2006 ILDA Awards

Presented at the 2007 ILDA Conference in China
 

Traditional Chinese dancers entertain during dinner at the ILDA Awards Banquet. Photo courtesy L. Michael Roberts

ILDA's awards for excellence--the laser display industry's equivalent of Hollywood's Oscars--each year honor companies and individuals from around the world for their achievements:

• The Artistic Award categories cover virtually all aspects of modern laser displays, from the production of huge outdoor shows to the creation of individual laser graphics.
   
• The Fenning Award honors technological achievements that advance the industry.
   
• Volunteer awards recognize some of the many people who give of their time and resources throughout the year.
   
• The Career Achievement Award is ILDA's highest honor, given for work spanning many years in the area of show quality, innovation, and industry service.

The 2006 ILDA Awards were presented at the Awards Banquet held March 11, 2007 at the Yucca Hotel in Jiangmen, Guangdong, China. Below is a list of the winners in each category.

For more details, see the 28-page booklet handed out at the Awards Banquet. This includes full credits for each winning piece, plus a description of the work.

2006 ARTISTIC AWARDS

Judges: Friedrich Foerster, Henrik Turzer, Richard Gonsalves
Judging Coordinators: Peter Mayer, Dirk Baur
Judging Facilities and Hosting: MediaLas GmbH

Beams/Atmospherics

1st:      "Melody of the Dragon Boat", HB Laser, Germany

HB Acceptance Speech: Click here to download a text file of HB's acceptance speech, prepared for delivery at the Awards Banquet. (32KB, Adobe PDF format)

2nd:     "Arabian Night", LOBO electronic, Germany

LOBO Acceptance Speech: Click here to download a 4-minute video of LOBO's acceptance speech. It includes a tour of their studio facilities. (8 MB QuickTime .mov format)

3rd:      "End of War", MediaLas, Germany

Graphics Show

1st:     "Arabian Dream", LOBO electronic, Germany
2nd:    " 'Europe-China 2008' Railroad Trip", Orion-Art Productions, Russia
3rd:     "El Pecado", HB Laser, Germany
Hon. Mention: "The 12 Days of Christmas", Lasertainment Productions, USA

Abstract Show

1st:     "Sing Sing Sing", Laser Show Design, Inc., USA

Beams and Screen Show

1st:     "Summernights 2006", LOBO electronic, Germany
2nd:    "Samsung Ultra Roadshow", Laser Entertainment srl, Italy
3rd:     "Nespresso 'Le Cube' Presentation", Laser Entertainment srl, Italy

Nightclub/Disco Show

1st:     "Heavens Mood", Tobias Gebur, Germany
2nd:     "Dance", HB Laser, Germany
3rd:      "Electronic Beats", LOBO electronic, Germany
Hon. Mention:  "Digital Life", LOBO electronic, Germany

Laser Photography

1st:     "Mercedes-Benz Star", LOBO electronic, Germany

Photo ©2006, LOBO Laser and Multimedia Systems, Aalen, Germany
 

Lasers Used in Video/Film

1st:     " 'Don't Cha' (Heineken Light)", Image Engineering, USA

Innovative Application

1st:     "Live in the Box!", Omicron-Laserage Laserprodukte, Germany

Video Online: Click here to see a video of this ILDA Award winner, plus a video of the acceptance speech.

2nd:    "Hey St. Peter", MediaLas, Germany

Live Stage Performance

1st:     "Asian Games 2006 - Opening Ceremony", LOBO electronic, Germany
2nd:    "Statoil", LOBO electronic, Germany

Multimedia

1st:    "Spirit of Dancing", LOBO electronic, Germany
2nd:   " 'Troika-Dialog' 15 Years", Orion-Art Productions, Russia
3rd:    "SIB 2006 Rimini", Laser Entertainment srl, Italy

2006 TECHNICAL AWARDS

Fenning Awards for Technical Achievement

Judges: Tim Hallmark, Ted Smith, Casey Stack

1st:     "PASS - Professional Audience Safety System"
           Pangolin Laser Systems, USA

PASS is a combination hardware/software system, which, when used with the proper laser projector setup techniques, can guarantee the safety of Audience Scanning laser shows.
     PASS has been vigorously reviewed by numerous laser safety consultants, and a projector that uses PASS technology has recently been awarded a CDRH variance, thus allowing audience scanning to take place even in the United States.
 

2nd:    "Lightcube 12W DPSS Air-Cooled Laser", HB Laser, Germany

A DPSS laser system, air-cooled, 12.6W whitelight specified. Typical output 14.8W. Compared to usual gas lasers of this class, the LightCube 12 RGB offers a much better color balance due to an advanced color spectrum of 457nm to 655nm.
     Up to now, there has always been a large frame laser with water cooling and high voltage current required to use a lasersystem with a 12 watt output power. Due to our new LightCube 12 RGB we are in the position to organize big outdoor events with only one single-phase 230 VAC power supply and air cooling.

3rd:     "NETLASE Lasershow Interface Board", Mueller Elektronik, Germany

An interface board, using standard TCP/IP network connection as communication media, to provide standard ILDA signals and additional signals such as TTL outputs and DMX for a laser projector. The board can be mounted into the laser projector, eliminating long analog signal cables. Netlase can be used in any computer system running any operating system. By setting an IP address via DIP-switch, multiple interfaces can be controlled by the laser show software. An SD-card slot allows the board to run as a standalone playback board.
 

2006 VOLUNTEER AWARDS

Certificates of Appreciation (awarded for exceptional service to ILDA)

John Birchman
For creating and administrating the ILDA Forums

Hayden Hale
For assistance with the ILDA Awards Banquet

Jim Hardaway
For hosting the 2007 ILDA Conference

Richard Maddock
For work in the area of protecting ILDA copyrights online, and in helping develop a proposed Code of Business Practice

Peter Mayer
For “above and beyond” work on the Ethics Committee, support of ILDA Membership in ASAE, and coordinating the 2006 Artistic Awards judging

L. Michael Roberts
For assistance on the 2006 ILDA Conference site selection and Conference arrangements

2006 CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Judges: Dirk Baur, Brian Bohan, Stephen Harvey

Doug Mc Cullough

Doug McCullough began creating psychedelic light shows for rock concerts in 1968. His first use of coherent light was in 1970 when he created lumia effects with a Helium-Neon laser . In the mid-1970s, he formed Audio Visual Imagineering (AVI) as a sole proprietorship.

Doug concentrated in the 1980s on developing the potential of laser light shows. One of the first uses of computer laser graphics was in 1982, when he introduced sequential laser animation in a planetarium light show titled “Visual Music”. He also pioneered thematically mixing abstract and graphic imagery in laser show choreography. In addition to planetarium shows, Doug worked on corporate meetings and special events, producing laser presentations for numerous high profile clients.

At AVI, Doug innovated the extensive use of scanned mid-air beam effects with no “bounce” mirrors. This “look” of two lasers creating crisscrossing scanned mid-air beam effects has since become an industry standard.

In 1987 Doug helped closely with the founding of ILDA; he served on the original Ethics Committee. Over the next 17 years, he and his team at AVI received numerous ILDA Awards for “hands-on” work in creative show production. In fact, in total number of ILDA Awards received, AVI has won more than any other company save one.

Even now his commitment to laser art remains strong. Doug continues to work in lasers with his new company, Laser Show Design, Inc., which specializes in high-end laser presentations for theme parks, corporate meetings, and special events.

For his achievements in pioneering laser artistry and techniques for over three decades, ILDA is proud to present Doug McCullough with the 2006 Career Achievement Award.

Click here for a more detailed version of the above biography, and to read Doug's acceptance speech.