Ayrton
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Virtual Showlight 2021 proves a success in reality!
Julie Harper • June 7, 2021
Virtual Showlight 2021 proves a success in reality!
The first Virtual Showlight event which was held on Tuesday 25 May 2021 proved to be a real success story. With the full Showlight postponed due to the pandemic, VSL 2021 turned trial into triumph when it threw open its virtual doors to an online audience in excess of 430 delegates. Students, educational establishments, venues and of course lighting designers from all genres of the industry - theatre, film and TV, architectural and events, and more - attended from almost 50 countries, and many have since returned to re-watch the Papers through Hubilo’s On Demand service.
Delegates were treated to a diverse range of subject matters from industry professionals at the top of their game. Topics included the illumination of a lighthouse on an island in the Bahamas, lighting a comic book movie, the remote lighting of a stage musical from half way around the globe, transforming a shipyard into an art gallery, and taking a spin on the Strictly Come Dancing
dance floor. Hamish Jenkinson, Mike Bauman, Ken Billington, Aaron Porter, Rob Halliday, Isabel Nielen, Floriaan Ganzevoort and Mike Evers, and David Bishop all delivered their papers with a wealth of knowledge, humour, imagery and video footage.
The panel discussion on the subject of diversity in the industry, chaired by Paule Constable, gave voice to young people who gave inspiring insights into their journeys into lighting, their plans to raise awareness going forward and the importance of free communication between colleagues to aid mutual understanding. Delegates responded en masse to the informative, positive nature of the discussion of this very important subject, with one claiming it to be ‘probably the best panel discussion ever, globally, in the lighting industry.’
The Papers programme was interspersed with a series of Video Shorts - surprise pre-recorded bonus features - that tantalised the lighting tastebuds, with some giving a snapshot of papers that will be on offer when the full Showlight returns – hopefully in 2022.
Video Shorts
In Bohemian Rhapsody - What Happened to the Green…?
Tony Simpson, lighting designer for theatre, opera, fashion, live events and feature film, gave an insight into the changes that can be made very quickly for stage and concert lighting within a feature film when trying to satisfy the differing demands of the creative team.
For Lighting a Virtual Production - The New Techniques Used to Light a World-First CGI Show, Ryan Metcalfe, producer of Romeo & Juliet
and Managing Director of Preevue, and lighting designer, Elliot Smith, gave a glimpse behind the virtual curtain at how this award-winning show was lit. Shot entirely on green screen, with the cast placed onstage in a fully virtual space in post-production, Smith’s job was to blend virtual and real lighting.
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, lighting design partners at Third Eye, Razzle Dazzled
viewers with their discussion of the integration of theatrical and film lighting within the movie Chicago. Italian lighting designer, Marco Miglioli, talked about Bringing Theatricality to Architectural Lighting, illustrating his talk with some stunning imagery of the artworks and architecture he has lit. And lighting director and Showlight favourite, Bill Klages shared his Favourite Moment in Lighting
with a dreamy sequence from America’s TV special Dance in America, first shown in 1984, and featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov and a single key light.
The remainder of the day was given to networking in the sponsor breakout rooms and social lounges where delegates and manufacturers could meet and discuss products and concepts.
For those who missed some of these gems or were unable to attend the day, all Virtual Showlight papers, the panel discussion and Video Shorts will be available to view on the Hubilo platform at www.vsl21.hubilo.com
until the end of June (sign in with your registration code), and on the Showlight website thereafter. Like Virtual Showlight, viewing is free of charge, but donations to industry charities Backup and Behind the Scenes are encouraged via the Showlight JustGiving Page at http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/virtualshowlight21
which will also remain open until the end of June.
At the end of the evening, the chairman, John Allen, expressed his thanks to all those involved in creating and attending the first Virtual Showlight and to those who donated to the industry charities, Backup and Behind the Scenes. The total reached is now nearly £1,500. He added that this was an experiment that worked extremely well and thanked Amanda Murray and her team at MaxLive Events for all their help and guidance with the technical presentation.
In summing up he said, "Without doubt we have proved that screening papers on the internet, with the option of watching again at a convenient time after the initial screening, has been a success. We now need to take this development on board as we plan for our next Showlight which we desperately hope will go ahead in Fontainebleau in 2022."
Images from the virtual event can be downloaded HERE (Zip file, 7.5Mb)
Virtual Showlight has been brilliantly supported by its generous sponsors whose donations have enabled Showlight to cover the cost of this virtual event, allowing the maximum of delegate donations to go direct to the charities. Robert Juliat is the headline sponsor, and is joined by Ayrton, ACT Lighting, Inc., Altman, ARRI, Claypaky, Copper Candle, ETC, GLP, Robe, Vari-lite/Strand and Vectorworks. Virtual Showlight is also supported by media partner, LSi, and by LSA and PLASA.
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Showlight Bursaries are now available for early career delegates! Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Diamond Sponsor, Ayrton, Showlight has a limited number of reduced priced conference places available to early career freelance professionals. To apply for these places please submit a resume/CV, portfolio or website, along with a maximum 200-word (1200 character) statement describing your career and interests, and why you would like to attend Showlight 2025 in Dijon this May. The deadline for applications is 15 March 2025. Showlight wants to encourage as many people as possible to be able to attend this unique conference and appreciates that, for those early in their freelance professional career, the cost of attending can be daunting. Showlight already has a well-established Student Sponsorship scheme in place for which applications are already open. The Emerging Professional Bursaries form a completely new initiative, made possible by Ayrton’s generous support, that complements this scheme, enabling an even greater range of delegates to participate and enjoy Showlight. “Ayrton is proud to support emerging professionals at Showlight,” says Ayrton CEO, Chris Ferrante. “Access to industry events is crucial for early-career freelancers, yet often financially challenging. By sponsoring these bursaries, we’re helping remove barriers, ensuring emerging talent can connect, learn, and contribute to the future of lighting design. Investing in the next generation benefits the entire industry, and we’re delighted to play a part in shaping its future.” Applications and 200-word statements can be submitted directly via the Showlight website here Showlight would like to acknowledge the amazing support it receives from all its sponsors, a list of whom can be found on the Showlight website ( www.showlight.org/our-sponsors ). Their generosity allows Showlight to maintain the standards education, entertainment and networking expected of this unique lighting quadrennial, and we look forward to delivering another sparkling event in May. More announcements will be made in the lead up to Showlight 2025. Join the Showlight Mailing List ( www.showlight.org ) to be amongst the first to know all the breaking news as it happens.
The countdown to Showlight 2025 is upon us and it’s time to announce the next round of speakers engaged to share their experiences over three glorious days in Dijon this May. With topics drawing from innovations in mixed and multimedia lighting, the illumination of spaces from the smallest venue to the wide open sky, and the subject of climate change and sustainability initiatives, here’s the next selection to tantalise and titivate your technical tastebuds! Lighting ‘Cine-Theatre’ Nick Schlieper , one of Australia’s most highly awarded designers, will examine the considerable challenges posed by lighting Cine-Theatre, a style of production which utilises live feed video combined with pre-recorded footage with which the performers constantly interact. The term was coined by a critic, writing about a ground-breaking production of The Picture Of Dorian Gray in Sydney, in 2020 and applied to subsequent productions of Jekyll and Hyde and Dracula . Small Venues, Gigantic Ideas Argentinian lighting designers, Sophya Acosta and Luciana Suppicich from Sophya Acosta Lighting Design Studio, specialise in creating unique magical moments within the spacial and technical constraints of small venues. Together they will disclose how these restrictions can inspire the most extraordinary and ingenious ideas. Embracing the Blue Hour – lighting design under an open sky Phil Supple has created outdoor lighting designs for large scale performances, artworks, public and private commissions for over 25 years. Celebrating the rewards of an outdoor lighting design practice, he will explore the delivery of landscape lighting and lighting artworks under transitional, dynamic, and sometimes unruly conditions in both urban and rural contexts. Not the End of the World Inspired by Hannah Ritchie’s book of the same name, Bryan Raven , erstwhile MD of White Light and champion of sustainability, takes a more positive and optimistic view of the battle against climate change and the wider sustainability topic with examples taken from his experiences with White Light and working with various organisations in the live events sector. The musical 40-45 brings 360 Degrees of Emotion With over 30 years of experience in creating immersive visual experiences, founder and creative director of Painting with Light, Luc Peumans , will use the new-style immersive musical experience of the musical, 40-45, to show how he blended emotional storytelling with high-tech motion technology, innovative lighting and multimedia design to maintaining the fluidity and intensity of the narrative. More speakers will be added to the website in the coming weeks and months – keep checking in here www.showlight.org/speakers to find out more, or better still, join the Showlight Mailing List ( www.showlight.org ) to be amongst the first to know!
Calling All Students! The Showlight Student Sponsorship deadline is near! Don’t delay! Get your application in today! Applications close on Friday 31 January 2025. Tutors – please make sure your students are aware of this fantastic opportunity! Showlight’s sponsorship scheme is open to students and recent graduates of lighting for the performing arts, events, broadcast, film and architecture. Successful applicants enjoy free-of-charge entry to Showlight 2025, with access to the full Programme of Papers, admission to the exhibition of major lighting equipment manufacturers, networking opportunities during the daily breaks and lunch, as well as a place at one of the Company Dinners on the Tuesday evening and the Conference Dinner on Wednesday evening. Around 30 places are available but spaces are filling up fast. Here’s what former Showlight student participant and presenter of Sweeney Todd – A Site Specific Experience , Amy Mae Smith, had to say about Showlight 2017: “Showlight is an inspiring few days where you can meet and learn from lighting designers, programmers and video designers that you would never normally be able to meet, from all over the world. People from Theatre, TV, live events and more. It is a great chance to meet a mix of people with different views, approaches and styles to design. A brilliant event with the right mix of talks, exhibitors and tours.” Amy Mae Smith You can see a snippet of her presentation here – just after Durham Marenghi’s paper about lighting the Olympics! Amy Mae Smith at Showlight 2017 Students - don’t miss your chance to be part of this unique lighting quadrennial networking event. Each successful applicant is sponsored by one of the Showlight exhibitors and will receive a £500.00 stipend to put towards their travel and accommodation. In return, each student will be expected to help their sponsor with the exhibition stand fit up on Monday 19 May and the de-rig on Thursday 22 May and will benefit from being part of the team during the exhibition opening times. Stands are small so this is an easy set up and a chance to build a relationship with your sponsor, get to know key people from their team and what it is to take part in a bespoke exhibition. Showlight is an invaluable environment for those just starting their careers in lighting to network with and learn from established professionals and potential future employees within the industry. It also enables you to make new friends from other educational establishments who will be going into the same industry as you. If you are attending – or have recently graduated from – a lighting course and want to be involved, submit your application via the link on the Showlight website at www.showlight.org/students no later than 31 January 2025 . Please answer all questions and provide a link to your portfolio and/or LinkedIN profile, or other professional social media site, as part of the selection process. Showlight only comes round every four years, so don’t delay in getting your application in today!
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