RES Meeting:

Engineering of Entertainment Show Effects and Stages
Presented by Malcolm McLaren, PE McLaren Engineering Group (1 PDH - Course No. PS002249)

Ever wonder about the engineering behind:

• A Super Bowl Half-Time Show
• The Rolling Stones and Tina Turner Travel Stages
• A Broadway Show
• A Las Vegas Circque du Soleil show

Come SEE and HEAR how it’s done by a specialist in the entertainment engineering field.

Earn 1 PDH and be talking about it with friends, colleagues and family for weeks!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

An evening of entertainment, education and networking.
Bring your non-engineering friends, colleagues and family.

Location: RIT Campus, Xerox Auditorium James Gleason Hall
5:30 p.m. Networking with Light Refreshments
6:00 p.m Program
Reservations: Email to res@frontiernet.net or call 585-254-2350 by Tuesday, January 31st
Price: $20.00 for RES Members, $25 for Non-members (check or cash at the door - credit cards for advance reservations only) (100% of the fee goes to support the Rochester Engineering Society)

The evolution of performance entertainment has evolved tremendously with technology over the past twenty years. What was once a group of four singers standing on stage has now become a technological extravaganza complete with moving platforms, flying bridges, tracking video walls weighing 40 tons, pyrotechnics, hydraulic lifts and 15 ton speakers. Malcolm McLaren and his firm have spent the past fifteen years providing structural and mechanical engineering services to the entertainment industry for various types of projects, from Broadway shows to theme parks like Disney and Universal, to Touring Stages for such performers as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Tina Turner. A recent installation in Las Vegas for Cirque du Soleil represents the installation of the largest dynamic stage ever constructed. This stage, weighing over 300,000 pounds, moves in three axes, over 75 feet in vertical dimension, rotating 360 degrees and tilting 100 degrees. The combined effect of these motions creates an impressive experience when coupled with the magic of Cirque du Soleil. This lecture, accompanied by a video presentation, describes the evolution of this show and several others through the concept design and into reality through the engineering process. Analytical tools such as Nastran 3d, Studio 3d Max, Inventor and other software are used to develop the engineering necessary to build these creations will be discussed.

Projects presented:

• KÁ – Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Rolling Stones Concert Stages (1994, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005)
• Epcot – Millennium Nighttime Spectacular – Disney
• Twister – Universal Studios
• T. Rex – Animatronic T-Rex Dinosaur
• Janet Jackson Concert Stage
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Flying Car)
• Tina Turner Concert Stage
• Toyota Tundra Commercial on 240' Seesaw Bridge
• Wynn Casino, Macao, China
• Wynn Switch Kinectic Architecture, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Sentosa Cranes, Singapore
• Sea Glass Carousel at Battery Park City, New York
• London Motor Show 2008

Each of these requires coordination with artistic designers, performers, road crews, fabricators and contractors. The technical effort for these shows and effects will be discussed in a lecture of approximately one hour. Malcolm G. McLaren, P.E., SECB, is the President and CEO of McLaren Engineering Group based in West Nyack, NY. He is licensed in 42 states as well as St. Croix and the US Virgin Islands.