Design Cheap & Fresh Concert Lighting Ideas? (Without movers, With concept)

[Horvath]

Let's say you're doing concert lighting. But you don't have any movers, a fancy desk, a huge par truss, or a utility tie-in. Instead, you've got 18kw, 24 dimmers, 12 1kw MFL Par64s, assorted cheap Chauvet (not Pro) LED fixtures, whatever Source 4s, Parnels and antiquated fixtures you can beg/borrow, a 24-channel 2-scene preset board, one 30' truss, and a budget of $0?

This is my task. I've looked at a lot of concert lighting on the internet, but it invariably relies on either 1) Movers or 2) A Huge Amount of Power / Dimmers / Control. Furthermore, concert lighting often seems to be without concept or design in the theatrical or architectural sense. I've heard U2 used some minimal lighting techniques on some of their late-80s tours, but I can't find much visual or technical documentation.

Do you have any videos or pictures (hopefully high quality) that show some fresh/unique/beautiful things that could be accomplished under constraints like mine?

I have a strong architectural concept for the space (a mine shaft - there will be silver mylar in the space) but I may not know the bands playing until a day before (there is much secrecy), and I will probably end up busking it live, so I would like to have some design flexibility. Rosco 3202 is one of my favorite colors, and it fits the industrial aesthetic I'm looking for. However, will using this too much make bolder colors look more ridiculous in comparison?

Should I limit my palette to colors of similar saturation? Or would you focus more on intensity rather than color to add dynamics to the light?

Given these limitations, what techniques would you use to keep the lighting dynamic in a busking situation?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Additional info: The board is a Leprecon LP624, which has quite a lot of features for a 2-scene preset. I also have a hazer and two Elation strobes (less-powerful knock-offs of the Atomic 3000). I might be able, through begging, to get an Express 24/48 and/or 6 scrollers (with the 'theatrical' string).

 

[Footer]

My wife busks rock shows regularly on an express with all conventionals. She has done this from small local bands to whats left of The Doors, Ben Folds, and several other national acts. It can be done, you just have to look at the show a bit differently. She breaks her rig up into different parts, builds cue stacks, and then just plain busks what she feels. Pictures are not going to help you... nor will videos. Concert lighting is just like playing an instrument... except you don't make sound. Think of it that way and that should help.

 

[blackisthenewblack]

Let's say you're doing concert lighting. But you don't have any movers, a fancy desk, a huge par truss, or a utility tie-in. Instead, you've got 18kw, 24 dimmers, 12 1kw MFL Par64s, assorted cheap Chauvet (not Pro) LED fixtures, whatever Source 4s, Parnels and antiquated fixtures you can beg/borrow, a 24-channel 2-scene preset board, one 30' truss, and a budget of $0?

This is my task. I've looked at a lot of concert lighting on the internet, but it invariably relies on either 1) Movers or 2) A Huge Amount of Power / Dimmers / Control. Furthermore, concert lighting often seems to be without concept or design in the theatrical or architectural sense. I've heard U2 used some minimal lighting techniques on some of their late-80s tours, but I can't find much visual or technical documentation.

Do you have any videos or pictures (hopefully high quality) that show some fresh/unique/beautiful things that could be accomplished under constraints like mine?

I have a strong architectural concept for the space (a mine shaft - there will be silver mylar in the space) but I may not know the bands playing until a day before (there is much secrecy), and I will probably end up busking it live, so I would like to have some design flexibility. Rosco 3202 is one of my favorite colors, and it fits the industrial aesthetic I'm looking for. However, will using this too much make bolder colors look more ridiculous in comparison?

Should I limit my palette to colors of similar saturation? Or would you focus more on intensity rather than color to add dynamics to the light?

Given these limitations, what techniques would you use to keep the lighting dynamic in a busking situation?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Additional info: The board is a Leprecon LP624, which has quite a lot of features for a 2-scene preset. I also have a hazer and two Elation strobes (less-powerful knock-offs of the Atomic 3000). I might be able, through begging, to get an Express 24/48 and/or 6 scrollers (with the 'theatrical' string).

So I've been in a similar situation as you, with similar gear and the same board. Never underestimate the power of colour on bunched/hanging cloth, whether used as a cyc, or architectural element, colour on a white cloth can set the mood. It can also depend on what type of music you are lighting. If you are going for an industrial look, think clean lines and white->grey->black spectrum. It can also depend on your music style. Trance and rock and roll are different beasts in what you can shoot for.

On a side note, would you be able to borrow another board to help run some of the lights off of? It might also be easier to select between chases and mood lighting. When I ran a concert with the LP624, I used it for lighting for visibillity, because to my knowledge, you can't really fade between chases. I used an additional elation dj board to run some strobe units, rope lights, and two little moving mirrors. If you can't borrow anything, then use the 2-scene heavily (and the tap button).

 

[derekleffew]

...Rosco 3202 is one of my favorite colors, and it fits the industrial aesthetic I'm looking for. However, will using this too much make bolder colors look more ridiculous in comparison?

R3202 (~L201, ~AP2000) makes a great "white." Bare lenses will seem amber by comparison. Much of R&R lighting is ridiculous.

Should I limit my palette to colors of similar saturation?

Heck no! Use every color in the book, especially the bolder ones. Just don't use too many at once. Here's your chance to use magenta with teal, lemon with congo, amber with green... you get the idea. Go nuts. Just keep the R3202 as face light on the lead singer(s), and use as sparingly as possible.

Or would you focus more on intensity rather than color to add dynamics to the light?

This ain't Stanislovsky, here. Varying nuances of subtle intensities makes for a very dull and boring rock show. Your three good intensities are: Full, Half, and Off.

Pace yourself, don't shoot your wad on the first song or you'll have no place to go.

 

[jglodeklights]

Just this past week I worked on a dance show that was part of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. The choreographer has her own relatively well equipped studio that is quite beautiful, but for this festival she was performing in a gallery at Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts. The size of the spaces (yes, spaces) and lack of power rendered the studio's entire lighting package useless, and it was also rented out.

The LD lit this using only Chauvet 200B LED units. The colors you could mix out of them were quite beautiful (except white). The only drawback? Major lack of actual intensity of the LED's when compared to the house lighting of the gallery (which fortunately could be dimmed) and an even bigger deficit when compared to the sunlight that would filter through the gallery's shades during the matinee performances. However, the color of the Chauvet's looked stunning against the bluer light filtering in from outside.

Right now, the biggest limitation is going to be that 24 channel controller. Most Chauvet LED's operating in DMX control mode, RGB mixing, utilize 6 addresses, meaning you will only have 18 left if you have all the LED's doing the same thing at once. That is fine if you only end up having the PAR64's (which depending on the size of the space may be all you need). Otherwise you may be short on control channels.

One possible solution for you- use a few of the PAR64's or other units you have for overall fill with your R3202, and maybe some 3220 (double blue). Keep some Neutral Density, R97, R98, R397, R398, around to cut the intensity of the brighter units to match the LED's. I would address the LED's into two sets, taking up a total of 12 channels (hopefully all the units have the same parameters for control channels!) This way you can make easy flashy flashy and strobing and lots of colors with minimal fixtures. The other 12 channels you can use with conventional units for your fills, and maybe a few really bright No Color PAR64's as audience blinders.

I know the budget is $0000000000000000000000000000000000. Keep in mind though, the Chamsys Magic Q software is free, has an operating mode designed for busking, and the dongle to make a computer output DMX is $100 if you get the Chamsys (or $12 if you don't mind resetting things every 5 hours), or $150 from ENTTEC (don't get the $60 OPEN DMX!!!! It works but as I've said before is a real toss up as to whether it will be happy with your computer). You'll need to play around A LOT if you aren't familiar with it or non-theater high end console already.

 

[len]

Give yourself some specials, one for vocals, one for a guitar DSL and DSR, make sure that all the acts put their drummer USC so you can punch in when the drummer fills. Make some chases and run it one scene and bump the rest. If there's no money for this I wouldn't spend too much time designing something that most would barely appreciate.

Subtlety is pointless.

 

[gafftaper]

I think what you are really looking for isn't new and fresh. What you are looking for is the old school of lighting design before there were movers and LED's.

 

[shiben]

Much of R&R lighting is ridiculous...


...This ain't Stanislovsky, here. Varying nuances of subtle intensities makes for a very dull and boring rock show.

Pace yourself, don't shoot your wad on the first song or you'll have no place to go.

I agree. I did this for a couple years with a bigger board and more lights, but the principal is the same. Depending on how bright you can make your LEDs, and assuming they actually wash the stage decently, use those for color, maybe your PARs for NC and specials? Depends how big the stage is, really.

Give yourself some specials, one for vocals, one for a guitar DSL and DSR, make sure that all the acts put their drummer USC so you can punch in when the drummer fills. Make some chases and run it one scene and bump the rest. If there's no money for this I wouldn't spend too much time designing something that most would barely appreciate.

Subtlety is pointless.

What he said! 4 specials accross the stage should do you. A lot of concerts I have seen use source 4s for this, so that they can shutter the specials to specific sections of the stage. However, your 3202 is good here.

I think what you are really looking for isn't new and fresh. What you are looking for is the old school of lighting design before there were movers and LED's.

Something like this: PARs as backlight, they make flashy changes during each song, or run on chases, or probably sometimes stay up for a ballad (blues up, NC punches thru occasionally). Now, if your LEDs are bright enough to look good doing the color on the stage, I would just use the LEDs for color. Use your PARs for NC (as long as they have NSP or VNSP lamps, if not throw them on color as well) backlight, and angle your units to make a cool web like look over the stage in the haze. Flash and chase as needed. Strobes are good, maybe throw them on side positions. Haze is very good use it. Just remember, as other have said, big bold looks, and keep as many stored up as you can so that by the end you have new fresh looks. Just kind of sit back and feel the music as it happens, and activate whatever lights you feel.

 

[church]

I do this on a regular basis as do many others and many of the key points are covered above. I also try to put some PAR cans on the floor at the side of the drum kit with VNSP lamps in them. I also try to put a backline of 12 PAR cans along the back with NSP lamps in them. If you can get a couple of shoebox dimmers for the extra lights. You can save control channels by overlapping some of your 24 channels of the main dimming - it does not matter if a PAR can SL and SR come on from the same slider. This allows you to control more Lights from the board.

After that you get to go with the music and play the board like an instrument.

 

[bishopthomas]

You have haze, use it! I am often limited to an even smaller rig and no haze. It's hard to make the client happy who expects an amazing light show when they only paid for a pair of trees... You've got plenty of toys to make some interesting things happen. Strobes, LED's, S4's and P64's can certainly do an R&R show. Again, haze the hell out of the room and make the beams do the work. Simple and effective.

 

[Ric]

Having done a lot of old school rock & roll shows, back in the 80's, my small pub shows often had more personality & effect than the shows I'm doing with all the whiz bang toys now. I think it was because I was forced to maximise the little bit of gear that I had and use it to best effect. Try lighting a band with 12 channels of dimming and 12 lamps, then elsewhere do it with a flicker board and 6 pairs of lamps, of which you could have no more than 4 lights total on at any time for fear of blowing a breaker. you learn to use the tools effectively and have variety for each song.

Haze is your friend big time, but also don't be afraid of the use of DARK.
Shadows / contrast are a very effective thing in a show; a single light on with nothing else magnifies the intensity of that to your mind. It seems bigger and brighter than reality.

Using a lot of back light, lights behind amps, drum kit, with no face light are a very effective trick.
Lights from odd angles, especially the floor, give very quirky shadows and create a 'personality' to the show that conventional angles don't. (U2 used this to great effect with Bono carrying a light around on stage)

Use a single profile (aka S4,leko, ellipsoidal, or whatever your local term is) for each fixed band position so that they can be used as features i.e. for guitar solo's or ballads to just highlight a singer.

As others have said, don't use it all on the first song! Keep things up your sleeve for use at the right time, even if it's only the once. I.e use haze for the start of the show, cut it 3 songs in, then turn it back on near the end for big impact.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

A great video for viewing great achievements in concert lighting with minimal/conventional gear is the Talking Head's concert documentary, Stop Making Sense.

 

[kicknargel]

All good advice, and I'd like to second that changing colors and patterns on scenery/architecture is more noticed by the audience than changing them on the performers. So my priorities would be:

1) front light spx on each performer
2) back light (spxs or wash) on performers
3) scenery/architecture/haze light
4) additional options on performers

I once lit a little rock show with only 12 Colorblasts, which I put on the floor around the performers and 6 or 8 trackspots, which were on tress on the DS corners, and a couple on the floor US. With haze, I made a pretty dynamic show (if I must say so myself, which I must because you didn't see it) on 20A of power.

 

[shiben]

All good advice, and I'd like to second that changing colors and patterns on scenery/architecture is more noticed by the audience than changing them on the performers. So my priorities would be:

1) front light spx on each performer
2) back light (spxs or wash) on performers
3) scenery/architecture/haze light
4) additional options on performers

I once lit a little rock show with only 12 Colorblasts, which I put on the floor around the performers and 6 or 8 trackspots, which were on tress on the DS corners, and a couple on the floor US. With haze, I made a pretty dynamic show (if I must say so myself, which I must because you didn't see it) on 20A of power.

Here is another good option. You can use your LEDs as foot lights on performers, and use some PARs for Ariel effects exclusively. Might make your PARs more useful, if you can get scrollers, it might make your PARs so much more useful that that would be all you needed, the LED units and the PARs. Be sure to send photos on here, Im excited to see how it looks!

 

[PeteEngel]

A great video for viewing great achievements in concert lighting with minimal/conventional gear is the Talking Head's concert documentary, Stop Making Sense.

Agreed. Stop Making Sense is a great example of simplicity as art. Talking Heads had plenty of support for a big production but they went a different route. the concert/movie won a lot of awards. Also, Tom Waits did a tour with just trouble lights hanging from the mic stands, though i can't remember which tour it was. remember, the tough part about lighting a show with tons of lights with tons of features is what to do with all of the potential. most people try and jam everything into a show and it can look confused. getting tons out of a few fixtures is the real challenge and a very good example of a true artist. The post that informed the free Chamsys software is a good tip. anything that is useful AND free in no budget productions is a good tidbit of info, even if it can't be utilized here, it may come in handy in the future. Good Luck!

 

[MonkeyRench]

really depends on style of show. And keeping in mind all the peramiters outlined in your description; I would consentrate on keeping what you have working and meeting electrical challenges at the venue. You have a good solid downstage system. If possible knudge these alittle to the side and cross focus. Then fresh Gel; 68,27,21 and if needed 02 and a couple pieces diffusion. This list should start with the blue on fixture most downstage and follow how I listed as you fill six pack towards offstage. A small venue followspot will cover center gaps. A short throw Lycian works fine and it also will add additional color if needed. You will have to handle the spot while you bump your leprecon, but that goes with the budget your sporting.
This setup, with the fixtures you have, provides alot of color and different looks. Don't use all your looks on the first song! A good operator is the key to show looking good or not. fingers on the faders, eyes glued to stage! I have seen many many par shows like this that rival moving lights. You are the best addition the show has.
They still need to unass some cash to you. heed this!!! Somebody's gettin paid and if its the performer who has chosen to cut you out then he/she must not want to look good. Please for the sake of all who do live events to feed ourselves don't work for free. Set up system and make sure it works. They will have the cheap looks they are after right then. this means no focus or operator. MMM, most the time this will motivate them to treat you right

Y

 

[shiben]

really depends on style of show. And keeping in mind all the peramiters outlined in your description; I would consentrate on keeping what you have working and meeting electrical challenges at the venue. You have a good solid downstage system. If possible knudge these alittle to the side and cross focus. Then fresh Gel; 68,27,21 and if needed 02 and a couple pieces diffusion. This list should start with the blue on fixture most downstage and follow how I listed as you fill six pack towards offstage. A small venue followspot will cover center gaps. A short throw Lycian works fine and it also will add additional color if needed. You will have to handle the spot while you bump your leprecon, but that goes with the budget your sporting.
This setup, with the fixtures you have, provides alot of color and different looks. Don't use all your looks on the first song! A good operator is the key to show looking good or not. fingers on the faders, eyes glued to stage! I have seen many many par shows like this that rival moving lights. You are the best addition the show has.
They still need to unass some cash to you. heed this!!! Somebody's gettin paid and if its the performer who has chosen to cut you out then he/she must not want to look good. Please for the sake of all who do live events to feed ourselves don't work for free. Set up system and make sure it works. They will have the cheap looks they are after right then. this means no focus or operator. MMM, most the time this will motivate them to treat you right

Y

Sounds like it might be for a college show... I know I got paid to do R&R at my school, but I can think of situations where the college would say naaa we dont need to pay a student. Alternatively, the OP could be getting paid but there is no budget to get more stuff, and that is SO common in college level stuff its a sick joke. Somehow we can afford new light posts on all the paths but we cant afford to buy new scrollers to replace our aging ones, and at the old place I worked, gel was kind of on a hit or miss type of level, if we had it good, getting more, well, why would you need more?

 

[Horvath]

Thanks for all these great responses, ControlBooth never disappoints.

Sounds like it might be for a college show... I know I got paid to do R&R at my school, but I can think of situations where the college would say naaa we dont need to pay a student. Alternatively, the OP could be getting paid but there is no budget to get more stuff, and that is SO common in college level stuff its a sick joke. Somehow we can afford new light posts on all the paths but we cant afford to buy new scrollers to replace our aging ones, and at the old place I worked, gel was kind of on a hit or miss type of level, if we had it good, getting more, well, why would you need more?

The latter is correct, and that's pretty much the situation. I get paid ~$200 or something for doing four days of work and who knows how much planning. The budget for the whole weekend is $80k... the main band gets $10k or something... and the lighting budget is $0 in a space with a very limited inventory (I managed to get $100 to rent a Colortran ENR dimmerpack from a different funding source). However, I'm still looking forward to it because I like concert lighting design, and programming moving lights was stressful at my skill level.