Another Mod's View on The Gafftaper Method Part 2
Part 1
* Gobo animation wheel with full movement/direction control... buy a Rosco Infinity Effects
* 9 static and 6 indexable rotating gobos plus open... buy a gobo rotator. GAM, City Theatrical, and Wybron make multi-gobo rotator tray devices
* Interchangeable 3-facet rotating prism... City Theatrical makes a static version so it's not quite the same but do you really need it?
I’m covering these 3 together because it’s all kind of the same rant.
Let’s get this straight. To be a little crass, I’m a gobo whore. I love them. I’d put one in every single light if I could get away with it. I like metal, I like dichroic, I LOVE having 2 gobo wheels so I can layer them on top of each other and then run the focus back forth focusing on the colored glass more for one scene and then the metal cut out for the next. Two slow spinning gobo’s moving in opposite directions is one of greatest tricks ever. And honestly anyone who asks you if you need a rotating prism hasn’t really used one. You mean I can have 3 gobo’s rotating for the price of one? Sign me up. Texture is one of the most under/poorly used elements of theatre. Too often it’s relegated too crappy logo images on the cyc, haze candy and “the forest scene” by designers who haven’t taken the time to look at the lighting around them on a day to day basis.
* Strobe effect 2 - 10 Hz, pulse effects, instant open and blackout... buy a strobe cap
As a designer I’m not a big fan of strobing in theatre. I have a hard time doing it right whether I use a cap or a mover. So do most designers. That being said, if I buy strobe cap that’s one instrument out of my inventory that could be used somewhere else. Also strobe caps aren’t designed to strobe patterns. Trust me I’ve tried.
* Pan and tilt range of 540°/246°... Rosco I-cue or Apollo Right Arm
I-cue is limited to 230/57 Right Arm is 340/270. While the tilt on the Right Arm is better the Pan on both can be limiting to your options of where you want to hang them. Or when the director says…”So just write a sequence to follow the actor around the stage.”
Also if memory servers the I-cue doesn’t work as well with instruments above 26 degrees.
The Right Arm, when it comes to hanging is a little bulky for my tastes, granted so are most movers. Hang a mover, save a circuit have more than just pan and tilt to use. I like the product a lot, and will use it in a pinch but given my druthers…
* Variable fan control for quieter operation... usually not a problem for components
Not really a problem for movers either unless they're turned on when the sound guy is there. It’s a matter of perspective really. Scrollers in my book are a lot louder than any mover, especially when you don’t program their scrolls to take at least 10 seconds.
* Modular design for easy maintenance and servicing... even easier and less-expensive with components
Only if you have the know-how. Same goes for movers. Though I’ve found that theatres of every level people are more likely to let component pieces sit in a state of disrepair than moving lights.
* Electronic ballast with hot lamp restrike and flicker free light... not a problem with a conventional incandescent light source
This is actually a really great feature period. And with conventional light sources you don’t get the punch of a arc lamp.
Looking at the other principals
1)Don't spend your money on DMX toys until you have enough conventional gear to properly light a show. Please god, don’t buy anything until you have a fully fleshed out conventional inventory. This is just common sense. Period.
2) Don't buy movers until you have all the components and a proper light board to control them. (This one is a little more controversial). A good programmer can program on a Express. But you know what, I wouldn’t. Time is money, and by god it takes a lot of time. But here’s another thought, when you do have the board to control them, you’ll have multiple fixtures to attach to one light unless you create your own profile for that S4 with a Seachanger, I-Cue and Twinspin, as opposed to one profile for your Mac700
3) If you have covered 1 and 2... you can think about buying Moving Lights, but you still need to answer these last two questions:
a) Do you have the ongoing money source to pay for the upkeep (the lamps are very expensive!)? Good sound advice.
b) Do you have the staff to maintain them correctly? This is the only other principal that I have a little bit of an issue with. You need the staff to maintain component pieces as well. Again it’s always easier to let component pieces sit in a state of disrepair.
When all is said and done there is no right or wrong answer in the theatre. The Method does work. You need to look at your situation and make the right choice for you. Period. Don’t be wowed by everything a moving light can do and drool over it like a puppy dog with a bone. Don’t dream small because of your budget. Figure out the best situation for your designs and your money and make informed educated choices.
* Gobo animation wheel with full movement/direction control... buy a Rosco Infinity Effects
* 9 static and 6 indexable rotating gobos plus open... buy a gobo rotator. GAM, City Theatrical, and Wybron make multi-gobo rotator tray devices
* Interchangeable 3-facet rotating prism... City Theatrical makes a static version so it's not quite the same but do you really need it?
I’m covering these 3 together because it’s all kind of the same rant.
Let’s get this straight. To be a little crass, I’m a gobo whore. I love them. I’d put one in every single light if I could get away with it. I like metal, I like dichroic, I LOVE having 2 gobo wheels so I can layer them on top of each other and then run the focus back forth focusing on the colored glass more for one scene and then the metal cut out for the next. Two slow spinning gobo’s moving in opposite directions is one of greatest tricks ever. And honestly anyone who asks you if you need a rotating prism hasn’t really used one. You mean I can have 3 gobo’s rotating for the price of one? Sign me up. Texture is one of the most under/poorly used elements of theatre. Too often it’s relegated too crappy logo images on the cyc, haze candy and “the forest scene” by designers who haven’t taken the time to look at the lighting around them on a day to day basis.
* Strobe effect 2 - 10 Hz, pulse effects, instant open and blackout... buy a strobe cap
As a designer I’m not a big fan of strobing in theatre. I have a hard time doing it right whether I use a cap or a mover. So do most designers. That being said, if I buy strobe cap that’s one instrument out of my inventory that could be used somewhere else. Also strobe caps aren’t designed to strobe patterns. Trust me I’ve tried.
* Pan and tilt range of 540°/246°... Rosco I-cue or Apollo Right Arm
I-cue is limited to 230/57 Right Arm is 340/270. While the tilt on the Right Arm is better the Pan on both can be limiting to your options of where you want to hang them. Or when the director says…”So just write a sequence to follow the actor around the stage.”
Also if memory servers the I-cue doesn’t work as well with instruments above 26 degrees.
The Right Arm, when it comes to hanging is a little bulky for my tastes, granted so are most movers. Hang a mover, save a circuit have more than just pan and tilt to use. I like the product a lot, and will use it in a pinch but given my druthers…
* Variable fan control for quieter operation... usually not a problem for components
Not really a problem for movers either unless they're turned on when the sound guy is there. It’s a matter of perspective really. Scrollers in my book are a lot louder than any mover, especially when you don’t program their scrolls to take at least 10 seconds.
* Modular design for easy maintenance and servicing... even easier and less-expensive with components
Only if you have the know-how. Same goes for movers. Though I’ve found that theatres of every level people are more likely to let component pieces sit in a state of disrepair than moving lights.
* Electronic ballast with hot lamp restrike and flicker free light... not a problem with a conventional incandescent light source
This is actually a really great feature period. And with conventional light sources you don’t get the punch of a arc lamp.
Looking at the other principals
1)Don't spend your money on DMX toys until you have enough conventional gear to properly light a show. Please god, don’t buy anything until you have a fully fleshed out conventional inventory. This is just common sense. Period.
2) Don't buy movers until you have all the components and a proper light board to control them. (This one is a little more controversial). A good programmer can program on a Express. But you know what, I wouldn’t. Time is money, and by god it takes a lot of time. But here’s another thought, when you do have the board to control them, you’ll have multiple fixtures to attach to one light unless you create your own profile for that S4 with a Seachanger, I-Cue and Twinspin, as opposed to one profile for your Mac700
3) If you have covered 1 and 2... you can think about buying Moving Lights, but you still need to answer these last two questions:
a) Do you have the ongoing money source to pay for the upkeep (the lamps are very expensive!)? Good sound advice.
b) Do you have the staff to maintain them correctly? This is the only other principal that I have a little bit of an issue with. You need the staff to maintain component pieces as well. Again it’s always easier to let component pieces sit in a state of disrepair.
When all is said and done there is no right or wrong answer in the theatre. The Method does work. You need to look at your situation and make the right choice for you. Period. Don’t be wowed by everything a moving light can do and drool over it like a puppy dog with a bone. Don’t dream small because of your budget. Figure out the best situation for your designs and your money and make informed educated choices.
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