ideas and suggestions

I've got some questions about the rig I'm planning to use as LD of a small budget musical. It will be performed in a community hall. The stage is about 6x7x5, raised 1m off the ground, and the two FOH lighting bars angled into the stage are on the ceiling and about 5m out, one on prompt and one on O/P. I can't use our pushup stands as they don't achieve enough angle to stop washing out the cyc.

1. Would a pattern 23 be of considerably less intensity than an acclaim 650w PC? And would using 2 PC's across the front of stage at a 5m throw illuminate adequately? (I have no central FOH rigging position so I'll split the stage in two, and using 4 PC's across FOH will increase costs since I have two major lighting states gelled up differently).

2. I have to use 4 pairs of 110v par 64's somewhere as we are at a premium with lights to hire. I'm thinking of using them (at 50%) above stage as a general wash, however I'll need to diffuse them. How can I control the spill though? I'd rather use them on-stage rather than FOH since the spill looks worse when seen all over the proscenium rather than all over the stage.

Any opinions, suggestions?

Thanks,

Ryan Alexander

Hello Ryan
You need to plan this on paper first to see what suits where.
The 650 watt pc will be more usefull than a Patt23 as the Patt23 has a narrower beam width. As the Patt23 has a narrower beam width it is brighter.
The Par64 was designed as a long throw narrow beam lamp so is not suitable on stage for a drama application. There are different beam sizes from Very Narrow Spot to Wide Flood. You can increase the beam width by using a frost gel or a spun silk but it will introduce spill. You can control the spill a bit bu using barn doors or making a "snoot" or tube at the front of the Par64 can.If you use long nose Par cans they will restrict the maximum beam width you can get from the lamp.
As a general suggestion, use the four pairs of Par 64 FOH as a two colour wash, two pairs on each side. If you are using heavily saturated gels for the musical you will lose a lot of light in the gels which is why Par64's became so popular for concert lighting.
On a very cheap budget use the PC's for dialogue and floods with colours for the stage bars.
Hope this helps.
Don

You absolutely need a bar out front and as high as possible.Without this basic facility you not be successfull ,regardless of what lights you have.

Thanks to the people who replied to my first post, it did give me some ideas. The gist of my final rig goes something like this:
Beyond my control, four of the eight par 64's are now 240v wide beams. These combined with my four 110v pairs will be my wash lights from the LX bars, since when they are combined they now cover the whole stage. Possibly getting some heavy spun frost gels to diffuse the pars a bit.
I am bolting 3 C hooks to the girder that runs across FOH, both on O/P and P. Then clamping a standard alloy pipe on each side across the three C hooks and rigging a limited amount of lights off them, including FOH wash lights (Pattern 743's) and some QI's for a wash down on the hall floor, where some action is taking place.
Pattern 23's as well as some Par 38's (which i would like to barndoor somehow? lol) will be my on stage specials as we have them available and it keeps hire costs down.

So there you have my best solution...any comments?

Ryan

I read your post. You seem to be on the right track. Please take what I say as modest suggestion, not advice or doctrine, as there are far too many people out here who claim to know what theyÂ’re talking aboutÂ…alasÂ…
My mentor and teacher in the art of theatrical lighting is a Georgian called Georgi Alexi. The most important thing about theatre is to keep simple. Put up a little and spend time making it look good – rather than the most common use of highly elaborate sets and ridiculously large lighting rigs that take forever to install, usually leaving truncated time to focus, set to block and paint and balance the space. You might also consider the use of open lights rather than rushing to the gel box to arouse the audience from the outset. Try withholding gels till a true climactic crescendo near the end and sit back and see the audience gasp in emotive awe. By all means use the par cans o/h and try some subtle blending and rim lit magic, let your imagination fly. Once you have lit from above you have the actors and stage covered when you need to, then push in light from the front to accentuate. The ideal could be around 16 overheads (4x4) with about 4 foh (2 close in and wide and hard angled across stage, and 2 pushing in from front). Consider the different combinations each focus lends to the other.
Enough of my prattle...
Cheers Craig Abbott

Interesting Craig, destroying the old addage that stage lighting is to only illuminate the performer and bugger the rest. I agree with some concepts but that is what makes every lighting designer different. The beauty with open white lights is that you have a huge range of the walm colour spectrum - thanks to the tungsten globe :) It is so nice to install lighting that will enable the performer to be lit sculpturally and then add FOH to fill in the "anoying holes". Composition and balencing of the stage picture is the key.
Any way enough of me - I am 2 months late and the event has already completed - successfully I would imagine - due to the productions lighting designer who was not afraid to ask for help - such a rare breed.
Oh well night all
Aaron Stirk

hehe thanks, the way i see it is that you don't learn this stuff out of a textbook...so the more designs i see and hear about, the better. i wasnt able to try many of the previous suggestions posted (due to the constrictions of that particular production) but i'll definitely keep them in mind for future shows.
thanks for the advice
ryan alexander