Archive for January 11th, 2012

Los Angeles – January 11, 2012 — As the 2012 NAMM Winter Show approaches, musicians from all over the world are eagerly anticipating the most recent music gear developments and exciting equipment innovations. House Research Institute (HRI) [NAMM booth 1292, Hall E] will be on hand providing hearing screenings throughout the duration of the show, while offering advice on how to protect what is unequivocally musicians’ most valuable asset: their hearing.

House Research Institute – a leading non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss and related disorders – has outlined five simple ways musicians and music fans can preserve their hearing during 2012 and beyond:

1) Know thyself: have your hearing tested
Often, hearing loss issues are initially detected by family and friends rather than the person experiencing it. “When a person frequently has trouble understanding conversations in places where there is significant background noise, such as at parties, crowded restaurants and clubs, it might be a good time for a hearing test and an ear examination,” observes John W. House, MD, president of House Research Institute and physician at the House Clinic. Find out where you stand so you can understand and address the personal risks you may face — hearing exams take just minutes. Noise induced hearing loss begins in the higher frequencies and does not affect speech frequencies until it is advanced. Therefore, a screening audiogram is advised for those who are exposed to loud noise.

2) Know thy surroundings: avoid potentially dangerous environments
By ensuring you are in a safe listening environment, you mitigate the risk of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). “If you have to raise your voice to be heard, you are likely in an environment with sound levels exceeding 85 dBA,” says Marilee Potthoff, director of community outreach and education at House Research Institute. Musicians and engineers depend on good hearing for their careers, but also are at high risk for hearing damage from prolonged sound exposure on the job. If you’re in the sound industry, it’s important for your hearing health to carefully monitor your sound environments that reach above 85 dBA both on and off the job, and know how much to limit your exposure. When relaxing with your personal stereo or player, we recommend keeping the volume setting at no louder than 60 percent of max. potential.

3) Use it or lose it: make the right choices in hearing protection
Educate yourself on what kind of hearing protection is truly effective. “Select hearing protection devices that provide the appropriate amount of sound reduction. Hearing protection with an NRR (noise reduction rating) of around 25 to 35 dB offers better protection for loud music environments than devices with lower NRRs. Using devices with a much lower NRR may result in significant damage to the inner ear when exposed to high level [loud] sounds,” says Andrew Vermiglio, AuD, HRI research audiologist and California State University Northridge audiology professor. Some custom ear plugs — which are available through licensed audiology clinics, including the House Clinic — offer a flatter attenuation across the frequency range and may make listening to loud music more enjoyable than standard, over-the-counter earplugs, such as foam or pre-molded plugs. Standard earplugs tend to “colorize” what you hear by filtering the high frequencies more than the low frequencies.

4) Keep it clean: Ears need good hygiene, too
Earwax may not be the most popular discussion topic in the world, but it is certainly worth knowing about. Knowing how to safely remove wax and dirt build up will help you keep your hearing on the right track in 2012 and beyond. “Never insert foreign objects into your ear canal, including cotton swabs — instead, use a warm washcloth to gently clean the outer area of your ears or an over the counter ear wax removal solution,” says Dr. House. Other ear cleaning methods known as ear candling or coning are dangerous, not effective, and can easily damage your ear canal.

5) Make a date: Have your ears checked on a regular basis
Have your hearing checked annually. If you notice a change in the state of your hearing, seek immediate medical attention. “Annual hearing exams may help to identify potential hearing loss issues while there is still time to rectify them,” says Dr. Vermiglio. Also, symptoms such as hearing loss, ringing in the ears, dizziness or loss of balance, may be related to a serious medical condition.

So whether you are a musician, or just enjoy listening to music with friends, follow these basic steps and put your hearing first in 2012 — because once you lose it, you may never be able to get it back. For more information, visit the House Research Institute website at http://www.houseresearch.org.

New Orleans, LA – January 2012… Focusing on the lives of musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and others in New Orleans as they attempt to rebuild their lives, their homes, and their unique culture in the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, HBO’s made for TV series Tremé is, without question, a success. To ensure the show’s continued good fortune, the legendary sound quality and reliability of Lectrosonics wireless microphone technology has become a regular part of Tremé’s audio production. more

ACSIL and Thriving Archives Team Up Again to Survey the Footage Licensing Business. Results Highlight Revenue Growth, Increased Digitization, Greater Productivity and Shifts in Customer Demand.

San Francisco – January 11, 2012 - The Association of Commercial Stock Image Licensors (ACSIL) and Thriving Archives announced today the release of the ACSIL Global Survey of Stock Footage Companies 2 (AGS2). The AGS2 is a comprehensive examination of current business conditions within today’s footage industry, providing strategic, action-oriented information and insights to footage industry leaders.

“Assessing the overall health and well being of the footage industry was our top research priority,” said David Seevers, Thriving Archives Founder and President. “Based on the performance of the 73 companies in our sample group, the footage industry appears to be in stable condition. Total industry revenue has increased since 2007 and is now estimated at $394 million per year.”

The AGS2 also looks at the impact of digital technology on how footage companies manage, present and deliver footage to the customer; explores how changes in film & video production have affected customer type, demand and need; examines how footage companies market, promote and reach out to customers; and reviews the impact of various trends on the footage industry as a whole.

“ACSIL and Thriving Archives worked together in 2007 to produce the original ACSIL Global Survey of Stock Footage Companies 2007, the first publicly available study of the stock footage industry,” said Max Segal, ACSIL President and Director of HBO Archives. “Since its publication, the AGS 2007 has been widely used and highly valued by business leaders both inside and outside the footage industry. We’re thrilled to now have not only an update of this groundbreaking market research, but a study that takes our understanding of the footage business to the next level.”

A great deal has changed within the stock footage industry since 2007. For example, the standard transaction paradigm is evolving from a rights-managed model to a rights-managed/royalty-free hybrid and both the demand for and supply of HD footage are on the rise. Digital technology continues to drive shifts in the management, presentation and delivery of footage to the end user. Broadcast-quality digital holdings are increasing and more companies are seeing the light at the end of the digitization tunnel.
Workflow at the majority of companies is increasingly digital, meaning that for the most part they do not need to access analog footage at any point in the process, including storage, retrieval, screening or final delivery of footage to the client. The footage business continues its migration to the web, and websites are improving as companies get more clips online and add more ecommerce functionality. As might be expected given the levels of investment in digitization, footage companies have become more productive and average headcount has declined since 2007.

The AGS2 is available to the general public through Thriving Archives for $795. Footage companies with five or fewer employees and AGS2 participants are eligible for a 50% discount on the full price. The 177-page report includes an extensive charts section, providing a granular view of the market research data.

The AGS2 is based on an anonymous 76-question survey completed by a group of 73 stock footage companies, launched in early December 2010 and closed on March 3, 2011.

About ACSIL
The Association of Commercial Stock Image Licensors (ACSIL) is a non-profit association dedicated to promoting and advancing the professional interests of the stock footage industry. Formed in 2003 by a group of leading stock footage companies and news agencies in the United States, ACSIL has successfully sponsored multiple stock footage based initiatives in a number of fields. ACSIL has undertaken research into the global market for stock footage; formed a long term Code of Practice committee that has developed core licensing and new media language; worked successfully to sponsor events, provide panels and develop industry seminars; and negotiated benefits for its members. ACSIL is also a reliable source of essential information for all producers and researchers who use stock footage or would like to but don’t know where to begin. Meeting the demand for market data on the stock footage industry is central to ACSIL’s mission.

About Thriving Archives
Thriving Archives works with footage companies to develop and execute marketing and business development strategies. Thriving Archives also produces market research reports on the global footage licensing industry and partners with companies providing services to the stock footage industry. In partnership with ACSIL, Thriving Archives produced the ACSIL Global Survey of Stock Footage Companies 2007, a comprehensive review of the stock footage industry. In 2009, Thriving Archives completed the Footage Customer Survey: Non-Fiction USA, an in-depth study of the attitudes and perceptions of footage customers from the documentary film/non-fiction program making community in the United States.

Press Contact:
David W. Seevers
President
Thriving Archives
davidseevers@yahoo.com
(415)609-7642

London, UK, January 11, 2012 – Cinesite, one of the world’s leading film visual effects houses, today announced that it’s now accepting applications for its highly successful annual internship program, Inspire. Now in its third year, a new technical effects strand has been added to Inspire, which specifically targets graduates with an interest in computer programming or technical effects. Antony Hunt, managing director, added the new placement to encourage a new-generation of skilled programmers to consider the VFX industry as a viable option for their skills, and to help budding effects artists demonstrate their technical ability.

Cinesite’s visual effects internship will run in conjunction with the technical effects internship. Both placements are six-week paid positions which will commence this summer. The technical effects strand is aimed at graduates who may have a background in computer programming or have studied computer graphics but have an interest in technical effects and programming. The visual effects internship is suited to artists with a background in computer animation or computer graphics who are interested in modeling, animation, compositing, digital matte painting and other visual effects positions.

“I’m always bowled over by the amount of submissions we receive for Inspire, and every year the quality of entries keeps getting better and better,” said Hunt. “I’m looking forward to seeing how creative the applicants will be, and unearthing a few genius programmers at the same time. Best of luck to everyone who applies.”

Previous Inspire winners have worked on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and are currently working on John Carter and World War Z. Since finishing their placements, all six winners have since secured positions at Cinesite.

Applications can be made at www.cinesite.com/internships, where application packs and further information can also be found. The deadline to submit entries is 13 April. @Cinesite on Twitter will carry updates on all Inspire developments.

About Cinesite
Cinesite is one of the largest and most creative visual effects companies in Europe. Established in 1991 and headquartered in London with facilities in Los Angeles, their visual effects team has the capacity and creativity to produce all manner of digital effects for feature films and TV shows of all scales. Their award-winning team of highly talented visual effects artists take filmmakers’ ideas and turn them into spectacular cinematic reality.

Cinesite is currently working on John Carter (Disney/Pixar) and World War Z (Paramount Pictures). They’ve recently completed work on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Disney/Bruckheimer), X-Men: First Class (Twentieth Century Fox) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros).

For more information please visit www.cinesite.com.

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Robe ROBIN MMX Spots, LEDWash 300s and ColorWash 575 AT Zooms were the core lighting elements for LD Paolo Firulli’s eye-catching design for the recent “Meraviglioso Modugno”, a tribute show to Domenico Modugno, one of Italy’s best known actors and singer/songwriters from the 1950s.

The show was staged in the state-of-the-art new Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, the largest theatre in the city and the fourth largest in Italy, well known for its stunning interiors and colourful history! It starred 13 different contemporary artists all of whom performed one of Modugno’s most popular songs.

The main lighting challenge was to give each one of them a totally unique look and feel for their performance for which was able to take advantage of the massive flexibility and scope brought to the occasion by using Robe fixtures.

There were 20 each of Robe’s new MMX Spots and LEDWash 300s, plus 20 ColorWash 575 AT Zooms, all supplied by Conversano (BA) based rental company International Sound (http://www.international-sound.it/), the largest such operation in southern Italy, and is owned by the Firulli brothers – Franco, Paolo and Gianni.

The fixtures were positioned on three over stage trusses, together with some conventionals. The LEDWashes were used to illuminate an upstage backdrop, and the MMXs and ColorWash Zooms did all the main beam-work and fabulous effects.

International Sound has been using Robe products for the last five years – for both theatrical productions and live shows and concerts. Their opinion about the Robe brand is that it is highly reliable, and they also like the brightness, availability and fantastic support and backup from Robe’s Italian distributor, Robe Multimedia.

Over the last year, Robe Multimedia has enjoyed huge success with Robe’s LEDWash and MMX products in particular, and International Sound were among the first rental companies in the country to take delivery of the MMX.

Paolo Firulli is well impressed with this unit – Robe’s next generation of 1200 series fixtures – smaller, brighter, lighter – and offering a wide range of sophisticated creative features.

He especially likes the vivid colours and dual graphics wheel of the MMX which is excellent for fine quality projections. The near silent movement of the lights Is particularly important for theatre shows, and this was also the first time he had used them in a theatre venue.

Commenting on the LEDWash 300s, Firulli likes the brightness, the 15 – 60 degree zoom and the smooth homogenised light source which has always been a feature and a strong point of Robe’s LED ranges.

At the Meraviglioso Modugno show, he had no problem in creating enough different and dynamic individual looks for the artists, also dealing with a wide selection of ambiences to suit the different styles of music, another parameter needing careful consideration!

The MMXs were used to create amazing eye-candy on the backdrop, sumptuous static looks as well as for key lighting artists, proving themselves multi-purpose in every sense of the word!

Firulli programmed and ran the show using a Jands Vista T4 console.

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.

Guillaume Schiffman, AFC (The Artist), Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Robert Richardson, ASC (Hugo), Hoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), and Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (The Tree of Life) have been nominated in the feature film category of the 26th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards. The winner will be announced at the ASC Awards celebration at the Hollywood and Highland Grand Ballroom on February 12.

“These five cinematographers have created works of art that serve the story and director’s vision in unique and engaging ways,” says ASC Awards Committee Chairman Richard Crudo. “Their talent for translating the script and performances to the screen demonstrates the phenomenal power of the visual image.”

This is the second consecutive ASC Award nomination for Cronenweth who was recognized last year for The Social Network.

Richardson earns his 10th nomination. He was previously acknowledged for Inglourious Basterds (2010), The Good Shepherd (2007), The Aviator (2005), Snow Falling on Cedars (2000), The Horse Whisperer (1999), Heaven & Earth (1994), A Few Good Men (1993), JFK (1992), and Born on the Fourth of July (1990).

Lubezki won the ASC Award in 2007 for Children of Men, and was also nominated in 2000 for Sleepy Hollow.

Schiffman and van Hoytema are both first-time ASC nominees.

“Every year, the nominees in this category have expanded the boundaries of cinematography with their consummate artistry and their mastery of the technological tools required to achieve their vision,” says ASC President Michael Goi. “In an intensely competitive field, these are the best of the best.”

Last year, Wally Pfister, ASC, BSC won the ASC feature film award for Inception, and went on to take home the Oscar® as well.

For more information regarding the ASC Awards, visit the ASC website at www.theasc.com, or call 323-969-4333.

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About The American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is a non-profit association dedicated to advancing the art of filmmaking. Since its charter in 1919, the ASC has been committed to educating aspiring filmmakers and others about the art and craft of cinematography. For additional information about the ASC, visit www.theasc.com.

Join ASC on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/The.ASC and American Cinematographer magazine fan page at http://www.facebook.com/AmericanCinematographer.

Cut + Run’s Jay Nelson kicks off the New Year with two films in special festival screenings. Nelson co-edited and co-executive produced the documentary feature Wild in the Streets, which enjoys its World Premiere at Slamdance 2012. He also directed, edited and produced the short film The Third Crossing, which screens at the second annual Waimea Ocean Film Festival.

 

Premiering at Slamdance 2012 is the feature documentary Wild in the Streets. Co-EPd and edited by Jay Nelson and Steve Prestemon, the film delves deep into the annual rivalry between two sides of a rugged English town who compete in a 2000 year old game of football. Nelson also served as co-writer of the film with Peter Baxter, telling the history of this brutal sport that is the grandfather of soccer, football and rugby with imagery from cinematographer Lance Acord.

 

“Wild in the Streets holds the magic and spectacle of three of the world’s most popular sports. This town has kept this game with 3000 players a beautiful and brutal secret for almost a 1000 years,” says Cut + Run’s Nelson. “The match is an incredible sight to behold and there was no one better to capture its wild beauty than Lance Acord. From a story and edit standpoint it was a singular creative challenge that was almost as rigorous as the game itself.”

 

Humbled by the challenge of crafting a story from over 400 hours of footage, Nelson worked closely with Director Peter Baxter to design the film’s structure for the larger part of a year, and two years with Prestemon to craft the massive game from 10 different cameras and over a dozen different sources of historical media, dating back as far as 1918. When all was said and done, completion was the realization of 5 years of hard work. In Nelson’s words, “Like this rough sport, nothing great comes easy. I love a challenge.”

 

The Third Crossing charts the efforts of 18 women from the Kawaihae Canoe Club making their third historic crossing of the Alenuihaha Channel. The endeavor, to rediscover ancient paths and Hawaiian trade routes, required intense planning, training, courage and stamina.

 

“The film allowed me to explore this region from a unique vantage point behind the camera,” explains Nelson, who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii and in Los Angeles. “I was inspired by the women involved in the journey and, ultimately, the power of the ocean – and one of the roughest crossings in the world.”

 

Jay Nelson is an award-winning editor for Cut + Run, the company with offices in Los Angeles, New York and London that is known for many of the top commercials in the world. Jay’s editing credits include commercials for Microsoft, Hyundai, Land Rover, Swiss Air, Sony, Suzuki and the Olympics. Nelson was the post supervisor and editor of Comedy Central’s “Wanderlust” and edited the film “Holy Wars” for director Stephen Marshall “Broken,” directed by Alan White and starring Jeremy Sisto and Heather Graham. In 2000 Jay edited the first Internet feature “The Quantum Project” starring John Cleese and Steven Dorf, directed by Academy Award-winning Production Designer Eugenio Zanetti, which won him several nominations for editing.

 

For more information on Wild in the Streets, please visit: www.wildinthestreetsmovie.com

 

For more on Cut + Run, please visit: www.cutandrun.com or http://www.facebook.com/CutandRun?ref=ts

Detroit/LA: Team Detroit took the Ford Mustang Customizer to the next level this year, creating an interactive experience that not only invites users to help design their dream muscle car, but also gives their designs a life outside of the automaker’s website, in social media. The agency once again tasked Speedshape with transforming the car, options and accessories into high quality photo-real assets that capture the imagination of car enthusiasts and draw them into this immersive interactive experience.

 

 

A hybrid design/development company best known for its cutting-edge VFX-driven commercials, Speedshape again shows how an artistic eye and technical ingenuity can transform traditional digital rendering from a process to a craft. Rooted in animation, the company’s multi-disciplined team of designers and producers brings a level of artistry to computer imagery that is distinguishing Speedshape’s work in the digital arena.

 

Speedshape’s VFX team began the job at Ford’s live shoot, where they captured the HDRI environments for the three locations in which the 2012 customizer would reside. They then created all modular elements required to build the full range of trim levels, as well as the hundreds of accessories and options – including the wheels, grilles, Ford racing performance parts, factory and custom colors, body kits, and graphics.

 

 

After completing the modeling and data prep for each of four different models: The Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 and the Shelby GT500, as well as the massive quantity of options, Speedshape took all the assets to a photo real finished quality, matching the lighting and environments captured during the shoot.

“Having a sophisticated approach to asset management and a fluid, customized pipeline in place is key to keeping a job of this scope efficient and cost-effective – and maintaining the same pristine photographic quality and lighting values for every asset, ” says Speedshape’s CG Supervisor, Mike Ward. “We integrated back-plate images to maximize the flexibility and intuitive functionality of the Customizer.”

 

“Our focus on the management and maintenance of files, scripts and software ensures that our scalable assets can be repurposed and seamlessly integrated, year after year, without running into software or hardware conflicts,” added Ward.

 

Team Detroit fully loaded this year’s Customizer with new features that make playing around with the infinite combinations of colors, accessories and options almost a video game-like experience. Once completed, cars can be posted on Facebook where users can opt to go into ‘battle mode’ and compete against each other for top ranking based on the number of votes their design receives from other participants.

 

“Speedshape and Team Detroit have built a strong creative partnership over the last few years. It’s great to work with a client that collaborates with us throughout the creative process, and is so committed to making each generation of the Customizer more innovative and cutting-edge than the year before,” says Speedshape’s Executive Producer, Mike Albert.

 

Speedshape provided all of the layered CG assets, 2D smoke and burnout graphics for the website and delivered final layered files for all parts, stripes and decals and delivered it to Firstborn where the live site was developed and programmed.

 

ABOUT SPEEDSHAPE:
Speedshape/CGI + VFX
Speedshape/Interactive Design + Development
Speedshape/3D Stereo Film

 

Speedshape is a multi-disciplined CG/VFX, Interactive and 3D Stereo company dedicated to providing advertising agencies, brands and motion picture clients with innovative creative content in a seamlessly integrated full-service creative environment tailored to their specific needs. Our collective of multi-talented artists, designers, digital strategists and producers bring artistry and technical ingenuity to the creative development and crafting of inspired visual content.

 

Since the launch of our flagship Detroit-based facility in 2003, our award-winning company has expanded its footprint with satellite divisions in New York, Venice Beach and London, creating an open-architecture national – and global – creative network that traverses all platforms with cutting-edge content.

 

Speedshape’s client roster includes_General Electric, Mercedes Benz, Sports Authority, Bosch, Ford Motor Company, Jack Daniels and Duncan Hines. Speedshape’s recently launched 3D Film division debuted its services with The Weinstein Company’s feature films, Spy Kids: All The Time in The World, Escape From Planet Earth and Piranha 3DD

 

For additional information contact Speedshape’s Account Director, Chad Cooper at 248.282.0200, or visit http://www.speedshape.com. To learn more about our 2D-to-3D stereoscopic conversion, contact Frank Rainone (East Coast) or Julie Currin (West Coast) at 248.282.0200.

 

Speedshape(Detroit) 30300 Telegaph, Suite 300, Bingham Farms, Michigan, 248.282.0200, detroit@speedshape.com; Speedshape (Los Angeles) 200 Mildred Avenue, Venice, California, 210.822.8182, losangeles@speedshape.com;Speedshape (New York) 99 Hudson Street, Suite 200, New York, New York, newyork@speedshape.com: Speedshape (London) 4 Kingly Street, London, WiB 5PE, United Kingdom, +44.207.440.2578, london@speedshape.com.

 

CREDITS:
Client: Ford Motor Company

 

Project: 2012 Ford Mustang Customizer

 

AD AGENCY: Team Detroit
Project Manager: Chris Steele
Program Manager: Amy Daneke
Account Manager: Andrea Gontina
JWT Account: Anthony Biondo
Information Architect: Stacie Sheldon
ZAAZ Analytics: Reem Anani
Tech Lead: Chad Dattilio
Strategy: Amanda Douglas
Creative: Jennifer Powers
Creative: James Robinson
Creative: Sue Driscoll
Art Buyer: Kim Harris

 

CGI DESIGN + PRODUCTION: Speedshape (Detroit/NYC/Venice Beach/London)
Executive Producer: Mike Albert
CG Supervisor: Mike Ward
CG Supervisor: Linden Vennard
Producer: Dawn Giddings
Technical Director: Jared Tripp
Designer: Josh Hamman
Designer: Cory Brent
Designer: Rob Braithwaite

 

DIGITAL PRODUCTION: Firstborn

Sonnet Technologies BVE 2012 Show Preview

BVE 2012
Earl’s Court 2, London
Sonnet Technologies
Co-exhibiting With Holdan at Booth I10 more

grandMA and Clay Paky Sharpy lighting fixtures took on a Spanish accent for the 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards telecast live on the Univision Network on Nov. 10 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. A.C.T Lighting is the distributor of grandMA and Clay Paky products in North America.

Lititz, Pennsylvania-based Atomic Lighting provided three grandMA2 light systems with fader wings to control the show’s lighting and another two full-size grandMA2 consoles to run 16 universes of Artnet for the video content. Fifty Clay Paky Sharpys formed part of the lighting inventory.

Since its debut on Univision entirely in Spanish in 2005, the Latin Grammy Awards show has consistently increased its ratings worldwide; it is also one of Univision’s highest rated shows as well as the most watched and highly regarded awards event by Hispanics.

Atomic’s vice president of operations Brett Puwalski, who has served as the show’s gaffer for the last five years, reports that the grandMAs performed “solidly – as always.” For video programmer Laura Frank, the Latin Grammy Awards marked her first big show with the grandMA2. It was also the first show that Atomic did with the grandMA2 series. “Everything went very well, and Laura loved them,” says Puwalski. “This was a very video-driven show with video projection, LEDs and VersaTubes.”

Lighting programmers Felix Peralta and Kevin Lawson had used grandMA2s on “Sing Off” and “America’s Best Dance Crew,” but the Latin Grammys were their first experience with the system’s new software release. “Sometimes software upgrades come with bugs and issues,” notes Puwalski. “But there were no complaints about the new software. We hope to stick with the upgraded software whenever possible since everybody loves its added features.”

Puwalski introduced lighting designer Carlos Colina to Clay Paky Sharpys at the Premio Juventud awards show on Univision last summer and “he loved the tight beam and how bright it was for its small size,” he says. So when it came time for the Latin Grammy Awards Colina decided to deploy Sharpys on trusses over the stage to create beam looks and place the fixtures around the audience to illuminate shots for commercial bumpers.

According to Puwalski, both the grandMAs and Sharpys are “definitely popular with our customers. People are finding the Sharpys hard to come by since they’re constantly in use.”

John Daniels and Darren Langer were the lighting directors for the Latin Grammy Awards; Alex Flores, Dave Hunkins and Mike Smallman the lighting technicians; and Jorge Dominguez the scenic designer.