Lighting issues

Wed, 7 Oct 2009, 10:07 pm

jeffhansen19 posts in thread

I know there are a lot of different schools of thought when it comes to lighting design, and I guess if the end result works, then you've done the job. I am currently looking to upgrade the lighting at Melville, and looking for some input. Firstly, I have no training, and little knowledge about lighting design, bar what I've picked up on the job over the last few years. I want to set a permanent wash, but we are short on lanterns, so things tend to get moved around all the time. Question 1 - Are profiles the best lantern to use from the FOH bars? I've been led to believe this is the case, as you can pretty much eliminate any spill withh them. They do, tend to be rather hard around the edges, though I know this can be softened. I am currently using profiles for this purpose, but the don't have a wide enough beam to be used on the #1 FOH bar. Hence I use them on the #2 FOH bar, but it is too far from the stage, and hence too low (owing to a low ceiling), so they throw hard shadows onto the backdrop. To diminish this, I use floods on the backdrop to try and wash out the shadows. This is successful to a point. I think what I need are wider beam profiles that can be used closer to the stage. Comments?? Question 2 - Assuming I've solved the above problem, I have a handful of fresnels that I can use on the bar behind the curtains to light the upstage area, and backdrop to create a workable wash. Would Parcans as a cheap option do this job? Do they work in a wash? I've got 4 Minims that I use as backlighting, which seems to work OK, but they have a rather narrow beam. I think that wide angle Parcans might do a better job here. I think most of the problem is that the lighting bars are too low, though there's nothing that can be done about that, and this means that I need to have wide angle lamps, which I really don't have.

'Perches' are generaly

Tue, 20 Oct 2009, 10:25 am

JoeMc

'Perches' are generaly vertical bars attached to the venue walls, inline with the FOH lightging bars, that give an extreme OP (left) & PS (right) focus angle to the stage & proscenium. Rather than just a front on one from the normal ['Y'] FOH LX bars. {gawd I hate using the 'LX' designation, the same with all the those others like 'FX' or 'SX' These lighting references always give me images of scifi flicks & junior space cadets (I'm well 'n truely past it when comes to "SX' anyway!)}. I also refer to lighting Bars as being fixed in place, as in FOH - While lighting Battens on the stage normaly Fly & are moveable in/out.

I'm with Tony when it comes to parcans, while they are cheap & to me serve the purpose for which they came about. Rock 'n roll, disco & head banger noyz boyz Srving the ned to whip it in, out & whipe it! (the latter rarely happens of course] For theateatre they are a right pain to use! Except possibly for dance to highlight ankles, thighs & upper half or the 3 T's! [Toes, Thighs & Touche]

As Tony posted the use of Birdies [One under Par] work well along with the smaller par 16 & 20's which came in various focal beems. Also I have used the cheap domesic/comercial track display light fixtures to great effect, which I name as 'Bugies', that are similar to the MR16's with barn doors.

In my previous spakie life working for a lighting wholesaler, I managed to do a deal for the theatre on a heap of shop sioled, damaged & warranty return light fixtures & fittings. Which were growing dust in a pile at the back of the wharehouse. The Company was glad to get rid of them, as the pile was taking up valuable floor space. Of course I had to pay for them by trading off my time in lue & a few comps. While a lot of them were cream cracked, nearly all were easily fixed or caniblised for parts to fix up ithers. A lot were used at the Old Mill during the renovations & also utalised on stage.

These days especialy with warranty returns, it is cheaper for the manufacturers to just supply a new electrical stock item to the distibutor, rather than paying for them to be returned &/or fixed. So to save the distibutors dumping or storing them, it behoves us incomeatre to perform a recycling service & take them off thier hands - it's surprising what's out there in the world of skip diving that can be utalised for ameatre!

Exhibition lighting and specialized lighting for Trade fairs and ...

The same with old gell that's chucked out in proeatre venues, nearly all is reuseable in ameatre, as most is only leached or blown out at the centre, still leaving good gel that can be cut to fit smaller laterns.

Thread (19 posts)

Threaded Flat

Lighting issues— jeffhansen7 Oct 2009

From what I learned at uni— Na7 Oct 2009
Lighting— cernunnon8 Oct 2009
- I agree with Na 'n— JoeMc8 Oct 2009
My 2 cents...— Hutchie8 Oct 2009
If you've got Profiles I— Logos8 Oct 2009
myth time— David Ashton8 Oct 2009
Profiles are best for FOH,— stephendean13 Oct 2009
Francis Reid was 'n still— JoeMc19 Oct 2009
Thanks for all your— jeffhansen19 Oct 2009
'Perches' are generaly— JoeMc20 Oct 2009
In that case, yes, I have— jeffhansen20 Oct 2009
Could you get some donated by the MCC— JoeMc20 Oct 2009
Fresnelss for near FOH; profiles for far FOH........— Peter Probert8 Nov 2009
- A couple of misconceptions— David Ashton8 Nov 2009
I agree Peter - The best— jeffhansen8 Nov 2009
Patt 23 W's— Peter Probert9 Nov 2009
"Set 'n forget" colour wash— JoeMc16 Nov 2009
Yeah— Logos16 Nov 2009

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