Audience blinder, LED or Conv.?
- Thread starterHTSL
- Start date
I have posted this link before but here it is again, a version of the history of blinders.
Stage Lighting | The Who’s PA & Foldback | Whotabs
So the first used blinders may have been 10K watt fresnels. Yes, they would have that nice warm afterglow. I feel deprived that I only got to use 5K fresnels. As far as the use of ACL you should see if you can find a copy of "The Scenography of Josef Svoboda", used copies are rather pricey on Amazon but worth a library search.
Stage Lighting | The Who’s PA & Foldback | Whotabs
So the first used blinders may have been 10K watt fresnels. Yes, they would have that nice warm afterglow. I feel deprived that I only got to use 5K fresnels. As far as the use of ACL you should see if you can find a copy of "The Scenography of Josef Svoboda", used copies are rather pricey on Amazon but worth a library search.
DELO72
Well-Known Member
I see your Blinder, and raise you a 36,000W Moleeno Mole PAR. Type 5791 36,000 Watt Moleeno Molepar
Actually... I'll pull a move taken from Spinal Tap-- and turn it up to 11.
Announcing the Sunray Dadco G4 Nite Sun. Four 24,000W HMI PARs. Each lamp puts out 2,300,000 lumens. http://www.dadcopowerandlights.com/index.php/g4-nite-sun/
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bishopthomas
Well-Known Member
Wow, that's some craziness. And now to read up on the S4 mini...
Can I just mention that as someone who occasionally actually goes to concerts, nothing kills the fun like an LD who uses their blinders too much.
I agree with Mark for the most part. Until recently, every LED blinder SUCKED! The LEDs that were used peaked in a very painful point in the visible spectrum and frankly it made one LOOK AWAY from the stage as opposed to anything else. Recently I have seen 1 good LED blinder but I don't have the name. I think it was on the Springsteen Tour. Update to come. Anyway, as with any LED fixture you need to do research, and there are really only 1, possibly 2 good LED blinders. The rest are a waste of money and you should stick with the conventionals.
Aakburns
Member
The old crowd blinders are fun but these days found pointless.
The best thing to do these days in my experience. Option 1, purchase several tri led pars and mount across your trussing pointing out at the crowd. Program as additive or replace the whole scene and go back.
Option 2, if you have a rig with all moving lights, make use of them. White them with no gobo and aim them out. It's super simple, easy to do, and effective.
Here's a picture from the show I did the other night, though this picture does not do justice for how epic and bright this really is when you look at it live.
The best thing to do these days in my experience. Option 1, purchase several tri led pars and mount across your trussing pointing out at the crowd. Program as additive or replace the whole scene and go back.
Option 2, if you have a rig with all moving lights, make use of them. White them with no gobo and aim them out. It's super simple, easy to do, and effective.
Here's a picture from the show I did the other night, though this picture does not do justice for how epic and bright this really is when you look at it live.
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Les
Well-Known Member
Debatable. One thing that's hard to get right with LEDs or movers is amber drift when ramping up to or coming out of full output. It's definitely not essential, but I think it's a very nice extra.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
I disagree, both of your options are to harsh to the eyes of the audience IMHO. Neither option gives that nice warm glow of a blinder. I'm not a fan of blinding the audience in general though. If I need something and can't get blinders I'll just use parcans or fresnels.
Aakburns
Member
It's not harsh if you know what you are doing. To many show I go to I see LD's fire blinders 98% of the show and it's terrible.
Make it look epic without killing everyone.
bishopthomas
Well-Known Member
This is exactly what I do too. I prefer blinders to be mounted in the DS truss, as high as possible. I'm not looking to burn any retinas, just illuminate the crowd. I'm going out with a band in June that does a lot of call/response gang vocal type of music. I think it's important to illuminate the crowd for those shouted parts, definitely adds to the music. The point isn't to kill them though. Now, there are some times where I do actually want a blinding effect, like at the end of a song. I like to do this with movers, but a few well placed blinders low to the stage US will do the trick too. Makes a nice silhouette type effect. I work with a band that does a 60's review/Motown show and it's very choreographed (these guys were from a big show on Broadway). There's a song where there's a big finish with them striking a pose and I like to do the blinder thing at that hit. That's once a show.
teqniqal
Well-Known Member
You can now buy PAR 64 LED ACL (Air Craft [Landing] Lights), 60,000 lumens in a 12 degree beam. Standard ACL is good for 200 hours, these are rated to 50,000 hours. That should 'teach-em' a lesson . . . See: Hoffman Engineering Unveils PAR64 LED - Hoffman Engineering
Also see: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/27896-need-led-replacement-vns-par64.html
Re: Stage Blinders
Just to be completely different, I'm using a set of 8 750W 14" halogen scoops (EGG) for a blinder effect in Shrek. Why scoops? It gave me most coverage from the 4 free dimmers on the side torms I had to work with and they were there. I got half of them hung and circuited last night, and the director was surprised at a.) how bright they were and b.) that I planned to hang 4 more.
If I had enough S4 XFL PARs to spare, I'd have tossed them up instead, but all of them are in use for downlight. Not a fresnel in to be found, since ETC didn't make one in 2009. The scoops are technically retired and in the lighting graveyard, but were still lamped, fully functional, and only a decade old based on the Altman stickers on them.
Just to be completely different, I'm using a set of 8 750W 14" halogen scoops (EGG) for a blinder effect in Shrek. Why scoops? It gave me most coverage from the 4 free dimmers on the side torms I had to work with and they were there. I got half of them hung and circuited last night, and the director was surprised at a.) how bright they were and b.) that I planned to hang 4 more.
If I had enough S4 XFL PARs to spare, I'd have tossed them up instead, but all of them are in use for downlight. Not a fresnel in to be found, since ETC didn't make one in 2009. The scoops are technically retired and in the lighting graveyard, but were still lamped, fully functional, and only a decade old based on the Altman stickers on them.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
Re: Stage Blinders
From what I can tell, they were retired because they had the wrong logo on the side. Except for the R40 strips, everything uses HPL-575X. From the history I've heard, someone made a decision in 2009 to replace all the fixtures that did not use medium screw base lamps with fixtures that used HPL.
From what I can tell, they were retired because they had the wrong logo on the side. Except for the R40 strips, everything uses HPL-575X. From the history I've heard, someone made a decision in 2009 to replace all the fixtures that did not use medium screw base lamps with fixtures that used HPL.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
Re: Stage Blinders
Ah, the college I attended was like that. If it didn't have those 3 letters on it then it was automatically inferior and the TD wouldn't allow it to be used in the building. It was sad seeing that room full of fixtures waste away since the university wouldn't let them get rid of them.
Ah, the college I attended was like that. If it didn't have those 3 letters on it then it was automatically inferior and the TD wouldn't allow it to be used in the building. It was sad seeing that room full of fixtures waste away since the university wouldn't let them get rid of them.
