Best "bang-for-your-buck" followspot?

soundtech193746

Active Member
Hello everyone,

Myself and a few other of my associates were approached by the school board to direct a junior-high school drama program. I've worked/directed multiple shows at high school and community theatre level. Anyways, this school has a nice system except for the fact that they're isn't any follow spots... We really, really, really need a followspot for the show... We're looking to spend $500 to $1000 on one. We DO have automated fixtures (Moving heads), however, it would be very cumbersome to try to follow the actors on the stage with them, let alone the fact that the moving heads are all mostly on battons or on back truss.

Thank you!
 
A grand buys very dim followspotsj. Prices for good ones are very high. If you have modern movers, then they will be quite bright. Follow spots rarely get used enough to warrant buying them - unless drama in the US is very different from the UK, they have little place in drama, and in musical theatre they're usually used in pairs. A modern, cheap follow spot with useful brightness would use 1200W discharge lamps and these are damn expensive. LED follow spots are still quite dim - the cheaper Chinese ones run in at around 300-400W, but the optics are a bit crude so they equate to around a 750W tungsten lamp in brightness terms - which for a follow spot isn't much.
 
If it's for a one-off, I would see if you can borrow/rent from another group in your area.
 
I'm specifying the Robert Juliat OZ for a couple of new projects. Its 600 watts of LED and pretty bright, a touch brighter than their Topaze (1200 watt HMI) - but up around $12,000 - about the same as the Topaze. Beautiful units.

In your price range, rent as others suggested , or if you can get under 40-50' you might consider the S4 5 degree with the City Theatrical hardware to make it a follow spot. With the S4WRD LED lamp house its near 300 (288) fc at 50' - not nad and a lot safer than the 575 or 750 version. Start with tungsten and know you can upgrade to LED - not bad.
 
You might look at the RVE ChaseLED 350w unit (French company). Around $6500. Very good optics and mechanical operation.
 
All depends on your throw distance, we've got a bunch of these in our rental stock and they're great for tiny units and have a decent output. won't work for full stage light at 100feet but you haven't given us much for details.

chauvet 120ST
 
I have two Lycian Midget HP 1209s that are about 20 years old but recently had new bulbs installed. They work well, but we'll be getting rid of them due to our upcoming LED conversion and new RJ Oz follow spots.
 
Post #1, please connect to Post #16.
Problem solved!
 
"You are, No. 2"
 

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