Front Of Stage Uplighting Recommendations

[cbabbman]

I recently put together a lighting rig for my band and need some suggestions on how to best light my lead singer on a budget.

I have 4 Blizzard Fab5's that are lighting us from the front corners of the stage. It takes care of the 2 singers on those sides but my lead singer (who wears a rather large cowboy hat) isn't illuminated very well and that silly hat blocks all light coming at him from above.

I'm looking for something that I can put on the floor in front of him that will light him up better... something with a nice wide angle to brighten him up without completely blinding him.

I currently run the show with Sunlite Suite2

All suggestions are welcome and appreciated

 

[JD]

Floor lighting is sometimes called X-ray lighting as it reverses all the natural shadowing on the face. Good for an effect, but not too complementary. Might want to look at side lighting.

 

[TheaterEd]

You need face lighting. As JD stated, uplighting will create a neat effect, but not the effect you're looking for. You need lights at his face level, out in front of him. If your current lights aren't getting him from the front corners you either need him to stand further back on the stage, or you need a way to rig lights out in the 'house'. I would say something as simple as a single narrow beam ellipsoidal rigged in the right location could get the job done, however it will look better if you can get two and cross light him. You'll need two fixtures, two long jumper cords, and something to attach them to. Just telling you what I would WANT to do, not sure if it is practical though.

 

[cbabbman]

Well, I'm not looking for people to tell me what I WANT to hear... lol...

I appreciate the comments and yes, I completely understand what you are both saying.

I'll have to look at what is practical for a country band playing small clubs... in the larger clubs, this isn't a problem because the lighting is provided.. Stage size in the small clubs is always a problem so having him stand back more could be difficult.

My FAB 5's are plenty bright and I was already set on getting an additional 4 of them to fill in some of the dark spots on the stage. Perhaps attaching one of my sidearms to my front stands and having it stick out a little further and at more of a 'face level' with a puck on each side to cross light him will be better than what I have now.

 

[TheaterEd]

I think that should help you out quite a bit. I like the idea of the side arms out front. Whatever it takes to get your fixtures in front of him.

 

[len]

Does he use a mic stand and not move around? Maybe there's a small fixture that could be clamped onto the stand which would eliminate some of the "uplight" angle so he's not as ghoulish looking as he would be with a floor mounted fixture.

 

[cbabbman]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts.

I set my rig up last night with a sidearm on each side sticking out to the front and hung a couple of Blizzard FAB5's at a little less than head height, pointing at our singer. Just washed him with white.

The results were perfect and lit him up very well..

 

[kicknargel]

Two LED flashlights clipped to the brim of his hat. Duh.