TheHeadHunter makes a good
point about replugging during the show. Depending on how desperate you are for channels you may even have to do it between some scenes.
How big and what sort of
stage do you have? Is it a
proscenium or a
thrust stage?
What lights do you have in your inventory?
I was in a similar position last year when I did the lighting for a High School production of "How The West Was Warped". I had 24 channels just like you.
In the
theatre it had a
flat floor acting area with rasised seating for the audience. The
downstage width was about 10m. This was lit with five 1k fresnels/pcs. I would have liked more but this was quite bright. The
stage then narrowed in as you went upstage because of flats angled on both sides. There was gap at the back of about three metres for entrances and exits. About 2-3 metres back from
downstage thee - four 1k fresnels were hung. Then to light the gap where some of the action happended two 500w Fresnels were used. These were geled in an Amber to simulate desert Sun. I needed a blue
wash and this was achieved with two
Selecon Pacific 90' 1k's that as their name suggest have
beam angle of 90 degrees. It would have been nicer to have four for the
wash to do the
stage deeper.
I forgot to mention the fresnels were hung facing almost straight on to the
stage but it didn't
wash out the faces to much.
There were a few specials:-
For the voice beyond the grave a 1k PC was hung directly over the actor in
open white.
A 500w
profile did the spot for the heroine.
We had a set of stairs with a landing, a 500w
Fresnel lit the top while a 500w
fresnel with it set fairly wide but with the gull
wing barndoors closed up tight so the light was just on the stairs managed to
cover it nicely.
There was mobile
flat that had a saloon setting on the back complete with real shevles with bottles glued on. The teachers provided the bottles, there was plenty of bottles lol.
On the back it opened up to a desert mountain scene. A 500w
fresnel was mounted at a steep angle to light the bar and it gave a nice scalloped light on the wall. When the desert scene was turned around and the bar light just touched it off nicely. There were a couple of other specials but you get the idea. Some
cyc lights lit some
canvas stretched across the backwall this was lit with sky blue for outside scenes and left blank for inside scenes.
There was no backlight but that wasn't missed. So this was done with about 25 - 30 lights on twentyfour channels. Each of the main fresnels were on their own
channel which let me use them as area lights.
Depending on what lights you have you could do similar. If you have enough profiles for two to an area you could put a warm
in one and a cool in the other, you can also use fresnels . Depending on your
stage size you might need 6 or more. If you can't spare the channels and they are only 500w you can pair them together on a
channel. The two colours help accentuate the
face. If you can spare the channels separate them and use a blue that is also suitable to be a night colour eg steel blue.
Do you have battern lights they can help with colour washes. Do you have a
Cyc and if yes will this be visible during the show. A well lit
Cyc done with three colours allows you a lot of variation.
Once you have worked out what specials you need you may find that one light may
cover more then one job. This is where it pays to be on good terms with the director. Because you can say to them if you set that three feet further forward I can use that light I have up there.
Falcon I reckon you will do a great job on this show. Get along to rehearsals as soon as they start and you will find the ideas coming to you.