Source Four Followspot

[hhslights]

I went to another high school within my district to borrow a few lamps from them (we usually "borrow" expendables from other schools when we are low and they "borrow" from us as well). While there I couldn't help but notice that they were using modified Source Four's as followspots. This struck me as somewhat odd. All high schools in my district including mine and this one have two Altman Comets. I know they have them because I volunteered to help move them up to their positions before their musical. I asked their TD about it before I left and he said that the reason they used them is because the director liked the way they looked better.

I personally think they look the same and it would be much favorable to use the comet opposed to the modified source four. First of all, the independent control is a plus (in my book at least), they do not need to take up a channel, they have the gel changers and of course they are not committed to cues. I like to think one of the best aspects of the followspot is the fact that it is independent and can roll with the punches.

Is this common practice in the industry to use modified source fours regularly as followspots when the venue has good followspots to use? Do any other High Schools out there do this same thing? Am I right in my thinking that a modified source four or any ellipsoidal for that matter would not be as good as something comparable to the Altman Comet?

 

[Footer]

I call them a "source four on a stick". Its a common practice from High Schools to Broadway shows. Odds are they like the color temperature better. Comets tend to be on the amber side while a 750w S4 is a bit hotter. City Theatrical makes a whole kit to turn a S4 into a pretty nice spot. I have done this at two professional houses I have worked at. There is also the benefit that you can put them in places that a standard spot just could not fit.

 

[Nate1714]

I have used them used and even when we had "real" spotlights. First off as mentioned the color temp is diffrent but, more importantly they are CHEAPER! Its very easy to get a pipe and attach it to a base (with lots of washers to encourage smooth movement) then invert the yoke of the S4 and put it on there. Its just a matter of having the right barrel (we have used 10deg and 19deg.) You then add in a iris and presto chango you have a great reliable spot. I have also placed some Diffusion to soften the beam.

 

[shiben]

An additional benefit is that you dont need to worry about stocking another type of lamp. In addition to the yoke assembly by City Theatrical, they also make gel changers for the Source 4 as well.

 

[kicknargel]

I concur--I think a S4 followspot is great. In venues with a nice FOH catwalk, I'll stick operators up there and get a nicer angle than from the back of the house.

And I tend to prefer having my spots controlled by the lighting system--it ensures they run perfectly in sync with the cues. And if you want the operators in charge (and have the "boomerang" gel changer installed) just put blackwrap in one of the color slots and it works as a douser.

On more tip--when I make the mount I like to sandwich the yoke between two glides (or pieces of UHMW plastic) with holes drilled for the yoke bolt. That way I can tighten the yoke bolt pretty well and still get smooth operation.

Nicholas Kargel
You Want What? Productions INC
scenic and lighting design and construction in Denver, CO

www.youwantwhatproductions.com

 

[icewolf08]

If you are worried about control, many people just plug the source four into a user controllable dimmer box. Often very similar to the rheostats that you see in homes but made for the high wattages of theatre fixtures. This give the operator control of the fixture ad does not take up a dimmer in the rig. I find operator control preferable to cued control because the operator knows when a actor messes up but the console doesn't, and just because one actor messes up doesn't mean the show will stop and you can hold the cues!

I have used source four spots many times, and it works very well, just don't forget your gloves!

 

[derekleffew]

I went to another high school within my district to borrow a few lamps from them (we usually "borrow" expendables from other schools when we are low and they "borrow" from us as well). ...

It's great that you have that kind of relationship with a neighboring school, and it's something that should be encouraged by all. Besides the support system of knowing you can borrow expendables/materials/equipment, it shows you other ways of solving problems. Too often students are only exposed to ONE method of doing things: their instructor's. As you have seen, in this business there are many ways to skin a cat, and all are circumstancially valid.

...Am I right in my thinking that a modified source four or any ellipsoidal for that matter would not be as good as something comparable to the Altman Comet?

Sadly, you are incorrect. As has been said by others, a Comet or comparable IS NOT always preferable to a Source-Four-on-a-stick or other ellipsoidal, or other fixture for that matter. Low-voltage beam projectors were used as followspots on the London and Broadway productions of Cats, and I believe Les Miz as well. No other fixture offers the same quality of light.

 

[hhslights]

I concur--I think a S4 followspot is great. In venues with a nice FOH catwalk, I'll stick operators up there and get a nicer angle than from the back of the house.

And I tend to prefer having my spots controlled by the lighting system--it ensures they run perfectly in sync with the cues. And if you want the operators in charge (and have the "boomerang" gel changer installed) just put blackwrap in one of the color slots and it works as a douser.

On more tip--when I make the mount I like to sandwich the yoke between two glides (or pieces of UHMW plastic) with holes drilled for the yoke bolt. That way I can tighten the yoke bolt pretty well and still get smooth operation.

Nicholas Kargel
You Want What? Productions INC
scenic and lighting design and construction in Denver, CO

www.youwantwhatproductions.com

How much do these modifications usually cost though? I would like to possibly try this out for a play we are doing later this year and if I can, borrow the materials or the S4 from the school itself and if it is ended up being liked how much would be taken from our budget to create this?

Also if one were to invest in a gel changer for this and already had a "real" followspot wouldn't it just be a waste of money? If you were to compare the modified source four with a comet and they had the same gel, wouldn't they look identical? I like to have at least two gels for followspots, one that won't stick out too much (usually what we have for front or down light) and one that will stick out (but not too much). Couldn't the same look be accomplished with both when gels are involved?

 

[Clifford]

For prices, see City Theatrical's equipment prices.

Because the different fixtures operate at different colour temperatures, using the same gel in the two may not give you identical output.

 

[church]

I own two S4 zooms that I use as follow spots and they do work very well I have the ETC balance yoke for one of them and I made my own balance yolk for the second. I also made handles for the operators. I installed a bearing on the stand to give a smooth pan operation. I use tyhe leviton 1000W slide dimmers o control them. Even using the 575 lamp they stand out alongside a comet in the side by side trial. As has already been mentioned the colour temperature is better. To explain what I mean by stand out - you can see the S4 light circle on top of the comet light circle.

The nice thing about this approach is I can use the fixtures as a follow spot or a regular ellipsoidal depending on what I need.

Also the S4 will fit on catwalks where you cannot get a comet to fit. Just another tool in the inventory.

 

[dramatech]

As for boomerangs, you can purchase times square boomerangs for approx $80. When it arrives, just take of the back plate and lay it over a SRC4 gel frame, and drill holes where they are located on the original plate from the boomerang. Then mount the Gel frame on the back of the booomerang. (will take about 15 minutes) Then drop it into the gelframe slot on the front of the source four. It has 4 color lollies and one douser. I replaced the douser with another lolly $15, to give us five colors. We have four and just love them. Much less expensive than city theatrical. I also made my own yokes and handles, in order to get the balance correct. Also removed the shutters. I have made them followspot only and we use them from the catwalk.

 

[marshmolly123]

We used two 10˚ n/c Source 4s with iris kits from our catwalk with two Great Performances FS400 Followspots last year for Beauty and the Beast (so four followspotters total... ) and I found myself giving as many cues as possible to the Source 4 followspotters because the light quality was so much nicer. The only problems with using them from the catwalk, however, is that a) if the actors are far upstage, especially if on a platform like they were for Beauty and the Beast, the catwalk FSers couldn't reach them. And b) if they were wearing any costume pieces on their heads, the angle cast a shadow on their faces. However, for the most part, they worked beautifully. I almost wonder if we should switch to using 10˚ Source 4s with iris kits from rear of house, instead of the Great Performances...

 

[derekleffew]

For a rear of house position, depending on throw distance, I might recommend a SourceFour-5° with an HPL750/115 lamp, to compare to your Great Performances FS400 Followspot.

 

[marshmolly123]

For a rear of house position, depending on throw distance, I might recommend a SourceFour-5° with an HPL750/115 lamp, to compare to your Great Performances FS400 Followspot.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[masterelectrician2112]

Sorry to bring this one back from the digital dead, but I have a relevant question. For anyone who has used a "source 4 on a stick", what would be an easy way to make a stand for it? Also, how do you personally make your handles (if you make them). Thanks in advance.

 

[LightingTechie]

Sorry to bring this one back from the digital dead, but I have a relevant question. For anyone who has used a "source 4 on a stick", what would be an easy way to make a stand for it? Also, how do you personally make your handles (if you make them). Thanks in advance.

Watch:
YouTube - ‪City Theatrical Follow Spot Accessories for Source Four‬‎
From:
01:10

Hope that helps!

 

[masterelectrician2112]

Great video! Thanks! I definitely cannot afford the pan bearing though, and i could just use the yoke bolt, but I had an idea. Does anyone see anything wrong with using lazy susan hardware in place of the pan bearing?

 

[shiben]

Great video! Thanks! I definitely cannot afford the pan bearing though, and i could just use the yoke bolt, but I had an idea. Does anyone see anything wrong with using lazy susan hardware in place of the pan bearing?

If you can figure a way to rig it, probably not. I have used the yolk bolt with 2 washers and a lot of lubricant before and it works fine. As for the handles, just give the operator welding gloves. Its what we do, and it works fine.

 

[church]

"Great video! Thanks! I definitely cannot afford the pan bearing though, and i could just use the yoke bolt, but I had an idea. Does anyone see anything wrong with using lazy susan hardware in place of the pan bearing?"

I made my own pan bearing for $5. I just took the smallest diameter tube from the stand to the nearest bearing supplier and found the bearing that would just slide over the tube. I installed the bearing so the inner race was resting under the top collar on the pipe. I then found a plumbing iron fitting that reduces pipe diameter which would support the outer bearing race and the narrower diameter part was just large enough to allow the smaller pipe to pass through. A bit of epoxy glued the outer race of the bearing to the pipe fitting. this has workeds well for 4 years but you need to find the bits that work with your stand.

 

[ccm1495]

I was wondering about doing this for our middle school in town. We currently use (2) Altman Follow Spot with Stand - 1000 Watts (110V AC) that are shared with the high school they get beat up when they are transported so we were looking for a cheeper solution for the middle school. We have altman shakespeares on are cat walks. I was wondering if they would also work well for this. I also was wondering how to mount them and where to get the iris.