USITT Announces Architectural & Theatre Students “Ideal Theatre” Design Competition
As a lighting professional and lover of the theatre, have you ever walked into a theatre and thought… “What the hell kind of design is this, who designed this place, a blind man”? We have all been there. Sitting at the drafting desk, looking over a sectional, “was the architect on crack when he put the front of house pipe there”? I personally have walked in to many, MANY theatre in my day and looked around and thought… really, a box boom there, or seriously, no cove position?
Now is your time. USITT just announced their Ideal Theatre Architectural Design Competition. If you are either a Theatre student or architectural student, SIGN UP. The goal of the competition is simple, teamwork. The theatre student serves are the “client” and the architectural student as the designer. The goal, create the ideal theatre! How awesome is that?!
Winners of the 2011 Ideal Theatre Design Competition will be announced at the 2011 USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina. If you are either a theatre or architectural student, what are you waiting for, head over to www.usitt.org and get all the goods to enter!
iSquint LDI 2010 T-Shirt Phrase Contest
It has been a request by you guys for the longest time, an iSquint t-shirt. LDI 2010 will be the release of the FIRST iSquint t-shirt. But, there is a snag, I need a good iSquint phrase for the back. I have a great design for the front, but the back needs something and who better to ask then the squints of the world!
I am calling on YOU for a phrase for the back of the FIRST official iSquint t-shirt. The plan is to collect as many suggestions as possible, and then open the the top ten phrases for voting. The person with the winning phrase gets one t-shirt in their size and one other t-shirt to give to anyone they so choose. Along with recognition of the phrase on iSquint.
As with any contest, there has to be a couple of rules.
- The phrase must me PG-13
- References to that adult web site will be ignored & disqualified
- Must reference lighting in some way
Pretty easy right? Now, to enter a phrase, just leave a comment on this post. You will be asked to leave your name and email address. Again, with any personal information entered into iSquint.net is safe and secure and not sold, traded or distributed to ANYONE… EVER. Then just leave your entry phrase into the comment and done. Enter as many times as you like, more the merrier I say.
Please note, all comments will not be visible to you until the end of the Phrase Contest, which is Monday, August 30th. After that will be the contest to determine which of the top ten phrases entered will chosen for the FIRST EVER iSquint t-shirt.
Good Luck!
New Trivia Contest In Town: TechnicalTrivia.com
Do you like testing your knowledge and winning stuff at the same time? Think you know a lot about the technical side of our industry? There is a new trivia contest and web site out there to test your knowledge of just that, TechnicalTrivia.com.
Here is the offical press release from the marketing department:
On the Fourth of July 2010 at 00:01 (CST) the largest entertainment industry trivia contest will officially begin. The contest will continue until 3 July 2011 at 23:59 (CST). Prize winners will be announced throughout the contest, as well as at the conclusion.
This contest will focus primarily on the knowledge of technical aspects involving the entertainment industry. There are no limitations regarding what questions will be asked, however the goal of the questions is to educate, refresh, and prepare.
This contest is currently open to all residents of the United States of America. There are no participation fees. This contest will take place by means of the popular web service, Twitter. Those interested can follow the contest at @technicaltrivia, or www.twitter.com/technicaltrivia. All rules and regulations can be found at www.technicaltrivia.com.
Summer Solstice and the iSquint Summer Contest Starts TODAY!
Welcome to the 2010 Summer Solstice! It is officially the start of summer. It also happens to be the longest day of the year with the most amount of sun light we’ll see all year. That is expect for the Barrow Alaska that started it’s longest day on May 10th and won’t see night time for three months. Can you imagine that… almost three months worth of daylight? Now that is a lot of a light!
Summer brings many well deserved vacations and holidays. Most of us get a chance to breath easy for a week or so to spend time with family and friends at some pretty amazing places. Are you planning a special get away or visiting some place new and different? If so, don’t forget your camera! Like I mentioned in my City Lights post a month or so ago, always carry your camera with you, you never know when an amazing shot with reveal it’s self to you.
I am holding a summer long contest to see who can capture the essence of summer with lighting. whether it be an amazing sun set, an awesome show that you lite or just the amazing afternoon sun bouncing off a building, I am looking for photos that really capture what summer meant to you. You can submit as many photos as you want all summer long.
On the first day of Fall, September 21st, 2010, I will announce the winner of the Summer Time Lighting Contest. At this time, I don’t want to tell you exactly what you win as I want you to focus on the photo and not the prize. But let me tell you, it will be SO WORTH IT.
All you have to do is add your photos all summer long to the iSquint 2010 Summer Contest Pool on Flickr.com. At the end of summer, a panel of judges will select the best photo from the collection that best captures the 2010 summer. The contest is only open to US Residence at this time, I’m sorry my friends out of country! :( That doesn’t mean you can still add your summer photos though, all of us would still love to see them.
Have a safe and wonderful summer and happy photo hunting, I can’t wait to see your additions!
It’s Back; Tuesday Twitter Trivia – Tony Awards Special
That’s right, after a nice long break and pilling up more and more swag to give out, the Tuesday Twitter Trivia is back! This week is a special Tony Award Trivia question. First, I would like to congratulate ALL of the nominees and of course the winners of the 2010 Tony Award in the categories. A special shout out goes to Kevin Adams, the lighting designer of American Idiot for winning Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Neil Austin, the lighting design or Red for winning Best Lighting Design of a Play. Although I have not seen either show, I have heard that the Tony’s are well deserved!
And now on to this weeks Tuesday Twitter Trivia…
Who has racked up the most Tony Awards during the course of their career?
Have the answer? Submit your answer via a reply to @isquint via Twitter. The first person back with the correct answer wins some great swag that I have been collecting from previous events and trade shows along with an iSquint button.
Vote on Apollo Design’s Design-A-Pattern Contest
It’s time! Apollo Design recently opened up voting on their 3rd Annual Design-A-Pattern Contest. Apollo has broken the designs into four categories.
- ColorScenic
- Metal
- SuperResolution
- 2 Color
Each year, more and more people send in entries to be voted on for the contest. This year is no exception. There are some excellent designs this year in all four of the categories. Of course, with my busy schedule, I missed the entry deadline once again. Maybe next year I’ll actually get it done in time.
The rules are easy, only one vote is allowed per IP address per category. Voting on the pattern’s began yesterday, May 5th and continue till June 2nd, 2010. Winning entries will be notified by Apollo Design on June 30th, 2010. Winning entries get their name on the pattern, A commemorative plaque that includes the pattern, inclusion in Apollo’s 2011 catalog and on Apollo’s online catalog and industry press.
Now here is Apollo going above and beyond… Apollo will donate a portion of each pattern sold between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011 to the industry charity, Behind the Scenes! What are you waiting for… VOTE NOW!
First Round of USITT Swag Give Away
Did you miss out on getting to USITT this year? I am so sorry to hear that. How about I help you feel better about missing the Stage Expo? This is just the first round of MANY swag give-a-ways from all the swag I collected at the show just for you! I think this first one is pretty cool myself and have thought twice about giving it away. Seeing as I have to do a little spring cleaning here in preparation for the big move, I want to pass it along.
So, if you attended USITT this year, I am sorry, but you can not enter! You had you chance at the show to collect great swag! For those of you who couldn’t make it, let’s give away some great stuff huh?! It’s pretty simple to enter, leave a comment to this post with your name, email address, (it will not be published) and this is the important part, PRG booth number at USITT 2010.
First one with the correct booth number wins! Yes, I only have one shirt to give away, sorry! The first give away is this great t-shirt from PRG. It’s an extra large, so be warned!
UPDATE:
Congrats Sean, you were the first in! Thanks all for playing. Make sure to keep a look out for more USITT Swag Give-A-Ways!
SeaChanger Open Mic Contest at #USITT
This years Conference and Stage Expo is going to be one huge party and learning fest to help celebrate the 50 years for USITT. SeaChanger is adding to the fun by having an Open Mic Contest in their booth at USITT. Following the American Idol method, SeaChanger would like to see or hear your 5 minute “audition” before USITT. You can submit your routine to SeaChanger via almost ANY media to SeaChanger by Skype, Email, YouTube, Phone… any way you can think of getting it to SeaChanger.
At USITT, performers will have a 5 minute spot at the SeaChanger booth to perform their routine which will be video taped. All entries will be loaded to the SeaChanger web site where we will have a chance to vote on the winning routine. Voting on the entries will be open to the public until April 15th, Tax Day! Everyone that performs at USITT will receive a SeaChanger t-shirt and the ever famous USITT 2010 edition SeaChanger Duck. The winner, chosen by the public, will be featured on the SeaChaanger web site and win not only a ColorBUG but an iPod Touch as well!
So how do you get in on the action? Contact/Send your 5 minute routines to SeaChanger by Contact Beth Weinstein.
- Twitter: @SeaChangerET
- Skype: SeaChangerET
- Email: Beth.weinstein@oceanthinfilms.com
- Phone: 727-545-0741
Yes Mrs. Beth, You will be missed at USITT. But have no fear, Photos and Videos will be posted just for you! And to help get those creative juices flowing, I have included a couple of YuoTube videos to spark your creativity.
Tuesday Twitter Trivia Winner – CMY vs RGB
Yesterdays Tuesday Twitter Trivia was based on the previous days article about CMY rs RGB and their “theoretical” differences. The theory is that CMY and RGB values are directly opposite of each other when dealing with light. While it is not exactly correct, the theory is pretty close. Here is a recap of yesterdays Tuesday Twitter Trivia question:
What is the “theoretical” CMY values for Pink with RGB values of 100%, 25%, 70%?
Lets take a closer look at the values and see exactly how the theory would hold up mixing this pink in CMY.
So who was the first in with the correct response, Michael Kohler, or better known on twitter at @MEKohler. Michael was the first one to @ reply with a response of C: 0%, M: 75%, Y: 30%. Michael wins himself a lovely little iSquint prize pack. Thanks all for playing and look for another Tuesday Twitter Trivia question next week.
Have a trivia question about lighting that you think will stump everyone? Send you trivia questions to me via the Contact Us page here on iSquint. You just might receive an iSquint prize pack!
Tuesday Twitter Trivia – CMY vs RGB
Tuesday is here once again and that means we are one day closer to the weekend. To help expand our minds and use the knowledge that we learn yesterday with RBG vs CMY values, this weeks Tuesday Twitter Trivia questions puts that knowledge into practice.
What is the “theoretical” CMY values for Pink with RGB values of 100%, 25%, 70%?
Know the answer? Send your response via an @ reply to @iSquint through twitter. The first person in with the correct response wins an iSquint prize pack. The winner will be announced tomorrow.
If you have a Tuesday Twitter Trivia question that you think will stump everyone, I would love to hear it. Send your trivia questions via the Contact Us page here on iSquint. You might just win a prize pack yourself!
Luminair Version 2.0 Release Party and Contest
With the upcoming release of Luminair Version 2.0, Synthe FX and iSquint.net have teamed up to have a Release Party and Contest right here on iSquint. If you didn’t know, Luminair is the first lighting console that fits in your pocket. Which brings up the question… is that a Lighting console in your pocket or are you happy to see me? But really, Lumniair is a fully functional lighting console that works on your iPhone and iPod Touch over Wi-Fi.
Synthe FX has just announced the release of Luminair version 2.0. V2.0 brings a ton of new updates and functionality to the console in your pocket with Stacks, which is a cue-list playback system, integration with Cast Software’s next version of WYSIWYG, R25 and Fixture POV, as well as groups, cut/copy and paste functions to name a few.
In anticipation of Luminair V2 being released in the iTunes App Store, Synthe FX and iSquint are holding a week long release party and contest here on iSquint. Each day this week, we will be selecting one winner at 5pm EST that will win a $15 dollar iTunes gift card. Fridays grand prize winner will be receiving at $50 iTunes gift card from Synthe FX. The iTunes gift cards can be redeemed to purchase anything from the iTunes store, Music, Movies, TV Shows and yes, it can even go towards your purchase of Luminair, V2.0 once it is released.
How do I join in on the Release Party and Contest to win? Simple, add a comment to this contest page with your name, email address, (which will NOT be public or sold) and a comment, that’s it! One entry enters you for the entire week so enter soon for more chances to win. Entries are limited to US residence due to iTunes restrictions, Sorry.
Luminair V2.0 is a free upgrade for current owners of the software and will be available as a free download from the iTunes App Store. New users can purchase a copy of Luminair for $99 USD. To learn more about Luminair and Synthe FX, Visit their website at www.synthe-fx.com.
UPDATE:
Listed below are the daily winners of the Synthe FX and iSquint Luminair Release Part and Contest. Remeber, one entry gets you in for all week long. If you didn’t win today, you still have the rest of the week fora chance to win!
- Monday – John Hathcock
- Tuesday – Todd Proffitt
- Wednesday – Julie Shelton
- Thursday – Nathan A.
- Friday and the GRAND PRIZE WINNER – Tim Nielson
Thank you to everyone that entered as well as for reading iSquint. I would also like to thank Synthe FX for having the Luminair v2.0 Release party and contest here on iSquint. You guys rock!
Tuesday Twitter Trivia Winner – Limelight
This weeks Tuesday Twitter Trivia took us back in time once again to see where the industry came from. So a quick recap from yesterday with the trivia question:
What is a Limelight and how does it work?
So what is a Limelight?
A Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quick lime (calcium oxide), which can be raised to 2572°C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and candoluminescence. Although it has long since been replaced by electric lighting, the term has nonetheless survived, as someone in the public eye is still said to be “in the limelight.”
How about some history of the Limelight.
The limelight effect was discovered in the 1820s by Goldsworthy Gurney, based on his work with the “oxy-hydrogen blowpipe,” credit for which is normally given to Robert Hare. In 1825, a Scottish engineer, Thomas Drummond (1797–1840), saw a demonstration of the effect by Michael Faraday and realized that the light would be useful for surveying. Drummond built a working version in 1826, and the light is sometimes known as the Drummond Light after him.
Limelight was first used in public in the Covent Garden Theatre in London in 1837 and enjoyed widespread use in theatres around the world in the 1860s and 1870s. Limelights were employed to highlight solo performers in the same manner as modern followspots. Limelight was replaced by electric arc lighting in the late 19th century.
So who had the correct answer in yesterday via twitter. With the 140 character limit, Mr. Josh Allen or @JoshAllen was first in with an mention reply rather then than a direct message and wins a iSquint Prize Pack. Thanks for playing, look for more Tuesday Twitter Trivia next week and beyond here on iSquint.
Have an idea for a Tuesday Twitter Trivia question that might stump us? Send me your ideas via the Contact Us page on iSquint.
Thanks Wikipedia for the history lesson!