Improvised work lights

[Nikgwolf]

Hey there, my high school is becoming dangerously dark on stage and desperately needs more light for working/rehearsing. With nothing but a 10-scene preset rehearsal box, I've been forced to hang 500W floods and record them into the rehearsal box. The alternate is to use my source fours and other stage equipment. (Over my dead body!)
I had a brilliant idea the other day where I would screw 100W equivalent CFLs into our three striplights (one on each of our electrics) and softpatch the circuts into the rehearsal box. And because we're running the now-discontinued ETC Express 250 : ( *sniff* I can set the CFL's profiles to a non-dim.
I apologize for not being specific with any of the brand names of my dimmers or strip lights, but this is a pretty old theatre. My question was whether anybody finds this suspiciously dangerous or has done something similar to this with better or worse results. And to anybody who does not know about the special deal on CFLs, PG&E really does lower their rates on select CFLs, enough so that one can purchase CFLs for under $2 each in packs of 4 (roughly $5.50 for a box)

Good day to all, or night...

Nik

Flickr: nikgwolf512's Photostream

[derekleffew]

Will the CFL lamps even fit in your striplights? If I were doing this, and I'm not saying I would, I'd prefer to set the dimmer to "switched" at the rack, rather than "Full at 1%" on the console. But your dimmers probably don't give you that option. I'm curious as to what a "rehearsal box" is, and also, why not just use the white circuit of striplights as the worklight channel (profiled so that FULL is actually 90% for lamp life)? Red, white, and blue striplights are for more than patriotic purposes. The first thing that happens is the green rondels are removed and lost/broken. Every time we did an orchestral concert, we would pull all the rondels from our Xrays. Easy-peasy.

[Van]

I can see the efficiency of this practice. I don't see anything overtly wrong with it. PAR lamps for strips are expensive maybe not compared to an HPL but the cost does build up quickly over a season, specially when youare forced to use your strips as works. I agree it would be great to have it switched at the dimms though.

[Footer]

You need to set it at the rack, if you set it on the console, I doubt your architectural system speaks to the board then to the rack, I am going to assume it feeds in between the dimmers and console.

[mbandgeek]

Do you absolutely need them in an architectual system? What we have at the local theater is CFL floodlights (outdoor security variety) mounted to conduit, which is in turn mounted to our electrics. We have these spaced at 10 ft interval, on two of our electrics. We have individual 10 amp breakers in a panel on of our wings to control these.

It works really well for us.

[SteveB]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Will the CFL lamps even fit in your striplights? If I were doing this, and I'm not saying I would, I'd prefer to set the dimmer to "switched" at the rack, rather than "Full at 1%" on the console. y.

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Just curious if it's my mis-conception, but is there any real difference between setting the CEM to tell the dimmer to be switched, and having the console do a dimmer profile of Full @ 1%, other then once changed in the CEM, nothing at the console (like someone mucking around) can screw up the output. It's still a dimmer firing at full. Neither is a circuit breaker module or relay module.

The "10 scene preset rehearsal box" sound like a Unison 10 fader or 10 button panel with snapshot capability of the DMX steam off the console, which if it's a fader panel, the dimmer will want to be in switched mode at the CEM (so it doesn't fade), or if it's a button station then it won't matter.

Will a CFL function ?, or will he need a fluorescent dimmer ?. Other then that, I see no issues with making the appropriate circuits CFL, assuming you don't need them for performance lighting. May not be super bright, but will last a long time.

Just some thoughts

Steve B.

[Nikgwolf]

Good point about setting the dimmers to the non-dim function. Unfortunately, my dimmers do not have that capability. And to the comment about using the regular lamps instead, Van read my mind. The par lamps probably would be the better choice, but due to the usual limited high school budget, that option only remains a dream of mine.

[cdub260]

I have similar issues with the work lights in the backstage areas of my venue. While the work lights are sufficient to see where you're going, they aren't quite up to snuff when it comes to working on various projects.

I dealt with this problem by putting several scoops on rolling, adjustable height stands. This way, no matter where on the stage I need to work, I always have adequate work lighting available. I have found this a versatile method of providing additional light independent of our stage lighting system.

It may or may not be a viable method for your rehearsal space, but is certainly worth looking into.

[VeeDubTDI]

Another option is to use a few metal halide 400 watt fixtures. I am currently using one as my ghost light. (One of these with a bare lamp sticking out of a house light.) It illuminates the entire theater. As work lights, I'd mount two of them from the stage ceiling above all of the rigging.


For your purpose, I'd see if I could get two of the 400 watt box floods and mount them in the catwalk. These will give you a great deal of fairly natural front light.



I'd go this route, as I don't like to give up dimmers for work lights, especially in a venue where dimmers are hard to come by (schools, usually). Low power consumption and long lamp life are also good bonuses, not to mention the eco-friendly fact that you're not disposing of a bunch of CFLs when they burn out (mercury is yucky stuff). The metal halide lamps will also give you better color rendering than the cheap CFLs.

I have also taken to climbing up to the roof to open our smoke doors on nice days when we do large load-ins. Nothing compares to natural light.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by VeeDubTDI

... I have also taken to climbing up to the roof to open our smoke doors on nice days... Nothing compares to natural light.

Are you mentally insane??? (Is there ANOTHER kind of insane?)

Natural light HAS NO PLACE in the theatre, and WILL cause Permanent Loss of Vision AND Hairy Knuckles.


Here's my favorite work light, the Worklite™, L&E Cat# WKLT-C. Sure it's 3-6 times more expensive than what VeeDubTDI suggested; but it has a color frame holder and frame!, (sold separately). Buy at least two, and put them on the extreme ends of the FOH catwalk. A single worklight in the center is sometimes worse than no light at all when the shadows are not filled with, um, fill-light.