Build Your Own Audience Blinder

[ship]

Given Mark's well presented post, more a question of time and money on making something that might be used once in a while in considering cost efficiency. Cannot otherwise rented or in stock par 64 ROCK and roll cans or 8" Fresnels or Scoops with photo flash lamps pointed to the audience also do this concept of blinding the audience? For a particular show's need assumed.

This instead of making your own which will be an expensive in materials and labor and detailed process to make safely? Remember no holes for venting bigger than 1/4" as an example. And venting even with LED is necessary. Good stop point to make, thanks Mark.

Been presented a 50w halogen or it's version of Led unless MR-16 low voltage isn't worth much, and even than is not enough for proper blinding. Granted a theater could be blinded by some form of 50w lamp - see above in other options that could also. Support the concept of blinding if required for a show, but building fixtures instead of re-purpose to consider before doing.

 

[Chris Pflieger]

So when using blinders, how do you handle cold filaments on large lamps? I would assume that any heat built up before the show would dissipate before you call on them, so do you just flip them on and accept shorter life (and the potential for blowing the lamp)? Is this why MR16's are used instead of 2K fresnels?

 

[ship]

Normal dimming pre-warming curve I assume.

 

[DELO72]

I generally share your dislike of audience blinders, particularly as a general tool for concert lighting.. but I'd argue that there ARE uses, particularly in theatre. The easiest example I guess would be the final reveal in "The Full Monty" -- you generally want the audience's irises to be nice and closed up, so that the full detail of the nude performers is mostly obscured. There are other less abrupt ways manipulate things so the contrast is too great to see detail, but it's much harder in my opinion to make the cue look right in those types of situations.

Cheers,

Joe

I absolutely get it for those RARE instances where it's necessary for the show, and an essential element to telling the story like you describe above. My venting (I loved that "Tell us how you really feel, by the way" *laugh*) was for when it is used "non-judiciously" throughout concerts for no real purpose other than to bathe the crowd in lights and "look cool". One person (the LD) wanting to make the audience "look cool" is not a valid reason to piss off a thousand people or more. ;-)

 

[ship]

My thoughts are not design wise - design good or bad, for a theater in Mark's point, is this gear you need to be making that will be useful later this year if not next year + further, or something you are up to the challenge of building? If not and needed for the show, perhaps rent or re-task any number of lights that could blind.