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Stage Lighting

  • 1.  Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-09-2018 13:18
    Our auditorium is in need of some technical upgrades. We're gathering information to make decisions about what to purchase now or defer to next year. One thing we would like to add for the spring musical in April is a muslin cyc curtain and some LED instruments to light it. Does anyone have any suggestions, please?

    Our stage is about 50 feet in width; we are waiting on a measurement of height.

    We are looking at SlimPARs from Chauvet.

    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    Jim DeVivo, Ph.D.
    Theatre Teacher/Director
    Lacey Township High School
    Lanoka Harbor NJ
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-09-2018 14:35
    With a stage that large, I would look into local theatrical rigging companies.

    As far as lighting, I would first figure out what type of dimmers you have, and if they can handle LEDs.  LED fixtures that dim require different power than incandescent fixtures that dim.  Check into local companies that you trust to give you some bids, because depending on the number of circuits needed, it can be quite expensive.

    ------------------------------
    Sydney Thiessen
    Fine & Performing Arts Coordinator and Technical Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-10-2018 00:17
    For lighting the cyc, my guess is that you won't be able to get an even coverage using pars. Pars can work, but there will be hot spots. You will probably need border/bar lights or cyc lights if you want smooth coverage.

    ------------------------------
    Ken Buswell
    Drama Teacher
    Peachtree City, GA
    http://mcintoshtheater.org/

    Theater kills ignorance
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-10-2018 08:38
    Hi,

    We went through this process a few years ago. With the sheer number of products available
    for cyc lighting, you might be well served to ask a dealer to set up an array of fixtures for
    you to try. They supplied six different fixtures for us to look at and we ultimately decided on the Altman Spectra Cyc 200.

    As suggested, power is an issue but you can run several fixtures on a single circuit (the Altman 200 only pulls 2.5 amps per fixture). This translates to eight fixtures on a single circuit. Other LED products will be similar in power consumption. The issue will be where do you get that power. If mounted on the floor, a standard wall outlet will work. If on the batten, you can run power from the wall to the fixtures. Or, as suggested, get a different type of dimmer, a "constant" to replace one of your standard dimmers.

    The other issue will be data communication. You will need to run DMX to the fixtures so
    see if you have a DMX port at stage level. If not, you will be looking at an infrastructure upgrade although not an enormous one. 

    If these are not questions you can readily answer, please ask a dealer to pay a visit and give you an estimate.

    Best Wishes,

    Dana



    ------------------------------
    Dana Taylor
    MSD of Mt. Vernon
    Evansville IN
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-10-2018 14:43
    Highly recommend Stage Decoration & Supply, Greensboro NC, 336-621-5454, for your cyc. They are very nice and will be realistic about ordering time. April is rapidly approaching, if you still have to get measurements, purchase orders, etc. There is always Rose Brand but they tend to be more expensive. 

    As for lights, I would find a vendor who is close by (lucky you in NJ). I always liked BMI, 518-793-6706. I would want someone who will come out and evaluate your set up, make sure the lights are compatible with your dimmer board, and assist in training if necessary. LEDs are great, but not plug and play. Is there a Barbizon dealer near you? Of course there are used lighting companies as well, but you run the same risks as buying a used car.

    Sounds like fun
    Good luck!

    ------------------------------
    [Ron] [Gingerich]
    [Drama Teacher]
    [Phoenix] [AZ]
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-10-2018 19:44

    Consider what type of light board you have – will it accommodate the control needed for LEDs? And, as everyone who has posted recommends, be sure to check your existing power, dimmers and DMX capabilities.

    I can't recommend any specific instruments either, as there are so many out there, but I will say that I have also used the Altman cycs, and I really liked the light quality. 

    If you do go with LED cycs, I've had great luck with ShowBabys, which allow for wireless connections. You probably won't be moving your cyc lights around much once they're hung, but I once worked in a high school theatre that would periodically move their cyc from behind the 3rd electric to behind the 4th electric, depending on the event, and of course the cyc lights had to be moved too. So think ahead about versatility. 

    As Ron mentioned "LEDs are great, but not plug and play". LED cyc lights can certainly make your cyc 'pop' (love those LED cycs!), but another thing to consider is the level of technical experience of the person running your theatre, and what the theatre is used for –what sort of events and how many per year? Do the events need to be run manually 'on the fly',or will all the events have tech rehearsals allowing for cues to be set? 

    As with my recent response to the sound board question regarding analog vs digital, state-of-the-art may or may not be your best choice, depending on how your theatre is operated and staffed - in particular the level of tech knowledge and comfort of the person in charge (do you have a Theatre Manager or TD, or is the Drama teacher wearing all the hats, how tech-savvy are they, and how much time to they have to put towards their own tech learning curve?). Here's some similar questions to consider before making your decision, regarding installing LED cyc lighting vs incandescent cyc lighting.

    What is the extent of your experience with lighting?

    How many students a year will want to learn to be lighting technicians?

    Will you or a colleague be providing vocational training for students?

    Will students be running the lights for your shows, and will it always be the same student(s)?

    Will the theatre be primarily used by students who come and go every few years?

    Will the theatre be staffed by professional technicians?

    Will the technicians who run the theatre mentor the new students each year?

    Will the theatre be rented to outside users?

    Who will staff outside events, professional staff or students, or the Drama teacher?

    Will outside users be expected to be able to run the LED lights from the board?

    Will outside users be permitted to use the theatre's equipment unsupervised?

    Who will restore all the equipment settings back to a neutral Rep Plot setting each time in preparation for the next user (be they school, district or outside) should the LED instruments be moved?



    ------------------------------
    Beth Rand, EBMS
    High School Theatre Operations Coach
    Lighting Designer

    Next HS Theatre Management Training for Drama Teachers online course: Spring Session starts March 5th.

    NEW SERVICE: REP PLOT DESIGN - Never have to re-hang and re-focus all your lights again! (Can be accomplished remotely if you're not in the Boulder/Denver area.)

    Author of "High School Theatre Operations" and "The High School Theatre Lighting Rep Plot" and several more books on Amazon and also at http://www.presett.org/helpful-books-for-you.html.

    www.PRESETT.org
    Westminster, CO
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-11-2018 22:28
    Jim, you are talking about two different companies.  If you Google "theater drapes fabrication new jersey", several pop up, including Rose Brand, one of the largest companies in the field.  Someone is going to have to check out your rigging to make sure it meets current codes, and that should be the company who will build and install the curtains for you.  You should be able to get quotes by simply sending the measurements.

    Sydney is right about the LED lights and your current lighting system.  Find a local company who will come out to your school and help you come up with a plan.


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    C. J. Breland
    Asheville High School
    Asheville NC
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-12-2018 06:55
    You received a good bit of advice, Stage Decorations and Rose Brand would be good for the Cyclorama, assuming you already have a batten to fly your CYC or hang it from, you can order the CYC and install it yourself, if you need a batten, please contact someone to perform that work. As for LED fixtures to light your CYC, I recommend you having a Theatrical Dealer perform a Demo for you, have them bring several fixtures for you to look at, personally I like the Altman Spectra CYC, ETC ColorSource with CYC Adapter and the Blizzard Lighting CYC Out fixtures.
    You will need to make sure you have distributed DMX in your space and that your console will be able to control the new fixtures in a manner acceptable to you...These fixtures require multiple channels for control, make sure your console has the open quantity available, or you may need to upgrade there as well. If you have an older system make sure that it is running DMX Protocol, systems from before 1992 may be running an alternate protocol such as Microplex, AMX or CMX.
    Also understand that you will want to make sure the school knows to set aside a maintenance budget for replacement of the LED fixtures you purchase. with an economical fixture you are looking at 7 to 10 years with a more expensive fixture you are looking at 10 to 15 years. You need to purchase all of your fixtures at 1 time to insure they have exact color match, yes many use binning to match colors, but as components change internal to a fixture over time dimming may not occur in the same manner. Both of these are integral to a CYC color and fade look. They will at least want to have the same if not more than they spent on the fixtures to get the next latest and greatest once these fail.

    Good luck on your quest

    ------------------------------
    Jerry Onik
    V.P. Theatrical Supplies and Equipment
    Omaha NE
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-12-2018 12:24
    Thanks everyone! Great information and advice here that we're putting into action right away. This will also be helpful  to bring to the principal when the performing arts department meets with him on Wednesday morning. Administration is keen to upgrade the auditorium, so this will help us create a purposeful plan.

    ------------------------------
    Jim DeVivo, Ph.D.
    Theatre Teacher/Director
    Lacey Township High School
    Lanoka Harbor NJ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-13-2018 07:30
    When it comes to LED lighting, I cannot stress enough that you get what you pay for. Low-end LED lights have color issues, and will not come up and fade easily. You will notice skipping between light levels, rather than a smooth fade.
    While there are some good Chauvet fixtures out there, I strongly caution you against using their low-end units. I have had nothing but nightmares with the ones that I inherited, though they are only one year old.
    You do need strip lights though to light the cyc. Any other kind of fixtures will show dips and bright levels alternating all the way across, which is not the effect you're going for.
    You may also want to consider strip lights that you can place on the floor, as having color mixtures between top and bottom is a beautiful effect. And really, being able to up-light other set units is very handy as well.
    Ultimately you just need to make sure that your board will support whatever fixtures you are purchasing. Many boards will not support different brands of units. And some boards won't do LEDs at all.
    My advice about the cyc, is watch out for the seams. Some companies will give you a cyc large enough for your stage, but it will have unsightly seams in places you do not want them. So be sure to double check on that. And as someone else mentioned, please be sure that your system and your baton will support the weight of a cyc. You don't want any accidents happening!

    ------------------------------
    Beth Bloom Keith
    Grandview MO
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Stage Lighting

    Posted 02-14-2018 07:22
    This can be true in some instances, there are some companies better than others out there for LED lighting. Just because a fixture is inexpensive doesn't mean it is bad. There are all kinds of issues to address such as what mode is the fixture set to, is it at a lower channel count and lesser bit dimming so it can fit in the system, does the owner know the fixture and how to use it... did it come with a full training of being put into your system, you can buy online cheaply but do you know how to put the fixtures in to have them work correctly.
    In regards to the cyclorama and  seams that to me appears to be a poor construction issue, I have sold and installed seamed and seamless cycloramas with no problems or with problems. If you are in closer proximity you should always get a seamless cyc if you are 50' away to the first seat a properly seamed cyc works just fine. Always make sure your sys is FR Muslin and not NonFR.

    ------------------------------
    Jerry Onik
    V.P. Theatrical Supplies and Equipment
    Omaha NE
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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