Gallery & Press Releases
Posts tagged HSLGroup
HSL Supplies UK Schools Games Opening Ceremony
1 year ago
in 2010
HSL supplied lighting, LED screens, rigging, staging, structures and power for the Sainsbury’s UK Schools Games Opening Ceremony at Gateshead International Stadium. The Blackburn based company was working for show production company Fast Track Events and also for Modular Projects who together delivered the show for end clients, the UK Youth Sport Trust. The ceremony was hosted by BBC Sports presenter Jill Douglas
HSL’s Mike Docksey co-ordinated a masterpiece of planning which ensured that everything ran like clockwork on site, with Howard Dean production managing HSL’s multi-skilled crew and liaising closely with show producer, Fast Track’s Bob Caple.
Says Docksey, “This was a real team effort from all angles, requiring a lot of transparent and lucid communications. It was a pleasure to work with Bob and Fast Track Events again, to be involved with and assist in capturing the vibe, enthusiasm and spirit of this occasion”.
With the majority of the production components of the event given over to HSL to co-ordinate, the various creative elements could focus on their contributions to the show.
The high energy 60 minute Opening Ceremony show was unlike anything ever seen More >
HSL Pushes The Right Buttons
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn, UK based lighting rental company HSL supplied moving lights, LED fixtures, follow spots and generics for Ant & Dec’s hugely popular new “Push The Button” family challenge games show.
The first 6-part series, produced by independent company Gallowgate, has just finished and proved a massive prime time Saturday night hit for ITV. Lighting designer was Tom Kinane, with whom HSL has worked on many previous projects. The programme was directed by Nikki Parsons and recorded at Pinewood Studios’ S-Stage. HSL’s project manager was Sean McGlone.
McGlone comments, “It’s always good to work with Tom. His shows are imaginative and interestingly lit, he chooses his lighting instruments judiciously and gets the very best out of all them.”
The eye catching set was designed by Dominic Tolfts. It was very wide with a series of gently curved lycra fins which also served as light-boxes around the
side wing areas, complete with majestically sweeping side stars left and right, and a large ‘playing area’ in the middle. Various props and stage trucks were pushed on and off stage through a central rear opening, back-stopped with a structure of sun-strips and a Space Flower for More >
HSL Immersed in the Pendulum Tour
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn-based HSL continues an incredibly active 2010, supplying lighting and crew to the current UK and European tour by Australian drum ‘n’ bass rockers Pendulum, whose distinctive hi-energy sound and performance is storming around the world with their third album “Immersion”.
The show, a seamless fusion of video and lighting, is designed by Mark Calvert of Immersive (formally known as Pixel Addicts), together with his colleagues John Munroe and Dave Green. It features a striking set architecture constructed from special dollies containing Barco MiStrip LED screen, which has its own set lighting system some parameters of which are controlled, along with the video content, by Immersive’s dynamic Addict show control system. Additional lighting onstage is controlled through a ‘traditional’ lighting console operated by lighting designer Simon Barrington.
Mike Oates is project managing for HSL. He says, “When production manager Chris Griffiths asked us onboard we were really excited. We have also worked on projects with Simon and Immersive before, so it’s a really bright and happy team. The show is right at the cutting edge of visual design and show control, which is a great More >
HSL in the Passion Pit
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn UK based lighting rental company HSL were delighted to get involved in supplying equipment for the latest UK tour by cult US electronic band, Passion Pit.
HSL’s Mike Oates was approached by Passion Pit’s lighting designer, New York based Mike Janowitz, with whom they are working on various other projects. Janowitz asked if HSL could put together a good visuals package for the band’s UK tour. Says HSL’s Mike Oates, “It’s very exciting working with cutting edge new artists, so we looked at Mike’s design and approached XL Video to supply the video elements required. We also co-ordinated a trucking deal with Fly By Nite for the tour”.
The two week UK tour encompassed a variety of venues including students unions and small to medium theatres and town halls including Rock City, Nottingham, Manchester Academy and The Forum in London. Passion Pit’s lighting was looked after on this leg of the tour by lighting director Ryoji Suguro, who was joined by HSL technician Andy “Paris” Hilton.
HSL supplied a dynamic and flexible floor-based system which was integrated with the overhead house lighting rigs available at each venue.
The floor package was based around 7 vertical More >
HSL Supplies OMD Tour
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn UK based lighting rental company HSL continues an incredibly busy autumn/winter season supplying lights, Kinesys automation, projection and LED to the Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark(OMD) UK and European tour.
It featured the band’s original line up, a new album “History of Modern” and an incredibly energetic set comprising a lively mix of classic hits and new material, much of it with as much – if not more – political relevance now than in the 1980s, all of which WOWed crowds of all ages.
It was lighting/visuals designer Andy Liddle’s first full production tour with the band since he came onboard in 2009. He created an interesting mix of moving elements, LED and projection surfaces and lighting, to provide a perfect contemporary scenic showcase for OMD ….. three decades of synth pop later.
One of his imaginative starting points was the angular lines of the new album artwork, which he wanted to mimic in the set architecture.
All suppliers were invited to tender for the tour at the outset, from which HSL won the lighting and visuals package explains Liddle, who was also aware of some of the other work that HSL has been doing recently. “We felt HSL’s experience with More >
HSL Supplies Lighting for Nabucco at Masada
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn, UK, based lighting rental company HSL supplied all stage lighting equipment and crew to the acclaimed Israeli Opera production of Verdi’s Nabucco, staged at a new purpose-built open air site in the middle of the desert on the World Heritage site of Masada Mountain …. by the Dead Sea in Israel.
HSL was brought onboard by Jerusalem and Tel Aviv based Stage Design, who supplied all the technical infrastructure for the high profile 6 day event, and built most of the site. It was the first time the two companies had collaborated, which happened after HSL came highly recommended by several contacts.
HSL’s project manager Mike Oates says, “We were delighted to win the contract. Working with the Stage Design team has been a real pleasure. They have the same vision and dedication to providing great service, cutting edge technology and top people as we do. There were many challenges, but that is all part of the uniqueness of dealing with site specific events”.
HSL sea freighted all the gear – which included over 100 Robe moving lights including the first 20 of the new ColorBeam 2500E ATs off the production line after their launch 2 months ago at the Prolight+Sound exhibition in More >
Magic Numbers for HSL
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn, UK, based lighting rental company HSL supplied Vari*Lite moving lights and over 700 Pulsar ChromaStrips of varying lengths for the new ITV series, Magic Numbers, produced by CPL and aired live weekly in the prime time Saturday night slot of 8 p.m.
The show’s lighting was designed by Tom Kinane, who has used HSL to supply lights to numerous shows in recent years. HSL’s Project manager was Sean McGlone, who comments, “It’s always good to work with Tom and his team. The show looked fantastic, interesting and different, and we’re specially happy to be working on such a high profile new production”.
Magic Numbers was presented by Stephen Mulhern, directed by Chris Power broadcast from The London Studios (TLS) on London’s South Bank. Kinane’s starting point for the lighting design was the vibrant set designed by Andrew Gates, based on a sequence of funky, different shaped scenic light boxes.
It was Kinane who suggested that the ChromaStrip LED lightsource would be ideal to internally light the set pieces, of which there are 20 in total.
HSL delivered the ChromaStrips to set builders Set Square in Mitcham, Surrey, where they were wired in to the scenic pieces by the show’s More >
HSL/Kinesys Workshop a Huge Success
1 year ago
in 2010
Leading UK lighting rental company HSL and automation specialist Kinesys recently collaborated to stage a 2-day Technical Training Workshop on Kinesys’ systems at HSL’s HQ in Blackburn, UK.
Designed to work as a 1 or a 2 day course to suit all levels of interest, the response was extremely positive, and all the places were filled predominantly with working riggers. Some also had lighting experience and were keen to further their knowledge of the system from a creative production angle so automation can be worked in to future visual designs.
HSL’s Mike Oates was delighted with the results. “We’ll definitely be running further Kinesys training in the future. The demand for knowledge is certainly there and we could have filled this course over again with no problem. I also feel very confident that I now have access to a pool of crew who understand the workings and capabilities of Kinesys for the many tours and events on which we use it. This was another reason we were keen to run the course”.
HSL has invested heavily in Kinesys over the last 3 years, and it is renowned as a well respected, high quality, industry standard brand.
The first day of the course covered general More >
HSL Supplies JLS UK Tour
1 year ago
in 2010
Blackburn UK based lighting rental company HSL is supplying all lighting equipment and crew to Production North for the current 6 week UK tour by massively popular boyband JLS.
HSL’s project manager Mike Oates says, “It’s good to be back on the road with the Production North team and working alongside production manager Karen Ringland on this. The design is straightforward and uncomplicated, well thought out and works perfectly for the band and the style of presentation”.
The lighting was designed by Peter Barnes. He and show producer Beth Honan – who have previously worked together on Blazing Squad and Girls Aloud – collaborated closely during production rehearsals at Rhyl Pavilion in Wales, together with lighting programmer/operator Dave Lee. Lee is overseeing lighting the show on tour, working alongside HSL technician Johnny Harper.
Barnes had to maximise an expediently sized rig in terms of effect, and says, “HSL as always were extremely helpful in cutting a great deal that allowed plenty of creative latitude”.
The basic visual style combines elements from the television environment that catapulted JLS to fame as runners up on the 2008 series of X-Factor, with a clean More >
Robe & HSL Cruise with Azura
1 year ago
in 2010
Robe moving lights – over 120 fixtures – including DigitalSpot 7000DTs have been installed into 4 primary entertainment centres aboard P&O Cruises’ newest state-of-the-art cruise liner, the 290 metre long, 14 deck, 115,000 tonne, 3500 capacity Azura.
The lighting was specified by Carnival UK’s Entertainment Sound & Lighting manager Philip Yeomans, and the package was delivered via Robe UK with Blackburn, UK, based HSL undertaking the installation and providing the ongoing technical support.
The project has seen close collaboration between Yeomans, Mick Hannaford from Robe UK and Simon Stuart from HSL.
A key element for Yeomans was forging a direct relationship with a manufacturer – he wanted a reliable, cost effective brand and needed several customisations. He also required excellent technical support. He has used Robe products for some time now, and has also worked with HSL before and been impressed by their work and attitude.
He is a “big fan” of the kit and knew that both companies could deliver the standards of excellence required for providing lighting and support in this demanding environment, where all areas of the ship are in constant use.
Robe lighting has been installed More >
