standards news
Standards News Headlines
23/05/2013
LIPA to Open a Primary Free School
23/05/2013
Do You Need Help this Summer?
01/05/2013
A New Degree of Achievement With Showsec
30/04/2013
Audio Course Providers Collaborate
LIPA to Open a Primary Free School
THE Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) will open a primary free school in September 2014 after education chiefs today gave the scheme the green light.
The school, run in partnership with nearby Edge Hill University, will immerse children in the creative arts to enrich teaching and learning in the early development of literacy and numeracy.
Staff will fuse traditional classroom teaching with hands-on projects such as working with box office data from The Liverpool Everyman theatre to develop maths skills.
LIPA currently offers eight degree programmes for performers and for those who make performance possible, such as designers and technicians. It also runs LIPA 4:19, a part-time weekend performing arts academy for four to 19-year-olds, in Liverpool and across the country.
“Our passion is learning,” enthused Mark Featherstone-Witty, LIPA’s CEO and founding principal. “And now we can teach young people full-time, adding to our current LIPA 4:19 part-time provision.
“It’s no mystery that those who excel in a particular field, whether that’s motor racing or painting, got started at an early age. Research has shown that practice can make perfect. We want to give young people a head start in the arts while ensuring they leave us confident and conscientious team players with a well-rounded education.”
The opening of the free school is the latest chapter in the history of LIPA, which was founded by Mark and Sir Paul McCartney in 1995 to provide the best teaching and learning for people who want to pursue a lasting career in the arts and entertainment industry.
Renovation work is due to commence this year on LIPA’s 70 Hope Street building, which will house the new school. In September 2014, up to 40 children are expected to enrol.
LIPA teaching departments currently based there will relocate to an adjacent building, the former Liverpool College of Art, which LIPA purchased for £3.7 million in 2012.
23rd May 2013
Do You Need Help this Summer?
Backstage Academy is currently finalising summer work placements for its 52 students on the Foundation Degree in Live Events Production.
The entertainment industry training centre in Wakefield is inviting individuals and businesses to get in touch if they have any work experience opportunities throughout June, July and August.
Last year the FdA students assisted with stage builds, lighting rigs, sound engineering, set construction, backline teching, artist liaison, site management and other roles for a number of events: Radio One Hackney Weekend, Latitude, Camp Bestival, Village Green, Tower Festival Headland, Feed Me Set Build, DragonForce Music Video, The Big Session, John Barryman Tour, Tinie Tempah Tour, Olympic Torch Relay, Raw Fest, Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Olympic Anthem.
The students are currently half way through their 16-month degree course and have already completed short courses in Event Safety Passport (SPA), Emergency First Aid, Basic Electricity, Manual Handling, Practical Fire Safety, Motors & Hoists Introduction, Stage Pyrotechnics, Working at Height, Equipment Suspension and Rigging, Pro Tools 101, Introduction to Final Cut X and WYSIWYG.
Sales and business development manager Sara Gleadhall, who is spearheading the placements, commented: “Our students have completed a range of theoretical and practical based studies in event production and are competent in a wide variety of roles.
“We are making the final call for work placement opportunities before we match skillsets to the demands of the roles on offer.”
If you would like to get in touch with Sara to discuss what you could offer, please email sara.gleadhall@backstage-academy.co.uk or phone: 01977 659 880.
23rd May 2013
Draft Standards for Chain Hoist Control and Fall Arrest in Public Review
Two draft standards have been added those available for public review on PLASAs' website at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The draft standards are BSR E1.6-4, Portable Control of Fixed-Speed Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry, and BSR E1.39, Entertainment Technology – Selection and Use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Portable Structures Used in the Entertainment Industry. The draft standards are available for review through July 7; the reviews will be over and the links will disappear on the July 8 "Review End Date."
The two draft standards are relevant to arena rigging. BSR E1.6-4 is for the simple control systems for chain hoists to lift portable trusses and grids. BSR E1.39 is for personal fall arrest systems used by people working on those trusses and grids, and other portable structures (e.g., lighting towers) commonly used for shows.
For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's technical standards manager, at
10th May 2013
Backstage Academy Launches a New Visual Production BA
Entertainment industry training centre Backstage Academy has announced a brand new two-year BA Visual Production course, which will launch at its Wakefield facility in January 2014 (subject to validation).
Developed in conjunction with a range of industry partners including d3, Fix8 and XL Video, the course is the first of its kind dedicated to the emerging convergence of visuals and lighting. It’s designed to meet the demand for skilled visual professionals that can take a project through from the concept and design stage to the final application, using the right tools for the job.
Based on a unique workflow developed by d3, the course will teach students the personal skills needed to work successfully in the visual production industry worldwide, equip them with the ability to interpret a client’s creative scope, supply a design response, understand how far technology can be stretched to meet the brief, allocate the technology required to achieve the desired result – whether it’s lighting or video related – and apply this technology to modern show and installation techniques.
The knowledge and skills acquired on the course will be transferable across a range of applications, from music concerts, theatre, broadcast and film to architectural installations, brand activation and other live events.
The course will include a number of certificates accepted worldwide and cover a variety of visual production technologies, including d3, Photoshop, WYSIWYG, 3ds Max, Maya, Final Cut X, After Effects, AutoCAD, Green Hippo and GrandMA, to mention just a few.
Pioneering in its approach to teaching visual production, its links with industry and its fast-track format, the BA course will set a new standard of graduates seeking to enter employment in the world of visual production.
Said director of courses Robin Watkinson: “As we are an industry based organisation, working within the education sector, we are ideally positioned to be able to respond to today’s fast-paced technological world.
“The convergence of lighting and video technology in event applications is seeing a fundamental change in job roles and processes.
“We are able to adapt and update course content as and when the industry evolves, and this will allow us – in association with employers – to provide students with the relevant education that will ultimately give them a better chance of employment.”
The course is currently in development and Robin Watkinson asks industry employers to get in touch if they would like to provide feedback or be involved: robin.watkinson@backstage-academy.co.uk / +44(0)1977659880.
To register your interest for the course and be notified of announcements, please e-mail course administrator Ria Forsyth at ria.forsyth@backstage-academy.co.uk
In picture: The Red Hot Chili Peppers played a one-off concert in front of Civic Centre, San Francisco, as part of a Dreamforce Event. Local production specialists Tekamaki chose d3 for its unique mapping capabilities and real-time pre-visualisation features; Show technology professionals from Fix8 used two GrandMA1 consoles and 14 Hippotizer V3 HDs for the visuals for the Mont Blanc Nicolas Rieussec Watch Launch in Shanghai, China.
3rd May 2013
A New Degree of Achievement With Showsec
Fifteen Showsec managers became the first in the UK to receive the new foundation degree in Applied Professional Studies in Crowd Management awarded by the University of Derby Corporate, U.D.C., at the institution’s inaugural degree presentation ceremony, hosted at Pride Park, Derby, April 26th, 2013.
The foundation degree was developed in close partnership by U.D.C. to form part of a clear and unique development path from steward to senior management as part of Showsec’s management development programme, whose manager Keith Hackett states:
“This graduation is a proud moment for the company, it is the fruition of five years investment to create a ground-breaking course and qualification with a content-relevant degree syllabus. We’ve worked with U.D.C. to include innovative processes, such as thought provoking classroom sessions challenging current security and crowd management procedures, and taking input from external industry experts to ensure we are at the cutting edge of thinking relating to the specific skills required by professionals in an evolving live events industry.
“The programme is specifically designed to incorporate blended learning methods, including real time operational learning experiences at major events and festivals, on-the-job mentoring with support from experienced leading experts, and our state of the art E-Learning platform, which now hosts over 75 modules, resulting in an education program which is relevant and progressive.
“The course has three strands focusing on developing operational expertise, leadership and achieving high standards of administrative competence. Our clients have benefited from the services of confident, qualified, fully rounded managers with a thirst for success fuelled by the drive for innovation. This is the genesis of the next generation of crowd managers who will shape the future of the industry.”
Showsec managing director Mark Harding was invited to present the Industry Address to the audience, with his speech he stated: “Today is the culmination of individual achievement, company investment and the delivery of commercially relevant education. U.D.C. has been outstanding in meeting our higher education needs and enabled us to fulfil our continued expansion within the industry.”
“These 15 graduates are the first in a stream of operational staff taking this new Foundation Degree, setting a new benchmark for the industry and elevating the strength in depth of our operational team to a new level. Combining personal development with the company’s ambitions has been fundamental to the success of the programme. In keeping with our commitment to continuous product improvement, this autumn we will release the next innovative programme for our more senior managers. Providing these development opportunities for individuals alongside our cohesive approach to improving industry standards can only continue to benefit our clients.”
For details of the next programme and other opportunities visit the Training section of Showsec’s website or call learning and development manager Keith Hackett on 0116 204 3309.
In picture: Richard Elliot, Andrew Edwards, Darren Evans, Lisa Byrom-Papas, Martin Lewis, Thomas Bailey, Simon Battersby, Timothy Chambers, Keith Hackett, Joseph Taylor, Mark Harding, Craig Bennett, Louise Stockden, Bobak Javaheri, Tom Rigby, Sam Hodkin, Tony Hulme.
1st May 2013
Audio Course Providers Collaborate
Alchemea College and Britannia Row Productions Training have announced a new collaboration to deliver live sound training at the highest level. With Alchemea’s facilities located on Britannia Row in Islington (the original HQ for Britannia Row Productions), both parties have enjoyed friendly relations for many years.
As part of this collaboration, Britannia Row Productions Training will deliver training for all students currently enrolled on Alchemea's full time Live Sound course.
Alchemea's marketing and sales director Mike Sinnott says: “Brit Row is a household name in the live sound industry, so we were thrilled to hear that they had developed their own intensive training programme. This collaboration will ensure that our students will continue to receive the highest standard of relevant hands on industry training using the latest cutting edge live sound technology.” Alchemea will continue to focus its expertise in teaching studio-based sound engineering, music and audio post production as well as game sound. Britannia Row Productions Training (BRPT) will specialise exclusively in the delivery of live sound training.
Britannia Row Productions Training managing director Matthias Postel comments: “To meet the growing demand for properly trained live sound technicians students need to train with the very latest sound equipment. By using Britannia Row's extensive resources we ensure that our trainees not only work with the latest technology, but are also taught by the best.”
30th April 2013
Avolites Media and Avolites to present overview of Ai Media Server and Titan 7 at PLASA Focus Leeds
The Avolites Media and Avolites team have announced that Steven Baird Smith will be running a presentation on the multi-award winning Ai Media Server and Titan V7 software at 4:40pm on Tuesday 30 April 2013 at PLASA Focus, Leeds .
The session will provide an overview of the latest features of the Titan V7 and Ai Media Server as part of 'Lighting and Video - the Integration, the Benefits, the Future' presented by Avolites and Avolites Media.
"We will be introducing the latest cool features of the Ai Media System, including 'AUTO MAP', making mapping tourable; 'wow factor' rotational mapping; and our totally unique 'canvas editor' feature, which brings 3D content editing tools into the Ai tool set," says Avolites Media's MD Steve Warren. "We believe that fabulous productions start with the best ingredients and Ai offers the industry's best, most efficient, high resolution codec and Ai's project based workflow is unparalleled!"
"It's an exciting time for lighting," continues Baird Smith. "The development of LED fixtures and video screens, as well as ever more powerful projectors, is changing the way shows look, this in turn is raising expectations. We at Avolites are excited about meeting the control challenges posed by this evolving technology. Come and see how Titan and Ai together can make your ideas a reality."
The presentation is a free to attend session within PLASA's Professional Development Programme, and is in addition to a two-hall exhibition of the latest entertainment technology products at the show, held at the Royal Armouries at Clarence Dock, a short distance from the centre of Leeds.
"Knowledge is a beautiful 'Yin Yang' thing - we show our friends within the lighting community how to incorporate video elements into their productions even more creatively, and newer friends in the video community will enjoy the power and flexibility of Ai," concludes Warren. "And the Yang? In return we receive many new and exciting development ideas for our future direction. It's a great win-win scenario, training and sharing ideas is the way forward..."
For more information on the sessions, visit www.plasafocus.com/leeds
19th April 2013
Duran Audio Announce European and US 2013 Training Events
At ProLight + Sound in Frankfurt, Germany, Duran Audio BV announced its schedule for their AXYS Acoustic Modelling & Product Training Events.
Duran Audio offers free training on not only their range of Intellivox products but also on acoustic modelling, basic electro acoustics and system design. This year’s training events will be held at Duran Audio’s R&D centre in Zaltbommel, The Netherlands on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 May and also at InfoComm, Orlando, Florida on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 June.
Although the courses are primarily targeted for consultants and contractors involved in designing and installing AXYS systems they also offer those people who wish to learn more about acoustic modelling and system design a real insight into the technology of beam steering and beam shaping products and the advantages derived through their use. For more details please email:
19th April 2013
Start the Summer Term with the right Theatrical Training Skills
If you are a technician, teacher or student and interested in obtaining new or improving on your existing skills then the 2013 technical training courses provided by Stage Electrics is ideal for you.
Stage Electrics has been successfully delivering training for a wide range of technical entertainment disciplines nationwide for over 10 years. New courses include "Getting to Grips with Sound"- a one day course aimed at professionals within the education sector providing an understanding of the fundamentals of sound and audio reproduction. In addition training topics include courses and workshops on lighting design, moving lights, pyrotechnic safety awareness and working at height (ladders and tallescopes) and accredited PASMA training.
Bespoke and individually tailored informal courses held at the customers venue, particularly on stage lighting, form an essential part of the company’s annual training programme. These cost effective and efficient training methods have proven successful for customers wanting their new and existing staff to be trained on their in house theatrical and technical equipment.
Geoff Parsons from Oasis Brightstowe - Bristol commenting on the on-site training for four staff at the Academy said: "Superb, clear, concise and focused and the team were able to ask specific questions on this informal training session and received a helpful answer."
For further information have a look on Stage Electrics website www.stage-training.co.uk or email
customertraining@stage-electrics.co.uk
19th April 2013
Clarity LX Console Training at White Light - April 16 and 17
Fresh off the back of a hugely successful Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt last week, Richie Mickan, LSC Lighting's technical manager, has bounced over to the UK to offer two days of training on their highly praised and incredibly powerful LX console range.
Powered by Open Clear's Clarity lighting and media control package, the LX hardware integrates seamlessly to give total control over all types of light, video walls and media servers.
The training, being held tomorrow, Tuesday April 16 and Wednesday April 17 at White Light's SW19 office has very limited places so please email marketing@whitelight.ltd.uk if you would like to attend.
15th April 2013
