online and phone options to purchase music equipment from anywhere, allowing for a completely personalized and endlessly convenient shopping experience for every customer.

In addition to special programs at the store, each year Guitar Center offers nationwide programs designed to spearhead creativity and highlight the nation’s most promising undiscovered talent. Orange area residents will now be able to participate in these ongoing national events from their hometown:

• Your Next Record gives artists a chance to record with some of the top recording artists in the country, including legendary guitarist Slash, country superstar Keith Urban, and rock icon Travis Barker.

• Guitar Center On-Stage gives undiscovered bands the opportunity to compete with their peers for a chance to share a stage with their idols. The most recent On-Stage competition featured Jane’s Addiction. For more info go to http://gc.guitarcenter.com/onstage/.

• Guitar Center’s Drum-Off and King of the Blues are national competitions that highlight local talent from across the country, giving them widespread exposure and the chance to win incredible prize packages.

Guitar Center Block at Orange is open seven days a week. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Cortez Brothers Director Fernando Arrioja recently helmed a CG-driven spot, “Cold Practice,” for Coors Light via ad agency Bromley.

Created for the Spanish-speaking market, the spot opens on a young man enjoying a soccer game at a local bar. Upon learning that Coors Lights is the official beer sponsor of Mexico’s Primera División, the elite level of Mexican Fútbol, he is transported into the fantastical corners of his mind as he imagines Club America Coach Carlos Reinoso barking out drills at the players, such as Matías Vuoso, as they train vigorously in the snowy conditions of the Rockies.

To view “Cold Practice,” please go to: http://bit.ly/ublbXM

“This project was filled with obstacles and challenges, but luckily for us, we had Fernando Arrioja,” says Henry Botello, Bromley Senior Broadcast Producer. “He had solutions, improvements, and ideas that took our vision of this commercial to the next level. Fernando’s creativity speaks for itself, with an amazing eye for framing. He directs talent to a point of comfort that gets the best possible deliveries from them. But best of all, Fernando is a well-grounded director, with the kind of personality that makes you feel like a longtime friend.”

Since scheduling issues prevented Arrioja from shooting the soccer players and coach on location in the Rocky Mountains, he worked closely with the agency creatives to determine what elements were needed to recreate an extreme soccer camp in the snow. Background plates of the Rockies, snow and mountain views were shot in Vail, Colorado. These were later incorporated into the final footage with the soccer players, who were shot in a studio in Mexico City with salt instead of snow.

“This was a fun spot,” concludes Arrioja. “The team at Bromley and I were on the same wavelength, and our close collaboration was crucial to this project’s success. They gave me a lot of flexibility as to how far we could push the concept. It would’ve been great to actually shoot the players in the Rockies, but we found a way to recreate their vigorous practice in the studio against greenscreen. Typically, you’d shoot the greenscreen components before the background plates, but this time, we did it the other way around. It was important that we matched the right plates with the right angles. The challenge was making the snowy training conditions look as real and believable as possible.”

Client: Coors

Spot Title: “Cold Practice”

Ad Agency: Bromley / San Antonio, Texas
Creative Director: Ron Landreth
Associate Creative Director: Dario Campos
Executive Producer: Irene Monzon
Sr. Broadcast Producer: Henry Botello
Copywriter: Jon Erick Jaimes

Production Company: Cortez Brothers / Marina del Rey, CA
Director: Fernando Arrioja
DP: Alejandro Martinez
Executive Producers: Marcos Cline Marquez & Ed Rivero
Production Supervisor: Asori Soto

Where shot: Vail, Colorado & Mexico City, Mexico

VFX Company: La Posta / Buenos Aires, Argentina
Animation Supervisor: Pablo Tufaro
VFX Supervisor: Edi Walger

About The Cortez Brothers:
A Los Angeles-based global production company specializing in offshore shooting, The Cortez Brothers has become a lightning rod for the worlds of entertainment and advertising, melding Hispanic/Latino culture and mainstream American sensibilities.

Founded in 2006, it brings bilingual, international talent under one roof, combining the forces of directors, writers and producers who are equally at home speaking English or Spanish. The Cortez Brothers produces a wide range of projects from feature films and television series to webisodes and commercials.

Recent clients include AT&T, Chevy, Coca-Cola, Dodge, Ford, Home Depot, McDonald’s, Pontiac, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Verizon and Allstate. The Cortez Brothers is one of the only woman- and minority-owned production companies in the entire US.

www.cortezbrothers.com

Projection artist Ross Ashton of London, UK based The Projection Studio was invited back to Caerphilly Castle in Wales – by popular demand – to recreate his fabulous “Illuminata” digital art son et Lumière.

The commission – for which Ashton also designed the large format projection system used to bring the work to life – was from Cadw – the Welsh Assembly Government division responsible for preserving and promoting the history and heritage of Wales.
The 2010 event was the first time that an entertainment spectacle of this genre had been commissioned for a Cadw historical monument, and proved such a massive success that they decided to repeat the experience for three evenings this year.
Ashton’s 20 minute work depicted the history and stories of the castle, accompanied by a special audio track produced by sound artist Karen Monid.
Working at Caerphilly Castle again was a “Fantastic” experience enthused Ashton, who has produced detailed and very specific works for many landmark building and site specific locations worldwide. Caerphilly is the largest castle in Wales (and only second to Windsor in the UK) and complete with formidable water defences, one of the largest fortresses in Europe, dating back to 1267.
The projection work was projected onto two buildings in the Inner Ward of the Castle – the rear of the Gatehouse, and the Main Hall, at 90 degrees to its right. The images measured approximately 30 metres wide onto both surfaces and the three Christie HD18 projectors were positioned 50 metres away. These were supplied by QED to the Projection Studio.
A double stacked pair rigged at the top of a scaffolding platform covered the Gatehouse, with the third single machine positioned at the end of a long balcony on the building opposite the Main Hall.
All the content – including some impressive PiP elements shaped and fitted millimetre-perfectly to the architecture of the buildings – was loaded onto 3 OnlyView servers, and programmed by Richard Porter & Karen Monid.
Ashton was engaged for the project by Marilyn Lewis, Director of Cadw. After receiving the original brief, he worked closely with Lewis and Cadw, a storyline was developed from which he chose specific elements that would look best with large video projections, whilst preserving the timeline and events chronology.
A major creative challenge was designing a show without a voice-over accompaniment. Welsh Assembly Government projects need to be fully bilingual; however a show without spoken word effectively removes the need for simultaneous translation. The narrative therefore had to be very strong within the visual material with a minimal amount of text and the atmospheric enhancement of the soundscape.
Original artwork for the show was produced by Ashton and his team of Paul Chatfield and Steve Larkins, together with some 3D animations by Richard Porter. Cadw provided archival material and also commissioned illustrator Mike Cooper (of 2000AD/Judge Dredd fame) to produce original works, which were drawn to the Projection Studio’s specification allowing them to be easily animated when the final show’s video content was edited and composited.
Karen Monid’s sound track was a fusion of sound effects and music, much of it specially written by her for the piece. Other parts were sourced from record labels Naxos and Boosey & Hawkes plus some original recordings, including some red kites, a local bird of prey.
Ashton comments, “This was a great opportunity to work in an amazing environment again, plus a massive honour to be asked back and enjoy the opportunity of bringing the location alive through an entertaining and fun mixed media experience”.
“Illuminata” is the second repeat show that Ashton and The Projection Studio has produced this autumn, following their extremely popular “Crown of Light” projected artwork on Durham Cathedral, which was invited back for the city’s 2011 Lumière event in October.

For more press info on The Projection Studio, please contact Louise Stickland on +44 (0)1865 202679/+44 (0)7831 329888 or Email louise@loosplat.com. To contact The Projection Studio direct, please call +44 20 8293 4270.

Crystal Vision will be exhibiting on Stand E56 at the UK’s broadcast exhibition, Broadcast Video Expo at Earl’s Court 2, London between 14th and 16th February 2012. The products being showcased on Stand E56 this year include a clean and intelligent 2 x 2 switch with a full framestore synchronizer on each input, an audio/video delay designed for correcting large lip-sync errors, a synchronizing up, down and cross converter that can perform two different conversions at the same time, enhancements on Crystal Vision’s very successful modular logo keyer and a new fiber optic transmitter for transporting sources over large distances.

Making its UK exhibition debut, the Safe Switch 3G is the only way to guarantee a clean switch. It provides clean and intelligent 2 x 2 switching between two 3Gb/s, HD or SD sources, with a full framestore synchronizer on each input allowing it to correct for any timing difference between the two inputs – resulting in no disruption to the output picture when a switch takes place. It can be switched manually or 16 different fault conditions can automatically trigger a switch, while loss of reference protection keeps the output valid at all times even on a loss of reference.

AVDELAY 3G is an audio/video delay designed for correcting large lip-sync errors by eye on incoming 3Gb/s, HD or SD signals. The audio and video delay are adjustable independently allowing the user to change the relative audio/video timing in either direction, with up to ten seconds of video delay available in SD, five seconds in HD and two seconds in 3Gb/s, along with ten seconds of AES audio delay. The video delay is adjustable in frames, while four delay controls can be assigned to the audio on a mono channel basis.

Up-Down-AS 3G is a synchronizing up/down/cross converter which takes all the project-winning features of the popular Up-Down-3G and adds signal timing functionality, meaning engineers can now synchronize sources timed to a different reference or correct any processing delays while up or down converting. Available in five versions to suit a variety of applications, Up-Down-AS 3G allows flexible up, down and cross conversions between 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources and provides an output picture quality that broadcasters standardize on. It also includes special features to allow studios to easily operate in HD and SD at the same time – with its ability to perform two different conversions simultaneously and give out co-timed dual outputs that remain unchanged in format, even if the input changes. To keep the output valid at all times Up-Down-AS 3G has two synchronizers downstream of the converter – one in the 3G/HD path and one in the SD path – which means that it gives a continuous clean output in the two desired formats even when the input standard changes.

BVE also sees further enhancements to Crystal Vision’s MultiLogo logo keyer, the most feature-packed, space-saving and easy-to-use modular solution to HD or SD station branding. The multi-layer logo keyer provides three layers of keying from a variety of internal and external sources including a non-volatile eight-port 8 GB video store with DRAM and Flash memory which can hold up to 500 still or animated logos. The new MultiLogo feature is the Preset Import/Export feature which allows the operator to easily copy settings from one board to another and is perfect for those systems involving multiple logo keyers. The Preset Import/Export feature is available via the MultiLogo Control Software, which is supplied free with the logo keyer. The engineer can now choose to import/export either all presets (up to 255 are available) or an individual one. Presets can also be deleted. If a board dies, the Preset Import/Export feature provides a quick way to put in a different board and make it look the same as the original in terms of operation. MultiLogo has already benefited from other new features this year, including the control of multiple logo keyers, text insertion functionality and an additional 16 GPIs for the recall of presets.

The FTX-L 3G will be making its debut at BVE 2012. It is the new fiber optic transmitter for transporting 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources over large distances which can be easily used in conjunction with any of Crystal Vision’s products. The FTX-L 3G includes two customer-requested input loop-throughs. These loop-throughs can be used to distribute the input video to equipment such as a picture monitor. Alternatively the loop-throughs can be used for system checking: if a signal path has a good input and a faulty output, the engineer can use the spare output to check each stage of the system without breaking any of the connections, and so work out which equipment or cable is broken. The FTX-L 3G is used with the RM55 frame rear module to access the inputs and outputs. Crystal Vision sold its highest level of fiber products in 2011 and they have been used in some of the biggest projects currently happening in the industry. All these products are available for shipping now.

Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK and with an office in the USA, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers, picture storage modules and a full range of interface equipment including converters, synchronizers, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.

www.crystalvision.tv

Now Blackmagic Design’s revolutionary new SSD based broadcast deck lets you record and playback industry standard 10 bit compressed video to native Avid DNxHD MXF format files!

Milpitas, CA – December 21, 2011 – Blackmagic Design today announced the immediate availability of HyperDeck Software Update 2.0 Public Beta, a new software update for its popular HyperDeck Studio that adds broadcast quality compressed 10 bit recording and playback to the Avid® DNxHD® format.

DNxHD is a broadcast industry standard for media files and adding native support for this compressed video format into HyperDeck Studio will allow dramatically longer recording times, lower media storage costs and full file format compatibility with Avid Media Composer® systems. All media is recorded in MXF format, so it’s available in Media Composer without any time consuming import processing.

HyperDeck Software Update 2.0 public beta is available now, and will allow customers to update their HyperDeck Studio free of charge simply by connecting to their Mac OS X or Windows computer via USB. The release of this software will allow customers to get the immediate benefit of this new compressed video mode, and to help check compatibility with various third party software products while the format certification process is underway.

HyperDeck Studio still includes support for perfect quality uncompressed 10 bit video, for the ultimate in high quality, mathematically perfect recording and playback. With this new software update, customers will now be able to choose between uncompressed or DNxHD formats any time they need, depending on the work they are doing. DNxHD recording allows dramatically longer record durations from the same size Solid State Disk (SSD), and even the smallest size 64 GB disk that has a record duration of 6 minutes uncompressed can record for more than 40 minutes when used with DNxHD compressed video. This reduces the cost of using SSDs to a little more than $2 per minute, which is much lower cost than other high end videotape formats, while customers have the added benefit that the SSD can be mounted on their computer desktop for editing direct from the SSD itself.

As HyperDeck Studio records direct to SSDs it offers incredibly fast read and write speeds, so they have the high bandwidth required for full SD or HD recording and playback in both uncompressed and DNxHD compressed video formats. SSDs have the advantage of being used in regular laptop and desktop computers, so are constantly increasing in size, while purchase prices have been dropping dramatically over the last few years. The result is the cost per minute of recording is lower than other broadcast formats, and decreasing more each day.

HyperDeck Studio is the perfect solution to replace aging broadcast decks due to its higher quality, direct file format compatibility with NLE software and easy to use broadcast deck features. HyperDeck Studio allows recording and playback from SDI and HDMI sources, and includes support for RS-422 deck control. Unlike broadcast decks, HyperDeck Studio can record forever because it includes dual SSD slots. This allows a new blank disk to be inserted while recording, and when the current recording disk is full, HyperDeck Studio will seamlessly continue to record across onto the new blank disk. Disks can be swapped constantly for continuous recording!

“This is a very exciting update because it allows much longer recording duration on customers disks, and DNxHD is one of the most common high end broadcast file formats, so quality is not compromised!” said Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. “Now customers get great 10 bit quality and in the MXF format that allows all files to be loaded into Avid Media Composer without any import processing. That’s the fastest and most efficient workflow possible, vitally important in fast moving broadcast stations.”

HyperDeck Studio Features
• Selectable record and playback to 10 bit uncompressed QuickTime or Avid DNxHD MXF media files.
• Uses high speed off the shelf Solid State Disks (SSDs) available from computer resellers at low cost.
• Includes dual SSD slots allowing disks to be changed while recording for unlimited record duration.
• 3 Gb/s SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, including SDI loop through and monitoring outputs.
• Familiar broadcast deck VTR design and functionality, including jog/shuttle wheel and RS-422 deck control.
• QuickTime and MXF file formats are compatible with Avid Media Composer and other editing applications.
• 1 rack unit design saves valuable rack space when mounting multiple units.

Availability and Price
HyperDeck Software Update 2.0 public beta with DNxHD recording and playback features is available now free of charge from the Blackmagic Design web site for all HyperDeck Studio users. Customers simply need to connect their Mac OS X or Windows computer via USB to upgrade their HyperDeck Studio after downloading and installing this update. HyperDeck Studio is available now from Blackmagic Design Resellers Worldwide for only $995.

Press Photography
Product photos of HyperDeck Studio are available at www.blackmagic-design.com/press/images.

About Avid
Avid creates the digital audio and video technology used to make the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world – from the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music recordings, television shows, live concert tours and news broadcasts, to music and movies made at home. Some of Avid’s most influential and pioneering solutions include Media Composer, Pro Tools®, Interplay®, ISIS®, VENUE, Sibelius®, System 5, and Avid Studio. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook; or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.

Avid, Avid DNxHD, Avid Studio, Interplay, ISIS, Media Composer, NewsCutter, Pro Tools, Symphony, and Sibelius are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. The Interplay name is used with the permission of the Interplay Entertainment Corp. which bears no responsibility for Avid products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, while the company’s DaVinci Emmy™ award winning color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagic-design.com.

Leading New Zealand lighting designer Ben Cooper utilised 24 Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWash moving light fixtures – amongst others – for the 2011 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards (VNZMAs), which honoured the very best of established and emerging talent spanning a diversity of genres.

The high profile event – produced by J and A Productions for the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) – was staged in the Vector Arena in Auckland. It is the largest and highest profile Awards show in the country. This 46th edition of the VNZMAs featured live performances from a host of stars including Brooke Fraser, The Naked and Famous, Ladi6, Six60, Tiki Taane and Avalanche City and legendary Kiwi band Supergroove. It was telecast live on national Channel FOUR.
Cooper was lighting it for the second year, bringing a fresh and innovative style to the visuality, with all the lighting equipment supplied by Auckland based rental company, Spot-Light Systems Limited.
Cooper is also the owner of Spot-Light Systems, which specialises in supplying international music tours and events and has a long history of involvement in the local music scene. The company has actually been involved with the lighting and/or design of the VNZMAs event for nearly two decades!
This year’s set, designed by Robin Rawstone, contained multiple video elements and LED screen surfaces, which were raised off the ground to allow artist entrances / exits and rolling risers to be pushed on and offstage at the back for quick changeovers. Cooper, Rawstone and production manager Peter Grumley worked closely to evolve a unique, interesting aesthetic for the fast paced show, and to ensure that all the lighting, set and digital scenic elements worked in harmony.
The LEDWashes were specifically positioned to provide back and ‘black hole’ fillers beneath the LED screens for certain camera shots.
The fixtures were configured in 37-channel mode with all the LEDs individually addressed, allowing the creation of lots of funky and kaleidoscopic patterns on the rings – one of the special features of Robe’s LEDWash series. This is brilliant for eye and camera candy effects.
The LEDWashes are a relatively new edition to Spot-Light’s rental stock. The first batch was purchased in May, and that was followed up by more just prior to the event, as they were pleased with the performance and scope of the units. The Robes were supplied by Robe’s very proactive Australia / New Zealand distributor, ULA.
Cooper had used LEDWashes only once before spec’ing them onto the NZMAs – which was in a completely different context –a charity gig in a hotel ballroom for front light. However, this was enough for him to realise the potential!
He jumped at the chance to used them on the Awards, “I like trying out new and exciting technology, so this was the perfect chance,” he explains, emphasising that lights positioned in the ‘back-of-camera’ are absolutely crucial, he needed fixtures with real power, punch and impact to fulfil the role … hence choosing the LEDWash 600s.
“They were awesome!!” he declares, “Extremely bright and delivered exactly what was required, plus the flexibility to run them in zones and programme so many different shapes and effects was amazing ”.
He adding that as a new product to Spot-Light’s inventory, they are all still at the start of their creative learning curves with the LEDWash 600, a process in which he and his staff are very much looking forward to engaging.
The LEDWashes and the rest of the lights for the 2011 VNZMAs were controlled via three Avolites Pearls running Expert Titan software running and the latest Touch Screen Wings, and the show was programmed and run by Cooper and Chris Browne.
Spot-Light’s LEDWashes are also out on two Coca Cola ‘Christmas In The Park’ shows, which will have a combined audience of approximately 250,000 and are shown on national TV during December.

For more press info. on Robe Lighting, please contact Louise Stickland on +44 (0)1865 202679/+44 (0)7831 329888 or Email ‘louise@loosplat.com’. For more product and general info, check www.robe.cz or call + 420 571 751 510.