Gallery & Press Releases
Posts tagged Kinesys
Diversity for HSL
8 months ago
in 2012
Leading UK lighting and visuals rental and solutions provider HSL continued a massively busy touring season supplying lighting, LED screen, rigging and a Kinesys automation system to Production North for street dance troupe sensation, Diversity’s first major arena tour.
HSL has worked with Production North on many different projects. Once again, Mike Oates project managed for the Blackburn based company, with set, visuals and lighting designed by Peter Barnes, working in close conjunction with Diversity’s creative director and leader, Ashley Banjo.
On the road, lighting was looked after and operated by Neil Trenell. An HSL crew of six took care of lighting and video and the Kinesys system, together with rigger John Ashton, who put in the 58 points each day.
Sarah Hollis, production manager for Production North, remarked that it was “Excellent” to deal with one company and a single HSL crew chief – Steve Major – covering lighting, video, staging, rigging and automation departments. They were extremely happy with the service and attention to detail for which HSL is renowned.
The futuristic Tron styled and shaped stage set was inspired by Banjo’s original narrative threads which set More >
HSL Rocks With Prodigy at Download
11 months ago
in 2012
Lighting and visuals rental company HSL supplied a substantial ‘specials’ package – including 170 moving lights, custom metal ribs inset with LEDs and a Kinesys automation system – for The Prodigy’s hell-raising headliner performance at the 2012 Download festival, staged at Donnington Race Track near Derby.
The band’s show visuals were designed by Andy Hurst. As you’d expect it was a high impact, high energy, relentlessly pumping show musically and visually.
As it was also the band’s only UK festival appearance this summer Hurst wanted to do something on an epic and grand scale.
HSL’s Mike Oates project managed with HSL’s Tim Fawkes working as system and console tech on-site, and also assisting Hurst with the WYSIWYG pre-programming, completed in HSL’s dedicated visualisation facility at their new warehouse in Blackburn.
The backbone of the rig was 16 custom 8 metre high curved ‘ribs’ which were all individually outlined with LEDs, flown across the full stage width on three staggered upstage trusses. The idea being to add depth to the whole performance space.
These trusses were flown on Kinesys beam trolleys so they could be tracked upstage during the day and concertina’d More >
HSL Supplies OMD Tour
12 months 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/Kinesys Workshop a Huge Success
12 months 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 Invests for Pussycat Dolls
12 months ago
in 2009
Leading UK lighting rental company HSL has made a substantial investment in Robe’s new Digital Series products – including 6 DigitalSpot 7000DTs and 36 REDWash 3192s along with 16 REDBlinder 296’s – primarily for the Pussycat Dolls European “Doll Domination” tour, for which they were specified by LDScott Warner.
HSL is supplying all lighting equipment and crew for the tour which also includes 60 Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 2500E AT moving lights, 40 Martin Professional Atomic strobes, a 12 way Kinesys automation system with Vector control plus over 60 motors and rigging. HSL also designed and commissioned several pieces of custom metalwork that were fabricated by TFL for the tour which is project managed for them byMike Oates.
It’s a complex lighting system to build each day, requiring lots of precision and tight teamwork. Mike Oates comments, “The biggest challenge is getting it in and up in a reasonable time each day, for which we did serious pre-planning to maximize the efficiency of get ins and outs.”
The slick, high-energy show is a colourful and fluid amalgam of classic pop lighting with plenty of attitude and dynamics. Warner makes an expediently sized rig – in More >
HSL Goes Massive Again
12 months ago
in 2009
HSL continues its touring relationship with legendary Bristol-based electronic/trip-hop collective Massive Attack, supplying all lighting equipment and crew to the current UK and European tour, working with lighting designer Robin Haddow.
Says HSL project manager Mike Oates, “It’s great to be working with Robin and Production Manager James Baseley and Tour Manager Dave Lawrence and their team again. Massive Attack have been one of the UK’s most influential and creative bands over the last 2 decades, and their live productions are always inventive and interesting. This one is no exception”.
Robin Haddow worked closely with the band’s video and show designers United Visual Artists (UVA) on developing the look and feel of the show, for which they did a week of technical production rehearsals at HSL’s new space next door to their warehouse facility in Blackburn. They also received considerable input from Massive Attack founder 3D.
The result is a multi-layered integration of lighting and video elements into a tightly timed show which flows harmoniously with the music. The video content also includes the use of thought-provoking text information – a style that’s been continuous in More >
