Brighton Beach Memoirs

[quarterfront]

Originally Posted by Pie4Weebl

So.... there have been a couple of responses, none of them support using moving lights.... so why are you so intent on it?

+1

I'm gonna' guess there's some insurmountable reason.

I'm gonna' guess that the real insurmountable reason is an uncontrollable urge to play with gadgets, an urge so powerful that it transcends the actual needs of the show....

[LightingMinion]

Well, I am pretty intent on using them, because our spotlights would have to be spot on when turned on. Also, if we used our SL's we would have to map out exactly where Eugene would be. And on our lightbord (Strand Pallette Classic) I belive we can change things instantly if there is an adjustment. Im having issues though, working with a co-cheif makes things rather difficult in the sense that you have to explain everything. Also, another reason to use moving lights is that our principal really likes to show off our theater, also to try to live up to the past LD's legacy I guess.Eh, its confusing....

[Serendipity]

Originally Posted by LightingMinion

Also, another reason to use moving lights is that our principal really likes to show off our theater, also to try to live up to the past LD's legacy I guess.Eh, its confusing....

It's good to be curious about the new toys on the market, but keep in mind that it'll be what you do with your lighting fixtures, rather than how many fixtures you can wrangle. You're designing lights for a show, not designing a light show. If you listen to what you think will work with the show, and dedicate yourself to your work you'll surpass any legacy.
I admit, I don't know the show, but Weebl and Quarterfront sound right.

Do you own what you're suggesting here, or will it be rental? How big is your budget?

[quarterfront]

we would have to map out exactly where Eugene would be.

Generally the way this works is that you attend a run-through and take notes. At focus you rough focus the lights and put down spikes. This gets you within a foot or two. In tech, if the director wants the actor to be off your spike you move the spike and take a note. After rehearsal you retouch the focus on any units that you moved the spikes for.

Easy for me to say, I have 6 iCues, and I use them to accomplish exactly what it sounds like you're trying to do. But that said, just because an actor is going to multiple spikes, that's not a compelling reason to use movers in and of itself. Part of why I have them is as a compromise, I'm working in 3/4 round and for a lot of moments, esp. in musicals, isolating down to one special leaves a lot of the audience seeing what amounts to sidelight. Start doing the math, you run out of instruments really fast. But that's a discussion for another thread.

And in the end, though I use the iCues I have as described, for really tight moments I very often end up hanging a special.

also to try to live up to the past LD's legacy I guess.Eh, its confusing....

Living up to a past LD's legacy isn't the point. Showing off your facility isn't the point. Telling the story is the point. The BB's are memory plays, not fantasies - and for them, IMHO, simple goes a long way.

Being an LD does demand that you be proficient with various gear, but design really transcends the equipment. Just because you can address the DMX channels for and focus an Intellabeam®, that doesn't make you a good designer. Makes you a good electrician, but not a good designer. Design is about the getting a show to look right.

Not trying to throw cold water on your ideas and goals, not one little bit. It's no skin off my nose how you get your show lit - and you're there, I'm not, how can I know what the best solution is, right? But since the topic was here, and since I'm putzing around waiting for this rental to get done with so I can get back to work on teching this show we're opening tomorrow.... Well, hope I'm at least providing a morsel of food for thought....

[Serendipity]

Originally Posted by quarterfront

Generally the way this works is that you attend a run-through and take notes. At focus you rough focus the lights and put down spikes. This gets you within a foot or two. In tech, if the director wants the actor to be off your spike you move the spike and take a note. After rehearsal you retouch the focus on any units that you moved the spikes for.

I recommend communicating what the spike means to either an actor or a director. I had an actor cross to the complete opposite side of the stage when he was supposed to be in a very, very tight special without any warning. Luckily, I managed to sneak something in and the special out but...

Originally Posted by quarterfront

Living up to a past LD's legacy isn't the point. Showing off your facility isn't the point. Telling the story is the point. The BB's are memory plays, not fantasies - and for them, IMHO, simple goes a long way.

Being an LD does demand that you be proficient with various gear, but design really transcends the equipment. Just because you can address the DMX channels for and focus an intellebeam, that doesn't make you a good designer. Makes you a good electrician, but not a good designer. Design is about the getting a show to look right.

Not trying to throw cold water on your ideas and goals, not one little bit. It's no skin off my nose how you get your show lit - and you're there, I'm not, how can I know what the best solution is, right? But since the topic was here, and since I'm putzing around waiting for this rental to get done with so I can get back to work on teching this show we're opening tomorrow.... Well, hope I'm at least providing a morsel of food for thought....

I agree. I also wasn't trying to "throw cold water" but in my opinion (it is my opinion, you put the thread here for my opinion! Muahahahaaa--Sorry.) you should think about designing, not competing. Otherwise your lights will not have the same connection they should, and let's face it, how many times have you seen moving lights chase through colors, ballyhoo, and sting the audience? I'm sure you're creative--you wouldn't be in theater otherwise--so take a step back and assess the show.
And, quarterfront's "simple" doesn't necessarily mean boring. Some of my favorite designs I've seen were just clean and beautiful. :]

[LightingMinion]

I understand all of your opinions and they all make sense.
Thank you for all of the imput. This is really going to help me when we get closer to the show.

[LightingMinion]

Originally Posted by Serendipity

Do you own what you're suggesting here, or will it be rental? How big is your budget?

Well, we don't own any moving lights, but we have around 16 scrollers and a budget that generally gets us 6 moving lights (around 600$ for rental each).
So, yes it would be rental.

[quarterfront]

and a budget that generally gets us 6 moving lights (around 600$ for rental each).

So you have $3600/show to throw around on rentals?

If I had that kind of money I'd be spending it on toys I could keep....

[LightingMinion]

Originally Posted by quarterfront

So you have $3600/show to throw around on rentals?

If I had that kind of money I'd be spending it on toys I could keep....

I agree, but most of our money comes from the booster club and what we can get from shows. So, its not always for sure that we will have that amount of cash. The TD and Director are also hesitant I think to try to purchase moving lights. Could be because our theater is only 2 years old.

[Serendipity]

Originally Posted by LightingMinion

I agree, but most of our money comes from the booster club and what we can get from shows. So, its not always for sure that we will have that amount of cash. The TD and Director are also hesitant I think to try to purchase moving lights. Could be because our theater is only 2 years old.

If it's two years old you shouldn't need to upgrade, however if you need to it puts you in a much easier position to accept new technology. I know some theaters which probably couldn't safely hang an intelligent fixture, much less give it any sort of cable it'd respond to.

However, you should start saving the extra budget from shows if you do have that large of a budget and a modern theater. My last show I designed had a $75 LX budget, but I still found enough left over to order some sheets of gel (in colors we didn't have in inventory yet) to build for future shows. If you have the money to spend, and you don't necessarily need to use it all on renting for one show, contemplate what quarterfront suggested.