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From auto racing to amusement parks and movie sets, aerial equipment applications reach beyond the more typical construction and maintenance settings. The entertainment industry, like other industries, demands both top-level performance and versatility from its aerial equipment. A single lift might be found positioning light diffusion frames in the air in a studio in Hollywood and then be used to help create artificial rain on an outdoor set.

Because the entertainment industry is global, aerial equipment—known as MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms) or AWPs (aerial work platforms) —could as easily be found on a studio set in Hollywood as they would be in Paris or Sydney. For example, studio technicians and grips, who often position loads approaching 1,000 lb (454 kg), have found that Genie® XC™ boom lifts are especially useful as a result of their ability to provide critical capacity, with a wide range of vertical height and horizontal reach. In addition to the standard 660-lb(300 kg) /1,000-lb (454 kg) dual capacity envelope, Genie XC booms also offer the entertainment industry specialized options such as non-reflective flat black paint, adjustable controls and specific approvals to get work done in an unique setting.

It’s not just boom lifts on these sites, either. The entertainment industry’s needs, like those on other jobsites, also might call for scissor lifts, personnel lifts, and even non-MEWP equipment, such a material lifts. For example, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, located in the middle of the Walt Disney World®Resort near Orlando, Fla., employs both state-of-the-art broadcasting on equipment, and a fleet of Genie booms and scissor lifts to give fans a birds-eye view of the action on the field.

Dubai Parks and Resorts, set to be the largest integrated leisure destination that the Middle East, is comprised of three theme parks and a water park, spreading across 25 million sq ft (2. 3 million m²) –the equivalent of 420 football fields, utilizes several Genie Z-60/37 DC all-electric booms for to handle the broad spectrum of maintenance duties with the different parks, which thanks to the units’ low noise levels and emissions-free operation allow the properties to operate these machines all day long without disturbing visitors.

In addition to providing support for ongoing needs, Genie aerial lifts are also used for special events. For instance, a few years ago the World FIA Formula E Championship, held at Batter sea Park, London, utilized a Genie Z-60 FE hybrid boom and a Genie GS™-2669 BE scissor lift to lift the cameramen smoothly up to just the right height to help ensure the perfect direct television broadcast —without impact on the environment.

And, when the Castellet racetrack in France hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time in 28 years, race organizers were looking for a solution that would allow TV viewers to watch the entire race close up—from the incidents on the first lap just after the hairpin bend, to the victory of British driver Lewis Hamilton. Rental company FRECHE Location recommended a Genie Z®-135/70 articulating boom lift.

Because the entertainment industry is going to show strength again around the world after overcoming the current situation, the industry’s demand for aerial equipment is going to strengthen, with new filming locations and onto larger sets. And, a Genie boom lift used in an entertainment studio one week could easily be put straight to work on a large commercial construction site the very next week. And, a Genie boom lift used in an entertainment studio one week could easily be put straight to work on a large commercial construction site the very next week. Genie will continue to support the industry, as well as rental companies who provide the aerial equipment needed to get these specialized jobs done right.