Archive for December, 2011

London, UK based creative lighting and event design practice Renegade designed all the technical production and co-ordinated equipment supply – including lighting, video and visuals, set and scenic elements plus sound – for the high profile SHINE 2011 Benefit Dinner.

This was staged at Old Billingsgate Market, one of London’s premium event venues. The evening featured a gala dinner for 500 guests, complete with charity auction, rounded off by an amazing performance by 1970’s African/American disco/rhythm/R&B superstars Chic – headed by guitarist Nile Rogers (also a highly acclaimed music producer). They romped through their greatest hits including ‘Le Freak’, ‘Good Times’ and other anthems with great panache!
The event raised money for the charity, which supports additional educational initiatives encouraging children and young people to raise their achievement levels.
Renegade has worked closely with SHINE for the last 8 years, producing all their live events. Each year for this special event, Renegade’s Nick Gray comes up with a fresh and inventive visual theme for the evening.
The 2011 SHINE Benefit Dinner was project managed for Renegade by Mike Fidler working with Nick Gray and Andy Cobb from Sculptivate who collaborated with Gray on the overall concept and co-ordinated the set and stage build.
The venue was divided into a two room format. Gray’s lighting design for the dinner section on the west side, created a cozy and intimate feel within the proto industrial chic of the space. Renegade brought in drapes specialists Blackout to clad the walls, but leaving the impressive arches running down the sides of the room exposed and ripe for architectural highlighting.
To ensure the dinner setting had a real vibe and atmosphere, Gray suspended five pre-wired vintage lightbulbs – of varying large sizes and wattages – over each table, all with striking filaments, distinctive copper fabric cables and individual control. This brought a really magical illuminative touch to the room.
A 6mm high resolution LED wall was built in the middle of the dining room to show constantly updated results of the progress of the auction.
Six trusses were installed above the dining room, rigged with VARI*LITE V*L2500 Wash and Martin Professional MAC 700 Profile moving lights, which were used to skim the walls, floor and tables. The room columns and arches were up-lit with battery powered wireless LED units.
The band stage room (on the east side) also doubled as the reception for when guests arrived – transformed from one to the other by the production team in lightening quick time as guests enjoyed their dinner.
Integral to Gray’s design were eight panels of white gauze hung above the stage, used for projection surfaces, fed with custom-created 1970’s disco-tasic visuals and animation material for the band – which went down a storm! The projections were fed – via a Catalyst media server – to two 20K machines positioned on balcony level, supplied by XL Video.
A series of staggered drop bars from the trusses flown above the stage were positioned between the scrims, populated with 12 Martin MAC Auras, six Atomic strobes and 12 x 2-lite Moles attached to their ends, giving the stage a quirky look. Above, on the trusses themselves were V*L 2500 Spots and Clay Paky Alpha Wash 700 moving lights.
An audience truss was rigged down the length of the room, and hung with Martin MAC 2Ks and Clay Paky Halo fixtures above the dancefloor area.
The two long corner bars in the room each had a line of vintage bulbs hung above, on barrels suspended below the trussing,and the room pillars were again picked out by LED up-lighters which were supplied by Shok London.
All the stage lighting was supplied by White Light and operated by Trent O’Connor using a grandMA light and a Chamsys MagicQ consoles. Renegade crew chief Chris Fyfe co-ordinated the 7 lighting crew over two days of get in and rehearsals.
Audio was supplied by Andrew Frengley of Matrix 9, and Blackout also supplied and did all the rigging.
The challenges, relates Gray, were making the space warm and comfortable for the dinner – in a supper club style – and also the tight get in schedule as all the production was brought in specifically for the occasion. He comments, “It was a real pleasure to work on this event again. We had a great team that worked fabulously together on all the creative and production elements, with SHINE putting a lot of trust in us to deliver a top class memorable event that was a hugely successful fundraiser”.

For more press information on Renegade, please call Louise Stickland on +44 7831 329888 or +44 1865 202679 or EMail : louise@loosplat.com. To contact Renegade direct, please call Nick Gray on +44 7795 095427 or check www.renegadedesign.co.uk.

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Ross Ashton and The Projection Studio’s ground-breaking “Crown of Light” projected artwork on Durham Cathedral in the UK – created for the 2009 Lumière – is back by popular demand for this year’s 4 day festival of light event, which is curated and produced by Artichoke for Durham City Council.

Lumière 2011 featured the work of dozens of artists, lighting designers and community groups in 35 installations, bringing a “sparkle of magic” to the beautiful medieval city.
Says Ashton, “It’s a real testament to the piece and very flattering to be asked back with the same show. It’s also extremely rare for the same creation to be requested again in its entirety, offering those who enjoyed the experience the first time around the chance to do so again, a new audience the opportunity to see it for the first time plus real value for the producers”.
“Crown of Light” covered the entire North fascia of the Cathedral including all sides of the three towers, and was the festival’s largest installation.
Durham Cathedral dates back to 1093 and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the country. It is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle which faces it across Palace Green.
Ashton created the projection show’s storyboard after an initial brief from Artichoke’s Helen Marriage and Nicky Webb. He took ideas related to its narrative and direction and then added and developed his own input.
The story captured the history of the Cathedral including the Lindisfarne Gospels, noted for their amazing accompanying imagery and spectacular Celtic calligraphy. These were originated by the Lindisfarne Monks and stored in Durham Cathedral for many years, along with the bones of St Cuthbert which still reside there. Ashton’s show also explored the building as an architectural space and its relationship with and historical significance to the City.
Ashton and Paul Chatfield evolved the PIGI projection images in collaboration with musical director Robert Ziegler, who compiled a soundscape for the 16 minute show. Ashton sourced images from the British Library and also conducted a photo shoot at the Cathedral to record all the architectural and structural elements he wanted to incorporate into the show.
The projection system comprised 7 x PIGI 6KW machines with double rotating scrollers, positioned at various distances around the Cathedral – the longest throw distance was 150 metres and the shortest just 20 metres. This was carefully calculated to eliminate any shadowing from the plethora of trees dotted around the Cathedral Gardens – and was also a primary creative and technical challenge of the project.
The seven projectors – supplied by White Light – were in six different locations, fitted with five different types of lens, ranging from a 10cm wide angle lens to an 85 cm long throw lens. Images from each individual machine enveloped a separate zone of the Cathedral’s architecture in colorful, bold, detailed imagery.
The PIGI film scrolls were about 15 metres in length, for which the PIGI artwork assembled and pre-corrected for perspective and keystoning in Photoshop.
The show was programmed into E/T/C’s PC-based OnlyCue controller and operated by Karen Monid. It featured some fabulously smooth movement dissolves, transitions and other subtleties for which the OnlyCue / PIGI combination is renowned. Monid is also an expert in optimising this control system.
Projection Studio’s Steve Larkins dealt with all the project logistics, with Cy Doddimead and Michael Barry tech’ing the projectors, which were all housed in custom weatherized hides for the duration.
This show ran eight times each night and proved another massive success, helping to draw over 100,000 into the city to enjoy this and all the other works.

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.

Pro64 Firmware Update Version 4.35 and Network Manager Version 2.1 Now Available

WEST CHESTER, PA, DECEMBER 2, 2011—-Aviom’s Pro64® Firmware version 4.35 and Pro64 Network Manager™ version 2.1 are now available for download. more

SHELTON, CT – Whenever cinematographer James Mathers needs reliable and durable power solutions to bring his wide range of film projects to life, he is confident he does not need to shop around. Anton/Bauer, a brand of The Vitec Group, and a premier global provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, has been Mathers’ go-to source for more than three decades. The veteran cinematographer is known for his work on indie features such as The Chicago Eight, starring Gary Cole, Danny Masterson, and Orlando Jones, Montana Amazon, starring Olympia Dukakis and Haley Joel Osment, and the upcoming thriller Brake, starring Stephen Dorff. Also known for his work on the documentaries The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Mathers serves as the president of The Digital Cinema Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the industry’s informed integration of new technology.

“Anton/Bauer stands alone when it comes to maximum battery performance, superior reliability and versatility,” says Mathers. “Whether shooting with digital cinema cameras from RED, ARRI, Panasonic or Sony, Anton/Bauer has continuously provided me with dependable, trouble-free power.” Throughout his career, Mathers has worked on a wide variety of film and television projects, each necessitating a different type of camera. One constant, he says, has been Anton/Bauer. “I’ve relied upon the brand to provide me with one power solution that can be used for many different types of equipment, from cameras to lighting instruments, on a variety of projects. This versatility is crucial in motion picture production and especially important to the owner/operator who can get a faster return on investment by sharing a single power product.”

Mathers typically uses RED One, Epic or ARRI ALEXA cameras with Anton/Bauer HyTRON 140 batteries, as well as the high-power DIONIC 90, which is helpful when camera rigs need to be lighter. Additionally, Mathers has been impressed with the Anton/Bauer signature Gold Mount system, which ensures that a camera is securely locked to a battery despite any rough and tumble the camera might endure while filming. Providing power requirements ranging from 7.2V to 28V, the Anton/Bauer Gold Mount system is the most widely used battery mounting system by professionals in the industry. Due to Anton/Bauer’s strong relationships with key camera manufacturers, the Gold Mount is available as factory standard equipment on many models, including ARRI, Thomson, Hitachi, Ikegami, JVC, Panasonic, and RED.

Anton/Bauer designed the DIONIC 90 lithium ion battery to deliver consistently reliable performance even in the most challenging shooting environments on Earth. The DIONIC 90 offers a RealTime display that continually updates the operator on how much run-time remains and on the state of the current charge. It weighs only 1.7 pounds and can be transported without restriction under the IATA and DOT safety regulations (http://www.antonbauer.com/Support/TransportationInformation). The 91WH battery can handle a maximum of 6 amps, and offers run-times ranging from six hours at 15 watts to 1.75 hours at 50 watts.

The HyTRON 140 is a 140 Wh NiMH battery, designed for the power demands of today’s HD gear and on-camera lighting systems. Offering excellent counterbalance for lens weight, it is ideal for a high-current draw and can be used with portable HMI lights.

“Anton/Bauer has facilitated the production of my projects enormously over the years. Another great example is the status tool the batteries come equipped with, such as the side, on-battery fuel gauge meter known as the RealTime Display. This feature lets the user know how much time he or she has left. It’s been very helpful in situations over the years when a camera hasn’t been able to electronically convey battery status,” says Mathers.

“The ability to see the battery status on the camera itself is a huge asset,” he adds. Anton/Bauer is the only battery manufacturer authorized by RED for communication with the RED ONE using the QR-RED Gold Mount. The battery’s remaining run-time is displayed directly in the camera’s LCD via Anton/Bauer’s proprietary InterActive Viewfinder Fuel Gauge.

“Anton/Bauer has strived to develop collaborative relationships with manufacturers to offer the finest battery to camera communication to digital cinema pros,” says Paul Dudeck, vice president of sales, Anton/Bauer. “Other battery manufacturers are not able to offer the same advanced capabilities and synergy between the products as Anton/Bauer. That’s because top camera companies trust the quality and dependability associated with the Anton/Bauer brand.”

The Anton/Bauer customer support team is also held in high regard by Mathers, who cites its high level of efficiency. An example he draws upon is the team’s top-notch assistance over the phone, including step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade equipment.

“The customer support is stellar,” says Mathers. “Filming is a fast-paced, sometimes chaotic experience, so when a piece of equipment needs attention, either for repair or upgrading, I need the problem solved as quickly as possible so as not to hinder production. Anton/Bauer has come through again and again in this area. Anton/Bauer has been my go-to battery throughout my career, and will remain so for my upcoming projects.”

About Anton/Bauer
Anton/Bauer is recognized as the world’s innovator and a premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other key mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries. Based in the United States in Shelton, CT with offices in Europe and Asia, Anton/Bauer was established in 1970 and has expanded its product offerings to include many signature lines such as its leading Gold Mount system, InterActive chargers and Logic Series batteries such as the HyTRON 50, 100 and 140, and DIONIC 90, 160, HC and HCX. Their products are compatible with virtually every camera brand on the market today. Other Anton/Bauer high performance products include the Ultralight, ElipZ, ElightZ, CINE VCLX and CINE VCLX/2. Their superior-quality products have become an industry standard. For more information on Anton/Bauer, visit www.antonbauer.com.

A Snapshot of The Vitec Group
Vitec is an international Group principally serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military, aerospace and government (MAG) markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange with 2010 revenue of £309 million, Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers worldwide rely. Vitec is organized in three divisions: Imaging & Staging, Videocom and Services. Imaging & Staging designs, manufactures and distributes equipment and accessories for photography, video and events. Videocom designs and distributes systems and products used in broadcasting and live entertainment, film and video production and MAG. Services provides equipment rental, workflow design and technical support for camera, video, audio, fiber optic and wireless technology used by TV production teams and film crews. More information can be found at www.vitecgroup.com.

Kodak has expanded its online store for students and educators in the United States (www.kodak.com/go/shopmotionedu) who want to purchase motion picture film via the Internet. Kodak color and black-and-white camera negatives, as well as reversal films, are now available online in every format, at the 30 percent discount for the next generation and their mentors and institutions.

“Young filmmakers aspire to shoot on film, and today’s film schools understand the importance of teaching the art of filmmaking,” says Kodak’s Johanna Gravelle. “Film has been the capture medium of choice since the beginning of cinema. There is also a photographic discipline and understanding that forms the basic foundation of the craft when learning on film. By offering easy access to our wide range of stock choices, we hope the next generation of filmmakers will continue to express their creativity in new ways, and carry on the invaluable tradition of an art form.”

Since 2006, the Kodak Education Web site has been offering the educational filmmaking community online shopping capabilities for 16 mm and 8 mm products. Recently, Kodak’s 35 mm stocks were added to the store.

Visitors to the site can also find an array of tips and tools, filmmaking guides, and information about Kodak’s scholarships and competitions. The website also features links to workshops, news, and Kodak publications, which feature in-depth stories about the prolific professional community of film users, and how and why they choose film to tell their stories visually.

Additionally, students and educators can download several free Kodak apps for the iPad, iPhone and Android handheld devices. These mobile tools are designed to bring useful information to the fingertips of filmmakers regardless of where and when they are shooting.

“With the latest film technology in their cameras, filmmakers have the most advanced imaging science working for them to capture every gradation of light, darkness and color that they want to convey on the screen,” Gravelle adds.

Students and film school staff in the U.S. simply need to register for an account and use their institution’s email address to automatically receive the discount at checkout. Participating schools are listed on the site. Anyone whose establishment is not currently part of the program can easily submit a request to have their university or college added.

For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/education.

December 10 & 11th

Since 2008 3D Film Factory (3DFF) has successful taught more individuals how to prep, shoot and edit stereoscopic 3D than any other organization. Why‘ve we been so successful? Because we don’t just teach 3D – we shoot it too. Now for the first time – participants can get Certified in Stereoscopic Filmmaking.

We supply the cameras, 3D rigs (beam-splitter & side-by-side), 3D monitors, and all the gear. Many of our clients come from as far away as Europe, South America & Asia to attend the class.

For a complete workshop listing and information visit – http://www.3dfilmfactory.com

Nice Shoes is pleased to announce the addition of postproduction and advertising agency veteran Kristen Martini as their managing director. Martini brings a deep understanding of the relationship between production, project management and finance to Nice Shoes, along with knowledge of the challenges producers and creatives face daily.

“I’m thrilled that Kristen Martini has joined the team, as she will help us evolve our studio by constantly innovating and challenging the status quo,” noted Nice Shoes CEO Dominic Pandolfino. “I most admire her as an independent thinker, someone who is both personable and friendly, while inspiring those around her. I have known her since she was at Convergence and remember our first meeting, when she stated that the aim of her young company was, ‘to be like Nice Shoes.’”

A broad array of unique projects marks Martini’s nearly two decades in the industry: she led a team that created all content – clay- and model-building, stop-motion photography, illustration, edit, animation – for a Microsoft Business to Business in-house studio production; developed the workflow for Bloomberg’s “spot a day” campaign that conceptualized, animated and finished spots in less than 24 hours; executive produced all post work for Qwest Communications internally at PUSH, Draftfcb NY’s internal studio; and developed best practices internally and with vendors for Comcast while at Digitas.

Prior to joining Nice Shoes, Martini spent six years at advertising agencies managing a number of award winning teams, bringing her seven previous years as a producer/EP at post studios and five years as producer/business manager at advertising agencies together.

“I’ve admired Nice Shoes from their start,” Martini stated. “They are leaders and innovators when it comes to technology and that means anything is on the table; if you can dream it Nice Shoes can create it. Nice Shoes’ independent spirit, work ethic, and creative energy is at the core of all they do. I look forward to building on their stellar reputation for color and finishing while spreading the word about some of the newer offerings in visual effects, editorial, design, and interactive.”

Visit Nice Shoes

About Nice Shoes
NYC-based Nice Shoes is a full service, artist-driven design, animation, visual effects and color grading studio specializing in high-end commercials, web content, film, TV and music videos. Since its inception in 1996, the studio has prided itself on consistently reinvesting in its talent, technical backbone, and client experience to set the standard of excellence both creatively and technically. Key company principals include: CEO/Partner Dominic Pandolfino, Colorists/Partners Chris Ryan and Lez Rudge, VFX Artist/Partner Rich Schreck, MD Kristen Martini, CDs Brian Bowman and Aron Baxter, CIO Robert Keske, Senior Producer Pat Portela, and Brand Director Justin Pandolfino.

More info: TRUST 646 452 3388 (NY) 310 451 5153 (LA) trustcollective.com

Save 30% on all Zero-G sample library titles until December 31, 2011
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Mura reinvents video wall management by uniquely combining input/output functionality into one solution; shortlisted for Most InAVative Commercial Control Solution Award

Montreal, Canada, December 1, 2011 — Matrox Graphics announced today that Matrox Mura MPX Series video wall controller boards have been selected as a finalist for the Most InAVative Commercial Control Solution category in the 2012 Technology InAVation Awards. Mura is being recognized for reinventing video wall management by uniquely combining previously separate input and output functionalities into a single-board solution, radically simplifying the installation process for AV integrators and designers building high-performance video wall solutions. The six finalists will be open to a public vote until January 15, 2012, and the winner will be announced February 1st at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE).

Mura MPX Series is among a select group of leading industry AV innovators vying for the Most InAVative Commercial Control Solution Award, and if you’re interested in casting a vote, visit http://www.matrox.com/inAVation_awards_2012.

Mura is the new standard in video wall technology, with its revolutionary four-input/four-output design made to optimally manage peer-to-peer bandwidth in graphics-intensive, high-resolution applications. Based on PCI Express x16 Gen2 technology, Mura ensures Full HD performance for presentation platforms in corporate boardrooms and conference rooms, while multiple Mura boards can also be combined to build high-density, scalable video walls for digital signage, control room, and other mission-critical environments. Mura additionally offers the easy-to-use, free-to-download Matrox MuraControl for iPad app, which replicates a Mura-powered video wall on a given Apple iPad for the easy manipulation of input sources.

About Matrox Graphics Inc.
Matrox Graphics is a leading manufacturer of graphics solutions for professional markets. In-house design expertise, top-to-bottom manufacturing, and dedicated customer support make our solutions the premier choice in industries that require stable, high-reliability products. Founded in 1976, Matrox is a privately held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with representation and offices in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

For more information, visit www.matrox.com/graphics or contact Matrox Graphics directly at graphics@matrox.com.

Mura, MuraControl and Mura MPX are trademarks of Matrox Graphics Inc.
Apple, App Store and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc.

Christie®, a global visual technologies company, has been recognized by KMI Media Group’s Military Technology & Training (MT2) magazine as a top simulation and training company for the fourth consecutive year, for its industry advancement, innovation and impact on the military training industry across the spectrum of technologies and services. MT2’s Top Simulation & Training Companies publication recognizes annually, through an impartial group of subject matter experts, companies that significantly contribute to the training community with their products and services.
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Christie received the Blue Ribbon for Innovation award for its work with government and industry partners in mating the Canadian government’s Hercules Observer Trainer (HOT) CC130 J-model transport aircraft crew station mock-up with a hemispheric screen, and blending the output of two dual-input Christie Matrix StIM™ projectors, to provide a high resolution and wide field of view from the aircraft. The HOT depicts missiles and gunfire as seen from a CC130-J aircraft, training students to recognize, report, and respond in their manoeuvring aircraft. Employing their headset and countermeasure dispenser, students train day and night missions, stimulating their NVGs with the Matrix StIMs™. Results of data showed that with the HOT, trainees made 79 percent fewer errors and reduced their response time by 11 percent.
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“We are honored that the MT2 panel selected Christie as a top simulation and training company again this year,” said Zoran Veselic, vice president, Visual Environments, Christie.
“ Our technology is used in high-performance simulation environments all over the world, and with the Christie Matrix StIM claiming many industry firsts in simulation training, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation and solutions.”
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The Christie Matrix StIM addresses all the key requirements of the simulation industry in one compact, customer-driven design. The Christie Matrix StIM enables a new level of training by utilizing both visible light and IR. Through InfraRGB™ illumination (RGB and IR LEDs) and Christie InfraScene™, the unique capability of processing and displaying infrared content, true-to-life NVG stimulation is achieved for realistic and relevant training for difficult conditions of limited visibility and night time operations. With no consumables, the Christie Matrix StIM features extraordinarily long life, image quality and ease of service. Very low power consumption directly translates to lower operating heat, less cooling requirements and savings in electricity for a dramatic reduction in sustainment costs.