DJ lights as a substitute?

[majere]

I have a question. My school has given us about $600 for intelligent lighting. This is obviousely not much of a budget and it would be impossible to buy actual intelligent lighting designed for theater use.

Could we use DJ lights as a substitute? I was thinking of chauvet intimidators. Any suggestions or opinions? Any schools out there use DJ lights as substitutes?

[jbeutt]

I don't think hunting from forum to forum is going to give you the answer you want to hear. Get color scrollers.

[Radman]

DJ lights will have smaller, dimmer beams than real lights, so they will be basically useless.

[BillESC]

For a few dollars more than $ 600 you could get three VEI NovaScans. Very nice fixtures for the money.

14 colors and 14 gobos on separate wheels, dimming, strobing and uses the ELC 24v 250w halogen bulb.

See them here:
http://www.visualeffectsinc.com/visu...50_1_nova.html

[jbeutt]

i honestly think the info you got from prosoundweb is the best.

The only reason i would use dj lights at all would be for sweeping sort of effects in musicals. They just aren't practical for the theater. If they were, wouldn't everyone use them?

[ship]

Originally Posted by jbeutt

I don't think hunting from forum to forum is going to give you the answer you want to hear. Get color scrollers.

No, I think it is a really good idea in getting a wide pool of information. On say Pro Sound, he got advice primarially from those that use the lower end stuff, here he is asking for advice from fellow students.

Perhaps others will have gone the route he is asking about in their own high school. Perhaps it even worked well for them. As opposed to the trouble we are having with "guests", jbeutt is very much welcome to ask here and anyone with a thought on this matter should post a response.

My response is already noted on the other forum so I won't repeat it.

[majere]

lol, I am just trying to get multiple opinions. I just wanted to see if any other highschools had tried it. Here is my issue: I could buy two color scrollers with the money given me, which would allow me to rotate gels on two lights, OR I could use that same amount of money to buy two whole new lights that can both change color and move.

I realise the lights won't be of the highest quality but for some reason it just seems like a better use of the money. I am definately seeing the logic in your advice and I will most likely go buy the color scrollers in the end just because it's much less risky then buying two lights which may be of no use to me.

But what I want to know is if any other schools have done it. Has anyone found dj lights as an worthwhile investment? What I am saying is that I know the reasons why not to buy the lights, but can anyone tell me any reason why I should buy them?

[jbeutt]

oh, i didn't mean he shouldn't ask around at all, i just didn't think he'd get much different answers. Prove me wrong.

You can definitely go the dj light route, but at this point, you're aware of the problems they present. You can solve the usability issue quite easily by going ahead and renting the devices you're interested in. If they look good, great.
The problem you can't forsee is the quality of the device. It would be a shame to move on from the school and have them break on the company. I think a theater would be asking more out of the dj light than a dj would.

[Radman]

I'd take a quick look at Light Broker before you decide. You might find something cheap and useful there.

[moojoe]

first, what kind of control board do you have?

second, the problem with DJ movers that ive found, its theyre extremely noisy, not to mention poorly built.