Advice for a Newbie

as of right now, the only light usable from our catwalk is PAR 64's because all of our leko's are... dead :(

Thus you don't need a lighting design you need a shipment of lamps.

If you are correct on your estimates that's about a 20' throw from the FOH position to the front of the stage at a rather steep down angle of 53 degrees. Do you get lots of shadows on peoples faces?

So I'm assuming your lekos are Altman 360Q's?
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If they are only 7 years old and the paint is peeling off the back it sounds like they've been running too hot to me. Be sure you are using the proper lamps. As has been discussed before there is nothing WRONG with Altman 360's they've been the workhorse of the industry for a couple decades. They aren't as efficient and nice as a Source Four but they are certainly functional and there are millions of them out there. A good lamp, full cleaning and a proper bench focus and they should serve you quite well. Would it be nice to get S4's sure. But I know plenty of places getting bye with 40 year old Lekos that are a lot worse than your gear.

As for how to care for your 360Q's this thread belongs in the CB hall of fame. If your Lekos aren't 360Q's the information will still apply just in a slightly different way.

Oh yeah... what kind of light board do you have that you hate so much?

I'll be taking side bets on this one Gentlemen.
2 to 1 on Lightronics
3 to 1 on Leprechaun
4 to 1 on EDI
5 to 1 on NSI
6 to 1 on Dove
8 to 1 on Strand
20 to 1 on ETC
8 to 1 gets you the field (AMDJ, Elation, Chauvet, Hog, GrandMA, Zero88)
 
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Its a no-name brand called Electronics Diversified Inc. We refer to it as Erectile Disfunction.

http://www.edionline.com/lite.htm

that's about it, except 6 or seven years older, and yes, shadows on peoples faces are ever-present.

And our lights are more like 10 years old, probably more, and its extremely humid in the summer, hence corrosion... and yes in North kingstown our administration prefers the heat on in the summer, and the AC in the winter...
logical isn't it?

and yeah, i guess that's what our fixtures are? they're just all dead, and the people before me didn't know how to install a lamp...sooo, they all explode, during an Anything Goes rehearsal this past summer at the end of a musical number we all stopped for the pose and applause, yet it was silent because there was no audience [dress rehearsal] and we heard this extremely loud pop....oh good times good times.

and about lamps burning hot, it wouldn't surprise me if it had to do with the system itself, we have what we called "ghost dimmers" which we cannot use because they stay on all the time... lightboard or not

And we've opened up all the dead ones, and they all have DIFFERENT lamps in them... so which ones do i buy?
 
Its a no-name brand called Electronics Diversified Inc. We refer to it as Erectile Disfunction.......................................

While they have lost significant market share, EDI is not exactly a "no name brand". Formerly an industry leader, they manufactured most of the dimmers and analog control boards throughout the 70's and early '80s. They actually started in the wharehouse of Hollywood Lights, here in Portland, Oregon in the mid '60's. When I first started working for Hollywood I noticed some of the ID stickers on equipment looked very familiar, when I compared the addresses of EDI and the former Hollywood address I realized they were identical, and one that I had grown up looking at on my HS auditoriums 4 twelve pack SCR systems.
Although eclipsed in quality and functionality, IMHO, by the ET's IPS strip system, one of EDIs most recent advances was the invention of the "Scrimmer Stick".
Just a brief history lesson. Remember, just 'cause it's old doesn't mean it's worthless. If that were true neither Logos nor Ship nor I would be any use to anyone. :mrgreen:
 
the system itself i don't have a problem with, just the fact that it wasn't installed by a professional, it was installed by the school's contractors... and then we called in a real lighting installer to fix a problem, and he said he couldn't because it was installed completely wrong.

its more or less the feeling that because we live in such a wealthy town, we could have had better... and i guess it also goes along the lines of.... "No matter what you have, you always want better" that's just me and the other LD that goes to my school....

And its not so much the lightboard, its just that traveling theatres abuse it, so its broken, there's parts that bounce around inside it, and before Anything Goes this summer, the only lights on were house lights, and they started flickering and the lights on the lightboard were flickering too, there's loose connections inside it... but if it completely dies.. its only going to be the schools obligation to buy us a new one.
 
If that were true neither Logos nor Ship nor I would be any use to anyone. :mrgreen:

Today I am no use to anyone. I have a migraine I'm sitting in a darkened room and I'm looking at a computer screen. I am insane.
 
Today I am no use to anyone. I have a migraine I'm sitting in a darkened room and I'm looking at a computer screen. I am insane.
Well at least this migraine isn't one of those "White Out" migraines, you can still see. Besides you're useful to me, now I know another technician who suffers from migraines.
 
Just want to echo what Van said EDI was a big player in the not too distant past. While they aren't ETC. They make pretty good equipment that matches the needs of most schools. Now if your district can't install things right that's another problem. I had 15 year old EDI dimmers and consoles at my old high school and they all worked great. When I got the money to purchase an Express 24/48 the dimmers worked perfectly with the new gear.

So are your Lekos Altman 360's, Strand, Century, Century-Strand... or something else. Tell us what brand and model if you can find it and we can tell you what lamp is correct. Or just post a picture of one and we can do it that way too.
 
I recently Designed a production of Fiddler on the Roof for my school in the UK.

As the others have said, we don't want to spoon feed you a design. However, if you want a few ideas, have a look at the 'Show your show' thread, there are a few pictures from my design in there. They might give you a couple of ideas for the general look of the show.

Really there are very few scenes you need, inside, outside, and night and day for each of those. My favourite scene to design was the Dream Scene (Act 1 Scene 7 if I remember correctly) there is plenty to play with within that. But it is the Director's vision and take on that scene that will sway the way you design it.

Until you have an idea of the set, and the basic look the Director wants there is very little you can do apart from buy some new lamps for your lanterns!
 
However, it's probably best for you to build up a reputation with your friendly local theatrical supply store. :grin:
You have learned well young grasshopper.

Local is always the best idea! The cheap online dealer isn't going to save your butt on a Friday night when your system dies. The local guy can... and will... if he has a good relationship with you.
Cheap depends a lot on quantity, the more you buy the more profit cut they are willing to give up. Check out The Bulbman for sure. Two other favorites for good online prices on other stuff besides lamps are: Production Advantage, and Premier Lighting. You can also send C.B. member "BillESC" a P.M. for a price quote.
 
Hey midget did you ever determine what brand/model of lighting instruments you have. We can help you figure out the correct lamps to be using. Take pictures of any that you can't find info on and post them.
 
There is no "local guy" where i live... because i know a pro that i work with sometimes and he gets his equipment from massachusetts.
 
Looks nice, one thing I would suggest for the future is to stretch your cyc to get rid of the wrinkles. This usually can be done by putting a pipe in the bottom.

Your pictures look good to, keep taking theatre photos and you may find that you don't need to buy the "expensive" CD.
 
there was actually piping in the bottom, the problem is that there's nothing to stretch the sides with, and we can't build a structure in our auditorium, because there is a closet in the center backwall of the stage that the janitors need to access daily
 

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