Dilemma
- Thread startertyler.martin
- Start date
With console version 3.1, doing simple movers seems to be a bit easier.
However, no console (fancy or not) will prevent them from getting dropped, so if that's what you're worried about, it's still your call.
LED Pars would also be interesting, although again, on an Express, it might be more trouble then it's worth, especially when you start adding control channels, how to mix, etc. etc.
Lotos
Active Member
Having programmed I-Cue's on an Express as a Student way back in college, I can promise you, it's not that hard.
The amount of inventory having 'roving specials' can free up, can be astounding. Not only are you freeing up inventory, but dimming channels as well.
Why use a fixture to light someone as DS +10, and a seperate one for DS +15 two scenes later, when the same light can do both with an I-Cue slapped on the front. Figure out where you want them to live, and forget about them.
Couple of things to bear in mind: Use a 'coolbeam' fixture with your I-Cue... No Altman 360Q here... Strand SL/Selecon Pacific/ETC Source Four or comparible.
Also, be aware the fixture will be VERY front heavy... Make sure that tilt knob is tightened properly, and the Safety is attached.
LED PAR's are great fixtures, but in a theatrical setting, I'd beg for more I-Cue's long before I'd request more LED PAR's
The amount of inventory having 'roving specials' can free up, can be astounding. Not only are you freeing up inventory, but dimming channels as well.
Why use a fixture to light someone as DS +10, and a seperate one for DS +15 two scenes later, when the same light can do both with an I-Cue slapped on the front. Figure out where you want them to live, and forget about them.
Couple of things to bear in mind: Use a 'coolbeam' fixture with your I-Cue... No Altman 360Q here... Strand SL/Selecon Pacific/ETC Source Four or comparible.
Also, be aware the fixture will be VERY front heavy... Make sure that tilt knob is tightened properly, and the Safety is attached.
LED PAR's are great fixtures, but in a theatrical setting, I'd beg for more I-Cue's long before I'd request more LED PAR's
I taught high school tech theatre and I had Technobeams and Mac250's in my inventory and neither ever got damaged due to students being to rough with them. I would keep them locked up when not in use as with anything else in a HS setting. Really, the fixtures should come out of the cage, go on the fixture, and go into the air. At strike they should do the same. If you leave them sitting in the middle of the stage for 3 days straight, sure, they could get broken. Remember though, these things are meant to be toured with, pulled in and out of trucks on a daily basis. The worst that could happen is a broken mirror and those came out to about 25 bucks last time I checked.
Buy the icues. LED pars are pretty useless at the moment.
Buy the icues. LED pars are pretty useless at the moment.
shiben
Well-Known Member
IQs rock. You can even make them do cool effects to spice up the talent show. Just remember to get the little extender thingy so that you can pop a scroller on them. 2 of those, with 2 gobo rotators and 2 scrollers can make a kind of interesting rock show amazing, switch from effects to spotting people on the stage (set up a FP for them to find first tho, its awkward to find them with scroll wheels). My 2¢. Good LED PARs are still worthless, imo. LED strips, on the other hand, yes please...
tyler.martin
Active Member
I've Programmed them as well, and Its not me that will have problems, but the teacher who calls himself the stagecraft instructor. He frequently calls me up to ask how to patch...
Im not worried at all about inventory or dimming. Of 384 Dimmers Ive used about Half, and I still have about 25 S4L just kicking around not hung. When the theatre was spec'd for lighting, they thought it was going to be a bigger building, but when they scaled back, they didnt scale back the lighting
I think im going to get 4 iCue's and 2 Scrollers... have 2 O/W iCue's and 2 Color Scrolling...
Just finished a small musical revue show (Grand Night for Singing) using two I-Cues with S4-19's and manual iris's. I pre-programmed approx. 12 spots on the stage, to cover most situations, and then called up the positions into cues as needed.
Sometimes used both on a soloist; other times used one each to hit two singers in different spots. Could also do quick little pan's at end of numbers for a nice effect.
But the thing I liked most was I could follow a singer quite well as she moved slowly or even moderately fast across the stage (as long as the blocking was consistent night to night, which it was).
If she was DSC and then moved to DSLC, I could leave one I-Q on DSC and move the other to DSLC, with cue timing to suit her speed. The other could then catch up, running a little behind to cover well, or wait for her to return, etc. Or as two singers split up, I could follow them both. Sometimes I moved the lights ahead to allow the singers to walk into the light..
Using both on same focus point, or one each for adjacent points, or two different spots, I was able to achieve my goal of eliminating the follow spot altogether, which would have been pretty annoying, pretty quickly for this type show and the small venue.
Console was Strand Classic Palette, which was a breeze to use for this..
I agree with the others. Go for the I-Cues, with iris. I'd like to get two more, with DMX iris.....
Sometimes used both on a soloist; other times used one each to hit two singers in different spots. Could also do quick little pan's at end of numbers for a nice effect.
But the thing I liked most was I could follow a singer quite well as she moved slowly or even moderately fast across the stage (as long as the blocking was consistent night to night, which it was).
If she was DSC and then moved to DSLC, I could leave one I-Q on DSC and move the other to DSLC, with cue timing to suit her speed. The other could then catch up, running a little behind to cover well, or wait for her to return, etc. Or as two singers split up, I could follow them both. Sometimes I moved the lights ahead to allow the singers to walk into the light..
Using both on same focus point, or one each for adjacent points, or two different spots, I was able to achieve my goal of eliminating the follow spot altogether, which would have been pretty annoying, pretty quickly for this type show and the small venue.
Console was Strand Classic Palette, which was a breeze to use for this..
I agree with the others. Go for the I-Cues, with iris. I'd like to get two more, with DMX iris.....
tyler.martin
Active Member
Right- Im thinking that a iCue and a Scroller would do... Anything more and I would rather buy a ML...
tyler.martin
Active Member
Lotos
Active Member
Personal preference speaking, but I can't stand moving lights for face light in a theatrical setting.
Sure you can throw CTO or CTB in them, if the colour wheel contains them, but it's just not quite the same...
Discharge Lamp vs. Halogen Lamp w/Tungsten Filament is also a hefty price difference when it comes to replacements.
I suppose it all comes down to what you're using them for.
Edit: Don't get me wrong, I love moving lights as much as the next guy... I just view them and I-Cue's as having two different purposes.
Last edited:
As a student lighting technician with less than 2 years of experience, I can say that programming an I-Cue with conventional controls (Innovator) is not that difficult. If it's fairly easy on an Innovator, it's got to be a piece of cake on an Express.
A few scrollers would also be a good investment (in my opinion) from experience with them. For a reasonable amount of money, you can give yourself the capabilities to light the entire stage any of 10 different colors. I believe there's also a special attachment I read about in a previous thread that allows for an I-Cue and a scroller to be used at the same time.
A few scrollers would also be a good investment (in my opinion) from experience with them. For a reasonable amount of money, you can give yourself the capabilities to light the entire stage any of 10 different colors. I believe there's also a special attachment I read about in a previous thread that allows for an I-Cue and a scroller to be used at the same time.
shiben
Well-Known Member
yet in the Icue scenario you have 4 movable spots, wheras if you get MLs you only get 2. Also, your probably paying for a lot of features that you wouldnt use every time. Most of the time, I just want a moving spot that can change color, or a moving spot with a gobo. I dont need a MAC *** that has a fan and stuff in it that makes noise when an icue is just fine. Also, how many power suplies are you looking to get? Ours can run 2 Icues and 8 scrollers on one supply. Also remember that for MLs you need cableing as well, along with a power supply that wont screw them up.
it really comes down to what you want to do
the I cue is limited to 26 deg and under, it could be argued that the fan in the scroller is about the same level as in the ML, and if you add the dmx iris and gobo rotator again it depends on what you want to do
The Right Arm is an other alternative, looks more expensive but again if you need to buy the power supply then it becomes more attractive, and you don't have the limit as to what you can use it with
Sharyn
the I cue is limited to 26 deg and under, it could be argued that the fan in the scroller is about the same level as in the ML, and if you add the dmx iris and gobo rotator again it depends on what you want to do
The Right Arm is an other alternative, looks more expensive but again if you need to buy the power supply then it becomes more attractive, and you don't have the limit as to what you can use it with
Sharyn
