Behind the Scenes 2011 Holiday Cards Now Avilable

It seems a bit early for this doesn’t it?  I mean, didn’t we just get through the holiday season just a couple hours ago? Well, on to the next I guess. Start planning your 2011 holiday cards with the Behind The Scenes holiday cards. Choose from four designs created especially for Behind the Scenes by some of the industry’s top designers. Cards can be personalized with your company’s logo and custom message. All proceeds benefit Behind the Scenes.

Head over the the Behind the Scenes website to order your print or electronic version of the 2011 holiday cards.

ESTA Host 2nd Annual Control Protocol PlugFest January 2011

It’s times like these that I wish I lived in the lone star state! ESTA’s Technical Standards Program is holding their second annual Control Protocol PlugFest in Westlake Texas on January 21st and 22nd.

The PlugFest just happens to be at the same exact time and place as the Technical Standard Program meetings! What a coincidence right! Both the TSP meetings and the PlugFest will be happening at the Marriott Solana in Westlake Texas.

PLugFest goes from 4pm to 10pm on Friday, January 21st, 9am to 11pm on Saturday, January 22.  There is also a date listed as July 25th from 9am to 10pm.  The July 25th date must be a completely separate meeting of the TSP and another PlugFest.

The Control Protocols Plug Fest will be an informal event, with the only people around to see the equipment work or fail being engineers and technicians, not customers. The event will provide an opportunity for manufacturers’ engineers to see if their products will work with the products of numerous manufacturers, find out on the spot what is wrong, fix it, and try again. With all the members of the RDM and E1.31 task groups that wrote the standards on-hand, it also provides an excellent resource to get implementation questions answered and to learn from everyone’s shared experience..

For more information and to register, contact Scott Blair. Registration is important so that the logistics of the equipment delivery, setup, and removal can be organized. There is no charge for participation and the event is open to everyone. Hotel sleeping rooms can be reserved through ESTA.

ESTA Technical Standards Program CPWG:Wiki

Keeping track of industry standards and the development stages of a protocol can be pretty challenging.  Especially when our industry has SO MANY unique and individualize standards. John Huntington, the blogger/writer of ControlGeek.net felt the same way.  It is mind numbing trying to keep track of all the standards and their progress.

John just happens to be apart of the ESTA’s Control Protocol Working Group, (CPWG).  He recognized that is was a little difficult to keep track the progress of the standards and helped create a wiki site for not only the members of the group to see where any given standard is, but for the rest of the industry too!

John made it clear  that the wiki is not to replace the minutes, but to give a summary which is a bit easy to read and review.  Check out the new CPWG: Wiki at www.esta.org/tspwiki. Thanks John for your hard work in putting this together!

TSP Review: ANSI E1.15-2006 Theatrical Boom & Base Assemblies

Time to get your reviewer hat on.  ESTA’s Technical Standards Program recently released ANSI E1.15-2006 (R201x), or better known as Entertainment Technology–Recommended Practices and Guidelines for the Assembly and Use of Theatrical Boom & Base Assemblies for Being Considered for Reaffirmation.

Here’s the scope of the document:

The standard sets minimum specifications for the assembly and use of variable and fixed-height luminaire support devices, commonly referred to as “boom and base assemblies.” This standard does not apply to towers, ground-support structures, or other devices that use winches or other lifting mechanisms, and does not apply to aluminum tripod or other similar lightweight stands, or stands with castered bases.

The public review of the document is up till January 4, 2011.  Head over the the TSP document center and help out the industry.

ESTA TSP: Guide for the Inspection of Entertainment Industry Luminaires Up For Review

ESTA’s TSP has another document up for public review.  This time it is the Guide for the Inspection of Entertainment Industry Luminaires, or document BSR E1.32 – 201x.

This document provides guidance in the inspection of stage and studio luminaires used in the entertainment industry to evaluate their safety and any needed maintenance. The information contained in this document is intended to supplement the information contained in manufacturers’ maintenance instructions.

You have until October 26, 2010 to download, read and write comments about the document.  Make sure to have your comments back to the TSP before that date.

Long Reach Long Riders Complete 7th Ride For Charity

Each Time I read or hear about the Long Reach Long Riders, I want to buy a bike. Not just because it would be awesome to do some of these rides, but also to contribute to a worth while cause while still having some fun.  Of course you don’t NEED a bike to contribute, but as I have heard…”You’d be cooler if you did”. Here is more from Bill Sapsis.

The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) completed their 7th annual charity motorcycle ride on July 31st at Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside, California. The ride, which began at The Presidio in San Francisco raised over $38,000.00 for The ESTA Foundation’s Behind the Scenes Program and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The LRLR have raised over $250,000.00 since starting their charity rides in 2004.

Loren Schreiber, one of this year’s ride marshals commented, “From San Francisco and back again, the route took us from twisted, cliff-side roads with azure seas below, through winding giant redwood canyons, around ancient volcanoes, down the sheer face of the Sierra Nevada and up again among Yosemite’s indigo lakes and the hunched shoulders of Half Dome and El Capitan. We crossed over high mountain passes and low valley plains. We wandered down narrow country lanes with only the ground squirrels noting our passing. On the scale of natural pulchritude, this ride was off the charts!”

On any given day there were up to 25 bikes on the road and their riders hail from 8 states, Canada, Great Britain and Sweden. LRLR founding member Greg

Williams noted “I’m always amazed at how quickly our riders’ disparate personalities gel in the face of common beautiful experiences and a shared sense of mission. This year was no different, and certainly ranks among my favorites…so far!

Next year the ride will start in Billings, Montana and wind through some of the most scenic National Parks in the country before returning to Billings. The following year (2012) will find the LRLR enjoying the lakes and forests of the upper mid-west.

Donations for this year’s ride are being accepted up to September 1, 2010.

For more information on making a donation, joining a future ride or sponsoring a rider, please visit www.lrlr.org.

ESTA Summer Edition of Protocol Journal is Out

Are you a technology freak like me?  I love technology in our industry.  It seems that every time you turn around, something new and exciting is happening in our industry that can make our lives easier and give us control and design options never though of before. The ESTA Journal, Protocol is a great resource for any tech head out there. I have been reading Protocol ever since I heard about it eight years ago.  Each quarter when it shows up in my mailbox, I get super excited and read it cover to cover as quick as possible. Then I come back and re-read articles again and again to make sure I didn’t miss anything. There is ALWAYS a great column by Mike Wood, Out of the Wood that covers some sort of lighting technology or product review. This month was no disappointment, How do Plasma Lamps Work?  I had a rough idea, but Mike broke it down and now, I have a great understanding of the technology. This is just one of the great articles in the journal.

I highly recommend heading over to ESTA web site and subscribing to the Protocol Journal.  The print subscription is FREE to anyone.  Since it is FREE, I would like to make a suggestion, consider donating a bit to the ESTA Foundation’s, Behind the Scenes in return.  ESTA is putting out a great journal each quarter and ask nothing in return.  I on the other hand implore you to donate what ever you can to show your thanks.  Good karma will come your way. ;)

If you are a green freak and want to save the plant by not getting the printed edition, you can read the Protocol Journal online through the ESTA web site as well.

Revision of ACN Standards Up for Review

All right, all you control freaks, (I mean that in a good way), get your thinking caps on.  The ESTA Technical Standards Program just announced that the revisions of the ACN or Architecture for Control Networks protocol documents are up for public review.

If you are smart and can understand the documents, ESTA is calling on you for your help in reviewing and making sure this standard is well, up to standards!  Here is a little background on the document up for public review:

BSR E1.17-201x is a revision of ANSI E1.17-2006, Entertainment Technology – Architecture for Control Networks (ACN), which is a suite of documents that specifies an architecture, including protocols and language, that may be configured and combined with other standard protocols to form flexible, networked audio, lighting, or other control systems. It can be implemented on networks that support UDP, IP, and related protocols. The revision is to correct errors and to improve functionality.

What are you waiting for?  Head over to the TSP site and download the documents and review them! All documents and review forms must be back to ESTA by August 24, 2010.

Tis The Season Already! ESTA Announces 2010 Holiday Cards

I think Lewis Black said it best in his album, Anticipation, Christmas seems to be getting closer and closer together.  It feels like Christmas shopping starts on July 7th.  And with ESTA’s latest news, Lewis might be on to something.

ESTA just announced the 2010 holiday cards to help support Behind the Scenes. This year there are four designs to choose from.  Top industry designers such as David Gallo, Andrew Hefter, Christine Jones and Jeremy Railton designed this years cards. Shown left is I think my favorite this year from Andrew Hefter, “Set the Stage for a Shining Holiday Season.”

Card’s can be personalized with your name or company name along with a personalized message. There is also an option for smaller quantities of cards for those of us with smaller Rolodex.  Another alternative to sending out printed cards is sending out Electronic Cards through ESTA.  Not only save some green, but be green as well, (I have a feeling that is copyrighted some where).  All of the ordering options and different card designs can be found on the ESTA web site, www.esta.org.

Deadline for ordering is September 1, 2010.  So you have some time, but don’t be like me last year and scrambling the sheelves at traget for holiday cards!  Get your order in early, supplies after September 1 will be low or none exsitant.

Support Behind The Scenes – #ByDesignDay2010

This Saturday is a very important Saturday, it is the ESTA Foundations By Design Day.  Why is it so important? It is a day where professional designers have committed to donating their royalties for the day to ESTA Foundations, Behind the Scenes. Top lighting designers around the world have already committed their royalties to help our fallen or ill brothers and sisters in the industry.

Why not join in on By Design Day? Anyone can contribute to By Design Day even if you do not receive royalties for your work.  Why not contribute your earnings for the day? Any little bit will help fund the Behind the Scenes and help protect and support of friends.

This Saturday, I will be contributing my ad revenue for the day from iSquint as well as a day’s pay from my day job to ESTA Foundation’s, Behind the Scenes.  This is how I plan to join in By Design Day. I encourage you to think about offering what ever you think you can spare to joining By Design Day and help our peers.

Take a look at the ESTA Foundation’s By Design Day to learn more about the charity and how to participate. Show your support of Behind the Scenes and By Design Day by tweeting the following:

@ESTAtweets – I support #ByDesignDay2010, #BehindTheScenes & and my fellow professionals. – http://www.estafoundation.org/bts.htm

What are you still reading for? Get over to the ESTA Foundation site! ;)

Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) to Hold Raffle at USITT

The Long Reach Long Riders, the charitable motorcycle ride to help provide funds for the ESTA Foundation Behind the Scenes program has just announced their 2010 raffle at USITT.  On April 2nd, 2010, The Long Reach Long Riders will be holding their annual raffle in the Behind the Scenes booth at the USITT Stage Expo in Kansas City.

During the course of the entire conference you can purchase tickets to the raffle for $5 each or 5 tickets for $20.  As an added bonus, any person that purchases 5 or more tickets will receive a FREE Stagecraft Mailing List Calendar.

Take a look at some of the great raffle prizes put up by lighting manufacturers.

• Altman Rentals (ghostlight)
• Apollo Design Technology (Smart Move DMX Rotator)
• Barbizon (Stagehands Tool Kit)
• Field Template (SoftSymbols and Field Templates)
• Doug Fleenor Design (DMX/RDM Coffee Pot)
• Sapsis Rigging ($250 Gift Certificate)
• SeaChanger (iPod Touch and colorBUG)
• USITT (2011 Conference registration)
• Utah Shakespearean Festival (three pairs of theatre tickets)
• Vectorworks (Spotlight with Renderworks)
• Vincent Lighting Systems ($250 gift certificate)
• Greg Williams (Photo Call and Photography 101 for the Stage seminar)

All proceeds of the raffle go directly to The ESTA Foundation’s Behind the Scenes program, which provides entertainment technology industry members with grants for emergency situations, such as serious illness, injury or death.  So if you are attending the USITT Conference and Stage Expo this year, be sure to stop by the ESTA Behind the Scenes booth and pick up your raffle tickets.  Not only are there great prizes available, but you’ll be making sure your injured peers are taken care of!

ESTA Releases Two Control Protocol Draft Standards for Review

At the end of January, ESTA announced the release of two Control Protocol Draft Standards for Public Review.  As with any draft standards put out for public review from ESTA.  People that have interest or knowledge of the specific standards are highly encouraged to read and comment on the drafts before they are no longer available for public review.

Here are the two Control Protocols  up for review:

BSR E1.30-1-20xx, EPI 23. Device Identification Subdevice

This document is part of BSR E1.30, Application level equipment interoperability for control of commonly encountered entertainment technology devices using ANSI E1.17. It specifies a templated device for device identification as typically used for remote hardware and software devices.

BSR E1.20 – 201x, Entertainment Technology — Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512

The existing E1.20 – 2006, Entertainment Technology–Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512, is being revised to correct errors in the published document and to add a new message enhance functionality. ANSI E1.20 is an extension to USITT DMX512 and ANSI E1.11 that allows for bi-directional communication on the primary data link for lighting control.

Both of these standards will be up for public review and commenting till March 30, 2010.  You can download the documents and review forms for the ESTA Technical Standards Program website at www.esta.org/tsp.