Never Did Me Any Harm is a new dance theatre work by award-winning director and choreographer Kate Champion (Not in a Million Years, The Age I’m In), exploring the complexities of contemporary family life. It is a co-production between Sydney Theatre Company and Force Majeure.

Force Majeure is known for making work that transforms the familiar and domestic into the poetic. Drawing inspiration from Christos Tsiolkas’ bestselling novel The Slap, Champion and her company interviewed people of all ages and backgrounds for their opinions on what makes a good parent.

Using a distinctive language of dance and text, Force Majeure and Sydney Theatre Company give full dramatic voice to these real life stories. In an unsettling yet familiar Aussie backyard, the fears of parents are danced, voiced and unraveled.

Set and lighting designer Geoff Cobham collaborated with Chris Petridis, video designer and assistant lighting designer, on the project. A PC running Jands Vista v2 software with a Vista M1 wingboard was used to operate the show.

“Essentially I built the video system which included a Catalyst media server running ArtNet so that was an exciting factor in using the Vista for control,” Chris commented. “I find that the Vista is very compatible with ArtNet and networking.”

The production utilised five standard projectors plus a Robe Spot 3000DT digital moving head projector so Chris was running two complete media server systems as well as a normal lighting rig.

“Geoff and I are similar in our artistic approach to lighting and consequently we really favour the Vista because it’s very intuitive in creating the desired stage looks,” explained Chris. “Other consoles can be all about numbers. With the Vista, instead of having to think about what you’re trying to create in a mathematical manner you can think about it in an artistic way. That’s the greatest thing about Vista and that comes across in the programming of it using features like the colour picker and having all the gobos visible when you’re loading and programming them.”

Like modern video and audio software, the Vista displays your designs as a series of ‘events’ laid out across the screen over time. This ‘timeline’ approach means that you can see everything that’s happening in relation to time: when lights come on, when they go off, when they change colour, when they move. Chris is partial to Vista’s timeline particularly as it uses the same shortcut keyboard commands as a PC or Mac.

“It makes it so simple to move attributes between cues,” he added. “Rather than having to constantly think about tracking and how to pull attributes out of certain cues to move them, you can just click on the attribute and cut and paste as you would with any other software. Just the other day I showed this feature to another lighting designer and he was blown away by it. Being able to scrub the timeline is handy – you can move to the point where you want a new attribute to start fading and just drag the attribute to that point. That’s fantastic.”

The Vista’s interface makes patching a breeze. You just pick the light you want from a list, type the quantity you want, then drag it over to the DMX universe screen. All done! The Vista also includes an extensive fixture library including profiles for the world’s most popular and less well-known lights.

“I find the patching on a Vista to be incredibly simple and I like having the visual 512 channel universe and being able to move stuff around that way is really great,” added Chris. “I like that you can have all the windows pop out and put them on a second monitor, it’s so nice having a large visual display of what you’re using.”

Never Did Me Any Harm will be playing at the Melbourne Festival later in the year.

Danish lighting designer Benjamin la Cour has been using his own Jands Vista T2 lighting console, running the next generation Vista v2 software, on a busy schedule which includes the Musical Silkeborg’s production of the Victor Hugo classic, “Les Misérables”.

Benjamin decided to invest in his own console as he feels that programming shows himself allows him to get the most out of his creative designs. To achieve this he needed to have a desk that he could easily get to know ‘inside out’.

To ensure he was making the right choice, Benjamin trialled three major brands of console for one month each. At the end of the period his decision was very clear – Jands Vista!

“I learnt the Vista T2 with incredible ease” he states, “I really love the interface, it makes programming exceptionally fast and enjoyable!”
Benjamin has been running Jands’ next generation Vista v2 software since its launch early last year. One of his favourite features is the powerful Effects functionality. Being a theatre designer, timing is very important to Benjamin, and along with simple in and out fades he likes the detailed control he can achieve with the Timeline.
“The Jands Vista T2 and v2 software has definitely been designed with theatre shows in mind” he says. “While features like Matrixing are very useful for rock shows, I also find it extremely effective for theatre.”

In producing Les Misérables, Benjamin employed the Matrix feature to dramatic effect, using forty 50cm household light bulbs hanging from the ceiling to create a major ‘ambience feature’ for the musical’s famous ‘barricades’ scene.

Other lights in the Les Misérables rig were Martin Professional MAC 401s, MAC IIIs, Robe ColorWash 750 AT Tungstens, along with a quantity of generics.

The show was a huge success. Benjamin comments that the service and technical support from Jands Europe has been “excellent”. He is looking forward to another busy year with his Vista T2 in 2012.

Alabama based Lighting designer Taylor Price used a Jands Vista S3 console, running the next generation Vista v2 software, to control lighting for the recent US tour of Grammy Award winning rockers, Third Day.

Taylor made the switch to the Jands Vista platform while lighting another Grammy award winner, Switchfoot. Their punishing touring schedule meant Taylor was looking for a powerful yet portable control system that could easily travel on a plane. His solution was to join the growing international family of lighting designers who have bought their own Vista system. He’s not looked back, and has been an enthusiastic Jands Vista user ever since.

Third Day play a wide variety of venues using a mix of their own touring rig and locally supplied production. On arena shows the Vista S3 was controlling the full touring rig of VARI*LITE 3000 profiles, VARI*LITE 3500 washes, Martin MAC 101’s, Martin MAC 301’s, Atomic strobes and conventionals, all supplied by Theatrical Media Services (TMS) from Omaha, Nebraska.

For some of the smaller shows, the rig was reduced and integrated with the house system. Taylor was able to simply change fixture types in the patch, giving him the flexibility to run his show on whatever fixture types he had to work with.

The final backdrop of Taylor’s high energy, classic ‘rock and roll’ design was a light bulb wall containing 300 standard 60Watt incandescent household bulbs. Vista v2 gave Taylor the tools to effortlessly get the most from this dynamic scenic element with minimal programming time.

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Busy UK-based lighting designer Derek Jones recently bought a Jands Vista S1 to help service his busy autumn season, including legendary British artist Cliff Richard’s “Soulicious ” tour and another with equally maverick performers, The Hollies.

With both tours overlapping Derek took his new Vista S1 out on The Hollies, while he called on Lars Kristiansen to operate Cliff Richard and the Shadows on his Vista S3.

Derek bought the Vista S3 some two years ago, and it has been on the road ever since. He has been running the next generation Vista v2 software since its launch and comments, “It’s brilliant.”

Vista v2 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 options 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.

Derek has worked with The Hollies for the last six years. The band, known for their fabulous, rich vocal harmonies were among the UK’s leading groups throughout the 1960s and 1970s, are still hugely popular. They tour twice a year for five weeks each, playing to completely sold out audiences in theatres and concert halls nationwide.

Being in constant demand, Derek brought in Gareth Pritchard to cover the shows when he was unavailable. With each song programmed into a Snapshot, Derek was able to pass the show over, and with the single press of a button – each song was set up, labelled and ready to go.

The lighting rig, supplied by Blackburn based Lite Alternative, consisted of a front and back truss featuring Martin Professional MAC 700s and MAC 250 moving lights, Mole Richardson MoleBeams, Sunstrips, plus a selection of PARs and ACLs.

The band performed an intensive two hour set, encompassing 28 songs, with each number having an individual look.

Next on Derek’s schedule are flamboyant US disco divas Scissor Sisters in Australia, the Pacific Rim and Asia, where a Vista S1 will be in control and simply toured with the backline.

Jands Europe’s Neil Vann commented “Vista v2 offers designers like Derek the perfect balance of power and simplicity. It is fast to use, yet allows for detailed control of even the most demanding shows. With a wide range of hardware options, there is a console to fit almost every style, scale and budget of show. Make sure that you take a look at Vista v2 for yourself and see what this exciting next generation of control can offer you.”

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Townsville based production company Wild Gravity caters to a wide variety of clients with events ranging considerably in size. Consequently managing director Noel Anthony decided to invest in a ‘family’ of lighting control consoles and with its ease of use and visual interface the Vista was the ideal choice.

The company already owned a Vista M1 Control Surface and an S1 Control Surface when Noel decided to purchase a Vista I3 Console late last year. The Vista I3 is a mid-range console with two video outputs suitable for pen-tablets, touchscreens, or standard monitors.

“It’s the same platform for us whether we’re taking out our little M1 with five faders on it or a larger one – you only have to learn one system to do small or large jobs,” commented Noel. “We just love the whole time line aspect of the Vista consoles and the fact that they are very visual. I sold one to a mate a couple of years ago and it has never broken down on him so I thought that’s good enough for me! He’s travelled all around the world with it and it has been rock solid.”

Noel particularly likes the Vista’s fixture editor which lets him create and add new fixtures to the library especially as he recently purchased some fixtures from a new supplier. “In fact I made a library for a fixture before it even arrived and the minute I plugged it in it worked perfectly,” he said. “I was very impressed by that. All its attributes were as they should be and it’s very easy to edit your own fixture.”

Noel also says that his operators are usually very keen to learn about Vista especially as they “don’t have to choke on a manual to get some basics done on it’!”

Lincoln University’s Media Broadcast Production Centre

Jands Vista consoles, running the new Vista v2 software, have been installed in the two TV studios at Lincoln University’s Media Broadcast Production Centre, a purpose built production environment which includes radio studios, video editing, audio editing, digital imaging, and multimedia suites as well as a brand new sound theatre.

The studios have been newly upgraded to include some of the latest lighting and camera technologies, bringing the facilities up to full multi-camera and HD spec.

The University offers qualifications with some of the UK’s leading media orientated courses, and the studios are used for full programme making and a variety of other associated functions. They are run by the University’s Media,
Humanities & Technology Faculty, and overseen day-to-day by studio engineer and technical specialist, Steve Judge. Steve also teaches the practical and technical elements of courses to students using the facilities.

The Jands Vista consoles, a T2 and an I3, were supplied to the University by Jands exclusive UK dealer A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (AC-ET).

The T2 console is located in the larger of the studios with the I3 in the smaller, both controlling a mix of generics, and the new LED fixtures.

Steve had not used Jands before, and was glad he listened to the recommendation to take a look at it for himself before choosing to buy anything else. He says that AC-ET were very helpful and informative in providing information and responding to his queries.

He downloaded the Vista software and gave it a thorough test himself, commenting, “I found that, particularly with Vista v2, people were really embracing Vista and enthusing about how much it moved it into a different league. I was confident we were investing in the right technology.”

Programming the console via its logical and intuitive interface is ideal for his students, he explains, as they are already familiar with technology and communications devices working in the same style.

He believes that having their new LED fixtures, and the freedom to get the most out of them with the Vista control system both quickly and simply will energise students and stimulate their interest in lighting generally. The studios are regularly used for the production of current affairs style programmes, and one of the briefs is that student teams should come up with fresh and innovative ways of lighting and presenting these.

US Lighting designer Tony Fransen continued his long association with the Jands Vista lighting and media control system by recently going on the road with a Vista T2 console to run lighting for the Sara Bareilles US Tour.

On the road since May, the tour is a mix of her own headline performances as well as some opening shows for country duo Sugarland.

Tony’s neatly designed touring package gives Bareilles her own individual stage aesthetics utilising his distinctive “boutique” style. Taking advantage of whatever extra lighting is available in each venue to supplement his design, Tony uses the Vista’s powerful Fixture Swap and Cloning to swiftly integrate units into his show.

This ability to further enhance his standard programmed show, ensures that it will always look great, and Tony has the time to tweak and fine-tune as he goes. “It’s extremely powerful, the software is rock solid and it is definitely the best control platform on the market” he enthuses.

Bareilles’ floor package consists of VARI*LITE VL2500s, about 40 Martin Professional MAC 101 LED washes and a selection of other products including JTE PixelLine 1044 battens, Micro W LED ‘bricks’, plus a smattering of generics. The slick, moody low level set contains a further 320 x MR16 ‘birdies’.

The Vista T2 and touring packages are being supplied by rental company TLS Inc. in conjunction with Deluxe Productions. Huntsville, Alabama headquartered TLS has several Jands Vista consoles in its hire inventory, and being based nearby, Tony works closely with their Nashville, Tennessee office.

Tony uses his iPad as a complete remote for the console, making focussing simple and allowing him to run cues to check his show from anywhere in the venue. “It allows me to be really efficient with my time”, he explains.

“I love the way the timeline shows me information”, he declares “I can literally just stretch the times out and line them up, all while seeing what I am doing, rather than looking at a bunch of numbers” he explains, adding that you “simply can not beat” that way of working.

Tony is full of praise for Jands’ North American distributors, A.C. Lighting Inc, “A.C Lighting Inc offer incredible support, they are on hand to help at any time, and are always a good springboard for bouncing new ideas as well as a brilliant team of people” he states.

This leg of the Sara Bareilles tour ran until the end of October, and continued with a series of Festival shows in December, where Tony once again took a Vista T2. Tony’s individual design style keeps him constantly in demand, and he currently has four other designs on the road, all of which have been programmed on and are using Jands Vista consoles – including Stephen Curtis Chapman and two “Women of Faith” tours.

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Three Jands Vista T2 consoles, each running the next generation Vista v2 software, are controlling lighting and media at White’s Chapel United Methodist Church (UMC) in Dallas, Texas, USA.

In the run up to Christmas a spectacular show, “Celebrate The Light”, is being projected onto the front of the impressive 250 ft wide by 150 ft high façade of the church building. Drawing crowds of up to 5,000, and running six times a night, a Vista T2 is in control of this popular show.

Tim Georgeff, the Church’s Creative Director, had been dreaming about producing a Christmas projection presentation on the building for some time. With the help of Steve Alford of leading technical production company Alford Media – who supplied three Barco 20K FLM projectors and a pair of Green Hippo Grasshopper media servers – as well as local graphic designer David Koss this became a reality.

The Vista controlled the Grasshopper media servers to create the detailed Video presentation the team were after. Vista’s graphical interface made the process fast, accurate and smooth.

Throughout the duration of the festive season White’s Chapel run events including a major annual Christmas musical. This year’s production, “Born Where the Shadows Lie”, has lighting designed by Keith Allen from Alford Media.

Fixtures include VARI*LITE VL 3000s, Martin Professional MAC 550s and GLP Volkslicht LED washes , Chroma-Q™ Color Block DB4™ LED battens, plus ETC Source Four profiles, PARs and fresnels.

Tim comments that the ease of programming on the Vista made creating both these shows a very time-efficient process, remarking on how simple it is to get the most from whatever technology they choose to use – whether moving lights, conventionals, LED, or media servers.

White’s Chapel has been running the Vista v2 software for some time, with Tim highlighting that information is clear and readable; its fast setup is “fantastic” and it is “so easy” to navigate.

Tim explains that they loved the first Vista T2 they bought so much that they went out and purchased a second for their smaller venue! Both are in constant use with the busy schedule in its two worship facilities – the main 2,500 capacity auditorium and the second 650 capacity facility, ‘The Bridge’.

The Vista consoles were supplied via Jands exclusive North American distributor A.C. Lighting Inc. VP of Sales and Marketing, Fred Mikeska said “We hear from so many of our users that they know they can create a show by putting all their effort into programming a console, but with Vista they just don’t have to. That gives them, and their clients, the freedom to create whatever they choose without having to think about the complexity of programming it. Vista v2 really shows that powerful doesn’t have to be complicated…..”

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More photos and video

The Star-Telegram Texas

The smallest pair in the Jands Vista lighting and media control range won the award for ‘Best Moving Light Console – Small Format’ at the 2011 WFX expo in Dallas, Texas, USA.

The portable and compact Vista M1 and Vista S1 shared the spotlight, together with the second generation of software for the range – Vista v2 – which was launched earlier in the year.

The Awards are an integral element of the high profile annual WFX show, and are designed to honor the most innovative products available. The winners are selected by a panel of industry experts.

This is not the first time that the Jands Vista family has received one of the prestigious awards from WFX, in the past being honored not only with ‘Best Automated Lighting Controller’ but also ‘Best Overall Lighting Product’.

The 2011 WFX Award was collected on behalf of Jands by VP of sales and marketing at North American distributor A.C. Lighting Inc, Fred Mikeska. On accepting the award Fred commented “The team at Jands is really in tune with the market, they listen carefully to all of the input and feedback they receive from our extensive list of users. The Vista range is a great example of a company listening closely to its user base, then delivering a product that meets their needs. Vista v2 gives users of all levels the tools to deliver great looking events quickly and easily without having to resort to hours of complicated programming. A.C. Lighting Inc. is honored to receive the WFX Award on behalf of Jands.”

The Jands Vista control system has been enthusiastically adopted by many users, where its combination of simple, fast and flexible access with the power of controlling fine detail has made it a winner with users looking to deliver great looking shows quickly and efficiently.

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 dimmers, moving lights, LED or media.

Vista continues to make a big impact worldwide with recent tours and shows including Third Day, Sara Bareilles, Adele, Pulp, The ‘Year of the Forest’ WWF Fund, Vienne Jazz Festival and Finland’s European Capital of Culture Opening Ceremony.

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”

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