Best ML under $2000

[shiben]

And I laugh at your statement about teaching the basics of troubleshooting moving lights to highschoolers. In all the times I've done highschool shows, or shows at any venue, all I would like is if my stagehands knew how to run DMX, and I consider that a bonus! Last thing in the world I want are more "king of the booth" highschoolers thinking they are "moving light gurus" who know more than me!

Totally. Its a big enough problem when they feel superior for being able to use their outdated board "better" than you and are affraid your gonna break it by pushing some faders up... Have that problem a lot when people come in to the college program and think they know everything and end up not knowing anything.

 

[DuckJordan]

I hate you burst your bubble guys, but you're acting just like the king of the booth high schooler's both of you have or are completing a college degree recently?

In my opinion working with moving lights even just for a week would have helped me greatly land jobs as well as make it more efficient in the college program. I'm not saying that every high school should have 10-12 moving lights. two is more than enough and gets them the experience with the movers as much as any high schooler needs. The whole King of the booth complex comes from undereducated teachers atempting to hold a struggling drama program together. It doesn't matter if they are working with candles and a lighter or if they are working with brand new vari's they are always going to sound like king of the booth technicians. But that's another thread.

My opinion is to buy some other pieces of equipment that will get more use and look as movers as an educational piece instead of something you need for a show.

 

[Les]

When I was a senior in high school, we bought two Chauvet things with some left over budget money. Wish I had gotten rotators instead. Sure, they taught me how to somewhat use moving lights, but I found that if there's no one to teach it, it's really hard to learn it. High school theatres are pretty much always busy with something, and in my experience, there wasn't enough time to devote to just sitting down and figuring out how to use the fixtures effectively. The moving lights were mostly an afterthought in many shows, and the only time I really got to use them was the transformation scene in Beauty and the Beast. That was sketchy at best.

It's a good argument about learning to repair moving lights, but if I'm a theatre teacher, I'm not about to let a bunch of soldering iron wielding students touch my $2,000 moving lights. My prediction is that they would malfunction, and stay out of commission until they could be sent out. Attempted repairs by someone 'just learning' could make it worse, not to mention void the warranty.

Totally not against moving lights, but my question is: who is there to teach it (both in design and repair)? Especially when so many facilities have ellipsoidals laying around with burned out sockets and no one who knows the proper replacement procedure.

 

[Benjod82]

Have you considered the LED route? You should be able to get a couple higher end LED fixtures for close to $2000. They have alot of the "fun" factor that movers might have for a student, while being infinitely easier to learn and operate. (And pay for themselves over their lifetime)

I do think that, when possible, it is important to expose students to some of the most modern technology if possible (movers, LED, rotators, anything that isn't in the normal inventory). This way when they "go out into the world" they at least have seen most of the stuff they will end up working with.

We rent a couple moving head fixtures a year and it is amazing what a freshman in high school can do with a Mac 700 Profiles, a book, an Ion and a little bit of time.

The best part is since is that maintenance is no longer a factor because it is rented equipment. I have a BFA and MFA in Theatre (technical direction) and consider myself fairly versatile and moderately technical, but I don't think I'd try to do my own repairs on a moving light that was still modern enough to be viable for our inventory, nor would I try to teach (or expect) my high school students to do more than change a lamp in a mover.