Recently Giancarlo Vannetti, Jands Vista product specialist for Italy, was pleased to help his friend and new owner of a Vista T4, Lighting Designer Paolo Firulli with a special event in Bari Italy.

The event was the “Meraviglioso Modugno” a tribute to Domenico Modugno, a songwriter, actor and one of the best known Italian singers from the 1950s. The show was held on November 25th in one of the largest and most beautiful theatres in Italy, the Teatro Petruzzelli located in Bari. The challenge for LD Paolo Firulli and Giancarlo was to create a unique atmosphere for each of the 13 Italian artists who performed different Modugno’ songs, each of them featuring a different stage setup.

The lighting rig was simple but effective. Rigged across 3 overhead trusses were 20 Robe MMX Spots, 20 Robe ColorWash 575 ATZoom and some conventional fixtures. The background was lit by 20 Robin 300 LEDWash, all supplied by International Sound owned by Franco, Paolo and Gianni Firulli, one of the biggest rental company in southern Italy.

Commenting on Vista v2 Byron, Paolo says “I’m really impressed how quick and easy we could create a lighting show performing live with less time than usual and with a bunch of different artists on stage with different setups. Giancarlo introduce me to the Livetime feature which is great in this conditions and busking the show is so simple and fast!”

This was also an opportunity for Giancarlo to demonstrate the Vista, running the v2 software to the theatre staff who have shown interest in the using the console on other shows. Giancarlo commented, “People are always surprised how the v2 software can make simple the programming work, Copy/Paste commands let people literally go WOW! Live Timing and Timeline are really appreciated features for theatres were a detailed control and manipulating of pre-programmed events is required and allows the operator to gently control any type of effect or feature with smooth fades”

Click images to enlarge

Lighting designer and long-time Jands Vista advocate, Rob Sinclair specified a Vista S1 console with two M1 wings to run lighting for Grammy Award-winning UK singer-songwriter Adele’s recent 2011 international tour.

The system ran Jands’ next generation Vista v2 software, and on some sections of the tour operating duties were taken on by John Barker while Rob fulfilled other design commitments on his busy schedule - including tours by Peter Gabriel and Goldfrapp also utilising Vista systems.

Rob’s classy, innovative design for Adele was sculpted using entirely white light, a bold aesthetic move which has won considerable acclaim. None of the moving lights were seen to move, there was minimal flashing, and was a real case of subtlety and suggestion to augment Adele’s powerful performance and natural stage presence.
There was a distinctive back wall of 96 cone-shaped lampshades each illuminated from behind with a 60 Watt incandescent household light bulb - all individually dimmed. These had been dipped in a special rubber solution treatment to make them break-resistant.

The Matrix facilities on the Vista S1 - one of the many tools added with the Vista v2 upgrade - made mapping and programming this unique arrangement of lights extremely easy.

The lighting rig echoed the simplicity of the show’s concept. Rigged across three overhead trusses were seven Robe ColorSpot 2500E AT moving lights and 20 ETC Source Four profiles, and on the deck were 16 Martin Professional MAC 2K Washes, all supplied by Neg Earth Lights.

Commenting on the Vista v2 software, Rob says, “I really like it. It is very solid and a marked step forward from V1. It feels almost as if the console directly connects my brain to the lights”.

In addition to Rob’s Vista systems being used on Adele, Pulp, Peter Gabriel and Goldfrapp tours throughout 2011, one has also just gone out on Will Young’s latest UK tour, operated by Jason Hynde.

The next generation Vista v2 software was designed from the ground up to allow all levels of user get the most from whatever mix of technology they have available, whether dimmers, moving lights, LED, or media. Available in a wide range of hardware Vista v2 offers both the simplicity to work fast, with the power to control the finest details, so everyone can focus on creating a great looking show rather than on programming a desk.

Jands Europe’s Neil Vann commented, “Rob’s designs are always interesting, fantastic looking and very precise. Vista v2 offers the perfect balance to get the detailed control he demands, with the simplicity to get the most from the tight timeframes that today’s productions have to work to. If you haven’t taken a look at Vista v2 for yourself yet, take the chance to see just how much you could be getting from your time……”

Gallery

Adele’s recent concert at the Royal Albert Hall was filmed for an upcoming DVD and LD Rob Sinclair laid in some extra control for the night. Pictured from left to right:

>> Vista T4, running all audience lighting
>> M1 running group masters as inhibits for the film lighting
>> M1 attached to the T4 putting keylights within easy reach
>> Rob’s own S1 and 2 M1s to run the regular show lighting

Following her sold out tour in April and the success of her second album ’21′ Adele is currently playing more shows across the UK.

She has now become the first solo female to score eleven consecutive weeks at the top of the UK album chart, as well as being the first female artist to have two records and two singles in the UK top five at one time.

The renowned Gypsy Kings - credited with helping to bring the distinct sound and style of Rumba Catalana pop music to worldwide audiences - have just finished their latest US tour, with lighting designer Michael Sharon using his own Jands Vista I3 console for control.

Michael, based on the U.S. West Coast, is an independent lighting designer with a wide variety of clients. In addition to four years of designing for the Gypsy Kings, he has also designed a wide range of corporate shows for many different clients.

He first used a Jands Vista, on this occasion a T2, when he originally started working for the Gypsy Kings. This was provided by the lighting contractor at the time, PSI Production Services in Denver. He completely “fell in love” with the console and decided to purchase his own Vista I3 from Jands US distributor A.C. Lighting Inc. so that he never had to go back to using another type of console. He has not looked back since!

To cope with the everyday demands of touring, Vista’s powerful generic fixture model provides quick, straightforward and accurate fixture swapping to adapt Michael’s show to fit whatever type of lights he is faced with. This proves a perfect solution when the tour picks up local production, as opposed to using their own lighting rig, and ensures that he always has his show running on his console of choice.

The last Gypsy Kings tour lasted nearly four weeks, and they generally do about three 4-week US tours a year. Originating from France with a Spanish Romani heritage, they sing in a unique Spanish/French ‘Calo’ argot and are hugely popular among world music fans. The venues on the last tour were a mix of sheds and theatres, with capacities of around 3,000.

A typical local lighting rig, on which Michael would run his show from his Vista I3, would contain around 120 PARs and between 10 and 25 moving lights of different types. This would often be supplemented by a “specials package”. At the iconic Radio City in New York, he used Chroma-Q™ Color Force™ 72 RGBA LED battens to highlight some soft goods hired in for the show, and again at the Filene Centre in Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, to up-light custom scenic columns.

“I love the way a single fixture can illuminate a 30 foot high surface, with a great color range and still have plenty of punch…” he comments on the Chroma-Q Color Force fixtures, a brand also distributed by A.C Lighting Inc. “..and the Vista really lets me get the most from them.”

As well as offering him a fantastic console for touring, he comments that for corporate events and other shows where time is short, the Vista’s next generation timeline is “Fantastic”, which he expands saying, “When working on complex timelines, I can use the timeline, to easily see and make precise adjustments to individual parameters.”

While great for tightly cued shows, Michael also finds the console ultimately buskable with the ability to configure the interface to the user’s exact requirements. He loves being able to have instant access to everything. “For busking, I have more options than just calling up presets on the fly. Using Extracts, I can trigger complex movements, effects, and routines which make for a visually richer show.”

Coming from a theatre background, he comments that the visuality of the Vista interface is amazing for making the most of his time “You can see graphic representations of elements like gobos in the different lights rather than just looking at a load of numbers - it’s so much easier to work offline.”

Michael is hugely impressed with the backup and service he receives from Jands US distributor, A.C. Lighting Inc. He concludes, “Overall, AC Lighting’s technical support is absolutely brilliant.”

Michael’s Vista is already lined up for the 2011 Oracle OpenWorld conference at the Moscone Convention Centre in San Francisco, highlighting the Oracle Racing team - winners of the 2010 America’s Cup World Series Regatta in Valencia, Spain. He will be making the most of the Vista’s flexibility by using a laptop running the Vista software to control a trade show booth in one part of the convention, while his I3 will be running the lighting rig for a press conference and presentation area in another.

The next generation Vista v2 software was designed from the ground up to allow all levels of user get the most from whatever mix of technology they have available, whether dimmers, moving lights, LED, or media. Available in a wide range of hardware Vista v2 offers both the simplicity to work fast, with the power to control the finest details, so everyone can focus on creating a great looking show rather than on programming a desk.

Fred Mikeska, VP of sales and marketing at AC Lighting Inc comments “Michael is just one example of a designer who took a look at the Jands Vista, and has never looked back. The Vista, and the next generation Vista v2 software, really does offer the perfect balance between the power to control your show accurately, with the simplicity to work fast. If you haven’t seen Vista v2 yet, you really should take a look and see what you are missing out on……”

Norwegian Lighting designer Roy Arne Wold is using a Jands Vista T2 console, with the next generation Vista v2 software, to control lighting and video on the current “Hellbillies” tour.

The Hellbillies are a country rock band - with slightly more emphasis on the rock than the country - and among Norway’s most popular recording artists, with 12 albums under their belts and a large and loyal live following.

Just before embarking on the tour, Roy decided to upgrade to the new Vista v2 software, which he says “takes the entire Vista control system into a whole new league”.

On this year’s tour, they are carrying a ‘specials’ package of lighting and video, which is supplemented with each days locally provided house rig.

The touring rig consists of eight Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs, twelve Robe ColorWash 575AT Zooms, four Martin Atomic strobes, eight Active Sunstrips and eight panels of 30mm pitch LED screen, together with 48 dimmer channels.

At each venue, they connect the house rig into the T2 and use Vista v2’s second generation generic fixture model to automatically swap the show programming to fit that days fixture types, saving time and ensuring that they are able to consistently deliver the same high quality show.

The T2 is also triggering the touring Hippo Critter media server which stores and plays back all the content for the video panels.

One of the many features that Roy particularly likes about Vista v2 is the way the console interfaces seamlessly with media servers, with all the media clips displayed as easily viewable thumbnails on the desk. “It’s great to be able to see and do everything on the desk, and not have to refer to the server at all” he says.

Other v2 highlights for Roy are the ease at which you can add split timings to a cue, and the powerful search functions, whereby you just type in the first digits of what you are looking for and it will be found instantly.

“I love the layout” he says, referring generally to the v2 interface. “I can see so much information simultaneously and can create my show so fast”.

Roy and his company Raw Light’s investment in the T2 has proved to be an excellent commercial move for an independent LD, and guarantees that he can have his desk of choice on all his shows!

Roy comments that he has always experienced excellent, knowledgeable and helpful service from both Jands and their Norwegian distributors Norsk Sceneteknikk As.

Vista v2 was designed from the ground up to allow all levels of user to get the most from whatever mix of technology they have available, whether lighting, LED, or media. Available in a wide range of hardware Vista v2 offers both the simplicity to work quickly, with the power to control the finest details, so everyone can focus on creating a great looking show rather than on programming a desk.

Jands Europe’s Neil Vann said “Shows of all sizes and styles really benefit from using Vista v2. It has the right balance of power and simplicity to ensure that it is fast to use, while allowing the user to create exactly what is demanded on stage. Take a look for yourself and see what this exciting next generation of control can offer you.”