Lamp Mixed Wattages / Lumens

[jonliles]

Granted, wattage is not a direct corrolation to output, but for sake of argument it's just easy to state it this way.

I often have trouble with my downlight washing out from the intensity of my front lighting. I was considering relamping my front lights down to lower wattage. For instance, my down light/ back light remaining a 500W (BTL - 6" fresnel) and my front's (really old offset altmans ERS - lamp ?) down to a 300W. This would allow me to continue to use saturated colors on my fresnels with out loss of intensity

This Facility is 45' X 45' total size black box. This includes the fixed seating area and the stage (stage is about 40' by 15'). Really really small theatre.

Any thoughts or concerns?

 

[derekleffew]

...I was considering relamping my front lights down to lower wattage. For instance, my down light/ back light remaining a 500W (BTL - 6" fresnel) and my front's (really old offset altmans ERS - lamp ?) down to a 300W. This would allow me to continue to use saturated colors on my fresnels with out loss of intensity...

Umm, your lights are connected to dimmers (those newfangled devices that adjust intensity from 0%-100%), aren't they?

If by "offset Altmans" you mean the radial (non-axial; incandescent) #360:

from http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/glossary/5558-radial-ers.html,

the only lamps available today are the 500W-EGE and 750W-EGG (the 250, 500, and 750 watt incandescent lamps are long obsolete). Rather than the 500W-BTL in your 6"Fresnels, try the new 575W-BTH (see this thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting/8340-new-fresnel-lamp.html) the next time you order lamps. The higher color temperature will make them seem brighter, albeit at a loss of longevity.

 

[IEGPR]

What, you cant dim the fornt lighting ??

 

[seanandkate]

I'm with IEGPR. Intensity is a relative thing. . .

 

[Shillyer]

Yes dimming the lights sounds like a good solution, however if you are worried about the change in color temperature when dimming or for some reason you cant dim them, you could try some neutral density gel to reduce the light output.

 

[icewolf08]

I would not actually recommend lamping down or using ND gels. Unless your key light is the downlight, then your frontlight needs to be able to punch through. If you have to deal with color shift from dimming, then pick a gel that can compensate for that. Consider also that top/back light is generally used to make people "pop" from the background. Most people aren't concerned so much with how it looks on the deck as long as it looks even (unless it is a pattern wash).

If you are trying to push some color or patterns onto the deck then you might try designing a system with fixtures that can punch through and is used specifically for that purpose.