What did you see that you liked ar USITT 2014

[JChenault]

The title says it all.

For me.
Interesting theme was the number of folks hawking automaton. In addition to the large booth by Creative Connors, I saw three "turtles" ( remote controlled low platforms you could put scenery on )

I was interested in seeing ETCs entry into the PC control arena. Got a fast overview on the last day. Interesting pricing strategy. Not sure when it will be released.

Elation had a new mover. The platinum profile pro. Zooms from 10 to 50 degrees. Includes framing shutters, gobo wheels, etc. Dimming seems to be very smooth. I could not tell how noisy it was on the floor, but finally a spot that is wide enough for my space.

There was a very interesting system for VERY large RP video systems. In four feet of depth you can make an RP video screen to the max screen dimensions possible. They put consumer grade video projectors in an array about every three feet or so. For set up they put a camera looking at the screen that calibrates the projectors, deals with overlap and blending ( about 20 to 30 minutes ) and then just send your video signal to the computer that drives all the projectors.

My favorite item though was the LED candle with photocell. Battery powered, put it in a candle body. When you have a blackout, the candle goes out. It made me ask why no one else had thought of that.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Creative Connors?

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[JChenault]

Creative Connors?

Sent from my SPH-L720

Creative Connors makes their living in stage automation

Stage Automation & Theatre Automation Company | Creative Conners

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Ah.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[Tex]

More hazers per square foot than I've ever seen.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[SteveB]

More hazers per square foot than I've ever seen.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Well it's a known fact that you cannot do lighting design without haze, it's that important.

 

[Dovahkiin]

There was a company called Plot Light that was advertising a paperwork software for tablets and mobile devices that included a drafting software that could import/export with Vectorworks. Might be interesting for when I no longer have a VW Student License, as the $8/month subscription fee is much more manageable for somebody in their early career.

 

[Tex]

Well it's a known fact that you cannot do lighting design without haze, it's that important.

I love haze. Just remarking that I've never seen that many hazers in a space that small. Don't just kill it, overkill it!

 

[microstar]

The session on the career of scenic designer Eugene Lee was priceless. What an interesting (and very entertaining) individual.
Loved downtown Fort Worth too. Will definitely return for a visit!
Worst experience.... not being able to witness the tech olympics due to not enough space for the audience.

 

[dvsDave]

The LED candle with photocell is made by Trinculo's Attic and is called the Juliet Candle. Very neat. 4 different flicker profiles are available to prevent them from syncing and becoming a pattern on stage.

It was great to see the fine folks from Wireless Mic Belts again. It was also very cool to see Nu Delta Digital's LogiCue system being displayed at BMI Supply's booth.

One of the coolest things to see was the new ETC Gen 2 LED Source 4 (much brighter whites and more saturated color), as well as the new LED Source 4 Mini. I've got comparison pic's between the mini and the led mini, will need to upload those later.

I got to see an early demo of ProPared, an online system for stage managers/live event professionals to manage multiple productions/events simultaneously with overlapping personnel without dealing with duplicate or outdated data.

BellaTex Stage Curtains had the best swag, giving away great shirts. I got one that says "I am the man behind the curtain" and @gafftapegreenia got one that was gray with "Stagehand Day Off Shirt" on it.

@DELO72 is finally promising that the 500W LED work light is coming soon, in the next 2-3 months.

There was a great display by the Ft. Worth IATSE local with some really, really old membership cards as well as an original charter that dated to 1906.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I had a great chat with the Apollo team. They showed me a portfolio of all the cool custom projects they have done and we spoke of their recent clamp acquisition. Also, while I hadn't thought too much about their BTS Wrench, I sure want one now after learning that its forged from Snap On tool steel. (It wasn't clear if its forged at the Snap On plant, or by a Snap On supplier, but it IS made in Wisconsin)

I went to a few sessions, one in particular was an excellent sessions about how to communicate and work with your AHJ. The ultimate realization from that session was the real and immediate need for a sort of "practical code reference book" for stage construction. I believe @BillConnerASTC might be spearheading such a project.

The other excellent session I went to was lead by @STEVETERRY and Richard Cadena, and dealt with the strange things that LED's, moving lights and anything else with switch mode power suppliers does to your electrical system. Learned all sorts of things about stuff I didn't know existed, such as K13 and HMT electrical transformers, and heard some amusing anecdotes along the way.

My favorite product of the show is split between the DMX controllable, tuneable white LED music stand light system at the StageLight Inc booth, and the white/blue LED lock rail light system built in Schedule 40 pipes at the Batts Audio Video and Lighting booth. I think I got those names right.

Overall, it was great to not only meet so many people from CB and the SML, but also to generate new interest in CB. Best of all, however, had to be finding out how many people and companies LURK here daily on CB. There are a LOT of high ranking industry eyeballs on this site.

So, lets get cracking on the second in the CB Reference Card series, and try to have it ready by USITT Cinci 2015.

 

[TheTheaterGeek]

There was a company called Plot Light that was advertising a paperwork software for tablets and mobile devices that included a drafting software that could import/export with Vectorworks. Might be interesting for when I no longer have a VW Student License, as the $8/month subscription fee is much more manageable for somebody in their early career.

Sadly they were supposed to put their site up in April. didn't happen.