Commemorating a year of creativity, accomplishments, and ...

Frank StewartVolunteer of the Year AwardCreated by the ESTA Boardof Directors to honor FrankStewart’s incomparableservice to the association,the Frank Stewart Volunteerof the Year Award wasbestowed by the PLASANorth American RegionalMarc Stephens received the PLASAFrank Stewart Volunteer of the YearAward from Eddie Raymond for thecollaborative work of the PERG Councilwithin the film and television markets.Board to the members ofthe Production EquipmentRental Group (PERG)Council, including: Chair,Marc Stephens, MPSStudios; Carly Barber, Illumination Dynamics; Leigh Blicher,Videofax; Charlie Davidson, Tiffen; Tom Fletcher, Fletcher Cameraand Lenses; Greg Meyers, Cinequipt; JR Reid, JR Lighting; ScottTaylor, Taylor and Taylor Associates; Mark Tye, Citation Support;and Mark Wofford, Production Consultants and Equipment.Chair, Eddie Raymond, shared: “This past year the PERG Councilundertook a number of initiatives to foster dialogue betweenparties within the film and television market. Through continuouseffort, the Council was able to build momentum that has ultimatelyresulted in gains for the industry, and new membership in PLASA.One of the best outcomes of the year sprung from a meeting thePERG Council hosted bringing together members of the Associationof Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) and rental housemanagement. The meeting led to the formation of a joint committeewhich has created a consensus document of agreed Terms andConditions.” The completed document was formally announcedat the AICP Conference in New York the same time as LDI. (Readmore in the PERG News on page 78.)Members’ Choice Product AwardsPLASA announces the winners of the 2011 Members’ Choice ProductAwards on Saturday, October 27, on the show floor at the LDI andPLASA Awards Ceremony. These awards honor product innovationand recognize outstanding entertainment technology products inthree categories: Expendable, Gadget, and Equipment. The Members’Choice Product Awards were established in recognition of the factthat PLASA members have an enormous impact on the success of anew product, as well as a unique perspective on its merits. The votingfor the 2011 awards was open to employees of all member companiesattending LDI, regardless of their membership category. (No awardwas given in the Expendable category in 2011.)GadgetCategoryApollo Design Technology’sWrenchmate 2An adjustable wrenchwith a closed-end wrenchbuilt into the handle withthree different sizes toprovide easy access to thecommon sizes found onlighting fixture clamps.EquipmentCategoryLightConverse 3D Show PlatformVersion 52Integrates and visualizesmultiple show-related disciplinesincluding lighting, video, laser,Joel and Keersten Nichols hold thePLASA Members’ Choice Product Awardfor Gadgets for the Apollo DesignTechnology’s Wrenchmate 2.Dimitriy Giventar,Gord McVicar, andAleksandr Berenok ofLightConverse whichtied for the PLASAMembers’ ChoiceProduct Award inEquipment.Tom Littrell shows the ETC SourceFour Fresnel that was a tie inthe voting for PLASA Members’Choice Product Award forEquipment.pyrotechnics, and moving objects. New features include 3D ObjectTracking capabilities and the ability to realistically visualize 1536fixture in real-time.ETC Source Four® FresnelFeatures classic Fresnel optical system coupled with HPL lamptechnology. Unique quarter turn socket and access-door designallow lamp to be changed from beneath, without breaking focus.PLASA members honored by LDIAt the LDI and PLASA Awards Ceremony following the close of theshow floor Saturday, many PLASA members received recognition.The Best Debuting Lighting Product was a tie. Both the Clay Paky AlphaSpot QWO 800 and PRG’s Best Boy 4000 spot were honored, with anHonorable Mention going to the Martin Professional AURA compact LED.It was noted the “judges found it really inspiring that these companies haveadvanced the possibilities of their new lights . . . bravo for putting R&Dinto creating fixtures which provide the designer with more sophisticated25PROTOCOLWINTER 2012

Bob Gordon, A.C.T Lighting; FrancescoRomangoli and Pio Nahum, Clay Paky;with Marian Sandberg, Live Design,who presented the (tie) Best DebutingLighting Product for Clay Paky’s AlphaSpot QWO 800.Jim Bornhorst, PRG, accepts the(tie) Best Debuting LightingProduct for PRG’s Best Boy 4000spot from Marian Sandberg, LiveDesign.Owen Remers in the Christie Digital boothwhich won the LDI award for Best ProductPresentation in a Booth.Berenice and AlbertChauvet acceptedthe LDI award forBest Large Booth.creative tools . . . and also getting more light out of less power.”In the LDI Booth awards, the Best Product Presentation award wentto Christie Digital for a “clean, well-designed projection display that iseye-catching and incorporates many of their cutting-edge products.”The Best Large Booth award went to Chauvet for a booth that “is anopen, inviting, stage environment that was inspiring to the design panel.”The booth with the Most Creative Use of Light award waspresented to Clay Paky, “for an intricately programmed productdisplay that draws you in from halfway across the show floor.”The Best Debuting Product for Special Effects award wasbestowed upon Birket Engineering for the Firelinx Aegis wirelesscontrol system, “an event driven system for pyrotechnics, lighting,control, and special effects with impressive security features.”The Best Debuting Product in Sound was awarded to ELC Lightingfor the Green-Go advanced digital multi-channel intercom system. “Itis a simple, scalable, robust, and affordable communications systemutilizing any standard Power-Over Ethernet network.”The Best Debuting Widget award went to City Theatrical for theirShow DMX Show Baby wireless transceiver, which the judges said,“This product has the industry’s most comprehensive instructions: ‘Tomake this a transmitter, plug in DMX. To make it a receiver, don’t!’”The Best Debuting Product for Projection award was given toDataton Watchout Version 5. The judges noted, “the big jump fromversion 4 creates whole new possibilities.”The 2011 Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award waspresented by Jim Bornhorst to Rusty Brutsché.WINTER 201226WINTER 2012

Bryan Raven, White Light,presented the LDI Best GreenProduct award to Chris Patton ofGDS for the ArcSystem house lightand Bill Groener, A.C.T Lighting.Birket Engineering’s SteveBirket and David Russell withthe LDI Best Debuting SpecialEffects Product award for theFirelinx Aegis wireless controlsystem.Gary Fails and LarryDunn hold CityTheatrical’s ShowDMX Show Baby andits LDI Best DebutingWidget award.Michael Engström and JamesTesta with the LDI Best DebutingProduct award in Projection forthe Dataton Watchout Version 5.Brian Friborg withMartin’s Aura compactLED luminaire thatwon LDI’s HonorableMention for BestDebuting Lighting.Special thanksIt is the volunteers and generous support of key PLASA membercompanies that provide our association with the resources andassistance to stage the many meetings, booth and suite hospitality,and other special events during LDI. We extend our warmestappreciation to: Blue Pony Motion Design for the Rock Our WorldAwards video presentation; A.C.T Lighting, Clay Paky, and MALighting for sponsoring the Cocktails and Awards Reception; StageEquipment and Lighting, Michael Plane, and Andrew Rudolph forthe lighting and equipment used in the reception event; Daktronics,Earl Girls, Mainstage Theatrical Supply, OSRAM Sylvania, ProductionAdvantage, and Stage Equipment and Lighting for sponsoring thehospitality in the PLASA and World Entertainment Technologylounge; PRG for providing audio and video equipment in the PLASAbooths; Rosco and OSRAM for PLASA gobos in the booth; ARRIfor the photography lights for award winner photos following thereception. Additional thanks go to Bill Ellis, Peter Willis, SimonNewton, and Hamish Dumbreck for their work on the PLASAControl Protocols Connectivity Pavilion; the many volunteers whomanned the booth; and Stage Equipment and Lighting, CandelaControls, and American AV for the loan of truss, video displays, cable,fixtures, and control equipment for the Pavilion. n The next-generation compact LEDmoving head from JB-lighting. Clearbeams, flat design, as bright as a 1200wwash light, and the incredible zoom angleyou’d expect from JB-lighting.Distributed in the US and Mexicoexclusively by Creative Stage LightingSee it in action atCREATIVE STAGE LIGHTING 27PROTOCOLWinner of the2011 SHOWTECHProduct AwardWINTER 2012

PLASA Cocktail and Awards ReceptionDavid Rosenberg, Jennifer Tankleff, and RichardParks with I. WeissNic Philips; Brian Dowd, TMB; and Tray Allen,James Thomas EngineeringMichael Nishball, David Rosenburg, MattWelander, Jules Lauve, and Milllie Dixon allwith Theatre Projects Consultants joined byRussell Read, AT&T who oversaw both theWinspear Opera House and Wyly Theatreprojects in Dallas.Ed Donohue, Henry Cowen, and CarolineRault, all from Rosco, flank Felicia Newberry,Magnum.Eric Cornwell and Steve Lydeck of AcuityBrand Controls with Dave Higgins, PathwayConnectivityTara Melingonisand Zari Stahl withPenton MediaStage Rigging’s JohnRingelman and ChrisSchmidtWINTER 201228WINTER 2012