I am still in the deciding mode, and looking at my other options. But at the moment both the smart
mac and the elation design spot 250 RDMX seem to be the ones to go with. I'm just seeing if anyone has had any experience with either
fixture or not. And if anyone has any tips?
Here is the thing you will find, both fixtures will be totally under-powered for any theatrical application. Odds are that neither
fixture will be able to cut through a
stage wash of
conventional fixtures. On a dark
stage it may be OK, but probably not ideal. Also, neither
fixture offers a
zoom function.
So really, it all comes back to what you want to be able to do with such a
fixture. I believe that you said that the school was going to buy the
fixture, but what use will it be to them? You really need a
fixture that is going to perform in a
theatre environment, and that is not what either of these fixtures is going to do. In a small black box with low ceilings or in a club type setting fixtures like this might be ideal, but not really for most theatrical applications.
Again, if your school wants to use moving lights, your money and shows will be much better served by renting a
fixture that actually will do what you need it to do. There is a reason that most theatres DO NOT own their own moving lights. They are usually too expensive to buy the ones that are actually useful, and they are expensive to maintain. Most theatres will rent fixtures as they are needed because it is a much more cost effective option and it means that you can get the newest and best thing every time you need one. Even a
fixture like SmartMAC which
Martin claims is low maintenance, is still going to be an expensive
fixture to own. Lamps are not cheap, service is not cheap, and odds are the school does not have anyone qualified to do maintenance themselves. You also don't want to buy something that has great potential to end up in a closet when you graduate.
If you want a
fixture to just have to learn how to use moving lights and learn how to program and
play with, get something like the Chavuet MiNSpot. For about $400 it won't break the bank, it can sit on a
desk and be a teaching tool.
I happen to work at a
theatre that owns over 10 moving lights. Out of 8 shows in a season, the MLs get used on maybe 2-3. The rest of the time they sit in storage. Even with that "light" usage, they require a lot of maintenance, and I put in many hours of work taking care of them. We also have to be ready to deal with issues that come up 20 minutes before a show starts and do aerial surgery to fix them. This is not something that most theatres and colleges are equipped to deal with, let alone high schools.
Please realize that I am not telling you to not buy moving lights, just to make sure that you understand that it is not the same as investing in a source 4. You need more than one to be truly effective, you need to be able to maintain them, and you need fixtures that are actually suited to the task. If you are going to buy fixtures worth using in a
theatre, you need to budget to spend a minimum of $10K for a pair. This can actually get you pretty far, but it is a big capitol investment. For that amount of money you can rent much better fixtures than you could buy for many performances, and you don't have to maintain them. Yes, there is a novelty to owning toys like moving lights, but that novelty quickly wears off when you realize how much energy and time it takes to own them.
Please, just keep this all in mind as you go forward in this process. Bottom
line, if you can't afford to buy a
fixture that is actually worth having, just rent.
