Chorus Concert Suggestions

[Quidam]

Hello everyone,
Im having trouble pleasing my chorus director at my high school with the lighting I have . He disapproves of high lighting levels due to the heat it produces. This makes it very hard to illuminate the singers, to the point where I can barely see them from the booth. Is there any solution to this heat problem. My cove consists of altman shakespeares, but ive tryed using my Colortran lekos on the side booms because I feel they burn cooler. With the shell in place, im also tight on overhead lighting, im only able to use the first electric fernels and strips. Any suggestion are much appreciated.
Thank you
- Caleb

 

[techno89]

Are the kids themselves complaining? I just finished an a cappella concert last night and the kids had VL2K's just 10 feet away from them and they didnt complain. They also didn't complain about the levels of the regular lights. Tell him if he wants the kids to be seen than the lights need to be up. Sometimes you just need to be stern with certain people. Its not always fun and you should try to be nice and explain your situation.

Best of luck!,
Scott

 

[VL5]

There is not really much you can do. My chorus director complained too.I would put as many lights in the cove as possible and have them at like 25 or 50% and if you have some fernels do those on the first at a low %. One thing I did with mine is I nicely said, They are not complaining, so thats what matters, if you can bearly see them you might as well record a CD and send it too all the parents as a gift. Also your students will not be prepared for the REAL stage if you dont use the stage like a real stage

 

[Aurorastage]

Aside from telling them to suck it up, check with your schools custodial staff for any blowers/cooling units that may be turned off. A lot of school districts try to save money by shutting off parts of the buildings heating/cooling units outside normal operating hours, or for parts of the building that are not regularly used. These tend to be automated systems but typically you can find a on site override switch. Check it PRIOR to any concerts, nothing like having those annoyingly loud blowers turn on during a violinist solo.

If there are not blowers find a thermometer and stick it on stage, let it cook for awhile and see just how hot it is getting. If its getting absurdly hot under minimal lighting mention it to a principal. Stubborn high school students in period wear on a 100+degree stage is a recipe for disaster.

If the above doesn't work toss in a bit of no color blue into some front lights, or downs. Its a cruel trick but sometimes even smart people fall prey to psychology, and "believe" its cooler because its blue.

 

[Les]

Just a note; it's Fresnel, not fernel. The S is silent (it's French).

Are you sure those Colortran's have a cooler beam? Do they have a dichroic reflector like that of a Shakespeare or Source Four?

My advice is to the choir: If you can't take the heat, get off the stage.

 

[derekleffew]

... Is there any solution to this heat problem? ...

Caleb, tell your chorus director that the kids on Glee never complain about the heat onstage, and I daresay their stage is significantly warmer than yours. I doubt that your Colortran Lekos are actually cooler than your Altman Shakespeares. As said above, Shakespeares use a dichroic reflector, which does not transmit as much heat through the beam to the stage.

See also KnowledgeBase: Source Four Heat Ratings/ How Much Heat Does the Source 4 Emit? - Electronic Theatre Controls .

 

[chausman]

Caleb, tell your chorus director that the kids on Glee never complain about the heat onstage,...

Thats a different thread!

I'd say they just need to deal with it. They aren't dancing are they? If not, they can't be using that much energy to stand and sing (by the way, I am in choir, and I know what it is like). And, how long are they really in the heat? If need be, just use work lights for rehearsal and blind/burn them during the show!

 

[FMEng]

Thats a different thread!

I'd say they just need to deal with it. They aren't dancing are they? If not, they can't be using that much energy to stand and sing (by the way, I am in choir, and I know what it is like). And, how long are they really in the heat? If need be, just use work lights for rehearsal and blind/burn them during the show!

Been there, done that. It isn't the singers that have the problem, it's the director. Directing is a very physical activity. The director usually has to wear formal clothes, like a wool suit and tie or tux so it is no wonder they don't like the heat.

Making them comfortable is as much a psychological thing as a technical one. Make some changes and run the lights at a noticeably lower intensity, and be sure to tell him/her that you have done what you can to lower the amount of heat. Them knowing that will help even if the actual temperature on stage hasn't changed one degree.

A gentle, quiet fan blowing on the conductor's podium might be a nice idea if it can be done discretely.

 

[jglodeklights]

Additionally, putting some heat shield gel in the units may help. The actual heat of the instruments is often not the problem unless you have the light 2 feet away from someone or a large number of them running at higher intensities. It is the infrared light transmitted within the beam of the instrument that is making the stage warmer. The heat shielding gel is designed to reduce the amount of infrared light reaching the stage. Normally it is used to preserve gels in front of the lighting instruments, but it may also help in this situation.