Initial design with limited number of ERS?

[SanTai]

I am doing lightning design for the first time.

This is a production completely run by volunteers. I have no experience with lightning design and we are planning for a lot of trial and error and playing around and trying things.
This is differently than what I understand from CB that it works in US. There is no one staffed by the College to help out and the only thing we get from the College is the ability to rent the auditorium with equipment at a good rent.(And by the way we are not theatre students, we are engineering students). So we have no budget for getting rentals.

We are lightning a musical with many numbers of singing/dancing with 3-6 actors on stage.

I have read a book(translated) by Francis Ried
Just got my hands on started looking at:
Basics – A Beginners Guide to Stage Lighting by Peter Coleman
A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting by Steven Louis Shelley

This thread was very interesting.
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/24908-light-system-help.html

We are planning to divide the stage into six parts 3 down and 3 up, the stage is quite deep. I've added some pictures I was able to take at another event. The strobes aren't part of the house rig, but the rest are. We are allowed to use everything except six of the ERS (?) in the position in the house and a few of the Fresnel over the stage. Those we are not allowed to focus or gel since they use the for conferences but we may of course use them as they are. There are more fresnels over the Stage.

Since we have limited amount of time for trial and error I am looking for some initial advice for "general stage lightning". We were planning too try with lightning with a warm and a cold for every zone. Looking at the plots in Peter Colemans book he doubles up with booth warm and cold from every side. We do not got enough lamps for that. Do you think it will work to only use the ERS(if that is the correct term for those in the House position) for the front three zones and then use the fresnel at the edge of the stage for the back zones or will they greatly benefit from also being lit from the house position. We would like to have some ERS left for "special effects".

So what do you think? Do you have any advice that will save us some initial trial and error?
I hope this was understandable, I am not used to theatre language I do pyro normally?

 

[mstaylor]

The beauty of lighting is there is no wrong way to do it. When you have a limited budget, limited instruments and limited time, you do the best you can. Your idea to cover the downstage with your house electric and your upstage with the fresnels is a decent starting point. As far as gel, go with something in the pink range for warm, something between light blue to lavender for the cool.

 

[chausman]

Start getting everything/one lit and then start adding other things. I personally would say start with just straight on with a light pink, and another with a more blue-ish color, although other people will probably disagree with me. Then decide if you really want to light with a warm and cool from an angle.

As mstaylor said, with lighting, as long as you can see the people onstage, then you've done your job. Everything else is always good, but not a necessity. (IMO). I like to have more color in a musical, that can sort of cover the less of the general wash. For a non-musical, I would want slightly less color, but from lots of angles. (this is just my opinion)


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[mstaylor]

Agreed Chase. Cover the basics, then look at specials or more areas.

 

[zmb]

I like to go with front light perpendicular to the front of the stage with no, or very light color and add a more saturated color if desired from at an angle from the closest FOH beam towards the ends.d

 

[jglodeklights]

Combination warm/cool pairs of fixtures for front light can be a good start. Without knowing the specifics of the space and what you have to work with, it is difficult to tell you what may be a good choice. Simple and smart is often best.

I'm currently working in a dance space with a limited number of dimmers and instruments. My usage of the limits may help you.
1. My front light projecting perpendicular to the stage is a single layer wash (dance, so I can get away with it). Color is GAM 108, a very pale pink that adds a nice color to a variety of skin tones. It would be ideal to take this a step more saturated and combine it with an identical cool wash that could be mixed with the warm to make white light. A lavender such as Rosco 51, 53 or 54 would work well also.

2. Stage Left Front of House (House viewing the stage's right side) has a two instrument medium-deep warm wash coming from 45 degrees to the stage of Rosco 316 doubled up. Same position opposite side has a medium-deep cool wash of Apollo 4300. Ideal would be identical washes from each side to do mixing to white.

3. I don't have a true back/down light system due to spacial restrictions. If I had the choice I would use Fresnels or PARs paired up in the individual areas to create one wash that is deep blue (R83 or R80) or Lavendar (Lee 180 or Lee 199), and another that is a Pale Straw (green-yellow) such as Rosco 07 or Apollo 5960 or amber such as Lee 147. Instead I have a no color diagonal and a deep blue (Rosco 83) diagonal.

4. I like side light projecting parallel to the front of the stage. I have head highs, mids and shins that I vary the color of depending on the piece. Chances are you probably can't change color during the show. Still, having three different washes that mix medium, and very saturated colors (Such as Rosc 312 Canary Yellow, Rosco 80 Primary Blue and Lee 46 Deep Magenta) that mix to white-ish light coming from the side, are an easy way to add drama. Or having a pale wash (such as Lee 202 1/2 CT Blue, or the slightly bluer Apollo 2010 3/4 CT Blue, which are color correction filters appearing pale white/blueish at full intensity and amber at lower intensities) with two more saturated color washes can allow for variety and drama. Or two washes that mix to white may be appropriate depending on the plot and show. If you can't do this, then Number 2 in a similar fashion is the way to go.

Hopefully this helps, in some mannger.

 

[gcpsoundlight]

depending on the setup of the show, some break up gobos might be nice across the floor.

 

[derekleffew]

depending on the setup of the show, some break up gobos might be nice across the floor.

While a template wash might be "nice," when faced with a limited quantity of fixtures, it's likely very low on the priority list.

-----
SanTai, it's "lighting", not "lightning". Otherwise, your English is quite good, certainly better than my Swedenish.

...Do you think it will work to only use the ERS (if that is the correct term for those in the House position) for the front three zones and then use the fresnel at the edge of the stage for the back zones or will they greatly benefit from also being lit from the house position. ...

(Outside the US/North America, hard-edged fixture s are more often called profile s or profile spot s.) Using them from FOH for the DownStage areas, and using Fresnels over the stage (usually from the first electric, the position nearest the proscenium) to light the UpStage areas is quite common. In an ideal world, the frontlight would have an angle of elevation of 45°, but this is seldom achievable. Too low and the lighting will be flat, and shadows cast on the backdrop will be distracting; too high and facial features will be lost, with eye sockets becoming dark holes ("raccoon eyes").

As others have said, there are few rules for stage lighting. Some of the best, from Lighting Concept/Lighting Statement - ControlBooth :

1. Don't burn down the venue.
2. Use light to make it possible to see the performers.
3. Satisfy the Producer/Director/Artist.
4. Satisfy yourself.