the problem with lighting a
cyc with
LED's is the
PWM or Pulse Width Modulation, that is the freq. that the
LED's emit the light in pulses. For the naked eye, we don't see it (often) but if you are going to have your events video taped the camera pics it up like crazy. Ever see what a tv or computer
monitor looks like when it's been recorded? you see a scan
line, and that will happen to your
cyc on any recording of the show. The more expensive units fix that by changing the freq that the
unit operates at.
For lighting a
cyc, I'd stay away from the 10mm size
led units that are out there. You're not going to be impressed with the light output needed for a
cyc. Stageoutlet.com has some great 1
watt units for around $220, and I own a few 3
watt units that are just wonderful! I've lit my
cyc with 4 of my 3
watt LED units just beautifully (20'h by 40'w.) But on darker scenes you can really see the scan
line on the video of the production. Also, I added 2 layers of
cyc silk diffusion to the
led units.
Here is a link to a show where the
cyc is just lit with the 3
Watt Led units:
Just last night I had a dance recital where I tried something new. I used my 3
watt leds from the front, but I put some Elation
Stage Colors from the back top to help. I asked the video guy after the show if he saw any scan
line on his camera. His reply was no, so the extra
wash of light that was not
LED really helped get rid of the scan
line. I'll really Have to double check that when I get the DVD.
In conclusion, you can light a
CYC with more powerful
LED's, but will still need some sort of regular light source in addition if you're going to have it taped. Unless you buy the really, really, really expensive
led stuff.
Ken Pogin
Production / Tour Manager
Minnesota Ballet