Stupid Foot Lights

Aquarius

Member
So we were doing our bi-annual musical, Pirates of Penzance, and the TD decided that we should add footlights (a good decision, IMHO). We had a couple of those little 100w mini-leko thingys, but we had to order some more. Of course, they come in the day that we open the show. So I'm there installing, focusing, and gelling (light pink + diffusion) about 4 hours before the show starts.

After I spend 1.5 hours putting connectors on them and screwing them into the boxes we built for them, I'm almost done. To focus these, I stood off of the stage and reached around the boxes to focus them so that I could see where they were shining on the curtain in front. The once very center stage won't turn, so I stick my head around to take a look at the base where it is attached to the stage. While trying to wiggle it, the lamp explodes. I jump at the boom, and then take a look at the fixture. The gel in front has about 150 tiny little dings in it, and the bottom of the instrument is littered with glass fragments.

If the gel hadn't been in those little guys when I started focusing, my face would have had about 150 little dings from flying glass. Scary thought.

But all went well after that.
 
Its good practice to dowse the light if you are having trouble moving it. Less of a chance of the lamp blowing, when you are hammering at it.
 
from Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
Verb
1.
dowse - wet thoroughlywet - cause to become wet; "Wet your face"

2.dowse - use a divining rod in search of underground water or metaldivine - search by divining, as if with a rod; "He claimed he could divine underground water"

3.dowse - slacken; "douse a rope"slacken, remit - make slack as by lessening tension or firmness

4.dowse - cover with liquid; pour liquid onto; "souse water on his hot face"souse, soak, sop, drench,
wet - cause to become wet; "Wet your face"
willbb123, I think you meant:
Verb
1.
douse - put out, as of a candle or a light; "Douse the lights"put out
blow out, extinguish, quench, snuff out - put out, as of fires, flames, or lights; "Too big to be extinguished at once, the forest fires at best could be contained"; "quench the flames"; "snuff out the candles"
In any case, removing all sources of energy is indeed prudent. LOTO, anyone?
 
I just did pirates of penzance and was contemplating putting on some foot lights but it wound up being too much of a PITA. What exactly are these little things footlights called? I had actually planned on putting some strip lights on the front edge of the proscenium and leaving it at that. I have seen these little things that you speak of before, but I'm not sure how to refer to them to rent them. Help?
 
...putting some strip lights on the front edge of the proscenium ...
I believe you mean apron, not proscenium.:evil: There are two type of footlights: striplights (R40s or MR16s) OR individual fixtures,
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which can be anything from a bare A19 lamp to a MicroEllipse, which may be what Aquarius is referencing.
 
I love the image of "dowsing" the lights on the "front edge of the proscenium", in order to keep things safe.

Hey Derek get a bucket of water and throw it on those wall mounted fixtures over there. I'll do this side. That ought to keep things safe. :grin:

Sorry, guys not trying to be rude... I'm a frequent offender in the spelling and grammar department too. CB is a place where it's okay to make mistakes and more importantly be corrected to learn the right terminology. You don't want to make these kind of mistakes on the job or worse at a job interview.
 
We had the NETWorks tour shows come through our local roadhouse this season, and a few of them used what they said were MR-10 strips along the front of the stage as footlights. Not MR-16, but MR-10, which is obviously much smaller but still plenty powerful for a footlight. I looked around the interweb and couldn't find any information on these things. Has anyone used a MR-10 strip before, and are they fairly common, or were they made custom for the show or something?
 
I don't think I've ever even heard of an MR-10 lamp.

But there is the Nano-Strip™ from L&E, which uses MR-11 lamps.
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L&E Borderlights

Never one to let a good idea go uncopied, Altman has the Micro Strip, also using MR-11 lamps. Perhaps a strip using the MR-8 lamps could be called the Nano-nano strip?
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http://mail.altmanltg.com/publicsynergy/docs/BLItemDossier.asp?Item=MICS-1*&PLID=&Country=US

...a couple of those little 100w mini-leko thingys, ...
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http://www.fullcompass.com/product/279749.html is a far cry from "those little 100w mini-leko thingys." See the glossary entry Birdie.
 
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