Set & Light Issue 144 by STLD_Magazine

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Caring about our environment: Our magazines are packed in 100% biodegradable polywrap.

WELCOME to our summer issue 144!

As we move through 2025, it’s shaping up to be an exciting and eventful year for the STLD. This issue is packed with insights, visits, and industry highlights that reflect just how vibrant and active our community has become.

We start with a look back at the 51st AGM, hosted by ETC at their impressive Greenford premises, see page 04 for the full report. Then we head to Manchester, where members enjoyed a fascinating behind-the-scenes visit to the dynamic Versa Studios (page 08). On page 14, we bring you coverage of the second Profile Awards, celebrating outstanding talent in our field. Don’t miss our feature on Eastbrook Studios, an exciting new space in London’s creative landscape, which you’ll find on page 28

Bernie Davis also gives us a thoughtful roundup of Showlight, with more to come – look out for selected paper reports from the event in the next two issues. There’s plenty to look forward to!

As always, we love hearing from our members. Whether you’re a seasoned contributor or thinking about sending something in for the first time, your stories, experiences, and insights are what keep this magazine relevant and vibrant. Contributions from across the membership help share the load and enrich the range of voices we hear, so please do consider getting involved.

Looking ahead, the deadline for our next issue – Autumn 2025, number 145 – is 17th October for both advertising and editorial content. Mark your calendars!

Emma Thorpe Editor, Set & Light

51th AGM held at ETC

The 51st AGM of the STLD was held at ETC’s premises in Greenford, West London on 3rd April

| Words by Bernie Davis

The date proved not good for many members; we had more apologies for absence than attendees. The meeting started at 20.35.

Attending:

Bernie Davis, Alan Luxford, Richard Bowles, Martin Christidis, John Rossetti, Dave Bertenshaw, Andrew Dixon, Ian Howlett.

Apologies for Absence:

Don Hart, Martin Hawkins, David Carter, Mike Hopkins, John King, Albert Barber, Paul Middleton, Rob Horne, Guy Saich, Andrew Harris, David Bishop, Matt Maller, Ian Hillson, John Piper, Emma Thorpe, Stuart Gain, Susan Tiller.

Minutes of the AGM 2024 were proposed by Alan Luxford, seconded by John Rossetti, passed

unanimously, and there were no matters arising

Chaiman’s report:

The report started by looking back at the main activities in the previous year, from the AGM at Sky Studios to the first Profile Awards to some studio visits at Versa Manchester and Eastbrook Studios in Dagenham. We held our now regular students meeting at Strictly Come Dancing with more attendees than ever. But the most ambitious meeting was the STLD@50 anniversary meeting in Celebro Studios in Covent Garden attracting guests from the earliest days of the STLD to some of today’s best lighting designers, and equipment from 50 years ago to the very latest fixtures sat side by side. All of these were reported in the magazine – Set & Light – and

already we have several future meetings being planned and are expecting a busy year ahead.

It seems strange to see that only last year we were reporting that the new STLD website was up and running – strange when you see the progress it has made in the last year. New members can now join directly through the website, and this has been happening. Students have been taking advantage of the free membership we now offer them, and we even have graduate members – the new category recently introduced to smooth the transition between free student membership and full membership. Our magazine back catalogue is slowly expanding, and there is an index system being developed to help find articles and names from our history.

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If there is an issue missing that you particularly want to read please say and we can try to give it priority.

I need to pay tribute to the STLD sponsor companies, who are such a key part of the society, and not just for the financial help we get from them but also the active part they play in STLD activities. We are pleased to say that we have gained a few new sponsor members in the last year, and we hope you will learn more about them in the STLD magazine. The website has a sponsors directory too, and here you can see a summary of the companies area of work, and also follow links to their websites and social media feeds.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee: despite the low numbers here today I can assure you I rely on a small band of hard working committee members who keep the wheels turning.

Stuart Gain has completed another year as Secretary, and I rely so much on his support. Due to a short-notice hospital procedure he could not be here today.

John Piper puts so much into the STLD, it’s not just the amount but the quality of his contribution that is invaluable. His treasurers report follows later, and you will see just how much the accounts have improved thank to John. He is not here as he is lighting his first block of Eastenders, and we all congratulate him on that achievement.

Susie Tiller is our Membership Secretary and she has worked with John to clear up most of our dormant membership accounts. This takes careful handling as members fail to pay for many reasons, and it is not always their fault.

Deputy Chair David Bishop is a busy person as we all know, but he is always there for suggestions and advice which I value highly.

Paul Middleton is our Administration Officer, who is watching our backs with such things as our archives, our email accounts and website addresses. Paul is keen to expand our archive, so please contact him if you have anything to offer.

Emma Thorpe is our magazine editor, fitting it between being a

mum and running her own career. Working with Louise Ferne who designs the magazine, and has brought a new and fresh look to the magazine – which is a very important part of the Society. The printing and posting is now handled by Purple Frog Signs.

Alan Luxford is more than our Exhibitions secretary, and his vast experience in the lighting industry brings us so much more than just this role. His knowledge and his contacts are invaluable to us all and he is always offering to help run STLD activities when he can.

Andrew Harris deals with our mail shots, another area we have made recent improvements.

Ian Hillson has not been able to attend meetings for a while now, but still wishes to continue on the committee bringing his own views that help keep the balance. We also have Matt Maller and John King who help to broaden the spread of experience and knowledge.

Our previous Student reps have been unable to help on the committee for the last year, such is student life – so we are looking to get a new student rep – maybe with a slight redefinition of the role. Watch out for that in the future.

We still have a vacancy in the website manager role, so if anyone would like to know more about what that would entail do please contact us.

I am delighted to have Richard Bowles offer to rejoin the committee, and offer we didn’t have to think about for too long!

But if any of you feel you have the time to help run the STLD we would welcome you on the committee. Committee meetings are far more enjoyable than they sound, and at the face to face meeting we even feed you!

Finally, I would like to thank all our members and our sponsors. Running the STLD costs money and we can only do it with your generous support.

| Right: Bernie Davis

Can I wish you all the very best for 2025, and please do not hesitate to contact the committee if we can do anything. We are an interactive society and welcome your thoughts and ideas.

The Chairman’s report was proposed by Bernie Davis, seconded by Andrew Dixon. Passed unanimously

Treasurer’s Report

The treasurer’s report was written by John Piper and printed copy of all the details were available at the AGM. Anyone wanting the full report can email treasurer@stld.org.uk to request a copy. A summary of the report was read by Bernie Davis.

Financial Overview

The Society ended the year with a surplus of £9,645.

This positive outcome was largely due to post-adjustments in magazine printing costs, due to offset printing calendar. The resolution of outstanding membership bad-debt is also a large removal of cost for the society.

While some income streams, such as membership fees, declined, cost management and stable sponsorship revenue contributed to maintaining a healthy financial position.

Budget for 2025

I propose setting the 2025 budget at 75% of the average recent year’s profit, meaning a target additional spend of £4,618 for FYE25. Given the 50th Anniversary and Show Light costs expected next year, threequarters of this will offset those expenses, with the rest allocated to more website development as the website continues to grow as a central asset for the Society Given these priorities in 2025, there is argument to require a subscription increase for members but I do not suggest we alter the Membership subscription rates in this AGM. I believe there is value in keeping membership affordable and inclusive to as many as possible despite and in consideration of the global pressures on financial costs both for the Society and in support of its members.

Appointment of Accountants

I would like to propose to keep our Year-End Examination the same for 2025/2026, this being provided by Hillier Hopkins LLP.

Conclusion

The STLD remains financially secure,

thanks to responsible management and ongoing support from our members and sponsors. I extend my gratitude to the committee and members for their continued engagement, and I look forward to another successful year ahead.

With the treasurer not present it was decided that questions could be taken and passed to the treasurer if necessary. There were no questions.

The treasurer’s report was proposed by Bernie Davis, seconded by Alan Luxford, passed unanimously.

Rule Change

There was one rule addition proposal from the committee:

4.1 Payment via BACS

In the event that the Society receives a BACS payment from an unidentifiable sender, the payment will be held for a period extending to the longer of either 3 months or the end of the STLD’s financial year. During this time, the Committee will make reasonable efforts to identify the origin of the payment.

If the sender cannot be identified or the payment remains unclaimed after this period, it will be treated as a goodwill donation to the Society, provided the amount does not exceed £100.

Should the sender come forward after the payment has been reclassified, the Society will review the claim and may refund the amount at its discretion, provided sufficient evidence is presented to verify the transaction.

Chairman explained that the treasurer spent a considerable amount of time chasing small sums of money that would appear in the society’s account with inadequate references such that they could not be reconciled or returned.

The proposed rule 4.1 was discussed. Dave Bertenshaw expressed concern especially about the lack of clarity over what happened for amounts over £100 and for possible repeat unexpected payments. It was suggested that our bank might have rules about this, especially with the possibility of this being used as a method of money laundering. It was agreed the treasurer may have spoken to the bank or accountant but without that being confirmed it was felt safer to wait for clarification before passing the rule change.

Election of Officers

CHAIR: BERNIE DAVIS

DEPUTY CHAIR: DAVID BISHOP

HON. SECRETARY: STUART GAIN

TREASURER: JOHN PIPER

ADMIN & DATA OFFICER: PAUL MIDDLETON

MAGAZINE EDITOR & SPONSOR ADMIN: EMMA THORPE

PUBLICITY: ANDREW HARRIS

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: SUSIE TILLER

EXHIBITIONS: ALAN LUXFORD

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: JOHN KING MATT MALLER

RICHARD BOWLES

IAN HILLSON

The list was read out, BD pointed out that it did not have student reps as all were to be replaced as they were at the end of their time as students. We also still had no Website Manager but might well co-opt people onto the committee when candidates were found.

Committee was proposed by Dave Bertenshaw, seconded by John Rosetti, passed unanimously.

Accountants

It was proposed to continue with Hillier Hopkins LLP. As proposed by John Piper in his report, seconded by Bernie Davis, agreed unanimously.

The only matter raised in AOB was a vote of thanks to the committee by John Rossetti.

Bernie Davis thanked ETC for being such good hosts and for the excellent tour.

Meeting closed at 20.57

Please note, the shortest AGM since records began!

Versa Manchester Studios Tour

On 26th February an enthusiastic bunch of STLD members made the trek up to the bleak wastelands of the far North. To Manchester in fact. Actually, not in any way a difficult journey – quite a pleasant train ride in my case and Manchester itself of course is not remotely bleak – it has undergone a transformation into a modern, vibrant city over the past 20 years or so. We were there for the official opening day of the newly revitalised Versa Manchester Studios. You may know them better as Granada Studios – but if you had assumed they were long gone, you couldn’t be more wrong.

They were saved from the wrecking ball a few years ago and although some of the original Granada buildings have been lost, the studios themselves remain. Not just the studios but all the necessary support facilities to enable production companies to have a very pleasant, stress-free time making TV programmes.

What has been achieved here is a prime example of what could have been done with Television Centre and TLS on the South Bank. But I digress. Sobering to note, however, that with Pinewood TV closing this year and Elstree studio D and stages 8 and 9 no longer available there are now more fully equipped TV studios in the Manchester area than in London - thanks to Versa and dock10 at MediaCity.

Granada started broadcasting from its new studios in Quay Street on 3rd May 1956. The company had been awarded the franchise eighteen months before going on air and were determined to design a centre that fully met their needs. A two-storey office building on Quay St was the first to be built, along with studios 2 and 4. Ralph Tubbs was the architect – he would also go on to design the distinctive Granada House a few years later. These were the first purpose-built television studios to open in the UK. The BBC, ATV and Associated-

Words by Martin Kempton, photos by Martin Christidis.

| Right: Versa studio outside

NR-1 Martin Christidis

| Below: Versa studio Exterior Bernie Davis

Rediffusion all used converted film studios at the time. ABC used an old cinema in Didsbury.

Sidney Bernstein, the owner of the company, decided to name the studios in even numbers only so it would appear that he had twice as many.

Studios 2 and 4 opened in 1956. From 9th December 1960, Coronation St was made in Studio 2. Probably in 1973 it moved to the slightly larger studio 6 and finally to Stage 1 in 1990. Studio 2 became the home of Granada Reports – the regional news – as well as some sport and political programmes. Studio 4 was originally a small continuity studio which was only operational for a few years, although it famously hosted the first TV appearance of The Beatles in 1962. It was later converted to become the studios’ reception area.

Studio 6 opened in December 1957.

Studios 8 & 12 were constructed in 1958, along with a wide corridor for moving scenery and lighting equipment between the studios that became known as the M1. Studio 12 is about 8,000 sq ft and until Rediffusion’s studio 5 in Wembley opened in 1960 was the biggest in the UK. (TC3 and TC4 also opened in 1960). Studio 8 was not a working studio for many years. It was built at the same time as 12 but was just used for scenery storage until it was equipped with EMI 2005 cameras, probably in 1972.

The ‘missing’ Studio 10 was in fact the Chelsea Palace Theatre in London – which opened as a TV studio in 1957.

The next step in 1959 was a block

that included the canteen. This area also contained a sound dubbing studio, which was turned into a music recording studio in 1979. This much later became a backstage area for the Jeremy Kyle Show but has now been brought back into operation. The distinctive 8-storey Granada House opened in 1962.

In October 2000, a big change came to the way the business was run. These studios and the BBC’s in Oxford Road were struggling to attract sufficient work and contain their costs. The two organisations decided to create a new company – 3sixtymedia – that would consolidate their Manchester operation at Granada’s studios. Granada merged with Carlton to form ITV plc on 2nd February 2004 so the Granada name officially no longer existed. However, these studios continued to be operated by 3sixtymedia.

Coronation Street was made here at Granada from 1960-2013, although not in the latter years in any of the studios mentioned above. The popular soap then had two dedicated studios to the side of the Quay Street site – Stage 1 and Stage 2 – along with the exterior set of the Street.

The threat of closure was hanging over the Quay Street studios for a number of years. It was a not very well-kept secret that the studios would be closing around 2011 and the operation would move to three almost identically-sized studios at MediaCity in Salford.

In September 2013 it was reported that developer Allied London had joined forces with Manchester City Council to acquire the site – they paid a reported £26.5m.

In January 2014 it was revealed

that Allied London had taken a 5-year lease on the studios and associated buildings whilst they ‘worked up’ their plans for redeveloping the site. In the meantime, the buildings and area around became a new arts and cultural destination for Manchester called St John’s. The old Granada studios were renamed… wait for it… ‘Old Granada Studios’.

During this period they were used for single camera productions such as Peaky Blinders, To Walk Invisible and the US/UK TV series Snatch, starring Rupert Grint. They were also used to record the 2018 series of Dragons’ Den. The 2019 series of Dragons’ Den used the newly reopened Stage 1, as it did each year up to 2023. In 2024 it moved back into the refurbished studio 12.

Manchester Studios/Versa Manchester

In July 2018 Allied London announced that the studios would be kept on. In fact they would receive some new investment –gallery suites would be refitted and lighting rigs refurbished and they would be made available once more to be used as multicamera studios. The new owners said that the best use of any building is what it was originally designed for. They also said that these studios are superbly designed in a way that would probably not be found in studios built today.

The studios are part of a redevelopment scheme in the St John’s area called Enterprise City. In 2018 they said they were planning to offer studios 2, 6, 8 and 12 as well as Studio 1 (the old Stage 1) and the Breeze Studio and garden. Stage 2 was also retained. It is currently the home of ‘The

Crystal Maze Experience’ (the show itself is filmed in Bristol.)

The demolition of the surrounding buildings began in October 2018. I carried out a recce of the studio building with my gaffer a few weeks before, as I was due to light the live Halloween edition of Inside Number 9, the comedy/thriller/horror series written and performed by Steve Pemberton and Reece Sheersmith. This particular edition was set in the old Granada Studios, in which the local ghosts were unhappy at the present occupants. The live show was taken over by the spirits and each member of the cast – including the BBC2 continuity announcer –came to a sticky end. It was one of the most challenging productions I’ve ever lit but enormous fun at the same time. Judging by the reactions on Twitter, a large number of viewers were fooled most of the time.

Unfortunately though, we couldn’t actually make the show at Granada but had to use Maidstone and pretend we were there. Much as we had wanted to, by the transmission date the whole site was closed and inaccessible. Part of me was quietly relieved – the deserted studios were very creepy and a number of people over the years have indeed experienced strange inexplicable goings-on. The studio manager who showed us round described how he had witnessed a lighting telescope rolling down a track and suddenly stopping, and on another occasion one was seen by him swinging from side to side. Both times there was nobody in the grid – he checked to make sure. An unknown woman dressed in blue has been seen by several actors and crew over the years and there is a woman’s name that must never

| Above: Versa studio Launch Stuart Gain

| Above: Versa studio Legacy Showcase Martin Christidis

be spoken out loud or there will be unfortunate consequences. I do know her name but I’m certainly not writing it here.

Anyway – back to the history. In 2022 the operating company was renamed Versa Studios. They also own some film studios in Leeds and a TV studio in Kendal Avenue, London.

The original office block, designed by celebrated architect Ralph Tubbs, was retained and is being turned into a luxury Soho House hotel with a restaurant and swimming pool on its roof.

To its left is a new construction replacing the old Granada offices with facilities owned by Versa Studios, connected to the original studios. This is called the Transmission Building and contains the new main entrance.

In February 2022 the BBC’s Morning Live began broadcasting from a new studio on the top of the ABC building, close to the Granada studio site. This fully equipped studio is owned by Versa and was the first of theirs to begin operation here. In the same month the Versa website was relaunched and there was a press release in which the following was stated:

Executive Director of Versa Charlie Ingall, said: “We are thrilled to be realising our ambition of expanding our operations into Manchester. In Manchester City centre, by Summer 2023, VERSA will be operating three fully equipped TV broadcast studios and a further 10 that will cater for a diverse range of production types including nonscripted broadcast TV, scripted film & drama, music, commercials, content creation and gaming.

In fact, at long last, the fully equipped gallery suites of studios 8 and 12 were opened in the spring of 2024. They can feed any of the on-site studios as well as the nearby new Aviva Studios building with its 1,600 seat auditorium and attached performance space consisting of a 1,200 sq ft South Warehouse and 8,000 sq ft North Warehouse. These can all be combined to form an enormous venue. Being able to use the Versa facilities to televise events there is a very useful selling point for these studios. The final of Channel 4’s excellent series The Piano used these facilities on April 21st 2024 to great effect – the galleries controlling cameras and sound in the Aviva auditorium. This event was in effect, the first try-out of the new galleries. It all went perfectly and on the strength

of that, Netflix booked the studios for a new talent show.

All the TV studios have retained their resin floors of course. The lighting grids and telescopes in studios 8 and 12 have been refurbished. When we visited, the studios and surrounding corridors all looked brand new and very smart. There are also some new dimmers, although Studio 2 (now called studio 5) only has hard power available – the assumption being that LED lights will be used.

Dragon’s Den was made in studio 1 (the old Stage 1) for a few years but they were persuaded to move the show to Studio 12 in the summer of 2024. This was a great success and it is said that a certain female Dragon declared that her dressing room and other facilities here were the best she’d ever seen. I’d call that a seriously impressive recommendation!

On our trip we looked into the studio galleries, which all look brand new and a far cry from my memory of how they were when I lit a few shows here back in the early 2000s. Studio 8’s floor had an interesting display of boards showing moments in the studios’ history. Studio 2 (now called studio 5) was showing a video loop of significant Granada programmes. Studio 12, the largest,

| Above: Versa studio Motion Capture Live Martin Christidis

| Above: Versa Studio Edward Harvey - photo by Martin Christidis

| Above: Versa studio Motion Capture Matthew Woodward

| Below: Versa studio Site Map

had a Virtual Production volume in operation. This technology is now widespread and has replaced many expensive sets – both inside and out.

We also looked into the sound studio – now called studio 4. It is a very attractive space with a retro 1950s vibe. It was being used for a televised podcast on our visit and our group formed an out of vision audience to an interview with actor John Thompson. He worked on several comedy shows in the Granada days and appeared in Corry as various characters no less than three times. His recollections were fascinating and very amusing, not surprisingly.

Studio 6 is on long term hire to Cloud Imperium Games, who are using the room for motion capture. They have been based in Manchester since 2022. We saw a really impressive demonstration of this in action on our visit. The studio floor was empty apart from a couple of tables with some cardboard boxes on them, representing spaceship control consoles. The actor, who was wearing a skin-tight suit covered with reflective dots, moved around the area. Using multiple sensors mounted on trussing surrounding the studio, his moves were exactly matched by his avatar, who could be seen on a monitor. He was (of course) the captain of a space cruiser under attack from alien craft. As he moved from table to table, prodding cardboard boxes, we could see the captain on the flight deck adjusting various controls and launching missiles at the attacking craft. The lighting in the studio did not have to copy the lighting of the character in the game – this was mapped by the game designers. Anyway, all a far cry from previous uses of this studio by Coronation Street and the Wheeltappers and Shunters Club.

In 2024 it was decided to rent out studio 1 (the old Coronation St studio) to Chaos Karts – an immersive go-karting experience. Some may have questioned this decision but studio 1 is not as suitable for multicamera TV production as studios 8 and 12. By setting up this regular booking it was possible to complete the refurbishment of the original studios. I’d say this was a very wise

business choice. With this and The Crystal Maze Experience in the original stage 2, Versa have a regular income stream that will enable them to operate the TV studios through both feast and famine.

Versa Manchester Studios are now being run by Edward Harvey. He was our welcoming host on the STLD visit, and we thank him for making this meeting happen. I know him from my days working on several shows at TLS on the South Bank. He is a very experienced studio manager who completely understands the needs of every technical and creative department and is also highly regarded by production companies. He genuinely loves television and his business skills have enabled these studios to operate on a sound financial footing. He has had to make some brave decisions but they have all proved to be the right ones. Versa Manchester Studios are now some of the best in the country and they deserve to be successful for many years to come.

| Above: Versa studio Podcast Studio Bernie Davis

| Above: Versa studio Official Launch of the event Alan Luxford

Recognising lighting design excellence!

| Words by Stuart Gain.

The second Profile Awards took place at Alexandra Palace on the 5th June. The event was attended by 250 people and of those, 150 were Lighting Designers, or members of their lighting teams. The evening went extremely well and thanks must go to Durham & Jennie Marenghi for organising another excellent Profile Awards.

The TV section of the Profile Awards was judged by a panel consisting of Theatre Lighting Designer Peter Small, TV Lighting Designer Martin Kempton, TV Director Stephen Neil and Chaired by STLD Honorary Secretary and Lighting Designer Stuart Gain.

The Theatre Awards were Chaired by David Benedict and judged by UK Theatre Critics who reviewed all the productions nominated. The list of winners and nominees were decided after viewing.

Nominations for the 2026 Profile Awards are now open, details of how to nominate can be found on the Awards web site www. profileawards.com. All the winners of the TV Section will receive a free one year’s Membership to the STLD.

The Awards trophies are Patt 23M fixtures on stands, a miniature LED version of the iconic Rank Strand Pattern 23 profile fixture modelled

and produced in limited amounts by Hugh Chinnick.

The Profile Awards 2025 Television Awardees

ENTERTAINMENT SERIES sponsored by Rosco

Gladiators – Series 2

Nigel Catmur: Lighting Designer

Martin Higgins: Moving light programmer

Oliver Lifely & Darren Lovell: Key Light Programmer

Matt Lee: Media Programmer

“The event was attended by 250 people and of those, 150 were Lighting Designers, or members of their lighting teams.”

Mark Gardiner: Gaffer

ENTERTAINMENT ONE-OFF sponsored by LCR

Florence and the Machine at the BBC Proms

David Bishop: Lighting Designer

Adam Marshall: Programmer

Mark Gardiner: Gaffer

Giles Hiscock: Vision

| Pictured: The Room Photo by David Stewart ©TPA

| Below: Clara Sousa Shaheed

DRAMA sponsored by ChamSys

Slow Horses

Danny Cohen: Director of Photography

Eben Bolter: Additional Director of Photography

Mike Eley: Second Unit Director of Photography

Paul McGeaghan: Gaffer

Steve Roberts: Best Boy

Adam Galsman: Colourist

SMALL STUDIO sponsored by ELP Broadcast

Lighting

Paris 2024 ITV Olympics

Andy Cottey:

Lighting Designer

Chris Hollier:

Lighting Designer

Ed Railton: Paris Operation

Joe Peal: Network

Matthew Mountier: Gaffer

Phil Parsons: Gaffer

NON SCRIPTED sponsored by Cameo

Battle Camp

Ross Williams: Lighting Director

Andrew Allen: Director of Photography

Matt Chalk: Gaffer

CONTINUING DRAMA sponsored by LED Creative

East Enders Live

John Carberry: Lighting Supervisor

Matt Maller: Vision Supervisor

Gwilym Roberts: Lead Gaffer

Stu Ashton: Senior Vision Engineer

Paul McLoughlin: Operations Manager

Geoff Ward: Technical Manager

SPECIAL MERIT AWARD sponsored by HS - Hire

Paul Tibbles, for his long service to the TV and touring industry

Paul (AKA Tibbles or Tibbs) has been a part of the television and rock and roll industry since the early 80s. He has gaffered some of the biggest royal events throughout his tv career as well as gaffering many seasons of the annual BBC Proms in the summer. Along with these high profile events Tibbs has

| Below: Florence and Machine prom

| Pictured: Special Merit Award Paul Tibbles

worked across a variety of light entertainment shows including The Voice, Top Gear, Love Island and more recently Traitors.

Tibbs’s rock and roll career has taken him around the world many times, with artists including Duran Duran, Toto, Queen, Sade and Simple Minds to name a few. Tibbs loves telling stories of his touring days and given the chance would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Bernie Davis said:

“Paul is one of the most generous people I have worked with. He has helped so many aspiring electricians develop from work experience to some of the most in-demand crew around. His dedication to any production he works on is limitless, and I remember the time when he had a serious motorcycle accident, yet as soon as he was on crutches he turned up to the Proms and before you could stop him he was pushing flight cases around. I am delighted that the Profile Awards has been able to recognise Paul today for his services to the industry, no-one deserves it more.”

NEWCOMER AWARD

Other Awards

The Brian Croft Behind the Scenes Award sponsored by PRG

The Award is presented by kind agreement with Brian’s family in memory of Brian Croft and was awarded to Wayne Howell.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Luca Panetta for ‘Maria de Rudenz’, Battersea Arts Centre

Outstanding Achievement in Theatre sponsored by Chauvet Professional

Jessica Hung Han Yun for ‘Hamlet Hail To the Thief’, Aviva Manchester

Outstanding Achievement in Innovation sponsored by Fix8 Group

Theresa Baumgartner for ‘Deepstaria‘, Sadler’s Wells East

| Below:

Jess-Allen (left) from BackUp Tech and Briony Berning from Ayrton.

Clara was first noticed as part of the Robe NRG project whilst a student at Confetti in Nottingham. She obtained a placement on the team for Strictly Come Dancing in Blackpool in 2023 as one of two students, and it was quickly evident that she was a clear cut above the average work-placement participant. From the start she demonstrated a willingness to get stuck in – beginning with the unloading of three fully stacked 40ft trailers in the middle of a storm –and continuing to show care and

The final Special Award on the night was The Richard Pilbrow Lifetime Recognition Award sponsored by Theatre Projects which was awarded to Paule Constable who is now retiring following a life-time of excellence in Theatre lighting design.

The Profile Awards 2025 Theatre Awardees

The Theatre winners were:

Outstanding Achievement in Theatre Award sponsored by TSL

Sarah Readman for ‘The Glass Menagerie’, The Yard, Hackney Wick

Outstanding Achievement in Dance sponsored by Elation Joshie Harriette for ‘Pigeons‘, Sadler’s Wells East

Outstanding Achievement in Theatre sponsored by Vari-Lite

James Mackenzie for ‘A Little Inquest Into What We Are Doing Here’, Zoo Southside, Edinburgh Fringe

Outstanding Achievement in Opera sponsored by ETC

Outstanding Year in Theatre sponsored by SLX

Joshua Pharo for ‘Kenrex’, Sheffield Playhouse; ‘The House Party’, Chichester & Leeds Playhouse; ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, Nottingham Playhouse & Lyric Hammersmith; ‘The Hot Wing King’, Dorfman, National Theatre

Outstanding Year in Musical Theatre sponsored by GLP

Howard Hudson for ‘Love Life’, Opera North; ‘Starlight Express’, Troubadour Wembley Park; ‘Natasha, Pierre And The Great Comet of 1812’, Donmar Warehouse

There were also a number of nominees. These were:

Adam Silverman for ‘Nobodaddy’, Dublin Theatre Festival

Anna Watson for ‘Three Sisters’, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, The Globe

Azusa Ono for ‘The Spy Who Came In From the Cold’, Minerva, Chichester

Ben Cracknell for ‘The Merry Widow’, Glyndebourne

Bethany Gupwell for ‘Visit From

| Pictured: Slow Horses

| The Profile Awards 2025

An Unknown Woman’, Hampstead Theatre

DM Wood for ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Garsington Opera

Jahmiko Marshall for ‘…Blackbird Hour’, Bush Theatre

James Farncombe for ‘The Other Place’, Lyttelton, National Theatre

Paule Constable & Ben Jacobs for ‘Oliver!’, Chichester Festival Theatre

Ryan Joseph Stafford for ‘Kabel’, Sadler’s Wells East

Simeon Miller for ‘Brace, Brace’, Royal Court Upstairs

Tom Visser for ‘Figures in Extinction’, Aviva Manchester

Varja Klosse for ‘The Years’, The Almeida

Willie Williams for ‘You Me Bum Bum Train’, site-specific.

The STLD congratulate all those short-listed for the Profile Awards 2025, and would like to thank everyone who took the trouble to nominate a production. It is already time to start thinking about next year’s nominations so if you see anything that impresses you please do nominate it.

Stuart Gain

Chair of TV Judges and STLD Hon. Secretary

| Pictured: Sponsors and Awardees

| Below: Battle Camp, Paris Olympics Studio, Gladiators and Eastenders Live.

Backup Tech welcomes two new partners for 2025

The live events sector continues to demonstrate the dedication and commitment of its professionals, with Backup Partners exemplifying this community spirit. Early 2025 has seen Backup Tech expand its partnership network with two new companies, and is delighted to introduce Core Pro Audio and TMB as its newest partners.

Each Backup Partner brings its own motivation and story to the partnership, yet all share a common goal: supporting the vital work Backup undertakes to assist industry professionals during their times of greatest need.

The first new partner is Core Pro Audio, a professional audio sales company and used equipment specialist headquartered in the UK, with international trading capabilities.

The partnership was cemented following the hugely successful Core Pro Show 2025 at the Mount Hotel, Tettenhall in January, which attracted over 200 attendees from the pro audio scene. The event was packed with networking opportunities, educational product presentations, and hands-on demos, with Backup having a presence at the popular network hub. In addition to the money raised for Backup as part of the raffle on the day, thanks to generous prizes from exhibitors,

Core committed to a yearly company donation to become a Bronze Backup Partner.

“The team at Core Pro Audio are proud to support Backup and its cause,” says Joe Jackson, Director at Core Pro Audio. “We had an amazing show this year and the raffle was a great way to end the day. None of us are immune to the challenges that life can throw at us, particularly within our industry post pandemic. Business often takes priority, but to recognise and help those who are in need is very important to us all here, and we will continue this support moving forwards.”

The second new partner is TMB, a value-added global distributor with almost 40 years of industry experience, originally founded to deliver specialised technology for the expanding concert lighting sector. As part of this partnership initiative, 10% of all sales from TMB’s award-winning ProPlex CodeClock product will be donated directly to Backup. These funds will aid in providing crucial financial aid, wellness support and mental health resources to those working behind the scenes in the industry.

“Supporting the people who bring shows and experiences to life is more important than ever,” explains Colin Waters, Chief Executive

at TMB. “Our partnership with Backup Tech reflects TMB’s ongoing commitment to our community and its well-being.”

To find out more about TMB’s ProPlex CodeClock product, and to purchase to support Backup Tech, visit www.proplex.com codeclock.

Core Pro Audio and TMB now join the established network of partners including Ambersphere, ETC, L-Acoustics, Neg Earth, Unusual, Carallon, Chauvet, Christie Lites, TSL and 5 Star Cases.

The partnership network forms the foundation of the charity’s operations, with their ongoing support enabling daily work of supporting industry professionals through grants and wellbeing initiatives to continue. Backup’s mission remains vital to the industry, with Partners playing an essential role in its delivery. Additionally, each new partnership extends awareness throughout the industry, reaching those who may require assistance.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners who make Backup’s vital work possible,” says Backup Chair, Piers Shepherd.

“Their unwavering support enables us to continue providing essential assistance to our industry professionals when they need it most. We’re delighted to welcome Core Pro Audio and TMB to our growing community of partners, and we look forward to working together to strengthen the support network that underpins our industry’s wellbeing.”

Backup Partner Page: www.backuptech.uk/about-us/ supporters-and-partners

If you are a company or venue and are interested in becoming a Backup Partner in 2025, visit: www.backuptech.uk/supportour-work/partner-with-us

ETC puts the Green in Greenford

When we asked if ETC would mind hosting the STLD AGM 2025 I had not realised that, like the STLD, ETC were also celebrating their 50th year and I am sure we will hear more about that in the coming months. What I was really looking forward to seeing was their new premises in Greenford, and it didn’t disappoint.

ETC’s UK base had been at Gypsy Corner in North Acton long enough for them to have largely out-grown it, and we had heard for some years that they had plans to move out. That finally happened in 2024 despite all the obstacles that the last five years had raised, and from what I saw they now have a futurethinking building to last them for many years to come.

The most memorable part of Gypsy Corner (apart from the way

took you to a housing estate off a one-way system) was the beautiful Playhouse Theatre they had built within the factory unit. The room represented visually a theatre with

audience in balconies represented as murals, and balcony structures molded in Middleton, Wisconsin and shipped over to make ETC’s biggest themed premises outside the US,

Satnav

| Above: New Greenford Headquarters with Bee Hotels. Inset: Theatre

| Words: Bernie Davis | Pictures: Martin Christidis and Bernie Davis

| Below: Foyer

where ETC’s CEO Fred Foster had created a full-scale town square lobby based on Edward Hopper’s famous painting ‘Night Hawks’ . Rather than start again they decided to dismantle the Playhouse and reconstruct it in their new building in Greenford, and the theatre now has a new foyer designed by Susan Foster, wife of Fred Foster who sadly passed away in 2019.

Greenford gave them far more space than before so the theatre, now renamed as The Fred Foster Theatre, was even made a little larger. A higher ceiling gave them improved flying height, and gave the auditorium an extra level that needed to be included into the design. New moldings were manufactured for an extra balcony, and a scenic artist was brought in to add more faces to the crowd. If you look closely you can see that there are only two real faces in that audience – Fred Foster himself, and ‘Flash’ who had installed the original Playhouse. Flash was flown in to supervise the dismantling and rebuilding of the theatre, only to find that over twenty years his memory of how it worked was not as comprehensive as they had hoped! They learned a lot in the dismantling, and now the now theatre looks at first glance very similar to the old one, albeit with a new carpet especially ordered; the old one had seen heavy use over the years.

The new building is more than twice the size of the Gypsy Corner site, giving them nearly four times the warehouse space, and as Matt explained – that is paying off with delivery times as moving stock from their German depot t moving stock from their German depot to the UK is not as fast as it used to be and they can now hold more stock and spares in the UK than ever.

Keeping to ETC’s environmentallyfriendly values the company worked with the new landlords to give the new building enough improvements to make it the first industrial refurbishment of its type in the world that is completed to BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ standards.

The roof now has 180 kW of solar panels backed up by 80kW of battery capacity. The building defaults to using this power first and sends power back to the grid when running a surplus, something they

are seeing more and more on the monitor display in the lobby now that spring has bought the sun.

All rain that falls on the roof is harvested and some of it is used to keep the green walls outside and inside the front of the building looking….well green. But the green walls do a lot more than look nice, they will trap up to 26,000g of dust extract 460g of gas and 260kg of particulate matter, whilst producing 340kg of O2 per year. The rest of the water is used as grey water around the building servicing all the toilets.

Outside ETC’s bike shed also has a living roof and there are a number of bug hotels situated around the building to help with Bio-Diversity.

The building’s lighting system was

all project-managed by themselves and makes good use of their architectural range, making the building itself a showcase. The entire building runs from ETC Power and Data Control. Control is run from a Paradigm Central Server system, which includes occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors to enrich the energy saving credentials of the building. A glass-fronted cupboard houses 8x centralized ETC F-Drive R12 LED driver racks with an additional 6x localized F-Drive W1 drivers situated outside of this rack, closer to the fixtured they are driving.

Overall, the F-Drive is driving 180x Navis 100 and over 150 metres of 3rd party LED tape fixtures. All the architectural lighting from Irideon and S4 Mini fixtures are all also again driven by the central F-Drive system.

| Right: Cardboard Mesh Packaging recycling

| Above: Rainwater harvesting

| Above: Control Systems central control

Many products arrive in cardboard packaging, and they don’t just recycle the cardboard, they have a machine that lets them re-use it.

The cardboard shredder cushion pack takes any cardboard that that they have taken back from sales or from other items sent to us and cuts a mesh into it leaving you with a recycled material for filling void space giving extra protection of the items being shipped out.

Back in the theatre we were treated to a demonstration of a few ETC products, and the additional roof height certainly helped to get more realistic angles for the fixtures.

The High End Systems Halcyon comes in four flavours, the Gold, Titanium, Platinum, and the Silent.

We saw two of these go through their paces, the Titanium to the Silent. They both have a useful 6° to 60° zoom but the Titanium is the brighter of the two producing 40,000 lumens in Ultra-Bright mode or 24,000 lumens in High Fidelity. The Silent is (of course) aimed at those who need absolute silence, with DMX control of the fan speed.

The Silent has a ‘high fidelity’ LED engine generating 18,000 lumens but then it adapts its brightness to cope with any reduction of air movement. A much larger heat sink reduces its dependency on cooling fans, and although reducing the fan

| Above: Halcyon Demonstration

| Above: Matt Cowles and James FordBannister

to zero means a light reduction of up to 80% even a very small amount of fan soon gets the output back to 50% of full or better. If silence is what you need this gives the control to the operator so you can pick your moments, even cue by cue.

Both fixtures demonstrated high quality design with good dichroics that offered colours from pastel to saturated at your choice of colour temperature, two gobo wheels and continuous rotating animation.

Good diffusion that could take the edge off gobos, or even soften them right off. With use of the diffuser it was possible to make the Halcyon more or less perform as a wash light, adding versatility to the rig.

Then by complete contrast we were shown the SolaPix Fan 8. If the Halcyon is the precision tool then the SolaPix Fan 8 is the party animal! Its eight cells set in a fan array can each zoom from 4.5° to

60° with the fan giving a 102° linear spread. Put all that on a pan and tilt yoke with infinite pan and you have a unique and fun fixture. With so much to see we ran very short of time for the AGM, but in my opinion the tour and the demonstration more than justified keeping the business part of the evening as brief as possible! We thank Matt Cowles and James Ford-Bannister of ETC who made gracious hosts and great tour guides.

| Below: Halcyon Silent and SolaPix Fan 8

Showlight 2025 Dijon Round-up

| Words: Bernie Davis. Pictures: Sean Nguyen and Showlight Committee Members.

The last real face-to-face Showlight was held in Florence back in 2017, and although the pattern since Showlight started in 1981 has been for it to return every four years, Covid-19 prevented it happening in 2021 despite plans being well under way. To fit the style of the times a Virtual Showlight was held in 2021 but despite attempts to recreate the atmosphere it still lacked the conversations and the networking that are the essence of this unique event.

With finances low the Showlight committee feared that they did not have the resources get the next Showlight started and it was feared that it would never return. But under the surface the will and the spirit were still alive, and at PLASA 2023 a group of us met up to see if we thought it could be resurrected. It was a big risk as the industry was still recovering from the pandemic, but we decided to give it a shot and we agreed to set the date for May 2025 giving us just 18 months to achieve what normally took nearly four years.

We had a head start however, as work had already begun on staging

Showlight 2021 in France with headline sponsor Robert Juliat. The location we had worked towards was Fontainebleau, although the town was raising a few challenges that were making it difficult; challenges such as the theatre we were getting free was barely large enough. Also the town was just on the small side for our needs. For 2025 we felt we needed to find a new location very quickly.

A new committee was quickly formed, and Showlight veteran Jim Tetlow was asked to be the new chair, replacing John Allen. To keep Robert Juliat as Headline Sponsor we needed to find a venue in France, and the well-travelled Tetlow had been impressed with Dijon on his travels in the past. Showlight asks a lot from its conference venue: It has to be big enough to take up to 500 people, have additional space for an exhibition area for the sponsors’ stands, it wants to impress a discerning group of people who work in the entertainment business, and it has to be affordable – as well as available! A little research showed that Dijon had a wellequipped conference centre - Le

Palais Des Congres-Expositions De Dijon - only a ten minute walk from the centre of the old town with its many bars and restaurants as well as enough hotels to take all our delegates.

With Dijon being easily accessible from the UK and the US as well as Europe we took the decision to stage Showlight 2025 there, and quickly found that the city proved to be welcoming hosts. This charming capital of the historical Burgundy region in eastern France is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and is very proud of its gastronomy and its wines, just what the lighting community needs!

We then had to start planning very quickly, without actually knowing how the funds would work out. But it is fair to say that Jim was taken by surprise at the generosity of the sponsors; there was clearly a strong enthusiasm for Showlight to happen again.

Next step was to gather speakers, and anyone who has been to Showlight before will know that the range and diversity of the presentations is an essential quality

| Above: Palais des Congres

Photo by Sebastian Dewsbery

that makes Showlight quite unique in the industry calendar. We want to hear about the big projects and the small unusual projects, we want to represent all lighting sectors, we want an international and diverse spread of speakers and subjects, we want the technical and the aesthetic, and we don’t want commercial plugs. Showlight has been criticised in the past for having too few women speaking, and we certainly wanted to address that imbalance. And, of course, we wanted all these speakers to take time out from their careers to speak to us for no money. Through

a combination of promotion and recruitment we were soon very pleasantly surprised and delighted with the variety and quality of the offers, leaving the papers committee a problem with how to choose the best programme from what was on offer.

Jim Tetlow wanted to advance Showlight 2025, and introduced a workshops programme. Some presentations clearly needed to be interactive and some were great additions to the schedule whilst not necessarily having universal appeal, and so a workshops afternoon

was introduced for the first time, replacing the traditional local tours afternoon. In Florence in 2017 an enormous amount of work had gone into arranging visits in the afternoon of the second day, only to find that a significant number of people just did not show up. This year for the first time the second afternoon was planned as a number of workshops that delegates could opt to attend, and those who wanted to explore Dijon could make their own arrangements for that day, or even stay on after Showlight finished.

Another hallmark of Showlight in

| Right: Camera Students and Camera Veterans

| Above (left to right): Q and A Session with Roger Simonsz, Clara Daguin, David Gray, Fiffi Thorsteinsson | Host Jim Tetlow | Speaker Thierry Goron | Showlight Audience

Photo by Sebastian Dewsbery

the past has been the inclusion of lighting students. In the past students have been invited to apply for up to forty free places in return for helping with the forty sponsor companies with their exhibition displays. This gave students direct connection to companies in a way they would never get during their education as well as free access to a convention they were unlikely to be able to afford. In 2025 this changed a little, and thanks to the sponsorship that Showlight raised it was possible to extend the offer to include a bursary to help cover students’ travel to Dijon, and even provide free accomodation in a local hotel. With students coming from as far as Australia, Brazil, and Canada this levelled the field for them, and it was lovely hearing the students commenting on how good it was to wake up in their own hotel room instead of a shared room in a hostel! Those wanting to come were carefully vetted through an online application questionnaire, and everyone commented on the high standard of students who came. They were engaged and enthusiastic, helpful and good company. Some were selected to help with the running of the conference, which got them even more involved.

A new delegate category was also introduced – the Emerging Professionals, identified as people new to the industry who were no longer students but were at the start of their careers, and who would benefit from the experience yet are less likely to be able to afford to come. Like the students, Showlight was able to afford to help towards their costs.

The next crucial part of the organisation is the Conference Gala Dinner, where all delegates, speakers, sponsors and students get together for a dinner. Jim happened to have a contact who lived in Dijon, Sherry Thevenot, who proved to be invaluable in local research, and it was Sherry who found the ideal venue.

Château de Vantoux was completed in 1704, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart who was a French architect and city planner to King Louis XIV who also completed the design of the Palace of Versailles. Situated just a 15 minute drive from the centre of Dijon it made an impressive venue

for dinner. The present owners had recently bought the chateau and are now embarking on an ambitious restoration project. To one side of the chateau is a more modern structure, the Orangerie, built to hold functions, and by chance was the perfect size to take the

The last piece of the jigsaw was to find a suitable place to hold a welcome event at the end of the registration day, and that came up through no less than the Mayor of Dijon. The Salle des États within

Showlight conference gala dinner.

| Above:

Committee member Jane Cockburn welcomes guests with samples from her wine cellar

the historic Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne is a grand reception hall that you can’t hire. It is designated for use only by the mayor of Dijon, however the mayor wanted to welcome this large and important international conference to the city, and so it gave us a spectacular start to Showlight 2025.

A tradition that started in 2005 at Showlight in Glasgow is that the STLD has hosted a dinner for the students that follows the welcome drinks, and we were pleased to take them all to Le Jeanne Brasserie for a French pizza meal!

We will be reporting back on some of the papers in future editions of Set & Light, but the general feeling is already that Showlight 2025 was a great success beyond our hopes, building on its past experience and moving it forward. Thought is

already going into Showlight 2029, and the STLD will certainly want to be involved from the start.

Enormous thanks must go to the Headline Sponsors Robert Juliat, for their financial support of course, but also for their support with local connections and planning; Séverine Zucciatti of Robert Juliat proved invaluable with her planning and organisational skills. There is also a large amount of support that comes from LSi and PLASA in the form of website, graphic design and publicity effort. And although I don’t like to pick out individuals for what they did, Matt Hallard at Ayrton (Diamond Sponsors) was key in raising the support from sponsor companies, a vital component of this Showlight.

https://www.showlight.org

| Above: The Salle des États

Launch day for Eastbrook Studios

| Words: Bernie Davis | Pictures: Martin Christidis

In March 2025 Simon Roose of MBS Equipment kindly offered STLD members the chance to attend the launch day for the new Eastbrook Studios in Dagenham – and despite the short-notice a small and enthusiastic group of us went to see the latest addition to the UK’s Broadcast infrastructure.

This brand new 21.5-acre campus is now home to 12 soundstages designed and operated by parent company MBS, ranging in size from 16,000 square feet to 32,000 square feet, adding to their expansion east of London, having already opened Wharf Studios in nearby Barking in 2023, with its own six sound stages on a 10 acres site.

The Eastbrook Studios complex was built on a brownfield site once occupied by chemical company

May & Baker until it closed in 2013, and looking further back in history it was one of many orchards owned

| Below: Work in Progress 2023

by the Wilkin family for making Tiptree jam.

MBS operate studios in many US states from California to New York, as well as around the UK including Wardpark Film and Television Studios in Scotland, Troy Studios in Ireland, as well as Pinewood and Shepperton Studios, and even Cardington Studios – the old home of Elstree Light and Power. Their experience shows in the planning that has gone into the Eastbrook site, providing plenty of flexible space for offices and workshops, a good grid height to allow for large sets, and the attention to detail even goes down to installing

hoists for rigging on the gantries. Operable walls between stages and gantries allow for interconnectivity for larger productions giving the studios further flexibility. Everything uses electric power - no fossil fuels are used at all, letting them be as sustainable as possible. With the rail line close by it was important to consider soundproofing, and the studio floors are all acoustically separated from the ground to minimise any sound problems.

The location is good for transport links, being a few minute walk from London’s District Line, or a 15 minute drive from the M25.

The stages offer up to 50-foot clear heights, with operable walls between stages to allow for interconnectivity, and gantries, along with specialised workshop, office and production support spaces. Generous backlot areas are available for exterior film sets, as well as nearby cityscapes, urban landscapes and rural locations. There is even a roof terrace with views over London on a clear day. There is a spacious campus that can take all the cabins and Winnebago’s that might be needed, and they can also park and power OB trucks for television companies. Early signs are that shows that are coming in tend to be the film style of working

| Pictured:

May and Baker

Ethanol Still

| Pictured: Anna Wilson of Film Barking and Dagenham

| Pictured: Roof Garden View

such as Netflix dramas rather than traditional game shows, although their first show ended up being a multicamera show with TV audience.

Probably the most impressive part of this initiative is the level of joined-up thinking that made it happen. Film Barking & Dagenham’s ‘MAKE IT HERE’ programme are a forward-thinking team who are there to enable film and TV projects in the borough. From the start they have helped MBS and financial backers Hackman Capital Partners to develop and deliver the studio plans. They also involved Barking and Dagenham College to start courses in the crafts needed to run studios, and have organised special events to show local schools the career opportunities in film and television. I have been to two of

their events before, and it was a privilege to meet the people from the film unit and MBS who have been so active in enabling these developments, and also the local young people who have already discovered the film business growing on their doorstep. Some of the new trainees were there at the launch event acting as ushers and guides, and all of those that I met give you hope for the future of the industry.

On all levels this was an uplifting meeting, not least seeing how these new studios have transformed a previously redundant East London lot into one of the most sustainable facilities in the world, with a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

To quote from Martin Kempton’s

excellent TV Studio History website: “These studios are the result of nearly a decade of dedicated work by a small group of individuals. They have overcome many delays and obstacles but they deserve to be proud of what has been achieved for the people of this area and the industry in general.”

AYRTON

Lighten Up Adds Ayrton Fixtures to Rig Upgrade at nya studios

Los Angeles-based Lighten Up Inc. chose 30 Ayrton Diablo and 30 Zonda 3 FX fixtures to upgrade the rig in nya studios Main Room from conventional to moving lights. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.

Lighten Up is a leading lighting and A/V services company in event production and maintains an extensive lighting equipment rental inventory. The company has a preferred vendor relationship with nya studios, which boasts more than 50,000 square feet of indoor space and an abundance of outdoor space with east and west campus facilities that include three sound stages and support spaces, an elevated and adaptable event space, 77-person cinema, board rooms, coffee bar and lounge.

“The Main Room at the nya west campus had an existing rig with all conventional fixtures, so it was time for an upgrade,” says Brian Kim, Vice President, Design & Production at Lighten Up. “By installing compact Ayrton profile and wash fixtures we would ensure they’d be able to tackle any event that utilized the space.”

“So much rides on events booked here going flawlessly, and we have an amazing level of trust with Lighten Up and their team,” declares Nina Moayer-Lockett, President/CEO of nya studios. “We feel safe and secure with the products and services they provide to our venue.”

Lighten Up has a deep knowledge of Ayrton fixtures and how they perform. The company owns a large complement of Ayrton lighting for its rental inventory, including Diablo, Perseo, Khamsin, Rivale as well as Zonda 3 and Zonda 9 FX.

On top of that foundation of reliability, “sometimes you want some extra sparkle,” explains Kim, “so we added a layer of Zonda 3 FX. The Diablos can provide texture or highlights while the Zondas are great for backlight and their built-in effects. Both fixtures also have the ability for really wide throws, which is essential for the space where the truss trims at 17 feet.”

| Below: Ayrton NYA studios

Nina Moayer-Lockett notes that the new fixtures “have really elevated the space. They are super sleek and clean and give a great feeling to the room.”

Since the fixtures’ installation at the end of last year, she says they have been used for an array of celebrity events, galas, award shows and corporate summits.

“We support all the events there, and are very happy with the upgraded rig,” Kim notes. “We enjoy a very good relationship with ACT and look forward to getting the low-down on new gear. So I’m sure there will be other Ayrton fixtures in our inventory soon!”

Ayrton launches Veloce Wash – the ultimate racing luminaire

Following the launch and immediate success of the allnew Veloce Profile, Ayrton is proud to unveil Veloce Wash, the fourth luminaire in the ‘Ultimate’ family, boasting a cutting-edge design and breathtaking performance.

Like all Ultimate series luminaires, Veloce Wash is a versatile tool designed to perform in all conditions— indoors, outdoors, and even in coastal environments. Built on the advanced principle of perfect scalability, this ultracompact luminaire pushes the boundaries of integration with a sealed 850W high-efficiency LED module, calibrated at 6500K, delivering a powerful 40,000-lumen output. With an optimal black body positioning, it ensures perfect light neutrality.

| Pictured: Ayrton

The use of lightweight aluminum components significantly reduces weight, achieving the best weightto-power ratio on the market, without resorting to costly or unstable special alloys. Weighing just 39kg, Veloce Wash is the lightest luminaire in its category. For greater creative freedom, it features continuous, unlimited pan & tilt rotation.

Veloce Wash integrates an ultra-fast CMY progressive colour-mixing system with a gradient disk that provides a continuous filtering surface, ensuring perfect uniformity. This innovative system enhances colour brightness and renders pastel shades with exceptional accuracy.

The effects section includes a 6-position rotating glass gobo wheel, a multi-layer CMY+RGB animation wheel, a beam ovaliser, and an indexable rotating scrim filter. The all-new progressive frost system provides precise control over diffusion levels, offering seamless adjustment to match any creative need.

Tim Routledge features Ayrton fixtures at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

The 69th Eurovision Song Contest, hosted by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, and co-ordinated by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), took place in the St. Jakobshalle Arena in Basel, Switzerland in front of an audience of 6,500 people, a further 36,000 watching on screens at a nearby football stadium, a global audience of 170 million viewers and over 2bn online views.

The Eurovision Song Contest is now one of the biggest, brightest and most colourful live productions in the world, and the 2025 edition boasted the biggest rig in Eurovision history. Ayrton fixtures played a key role in Tim Routledge’s spectacular and ever-changing, metamorphic design which included the complete range of Ayrton laser-phosphor sourced fixtures Mamba, Kyalami and Cobra, as well as Domino LT, Rivale Profile and Nando 502 Wash, all supplied by London-based Neg Earth Lights. “I had a lot of options to play with in this playground,” says Routledge. Just as well for the number of performances (nearly 50 including half time and opening performances) which happen in such notoriously quick succession.

The St. Jakobshalle Arena may have been smaller than traditional Eurovision Song Contest venues, but Routledge’s lighting and Florian Wieder’s stage design defied physics and combined to produce a series of shows (two Semi-Finals and the Grand Finale) that were huge in look and magnificent in impact.

The set was dominated by a 750sq.m transparent LED screen backdrop behind the main stage and catwalk leading to a self-supporting video proscenium arch that was developed to replace the lack of overhead hanging space. The traditional Eurovision Song Contest Green Room was located opposite the stage, sandwiching the audience which surrounded the stage and catwalk and filled the space between the video proscenium arch and the enveloping arena seating.

Rigged upstage of the LED screen were 45 Ayrton Domino LT and 36 laser-sourced Ayrton Cobra fixtures which provided the moving light contingent behind the screen, blasting beams of light through the video output for strong blow-through effects combined with a

“We had some very complex positional pallets for Mamba, but they held their positions perfectly and looked insane on camera!”

vast 3D grid of lighting. “The Cobra and Domino LT were great workhorse fixtures throughout the show, but one significant and distinctly different moment was during the Austrian - and this year’s winning - entry, Wasted Love by JJ,” says Routledge.

Over stage, three pairs of moving perspective trusses held 96 Ayrton Rivale Profiles which Routledge used for strong aerial beam effects. “We chose Rivale Profile because it is a compact fixture with a good gobo selection and colour palette. We also needed something extremely reliable since they were rigged on constantly moving truss and readily available in the quantity we needed from Neg Earth Lights – all of which Rivale were.”

A diminutive star of the show was Ayrton Kyalami, 200 of which were rigged on three sides of the auditorium to provide reverse and cross light beam effects around the audience. 34 Ayrton Nando 502 Wash fixtures filled in for audience key lights. “Because Kyalami is such a compact unit, we were able to rig them around the entire second row of seats without interfering with sight lines,” says Routledge. “They gave us a clean line of beams which we could use to extend the beam work from those beautiful Mamba fixtures on stage out into the auditorium to give us some huge looks.”

The new Ayrton Mamba is what Routledge terms his ‘hero fixture’. Released in January this year, Mamba is the first laser-sourced IP65 fixture in Ayrton’s 6 Series, twice as powerful as its highly successful smaller sibling, Cobra, with a wide 250mm front lens that lighting designers have fallen in love with.

Routledge loaded the top and bottom edges of the rear LED screen with 100 Mamba, which lent depth and architecture to the set and lighting states, as well as a beautiful large-lens effect in the background. “I needed something with a punchy beam, great gobos, crisp beams and fabulous colour matching, especially in the strong saturated colours, that could punch through the brightness of the video screen to build a lot of architectural beam light effects,” says Routledge. “I tried out the Mamba and these provided intense, crisp, architectural looks with colours that really pop on camera.”

“We had some very complex positional pallets for Mamba, but they held their positions perfectly and looked insane on camera!” confirms Routledge, citing last year’s winning entry, Nemo’s opening of the Grand Finale, as a prime example. During a reprisal of his song The Code, lighting programmer, Tom Young, knitted Mamba’s beams into complex monochrome matrix of kinetic shapes and patterns.

This is not the first time Routledge has used Mamba, having used them on the London New Year’s Eve show

which was a very different project. “We were fortunate enough to work with Neg Earth Lights where we were able to workshop our ideas with the Ayrton products on site at their London base. Having the expertise of the UK Ayrton distributor available so locally was an ideal combination of service and supply.”

CIRROLITE

DISCOVER THE COMPLETE RANGE OF AIR LUX II LIGHTING FIXTURES at Cirro Lite

The Air Lux II series from Pheon Lux offers a thoughtfully designed range of form factors to meet the diverse demands of professional lighting setups. Available in tube or panel shape, the lineup provides exceptional flexibility for a wide variety of production environments. Whether used for tight interior spaces, expansive set pieces, or dynamic lighting arrangements, each fixture is engineered to deliver consistent, high-quality illumination.

Air Lux range features a built-in auto inflation system that makes setup fast and effortless. With an integrated battery-powered fan, each unit inflates automatically at the push of a button. The inflation time ranges from just seconds for the smallest fixtures up to several minutes for the biggest ones. Each kit also comes with an AC pump in case the battery of the built-in fan runs out. All tubes and panels are self-inflating except for the M88C.

DEDOLIGHT

dedolight Lightstream: the role of the Parallel Beam Intensifier

In the world of reflected light the dedolight Lightstream system is unique. While other systems rely on shining a light into a reflector and then to subject, the dedolight Lightstream system takes this one step further.

Using the magic dedolight Parallel Beam Intensifier significantly increases light output from any dedolight focussing light. Light output can be increased by between 300% and 800%, depending which light and Parallel Beam Intensifier are used.

| Above: Elation

PARAGON Wins ABTT Lighting Product of the Year Award 2025 – Graham Hill

This increased light output is particularly useful in that the focussed beam of light enables multiple reflectors to be lit from a single light source: this can create the illusion of many different light sources while at the same time extending the travel of the light from source to subject. The result is an organic naturalistic quality to the light, which the dedolight Lightstream system is famous for.

The magic is in the dedolight optics: the lenses in the light head and Parallel Beam Intensifier work together to produce the increased light output, enabling multiple light sources to be created from a single light source. No other reflected light system offers the ability to work with multiple reflectors in this way. It is the increased light output and focussing ability of the dedolight in combination with the Parallel Beam Intensifier which makes dedolight Lighstream the most complete system for working with reflected light.

This way of working applies to portable dedolight focussing lights in combination with Parallel Beam Intensifiers, which can be used on location on in the studio.

Watch movie below to gain a deeper understanding of the dedolight Lightstream system and the unique advantages this way of working offers dedolight lightstream: the most complete system (duration 45 minutes): https://tinyurl.com/3ek6mwrx

ELATION

Elation’s PARAGON Named Lighting Product of the Year at ABTT Theatre Show

Elation is incredibly proud and thrilled to announce that its PARAGON S LED profile moving head has been awarded Lighting Product of the Year at the prestigious ABTT Theatre Show.

PARAGON represents a true leap forward in lighting innovation, and Elation is honored that its impact is being recognized across the entertainment lighting industry, notably by skilled and highly discerning theatre professionals.

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The Association of British Theatre Technicians’ (ABTT) Annual Awards took place on June 4th at Alexandra Palace, following the first day of the ABTT Show. Accepting the award on behalf of Elation was Business Development Manager Graham Hill, who shared:

“We’re absolutely delighted to receive this recognition from the ABTT. PARAGON was designed for work in virtually any application, also the creative and technical demands of theatre professionals. This award is a real testament to the incredible work of our team, the years of R&D behind this series, and the valuable input of our design partners who helped shape what PARAGON has become.”

An experienced jury of working theatre practitioners and industry peers considers entries for the ABTT Product Awards each year. The panel found that PARAGON was a unique and forward-thinking solution — one that truly can make a difference to our industry.

Elation’s PARAGON series of LED profile moving heads

is the company’s new flagship fixture line, reflecting years of R&D development and collaboration with top lighting designers. Available in three models (S, M, LT) to suit different venue scales and needs, each fixture is IP54-rated and built with flexibility in mind. PARAGON features an interchangeable lens system, Elation’s proprietary TruTone variable CRI technology, and a comprehensive suite of creative design tools — all within a compact, rugged housing.

This latest recognition from ABTT follows PARAGON’s debut success at the LDI Show in December, where it was honored as Best Debuting Product.

Elation PROTEUS BRUTUS FS a Lighting Followspot Powerhouse

With advanced features optimized for followspot applications, the brute power of a high-intensity beam, and an all-weather IP66 rating, the PROTEUS BRUTUS FS excels in followspot applications indoors and out

Elation has harnessed the long-throw performance of its powerhouse PROTEUS BRUTUS LED Wash FX fixture and optimized it for followspot applications in the new PROTEUS BRUTUS FS.

The PROTEUS BRUTUS FS integrates seamlessly with various followspot systems on the market and delivers exceptional brightness and color quality over long distances. Whether equipped with a camera or not, beam-shaping gobos, iris, wide zoom range, and handle options are some of the refined features that make this powerful fixture an excellent choice for followspot applications in any environment.

“With the power to cut through at great distances, the PROTEUS BRUTUS is used for wash and effect lighting on some of our industry’s largest shows and events. But it is also often utilized as a followspot, so it was a natural evolution to create a version

specifically optimized for that purpose,” says Matthias Hinrichs, Product Manager at Elation. “By keeping its key features—like the powerful output and weatherproof rating—and tailoring it for followspot applications, and with improved color fidelity, the PROTEUS BRUTUS FS delivers exceptional precision, power and performance.”

Precision Control and Uncomplicated Camera Integration

This purpose-built fixture is ideal for any indoor or outdoor application that requires precise, smooth operation, flexible color control, and superior output for medium- to long-throw followspot applications. It can be operated manually with removable handles or controlled remotely through various automated tracking systems on the market.

The PROTEUS BRUTUS FS features a removable IP66-rated camera housing, allowing users to attach commonly used POE or SDI cameras. Cables and a variety of camera connections are integrated into the chassis for easy customisation and several data and low voltage power connection options are provided for uncomplicated integration. For applications that don’t require a camera, the housing can be easily removed while retaining the fixture’s IP66 rating. Built to perform in any environment, the PROTEUS BRUTUS FS’s fully dust and waterproof IP66-rated design makes it ideal for any indoor application or the challenges of outdoor shows.

Elation Lighting Helps Shape Sci-Fi Vision of The Electric State

The sci-fi adventure The Electric State, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, premiered on Netflix in March, with state-of-the-art lighting technology from Elation playing a key behind-the-scenes role. Lighting console programmer Eric “TK” Androvich skillfully integrated Elation FUZE MAX PROFILE and PROTEUS MAXIMUS moving heads to help shape the film’s distinctive visual style.

| Above: Elation PROTEUS BRUTUS

Set in an alternate 1990s where robots have staged an uprising against humans, filming took place across various indoor sets and soundstages at Trilith and Shadowbox Studios, and on location around Atlanta, Georgia—often in the region’s characteristically wet and unpredictable winter weather. FUZE MAX PROFILES were used indoors, and IP65-rated PROTEUS MAXIMUS fixtures were employed outdoors.

“The Fuze Max Profiles are a fantastic choice for film and TV,” stated Androvich. “Their full-spectrum LED engine gives them exceptional color quality at both tungsten and daylight color temperatures, making them a very versatile fixture that we could use in a variety of situations. They have fantastic color rendering and are very durable. The Proteus Maximus fixtures worked great on location and in our condor rigs, and they proved reliable for many weeks rigged outside in the wet and chilly winter weather of Georgia.”

Androvich used the PROTEUS MAXIMUS LED framing profile fixtures to highlight the action in the film’s Happyland amusement park scenes, often from condor positions. Indoors, the FUZE MAX PROFILE fixtures were mounted atop utility poles, lifts, or set rigs and used for everything from a projector effect to simulating daylight. Androvich provided the FUZE MAX PROFILES himself, which he purchased via Kinetic Lighting, with the PROTEUS MAXIMUS supplied by LightScape. He also integrated several NETRON EN12 nodes, which he owns, into the lighting network to ensure reliable data control.

“Movers are the Swiss army knives of film lighting these days,” he said of the multi-functional moving heads. “We keep finding new uses and applications on every job. They are great for rigging in hard-to-reach places or in aerial lifts that are unmanned. They can replace many of the ‘hard’ lights we use while providing a lot more flexibility and speed. We even use them indirectly by bouncing the light or putting them through diffusion.”

Androvich reflected on what he considers the most essential features of a light while working on set: : “Color accuracy is vital, and we got some exceptional CRI and TLCI readings from the FUZE MAX PROFILES. Being flicker-free at typical camera speeds is equally important. Smooth dimming from 100% to blackout can also be important too since we often hide subtle lighting changes during moving shots.”

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Elation The Electric State

Long-form productions, he noted, demand extensive pre-production planning and coordination. “The basic function of any lighting programmer is to translate the wants of the gaffer and DP into the console to make it a reality. This boils down to setting levels, colors, and positions of lights, shot by shot. These days, many gaffers and DPs want input and ideas from their programmers.”

Androvich, a freelance lighting designer, console programmer, and member of IATSE Local 728, has built a career in film and television, using both his creative eye and technical expertise to influence the visual look of a film shoot. His resume includes films like A Star Is Born and The Gray Man, where his input has helped craft the visual storytelling alongside gaffers and DPs. “I like that I can use my technical skills to make the lighting department run efficiently while using my artistic skills to inspire and assist my colleagues on set,” he concludes.

The Electric State Cinematographer: Stephen Windon

Gaffer: Robert Krattiger

Lighting Programmer: Eric “TK” Androvich (androvich.lighting)

Rigging Programmer: Mick Klann

ENTEDI & CLAYPAKY

Claypaky Fixtures Support Lighting Designer Tim Routledge for Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Switzerland

An array of Claypaky lighting fixtures, including Volero Cubes, Arolla Aqua LT, Arolla Aqua, Sharpy X Frames and HY B-EYE K25s, were chosen by Lighting Designer Tim Routledge to illuminate the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 (ESC) held at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland.

The 69th edition of the fan-favourite competition, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, featured two live semi-finals and a live finale during which “Wasted Love,” by Austrian artist JJ, was selected the winner. Participants from 37 countries competed in the contest, which was viewed by an estimated 170 million people worldwide.

No stranger to the ESC, Routledge won a coveted BAFTA Television Craft Award last year for his work on the ESC 2023 telecast from Liverpool. He also won the Royal Television Society Award for Multi-Camera Lighting for that show.

This year, the theme of ESC was “Unity Shapes Love,” with variably coloured miniatures of the Eurovision heart symbolising the unity of millions of people celebrating the contest. Production Designer Florian Wieder, who designed the sets for seven previous Eurovision Song Contests, created a stage design inspired by host country Switzerland’s topography and linguistic diversity. It was highlighted by a 750-square-meter transparent upstage LED screen, mountain set pieces, a 25-square-meter black video floor, and a massive rectangular video arch, whose four sides symbolised Switzerland’s four national languages, framing the front of the stage.

Routledge was tasked with creating a dynamic overall

look for the show as well as tailoring his rig to the unique visual looks of each participant. “The St. Jakobshalle venue is quite compact and brought us challenges,” he notes. “We hung 24 automated rib trusses over the stage, and used a total of 4,500 lights, 1,800 of them behind the transparent LED screen.”

He explains that his lighting design “stemmed from Florian’s set design, which featured lots of layers and playing with perspective. Claypaky fixtures are really good at creating perspective.” London-based Neg Earth Lights was the ESC’s lighting vendor.

Claypaky Arolla Aqua LT LED moving heads, with precise, narrow, long-throw beams, proved to be workhorse fixtures, with 96 units mounted on 12 of the rig’s 24 kinetic ribs. “They were super bright and great, solid workhorse fixtures,” says Routledge. “We used them in Follow-Me [remote tracking] mode so we could take control of them at any time.”

Additionally, 34 Arolla Aquas were deployed; eight were located in the Green Room, which this year was incorporated into the stage design and not located behind the stage. The rest of the fixtures delivered lighting effects in the floor package “as strobes, washes and eye candy,” says Routledge.

He surrounded the entire edge of the stage with 119 Volero Cubes, compact, high-performance LED fixtures that merge beam, wash and strobe effects with pixelto-pixel control. He positioned 87 units on a stage shelf as floor lights, with 36 of them on lifts around the main stage area. Another 32 Volero Cubes were flown on a truss above the stage’s Green Room. “The Volero Cubes were chosen as a neat and powerful floor light to edge the entire main stage, catwalk and frame stage,” Routledge continues. “Tying beautifully into the 3D grid nature of the rest of the design, the square-faced fixtures with the cross-shaped grid worked beautifully as a nod to the grid and also the Swiss flag. A large number were also placed on Wahlberg lifts, enabling me to create different architectures and have the ability to hide them lower than the height of the stage when not in play.”

One hundred sixteen Sharpy X Frame multi-function, hybrid luminaires were flown to light the back of the audience. Seventy HY B-EYE K25 moving lights, equipped with wash, beam, and effects functions, were also flown to serve as floodlights.

“I had used Claypaky fixtures on ESC 2023 with great success and found the Claypaky team to always be really helpful,” Routledge reports. So, it was logical to turn again to Claypaky for their latest Arolla Aqua and Volero Cube fixtures, as well as tried-and-true solutions such as Sharpy X Frames and K25s. “We have a wonderful synergy and a solid relationship,” he declares.

Entedi announces NEW demo space, Instragrid distribution partnership and 0% finance offering Entedi are delighted to unveil a brand-new demo space in Southern England, near Oxford, just 40 minutes from London. The new demo facility offers lighting designers, rigging professionals, and tech enthusiasts the opportunity to “test-drive” gear in the ultimate controlled demonstration environment.

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From the powerful Claypaky Arolla Aqua family to the innovative HOF MLT pre-rig truss, visitors can assess performance, compatibility, and creative potential from Entedi’s broad portfolio, which includes Claypaky, hazebase, HOF, Minuit Une, Portman Lights, SRS Group, and Visual Productions.

“Whether you’re crafting the perfect lighting design or evaluating the performance of new technologies, our demo space serves as your playground for innovation,” said Marcel Wjenberger, Technical Director at Entedi. “We’re proud to provide an accessible environment for our clients to interact with some of the most advanced products in entertainment technology today.”

Located at Unit 5 Drakes Drive, Crendon Industrial Estate, Buckinghamshire, HP18 9FE, the facility is available by appointment only, to ensure each visitor gets a tailored experience. This new location complements Entedi’s existing demo spaces situated in Northern England, Central London, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. To arrange a demo at any of the above locations, please contact demos@entedi.com

Entedi powers up distribution partnership with Instagrid

Adding to the lineup of exciting news, Entedi is now an appointed distributor for Instagrid in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with the ability to support existing clients across Great Britain.

Instagrid is a pioneering German brand redefining portable power technology.

Offering a sustainable alternative to traditional generators, Instagrid delivers quiet, emissions-free, and ultra-reliable battery-based solutions. Whether it’s powering major stage productions, remote worksites, or outdoor installations, Instagrid guarantees power wherever and whenever it’s needed.

Erik Lynas, Managing Director at Entedi, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “Partnering with forward-thinking brands like Instagrid is what drives us at Entedi. The entertainment sector often demands high levels of power in unpredictable environments, and we’re delighted to be able to offer our customers a reliable, innovative solution. Instagrid represents the future of portable power technology, and we’re excited to be bringing it to the UK and Ireland. This partnership reflects our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions to help event professionals work smarter, greener, and more effectively.”

Andy Barnby, Clean Energy Specialist at Instagrid, shared similar sentiments, adding, “We are thrilled to partner with Entedi as a key distributor across the UK and Ireland. Their expertise in entertainment technology and their strong presence in the region make them the perfect partner to introduce Instagrid’s innovative solutions to the entertainment sector. This collaboration marks an exciting step forward for both our companies!” With Instagrid’s technology now available through Entedi, professionals across Ireland and the UK can access efficient and eco-friendly portable power solutions tailored to their needs.

0% finance offering

Build your dream rig and leave the guilt (and interest) behind with Entedi’s new 0% finance offering through Medialease, available on select products from leading brands such as Portman, Minuit Une, Instagrid, and Claypaky.

These exclusive finance offerings feature standout products from the Portman EVO range and the newly launched OMNIRAY, as well as the IVL range from Minuit Une, IG One and Link/Link MAX bundles from Instagrid, along with a selection of moving heads and effect lights from Claypaky.

ETC

ETC Releases New Paradigm Processors

ETC has released new versions of their Paradigm Architectural Control Processors, doubling the capacity of their flagship architectural control system while reducing system cost with a DIN rail mount model.

“LEDs have pushed the complexity of architectural control systems to new levels,” says Shawn Fernandez, Architectural Controls Product Marketing Manager at ETC. “The new Paradigm Architectural Control Processor doubles the sACN channel count to accommodate these larger systems. Plus the new DIN rail version takes up much less space and makes it easier to install.”

The new Mk2 versions of the Paradigm Architectural

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ETC P-ACP_Glam

New Paradigm Processors

Control Processors are the heart of ETC’s Paradigm architectural control system, controlling channels, groups, presets, macros, and sequences. They are available in two models: the enclosure version (PACPE), designed to fit in ETC’s ERn and DRd cabinets; and the compact DIN rail mounted version (PACPD) for easy deployment across a site. Both deliver 2,048 channels of control over DMX and sACN and connect with up to 128 stations and sensors.

Releasing along with the new processors is a DIN rail mounted Station Power Supply (PSPSD) which provides power and data for up to 63 stations. The new PSPSD is designed to work exclusively with the DIN rail version of the Paradigm Architectural Processor.

All of these products are available to quote now, with shipping expected in August.

ETC Unveils the Next Generation Hog

ETC is proud to unveil its next-generation Hog lighting control consoles, designed to cater to the diverse needs of lighting professionals across the industry. The latest lineup combines portability, adaptability, and cutting-

| Pictured: ETC Tour Hog

edge technology, making it the perfect solution for live productions of all sizes.

The Tour Hog console is built for professionals who need a powerful and flexible console on the move. Packed with new hardware and software features, it enhances the Hog workflow while maintaining a sleek and compact design. The 24-inch articulating display, dual 12.5-inch dashboard screens, motorized RGBbacklit keys, and faders ensure quick access to vital functions, perfect for fast-paced, dynamic live events. New function keys, now reconfigured with large fullcolor displays, offer intuitive access to Hog’s traditional kinds and commands, while eight new user-definable keys allow for further customization of the front panel, ensuring flexibility for any production scenario. For those looking for even greater adaptability, the Stage Hog offers the same power and precision as the Tour Hog but without a monitor, allowing users to incorporate their own displays and other accessories. Its modular design features the same front panel controls as Tour Hog, while accessory mounts accommodate third-party adapters for monitors, tablets, laptops, and cameras to tailor the setup to your needs.

The Flex Hog console is designed for smaller, more intimate productions or backstage setups where space is at a premium. Stripped of its dashboard displays and keyboard drawer, the Flex Hog offers a minimalist design while delivering the same front panel controls as its bigger brothers. It provides the same precision and control needed for smaller venues and tech positions, all within a compact and efficient package.

For technicians and programmers who need flexibility and portability, the Gig Hog programming wing integrates seamlessly into any setup, providing USB-C connectivity, Ethernet, and USB ports, all while powering laptops up to 100W, reducing cable clutter and optimizing workflow. With RGB backlit keys, 5 RGB backlit motorized faders, and 5 rotary encoders with dual wheel keys, the Gig Hog is a fully functional wing perfectly paired with the HPU hybrid processor or Hog PC. When paired with Hog PC, the Gig Hog unlocks 12 universes of control directly. The Gig Hog and HPU can be mounted in standard 19-inch racks, providing seamless integration into existing setups. Plus, the Gig Hog is designed to fit into a standard Peli case, making it ideal for transport and storage.

Additionally, the highly anticipated Hog version 5.0 software, debuting with this new generation of consoles, will also be available to existing Hog 4 users, ensuring a seamless transition and continuity. Users can move to a new Hog running version 5 or upgrade their existing Hog 4 console to version 5, without changing their workflow or losing valuable programming. Show files from version 4.x open normally in version 5.x, allowing users to take full advantage of next-level performance and features. This is more than an upgrade – it’s the beginning of an exciting new era for Hog. The new Hog series is planned to ship this summer.

FIILEX

NEW FIILEX HIRE STOCK HAS LANDED!

The K10 COLOR is a super-bright punch light that emits 900W of LED illumination in a tiny 12” x 12” form factor.

This fixture uses the latest iteration of Fiilex’s Dense Matrix LED technology to deliver color quality and optical versatility that are superior to previous generations of LED punch lights. Individually swappable lenses and pixel control allow for incredibly high levels of customization and control over the light output. With its smooth dimming from 0-100%, no flicker, high CRI, and CRMX wireless built in, the K10 COLOR excels in any production setting and can be used on a floor stand, rigged into a grid, or hung side by side on a rail.

The K40 COLOR is a super-bright punch light that emits 3600W of LED illumination. This fixture uses the latest iteration of Fiilex’s Dense Matrix LED technology to deliver color quality and optical versatility that are superior to previous generations of LED punch lights. Individually swappable lenses and pixel control allow for incredibly high levels of customization and control over the light output. With its smooth dimming from 0-100%, no flicker, high CRI, and CRMX wireless built-in, the K40 COLOR excels in any production setting and can be used on a floor stand, rigged into a grid, or hung from a Condor.

If you would like to have a demo or discuss the K10 or K40 further, do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to provide demo’s at our Showroom to you or your customers.

FTVS

Across the first half of 2025, Film & TV Services (FTVS) supported many of the UK’s most high-profile TV broadcasts

This has ranged from major sporting fixtures and awards ceremonies to international competitions, live studio shows and major national events. Our teams have delivered expert TV broadcast energy and lighting solutions wherever needed.

Sustainability – Growth of Stage V Power Generators

To meet increasing demand, FTVS expanded their fleet with the addition of another Stage V 240kW Twinset Generator Truck. These cutting-edge units deliver up to 65% carbon savings compared to older models. It sets a new standard for fuel efficiency and low emissions in broadcast power. Our existing Stage V fleet is a key part of our drive to support more sustainable productions. This significant investment ensures there’s no compromise on

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FTVS – Crufts 2025

performance and reliability, when meeting broadcasters’ goals to reduce their carbon footprint.

Sporting Highlights

FTVS has been active across a wide calendar of live outdoor broadcast events this year, and delivering bespoke support for a range of large-scale events. These included the Cheltenham Festival, London Marathon, The Boat Race and Badminton Horse Trials. Each with its own unique technical demands and environmental considerations.

During the football season saw FTVS at Wembley, providing full technical support for the FA Cup Final 2025. FTVS’s teams and equipment were successfully deployed to meet the energy and lighting requirements demanded for this major live broadcast. Film and TV Services also contributed to the smooth delivery of the Carabao Cup Final, providing critical infrastructure both on and off the pitch.

Our teams supported the Premier League season closer at Anfield, supplying a complete package of pitchside and studio lighting. At the Etihad, we delivered technical support for FA Cup Round 5. At Goodison Park, we were proud to play a part in the historic final Merseyside Derby, a landmark moment in English football. In European competition, we supported UEFA Europa and Conference League matches at Manchester United and Chelsea. Supplying both power and precision lighting tailored to meet international TV broadcast requirements.

Indoor Broadcasts

Our work in indoor sporting venues included two of the year’s most-watched snooker tournaments. At the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre, our lighting team helped stage Zhao Xintong’s historic win. We created a visually distinctive environment optimised for live broadcast.

At the Welsh Open in Llandudno, we delivered full lighting design, crew and generator power FTVS also provided custom lighting for Matchroom Pool in Telford. This project required high-performance broadcast lighting to create a competition-ready atmosphere that met both player and production needs.

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FTVS

- St Georges Day

Major Awards Ceremonies and National Celebrations

FTVS was proud to play a part in some of the UK’s most memorable cultural broadcasts this year. We delivered energy solutions for the 78th British Academy Film Awards, the BRIT Awards 2025 and the Olivier Awards. Helping to bring these landmark events to screens with seamless live coverage.

Our team also supported the live 40th anniversary episode of EastEnders, broadcast from Elstree Studios with audience interaction. A bold, high-profile production moment.

FTVS was proud to have provided the power required for the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey and St George’s Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square. Ensuring both broadcast and public-facing elements ran smoothly.

Studio Productions

FTVS has continued to support a variety of studio-based broadcasts this year. Providing a mix of standalone hire and fully managed lighting and power solutions. We worked closely with lighting designers, directors of photography, gaffers, and technical crew to deliver consistent results across a range of formats. Recent credits include Celebrity Big Brother. Our broadcast lighting helped create a dynamic, ever-changing visual atmosphere throughout the house.

At Crufts 2025, our talented in-house designers lit both the studio and arena spaces at the NEC Birmingham. Enhancing both the live audience experience and televised coverage across multiple broadcast zones. Delivering striking, broadcast-grade lighting that matched the intensity of the competition.

International Coverage and First Deployments

Our international work has also expanded significantly. In Japan, we joined forces with Aggreko. Together we provided power distribution and technical crew for the Apex Legends Global Series Championship in Sapporo. This large-scale esports event brought together 40 of the world’s best teams and demanded continuous power stability across multi-day coverage.

In Bosnia, we designed and delivered a custom lighting solution for the European Pool Open. This created a highimpact, broadcast-ready environment that enhanced the viewer experience while giving athletes and producers optimal visibility and atmosphere.

We were especially excited to see our new Mercedes Unimog broadcast power vehicle head out on its first international mission. It provided off-grid energy infrastructure for productions in the Caribbean. Built for rugged terrain and rapid deployment, this vehicle is designed for challenging environments. It reflects how FTVS continues to invest in technology that makes remote broadcasting more accessible and sustainable.

Ongoing Growth

To support growing demand, FTVS has opened a new warehouse in Yate, Gloucestershire. This expands our operational footprint and improves service speed across southern and western England. For enquiries related to our Yate warehouse: rental@ftvs.co.uk

We have also grown our team across logistics, operations, and project delivery. These additions enhance our ability to manage multiple concurrent productions.

GLP

GLP Creos washlights take the accolades at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

Tim Routledge became one of the first production designers to specify GLP’s new versatile and supercharged Creos – part of a cornucopia of lighting that animated Florian Wieder’s coruscating set design at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel. These washlights were joined in the designer’s toolkit by another newly released GLP fixture, in the shape of 12 MAD MAXX CW fat beam searchlights, along with 200 impression X5 IP Bars and well over 100 randomly dispersed JDC1 hybrid strobes.

But it was Creos, with its 18 × 40W RGBL LEDs, motorised 1:12 zoom and seamless pixel clustering that took the accolades at the 12,400-capacity St Jakobshalle.

Tim Routledge had been seeking a particular fixture to sit underneath the transparent LED screen. He contacted Simon Barrett at GLP UK, who instinctively suggested Creos. “And it turned out to be precisely the thing I was looking for,” says the designer, following a demo. “I don’t like to see outlines of lights in front of a screen and this was all about keeping it clean.”

He continues: “Although I have used X5 IP Bars many times, Creos was the perfect opportunity to try something different.” Describing it as being “a three-high X5 IP Bar”, Routledge was particularly encouraged by its slickness, the number of options it afforded and the fact it performed flawlessly: “Having a playground that gave me a thin to a chunky light curtain, movement, sparkle and point source of light provided the opportunity to make each country’s delegates look different.”

All 75 heads were set prominently in one perfect line under the screens. “They were also everything we wanted them to be on camera,” he summarises. “They were absolutely stupendous and were a dream fixture for us to have.”

Above: GLP Brad Schiller

The expansive 2,000m² stage bore an Alpine theme, with virtual mountains. “The mountains were one part, but what grabbed us more was the frame and the transparent screen,” acknowledges Routledge.

And with the virtual mountains, the 12 MAD MAXX CW fixtures – six a side rising up behind – came into their own. With their insanely strong 750mm beam diameters, Routledge acknowledges that these fat beams had been selected for one specific purpose: firing skywards when the rig was in its home state. “The generic state of the show was all about these big searchlights appearing to come over the mountains in the distance, and that gave us what we needed – to fill the wide shots and cross shots in our home state, which they did that in spades,” says Routledge. “They are brilliant, they are bright, and they are fun… a very cool extra toy.”

A further 200 impression X5 IP Bars, arranged in a matrix, were concealed behind the screen, making three so-called ‘hero’ grid squares. Aside from blowing light through the screen, their main raison d’etre was at the ‘Stage Ready’ activation moment – a ‘woosh’ of light blinding through the screen as each country’s flag was displayed. Completing the GLP complement, a further 100-plus JDC1s were seen providing extra flash within the set. These were provided by ESC’s vendor, Neg Earth Lights.

The event proved another major triumph for the Eurovision lighting veteran. As Tim Routledge himself puts it, “Everyone was blown away with the production.”

Brad Schiller joins GLP to lead new department

A very well-known figure in the entertainment lighting industry, Brad Schiller has joined GLP to lead the new Lighting Technology Engagement Team, based out of the company’s Americas headquarters in Los Angeles, California.

| Below: Ralph Larmann

In a decades-spanning career, Schiller has been at the forefront of many lighting innovations that have made their way into the mainstream from his work with manufacturers, while also being the author of multiple industry articles and books, including The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook and Living the Lighting Life. He has also been a featured speaker, most recently at the Showlight Quadrennial in Dijon, France.

Speaking of the new hire, GLP director Mark Ravenhill says: “I couldn’t be happier that Brad has decided to join GLP. He is an industry legend with a stature, reputation and knowledge that will make him the perfect fit in GLP, where we pride our relationships and our reputation above all else.”

In his role as director of Lighting Technology Engagement, Schiller will lead the section of the company tasked with actively engaging with designers, programmers, specifiers and all users – and future users – of the GLP product range.

Talking about the new role, Schiller says: “GLP is a fantastic company with some wonderfully creative products. I am looking forward to working with the team to bring existing and new fixtures to the industry. The passion within GLP is exhilarating and I am thrilled to be joining an organisation that I have always admired.” Brad Schiller will be based in Austin, Texas.

GREEN HIPPO

Hippotizer helps Schlagerboom embrace AR FC Munich’s basketball stadium was turned into a dynamic setting for this year’s special edition of Schlagerboom – a celebration of Germany’s hit pop music – with augmented reality effects and a huge LED stage driven by Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers.

Jürgens TV produced the event for Bayerischer Rundfunk, and commissioned content production studio LUPIXX to create the video elements. The visuals were designed to enhance each song, visually expand the stage, and create a sense of depth. LUPIXX Visual Artist and Managing Director Saskia Olma ramped up the video elements by integrating a tracked Spidercam with augmented reality.

Manipulating the video effects and AR elements were two Hippotizer Tierra+ MK2, three Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 and one Hippotizer Boreal+ Media Servers, supplied by ICT.

“We needed fast and reliable machines that we can count on, and the Hippotizer Media Servers were rocksolid at every moment, allowing us to bring our creative ideas to life seamlessly,” says Olma. “We used stYpe as the tracking system for the Spidercam and its integration with Hippotizer is well-tested, stable, and always on point. stYpe enabled us to achieve unparalleled precision and accuracy in their camera movements, resulting in a seamless integration of virtual and realworld elements.”

German singer Florian Silbereisen hosted the televised show, introducing a range of acts including Andrea Berg, Howard Carpendale, and Bonnie Tyler.

“The show’s setup was highly challenging due to limited rehearsal time and a dynamic stage configuration,” adds Olma. “We had platforms that were arranged differently for each song, which meant that, in addition to our creative content, we had to integrate on-screen markers to help the crew position the platforms precisely. This required extensive coordination in advance. Each song received custom-tailored content adapted to the specific platform setup. The augmented reality elements visually extended the floor visuals and provided additional support.”

Working with ICT’s Project Manager, Martin Fröhner, to ensure a smooth technical workflow, Olma and her team created the content primarily in Notch, with the help of Cinema 4D, and rendered it in Notch LC. On the team were four Content Designers: Vlad Befus, Giulia Bowinkel, and Friedemann Banz; and Saskia Olma, who was responsible for content creation and direction for Ludwig Mond at Jürgens TV.

The event saw numerous state-of-the-art light projections and laser beams, and each audience member wore a wristband which lit up to create a ‘sea of light’.

KINOFLO

Celeb IKON6

Celeb IKON6 is a powerful IP65-rated softlight designed for use in any indoor or outdoor environment and incorporates our latest technical innovation: a new RGBcW-wW LED engine capable of driving full power at all white and color points.

Confidently move from warm to daylight tones and solve color rendering challenges with an LED system equipped with two new and improved full-spectrum white sources that deliver the broadest spectrum white light available on the market.

Managed by True Match® firmware, Celeb IKON6 gives you access to the exact look you want to achieve on camera. Instantly dominate the close-ups with fantastic color temperature, camera lut and dimming options. Access full saturated colors with hue angle color adjustments and input RGB values.

True Match® makes on-board control quick and easy for board operators to remotely configure and operate Celeb IKON6 via RDM and DMX. LumenRadio wireless DMX comes standard, with the option to choose Multiverse wireless DMX at the time of purchase or change any time through our service center.

MATTHEWS

New MICROGrip Master Rigging Kit - Ultra-compact Mounting Rigging & Hanging Solution from Matthews Matthews Studio Equipment introduces MICROGrip Master Rigging Kit, an ultra-compact, precisionengineered system, designed for mounting lights, cameras, and a wide range of accessories. Built for versatility and easy use, this comprehensive selection of rigging tools makes mounting, rigging, and hanging straightforward and efficient for smaller equipment.

Included in a smartly configured Craftsman case are two styles of rigging plates to expand mounting options.

| Above: Green Hippo LUPIXX AMY HAGHEBAERT SILVESTER SCHLAGER BOOOM 2025 LR-4

The Standard MICROGrip Plate features multiple evenly spaced nail and screw holes, making it ideal for mounting into wood or building tabletop, podcast, or small-scale camera, light, or microphone rigs. The MICROGrip Nail-On Plate includes a unique T-cutout that fits between the plates of the MICROGrip Head— adding articulation and positioning flexibility.

The Kit also provides a new-style MICROGrip Head with dual 3/8” holes for rod mounting and a low-profile knob, offering a secure grip in tighter spaces. Also included is the new Micro Pin. This 3/8” pin provides an undercut for added safety, tapped with a 1/4”-20 thread to integrate seamlessly with industry-standard gear.

To assure accessory compatibility the 148-piece also Kit includes: MiniMatthellinis, Drop Ceiling Scissor Mounts, 3/8” rods, Micro Magnets, Baby Pins, D-rings, BM1 Bulb Mounts, hanging safety cables and a generous variety of bolts and nuts.

For a limited time, each MICROGrip Master Rigging Kit includes a complimentary Craftsman case. MICROGrip Master Rigging Kit is now available from Matthews dealers around the world. For the complete list of components and to get more information visit: www.msegrip.com/collections/microgrip-kitsaccessories

ROBE

Eurovision Song Contest 2025

Robe was thrilled to be an official technical partner of Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, where lighting designer Tim Routledge and his team, together with London UK-based lighting supplier Neg Earth Lights, helped deliver a truly outstanding production for the world’s largest live music broadcast event, staged this year at the St. Jakobshalle arena by Swiss host broadcaster SRG SSR, co-ordinated by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union).

A stunning stage and production design by Florian Wieder included an impressive 750 square metres of transparent upstage LED screen, striking mountain set pieces and a fabulous 3-dimensional industrial scale

video frame at the front which defined the space. This worked in conjunction with a 250 square metre black video floor, assorted other video and mapped surfaces including scenic mountains plus approximately 4500 lights … to deliver nearly 50 distinctive individual performance environments.

The Robe elements included 180 x SVB1 and 72 x iFORTE LTXs moving lights, plus 36 SVOPATT static multi-source units and 40 LEDBeam 150s which were ensconced in the set.

The lighting system was actually ground supported to gain height and additional weight loading, although you would never have thought that from watching the final show thanks to some slick work by Johannes Schau from BigRig.

The Robe iFORTES were all used for key lighting, with some running on 12 x RoboSpot remote follow BaseStations.

These Robe assets helped Tim ramp up the energy, glitz, glamour, and zaniness of an array of highly individually presented songs, meeting the ambitious visual demands of 37 competing delegations, whittled down to 26 finalists competing for the 2025 title.

On top of these, across the two televised Semi-Finals and Grand Finale were an additional 11 show openers and interval acts with full stage and lightshows.

Tim had previously lit Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool, a critically acclaimed show co-hosted by the UK and

| Above: Matthews MICROGrip Bulb Mount Build

| Below: Robe Eurovision 2025 Photo Ralph Larmann

Ukraine who were the 2022 winners, and he was delighted to be back as part of the winning technical / creative production bid for this one.

The SVB1s were rigged prominently on the over-stage flying trusses, positioned closely together for max effect and utilised for a range of full-on whizzy pixel and strobing effects to gently undulating kinetic chases as well as contributing to the numerous beamy looks that dominated the night. “They look phenomenal especially when bunched up tightly like that,” commented Tim.

Twenty-four over-stage trusses were all on an automation system, allowing Tim to create different architectural looks for each artist, boosting the dynamics of the space, while the depth was further accentuated by the considerable number of lights rigged upstage of the screen. The surface could be revealed or melted away with lighting according to the overall visual look of each participant.

The SVOPATTs were rigged upstage, positioned for throwing blocks of high-quality light into this area below the depth. This new Robe product features nine individual modules each containing 7 x 40W RGBW multichips and a centre pixel also with a 200W white LED strobe. The modules can be used in beam, wash or effects mode and the fixture generates over 75.000 lumens output at the integrating sphere.

The units were hidden out of shot, but contributed some significant work behind the set, punching in volumes of light right behind the physical mountains. “It was more about getting a volume of light in the right place than

it being flashy and in-the-face with them in this context,” explained Tim.

The SVB1 is a compact moving head version consisting of one single SVOPATT module and is also new, making it exciting to have them working on an event of this profile.

iFORTES were positioned all over the rig for multi-angle coverage and, as said earlier, they were used for most of the follow spot work and all the essential key lighting. This has been Tim’s fixture of choice for the task since the product was launched in 2023. “They are bright, the CRI is better than any other fixture I’ve used, and they are reliable,” he confirms, adding, “Right now, there isn’t a better key light out there on the market!”

He has also used RoboSpot remote follow systems on several major TV shows and he prefers remote follow systems that have a human physical operator controlling the light source.

The challenges of being part of the creative team on a show like this are complex.

While there is a good budget, the scale of the show and achieving – and managing – the multiple and very ambitious expectations need judicious decisions. The required attention to detail is demanding and an immense volume of information needs processing methodically and practically. Multiple production disciplines are closely aligned and are working both interdependently and harmoniously; the schedule on site is very intense as is the pressure. “Doing a Eurovision Song Contest is a lot of hard work, so you must want to be there, teamwork is vital, and on top of that, we have fun as well as delivering our best imaginative ideas … because this is the spirit of Eurovision,” elucidated Tim. This year, Tim managed a bigger core team of 14 people than he had in Liverpool as the lighting control department was also in charge of programming the playback video content for all the delegations.

Tim’s gaffer was Keith Duncan with Mark Henry as his best boy, James Scott and Morgan Evans were his two associate lighting designers.

The programmers were Alex Mildenhall and Tom Young on moving lights, with Marc Nicholson on key lights, working closely with overnight programmers Alex Passmore and Martin Higgins.

Louisa Smurthwaite co-ordinated and called all the follow spots co-ordinating with 14 professional operators from UK-based follow spotting specialist, Pro Spot. Tim’s video department was led by producer Sam Lisher working alongside programmer / technicians Andy Coates, Luke Collins and Emily Malone.

Neg Earth’s lighting project manager was Lindsey Markham who managed the technical details and lighting crew working under Keith Duncan.

They were part of a 250-person show ‘run crew’ who ensured that the multicamera extravaganza – directed by lead Multicamera director Robin Hofwander – ran seamlessly and spectacularly on the night.

ROSCO

Rosco SoftDrop Creates ‘Almodovarian Beauty’ For The Room Next Door

The Room Next Door is Pedro Almodóvar’s first English feature film, based on the novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez. Winner of the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Festival, along with numerous other accolades, the film follows two close friends, Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton), who reconnect after years of being out of touch. Focusing on Martha’s journey towards death and her wish for a dignified end, the film offers a poetic exploration of life, death and friendship. While the story is set in New York City, most of the film was shot in Madrid. Production Designer, Inbal Weinberg, and Cinematographer Edu Grau ASC AEC explained how they used Rosco SoftDrops® to create a NYC background that elevated the film’s evocative visual aesthetic.

Building studio sets with SoftDrop

The filmmakers constructed three key NYC setsMartha’s Apartment, Ingrid’s Apartment and the Hospital Room – on a soundstage in Madrid using Rosco SoftDrops. Inbal commented: “Since Pedro loves New York, he wanted to showcase the New York skyline through large windows in all of the sets. We scouted New York to look for appropriate views, and were lucky to find perfect views for reference in Greenwich Village, Brooklyn and Roosevelt Island .”

Rosco SoftDrop vs. green screen

Inbal underscored the advantages of using Rosco SoftDrop technology instead of a green screen: “The initial idea was to use green screen and comp the skyline images in post, which Pedro and his company have done in many recent films. However, cinematographer Edu Grau and I had reservations about using green screen. Since VFX work happens after principal photography, we were worried about our lack of control over the final composited image. We felt that the relationship between the background image and actors would seem more natural if we used a photographic backing on set. And we also thought that the actors would feel more comfortable acting against a large NYC skyline image, rather than against a chroma green vacuum.”

The

outcome

Inbal reflected on the final result: “All in all, I was very happy with our decision to use Rosco’s SoftDrops. Their presence was a joy on set, not only for the actors but also for the crew, who posed for “NYC selfies”. Most importantly, cinematographer Edu Grau and I were able to control the background in camera, and compose beautiful shots featuring the city’s skyline against our characters. In one pivotal scene in the hospital, the script called for a moment of magical realism, when snow starts falling during a pink sunset. Edu and his team were able to manipulate the backing to evoke a heightened image, perfectly capturing the script’s intention.”

Find Your Perfect Backdrop: The New RDI Website

We are thrilled to unveil our newly redesigned Rosco Digital Imaging website! This update brings a fresh, modern look, streamlined navigation, and improved functionality – all designed to help you find what you need quickly and efficiently.

Explore our innovative backdrop solutions for film, television, and broadcast, including custom SoftDrops®, rental backdrops, and cutting-edge tools like the RDX LAB® System for virtual productions.

The enhanced platform also features comprehensive blog and resource sections to fuel and support your creative process. Have a look here!:- www.roscodigitalimaging. com

Recreate Realistic Car Headlight In LED Volumes With DMG DASH™

Using the compact yet powerful DMG DASH Octa Kit, Cinematographer Sarah Whelden transformed a car scene in the short film There’s a Devil Inside Me, shot inside NBCUniversal’s LED volume stage, by accurately simulating the natural tones and intensity of real headlights.

Leveraging Rosco’s patented MIX® technology, Sarah was able to:

• Recreate authentic, directional headlight color

• Wirelessly control intensity and timing using a dimmer board

• Sync lighting with motion plate backgrounds for a seamless effect.

| Below: Sunbelt Rentals JLL – SBR acquisition. (L-R) Gordon McKay, Executive Commercial Director, Phil Parker, CEO, Jack Linaker JLL Former Owner and Managing Director of Broadcast and Events, Mike Pollard, Managing Director Film and TV.

Cinematographer Sarah Whelden is very familiar with the Rosco DMG DASH. Having been an early adopter of the DMG DASH Octa Kit, Sarah knows just how to incorporate these pocket-sized LED lights into her lighting setups. First, she tackled a variety of compact lighting setups on her film Tight and she furthered her experience with these fixtures by incorporating her DASH lights into a car scene she was shooting inside NBCUniversal’s LED volume stage. Below, we explore how Sarah used her DMG DASH fixtures to recreate car headlights on this project – the short film There’s a Devil Inside Me.

Without a doubt, LED volume stages have made shooting car scenes much easier. One thing that’s missing, however, is the directional lighting that enters the scene from car headlights while shooting nighttime car scenes. This is where Sarah’s creativity with her Rosco DMG

DASH fixtures came into play on this project. These lights are equipped with Rosco’s patented, six-chip, MIX® technology for superior color mixing and precise color control. This enabled Sarah to accurately recreate the authentic color and look of car headlights, ensuring the lighting matched the realistic tones and hues needed for the scene.

By wirelessly connecting the CRMX DMG DASH lights from her Octa Kit to a dimmer board, Sarah and her CLT Arthur Garcia could also precisely control the intensity and timing of the lights to ensure they matched the movement of the cars in the motion plate in the background. “When using the DMG DASH lights, we had two sets of two - one in front of the car, the other behind - simulating oncoming headlights,” Sarah recalled. “We looped them into our dimmer board and dimmed them up and down to time them with the cars in the 360° plate we were using from PlatePros. The front set was on a Double Header and we had a grip spinning the unit to give some movement to the effect.”

The short film There’s a Devil Inside Me was written by Karina Lomelin Ripper and Marc Ripper, and directed by Karina Lomelin Ripper. You can learn more about the film, including release dates and how you can help fund its distribution by visiting: https:// www.karinaripper.com/ To learn more about Cinematographer Sarah Whelden, please visit her website at www.sarahmakesmovies.com or follow @ sarahmakesmovies on Instagram.

SUNBELT RENTALS

Sunbelt Rentals acquires the JLL Group to expand its technical broadcast and production solutions Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland is pleased to announce the news of our recent acquisition of the businesses JL Lighting Limited, JL Live Limited and Digiset Limited (together the “JLL Group”), specialists in technical broadcast and production solutions. This acquisition aligns with our Sunbelt 4.0 strategy of delivering growth and greater value to customers.

With the addition of the JLL Group, we’re broadening our capabilities to offer a wider range of equipment, specialist knowledge and innovative solutions for the Film and TV, Broadcast and Events industries. Further enhancing the customer experience by offering more innovative products and solutions in technical production to address the evolving and broader demands of our customers.

Founded in 2009, the JLL Group, is a UK-based production and equipment rental partner known for its expertise in delivering technical production across a variety of sectors, including corporate events, conferences, live events and Film and TV productions. Their range of equipment supports large scale public events, covering everything from staging and sound to LED video screens, with well-known customers such as Netflix and ITV.

Additionally, this acquisition will bring a talented team of technical production specialists into our Film and TV division. They will be based out of the new Film and TV facility located in Wembley, which has been designed to support the growing needs of the industry.

“I’m extremely excited about what the future holds for our team and our customers as we start this new journey in Sunbelt Rentals.”

Commenting on the acquisition, Phil Parker, CEO of Sunbelt Rentals, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome the JLL Group into Sunbelt Rentals. Their specialism in broadcast and technical production combined with their commitment to customer obsession, aligns with our values to keep evolving and putting our customer first. This acquisition represents an exciting opportunity for us to expand our offering to our customers. This means that the industries we operate in will have the convenience and trust that they can depend on a single supplier for all their needs, streamlining their experience and ensuring they receive the highest levels of customer service.”

Speaking about the acquisition, Jack Linaker, Managing Director of the JLL Group, said, “This is a brilliant opportunity for us to join the Sunbelt Rentals team. Since the creation of the JLL Group, we have built a team of experts who specialise in providing technical production solutions. Now, joining Sunbelt Rentals, it will allow us to expand our product offering and broaden our scope of solutions we can provide to our customers and the industries we operate in. I’m extremely excited about what the future holds for our team and our customers as we start this new journey in Sunbelt Rentals.”

TSL

Expanding Expertise in TV & Broadcast Lighting

TSL is delighted to welcome Barry, Michelle, and Will - formerly of B360 - to the team, bringing a wealth of experience in the TV and Broadcast lighting, power and rigging world. Previously working together across a range of high-profile projects, the trio have joined TSL as Senior Account Managers (Barry and Michelle) and Project Manager (Will), helping to strengthen TSL’s offer in this fast-moving sector.

Since joining, they’ve been busy delivering a wide range of projects — including the Sky Arts Studio at the Isle of Wight Festival 2025 for CC-Lab, where the team have a long history of involvement. They’ve also continued their longstanding relationship with the Wimbledon Tennis Channel, Press Interview rooms and the main Theatre for the club at AELTC. Most recently, they’ve supported both the ITV and BBC coverage of the Women’s Euros 2025, maintaining their role as key lighting partners for major broadcast events.

Other recent projects include full rigging and infrastructure support for a new comedy show filmed at LMA Studios – a full-service package from TSL covering rigging for set, LED screens, lighting, PA and crew.

Furthermore the team have successfully secured many multi year contracts at studios like WBD for all studio

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maintenance for lighting and rigging, not forgetting the multiple studios that we have been installing for TalkSport at News UK to name a few.

This integration of talent, clients and equipment further strengthens TSL’s position in the broadcast and studio lighting space - ensuring continuity for longstanding customers and bringing trusted expertise into the wider TSL offering. Alongside the provision of lighting, power distribution and rigging, TSL are also the proud owners of broadcast specific super-silent single set and twinset generators - enabling a complete package from powerprovision to lighting.

Barry comments “I am absolutely thrilled and genuinely excited about the incredible opportunity to join forces with TSL. This partnership marks a significant milestone, and I am particularly enthusiastic about the extensive resources TSL brings to the table. They boast a substantial and impressive inventory of top-tier lighting equipment, robust power distribution systems, and comprehensive rigging solutions.

What truly excites me, and what aligns perfectly with the ethos I’ve always championed at B360, is TSL’s unwavering commitment to the highest standards of equipment preparation. This dedication to meticulous prep is something I have always been incredibly proud of achieving with B360, and to find that same level of precision and quality at TSL is truly reassuring and inspiring. TSL’s reputation for excellence and their commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology align perfectly with my own professional aspirations. I am eager to integrate my expertise with the talented team at TSL.

This shared commitment to excellence ensures that we can continue to deliver exceptional results and maintain

| Below: Unusual Rigging - Just for One Day, the Live Aid musical

the superior quality that our clients have come to expect.” Sam Tamplin, Director at TSL says, “I’ve known Barry and Michelle for a long time and have always been impressed with their work, I’m thrilled to be working with them now and am looking forward to seeing how we can serve more people with great service and clean, well prepped and maintained equipment.

For all your Broadcast and TV lighting, power and rigging needs, contact the team at projects@tsllighting.com

UNUSUAL RIGGING

Consider Yourself…Rigged!

Unusual Rigging has played a pivotal role in bringing Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Oliver! to the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End. Having collaborated together on numerous productions over the years, Cameron Mackintosh Ltd knew that Unusual’s extensive knowledge and problem solving abilities would be vital in adapting Oliver!! to the venue.

Tom Lee, Senior Production Manager commented: “We needed to work with a team that could transform the space and overcome some rigging challenges. Moving the production from Chichester to the Gielgud required careful planning and adaptation. The Unusual team, led by design engineer Emily Egleton had to contend with a constantly evolving brief which involved recreating some elements of the show in a completely different space.”

With Emily at the helm, the team needed to devise a way of supporting the production’s large and heavy set pieces, including an LED screen that could not be suspended from wires due to a projection surface above,

and also needed to be easily movable. “The screen was a major hurdle for us,” said Tom. “We needed it as close to the back wall as possible but with the flexibility to move it for maintenance. Unusual developed a custom hanging frame that made this possible and the solution has worked brilliantly for our team.”

The Gielgud Theatre, like many older theatres with wooden grids, required several adaptations to support the flown bridge, which features performers flying above the stage. To achieve the necessary load capacity, Unusual designed and installed additional hanging beams above the grid, ensuring a safe and secure system that met structural requirements.

“The flown bridge added another layer of complexity,” Tom added. “With the wooden grid and the additional weight requirements, Unusual Rigging worked closely with us to install new hanging beams and ensure the structural integrity of the entire setup.”

As with many transfers to the West End, timing was a challenge – perhaps more so than usual. “Time was not on our side,” Tom admitted. “The entire fit-up had to be completed in just seven days with 24-hour working shifts. Unusual Rigging supplied an excellent team who worked alongside all other technical departments, ensuring efficiency and safety.”

On top of this, some unforeseen challenges during the fit-up, including unexpected structural modifications, saw the Unusual team having to adapt swiftly to lastminute changes, revising designs in real time while maintaining the integrity of the production timeline.

“As we exposed areas of the overhead space, new challenges emerged,” Tom recalled. “Unusual Rigging was incredibly responsive, adjusting their designs on the fly and working tirelessly to keep us on schedule. Their dedication was crucial in allowing our dry tech session to start on time.”

Oliver! began performances on 14 December 2024, before officially opening on 14 January 2025. Following widespread critical acclaim and rapturous response from audiences, the production has extended booking to 29 March 2026.

Tom concluded; “Unusual Rigging’s contributions to Oliver! at the Gielgud Theatre highlight their unparalleled ability to navigate complex rigging demands, ensuring the production meets the highest artistic and safety standards. Their close collaboration with the production team and ability to adapt to evolving requirements have once again solidified their reputation as industry leaders in theatre rigging.”

We can be (rigging) heroes...Just For One Day Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical opened in May at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre, and Unusual Rigging is proud to have played a key role in preparing the venue for a high-impact production that celebrates one of music’s most iconic moments.

With just ten days between the final performance of Mrs. Doubtfire and the load-in for Just For One Day, Unusual was brought in to deliver a complete rigging transformation—supporting a technically ambitious and visually bold show.

Rigging

Written by John O’Farrell and directed by Luke Sheppard, Just For One Day tells the behind-the-scenes story of the 1985 Live Aid concert and how music united a global audience for one extraordinary day. Featuring songs from Queen, U2, David Bowie, Elton John, The Who, Madonna and more, the production pays tribute to the power of collective action and iconic performance. In line with the spirit of the original event, 10% of every ticket sold is donated to The Band Aid Charitable Trust.

Unusual was brought on board by production manager Oliver Ellerton, with Luke MacBride as design engineer and Alex Taylor as head rigger. The team began by stripping out the extensive diverts from the previous production and reconfiguring the theatre’s flying system. This included installing three new diverted sets and modifying counterweight cradles to increase capacity.

To meet the show’s complex creative brief, Unusual also delivered a rigging solution for a flown video wall that wraps around the on-stage band and extends across the rear of the stage. The team first supported Just For One Day during its premiere at the Old Vic, and this West End run represents the most expansive version of the production to date.

Front-of-house, Unusual installed a mother truss to support nearly a tonne of PA equipment suspended above the auditorium. The structure also carries FOH lighting and provides anchorage for the construction of a false proscenium.

One of the show’s most striking visual features is a wall of vintage PAR cans, arranged thirteen wide by six or seven deep across the stage. Supporting this required a carefully adapted flying system, with increased load capacity and robust support.

“These heavy lighting bars, packed with authentic 80s-era PARs, deliver a full rock-and-roll aesthetic,” said Alex Taylor. “They rarely run above 10% intensity due to the power draw, but visually, they bring the spirit of Live Aid to life.”

| Above: Unusual

Oliver! Photo credit Johan Persson

VECTORWORKS

Enhancing Entertainment Designs with Renderworks Textures

Live event and entertainment design demands visually striking and immersive environments. Whether you’re designing a concert stage, a theatrical production, or a corporate event, textures play a crucial role in conveying realism, depth, and mood. Vectorworks Spotlight’s Renderworks textures offer powerful tools to create and customize materials, helping you make digital representations as compelling as the real-world execution.

Lighting, projection, and scenic elements all contribute to a successful live event. Renderworks textures enhance these elements by providing realistic surfaces that interact with light and shadow dynamically. Plus, using images as the basis of textures can improve your designs with higher levels of realism and detail.

Leveraging different shader types in your designs also means you can create materials that mimic real-world properties such as reflectivity, transparency, and texture depth, helping your clients and collaborators visualise the final production accurately.

Video Screens and LED Walls

Video content is becoming a central design element in concerts and corporate events. To simulate LED walls, use the Glow shader in the Reflectivity settings. This makes the screen appear self-illuminated, creating a realistic representation of digital displays. Adjust the brightness above 100% for an extra vibrant effect.

| Below: Vectorworks Spotlight

Scenic Backdrops and Floors

For stage backdrops, image-based textures such as Tiles, Bricks, or Noise can add depth and realism.

Custom Branding and Projection Mapping

Logos and branding elements are integral to corporate events like tradeshows.

You can apply a company’s logo to a surface using an Image Shader with Glow, making it appear as part of the event’s digital displays or projection-mapped scenery.

Image-Based Textures

Images are another great way to bring near-limitless creativity to your renderings. You can find resources online using image search to quickly find new textures for your productions.

When you’re doing an image search for something that you want to repeat, like brick or tile, use keywords such as “seamless,” “tileable,” and “high resolution.” These words will return results that are easy to tile in Vectorworks Spotlight and will look great in a model.

Custom Textures with the AI Visualizer

You can also ideate designs and generate custom textures using the AI Visualizer in Vectorworks Spotlight. You can also create seamless pattern images with alpha channels in the AI Visualizer.

Stunning Designs Created with Vectorworks Spotlight

Realistic textures are just one way to create breathtaking entertainment designs. Can’t-miss productions are also created by blending creative visions with technical and venue considerations.

WEALDSTONE ANNOUNCE NEW MAJOR PARTNERSHIP WITH VERSION 2.

Wealdstone FC are delighted to announce a new major partnership with Version 2, who will become our new official Digital & Broadcast Partner. Their logo will feature prominently on the Stones FirstTeam shorts for the duration of the next two campaigns, alongside branding across the stadium and matchday publications.

Version 2 are lighting rental specialists for the broadcast and event industries supplying a broad range of productions, including Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent and the BAFTA Awards.

The company is also active in the sports outside broadcast sector, supplying lighting facilities to the FIFA World Cup, Premiership Rugby and Wimbledon Tennis Championship.

This is their first Football partnership having previously served as the Official Partner of BOXXER and Sky Sports Boxing and most recently Saracens Rugby Club. Stones stand-in Chairman Dominic Whyley said: “To be in partnership with a company the magnitude of Version 2 is brilliant for Wealdstone FC. The work they’ve done within not only the sports industry, but Television and Broadcast has been outstanding and we’re delighted to have them on board.”

Nick Edwards, Managing Director of Version 2 said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Wealdstone FC, a formidable sustainable community club. Since being introduced by Emin Alibey (Head of Commercial) last season, we’ve been taken back at how passionate and proactive everyone behind the scenes is. We’re thrilled to be partnering with them on their journey.”

The National League fixtures are released on the 9th July 2025.

| Left: Wealdstone x V2

https://europe.4wall.com/

https://celebrostudios.co.uk

Celebro Studios

www.entedi.com

www.green-hippo.com

Kino Flo

Green Hippo

www.stage-electrics.co.uk

Society of Television Lighting and Design

How to become a member

All sponsors are featured on the STLD website, together with links to their own websites and social media feeds. This is a useful resource for members and sponsors. Sponsors can have these pages updated by emailing: sponsors@stld.org.uk

Bernie Davis – STLD Sponsor Liaison

Committee Member

Ian Hillson ianhillson@stld.org.uk

Committee Member

Matt Maller 07901 724 487 mattmaller@stld.org.uk

LIGHTING & PRODUCTION SUPPORT SERVICES

TV & LIVE EVENTS

LIGHTING RIGGING POWER

Proud to have supplied equipment to the BBC Studio and Westminster Abbey for the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. Lighting Designers: Nigel Catmur, Darren Lovell & David Bishop Contact us