Oh my....

[icewolf08]

Now I remember what the other thing I wanted to say/ask was. Price. Is it really all over Australia that fixtures cost $200 to $300 more than in the US. If the price quote earlier ($615 AUD = $544 USD) for a Source 4 is accurate, it just amazes me. It can't cost $200 to ship the fixture to Australia. It makes be wonder if demands are different. It also makes me wonder what the price of fixtures that we (in the US) consider standard are in other countries (I know we have some member from other places). Seems to me that someone is making some serious money on fixtures in Australia and I wonder if it the manufacturer or the distributor.

Makes me wonder if I could set up a business selling equipment overseas because I could ship a single unit to Australia for a total cost of $100+ USD less than what you are paying for them. Which leads me to believe that the more you send there the more cost effective it becomes.

 

[Logos]

I would have said it was import duties but we have recently signed a freetrade agreement with the US.
I suspect you are right about profiteering. I actually don't know the price of a Source 4 in Australia because I've always assumed I can't afford them. They are a high ticket item in this country not a staple of the industry. I just did a Google search and none of the distributor web sites that I can find have prices on them. Interesting isn't it?
Also we like zooms. So the price you have been quoted may well be a zoom. I can't see the fixed focal length being that popular here. (note all the comments elsewhere about lazy designers.)
I have noticed the prices disparity between you and us. I import certain items from the US because even with postage and packing and insurance it costs me less than buying them here. But I don't buy anything that I would have to ship by surface mail. (Instant gratification)
Incidently I buy some books, CD's and DVD's from Amazon because it's cheaper than buying them over the counter in Adelaide.

 

[Bean]

First thing I have to say is I'm very impressed with the attitude on this board. Some other forums are not as... understanding.
And in reply to the specialist query, I have been interested/devoted to lighting in general ever since I can remember, I spent hours down at The Bridge theatre playing with a rig of 8 Martin 218's, the theatre has since been taken over by a church group, but it was good while it lasted. I could go on but I think the matter has been resolved adequately.
By the way, I'm 15 now.
Great forum btw

 

[gafftaper]

First thing I have to say is I'm very impressed with the attitude on this board. Some other forums are not as... understanding.
And in reply to the specialist query, I have been interested/devoted to lighting in general ever since I can remember, I spent hours down at The Bridge theatre playing with a rig of 8 Martin 218's, the theatre has since been taken over by a church group, but it was good while it lasted. I could go on but I think the matter has been resolved adequately.
By the way, I'm 15 now.
Great forum btw

I think the best thing about this forum is that the people here really are interested in what other members are doing. There are a lot of nice people here who really care about helping each other do the best show possible. There are also people who are interested in learning and expanding their knowledge and aren't afraid to say they don't know, don't understand something, or made a mistake.

 

[church]

pricing of items from one country to another is bizare - here in Canada we also pay more for S4s than you do in the U.S. even though our dollar is now worth more than a U.S. dollar. A fixed focus S4 is close to $400. The newspapers were even running articles on this with the pricing of new cars and trucks showing how a car or truck manufactured here in Canada costs more this side of the border than it does in the U.S. They went on to compare clothing electronics etc. etc. Sometimes it is the size of the market, sometimes it is what people will pay.

Note that schools here in Canada do not have fancy theatre set ups that you see in some of the US high schools. Altmans are widely used along with colortran and older strand stuff. Note as well that much of the lighting equipment also has to be locally inspected and approved by the provincial hydro authourity before it can be used because the UL approval is not recognised here in Canada. This also adds to the cost - although ETC does get it stuff inspeceted.

 

[Hughesie]

i liked this part of the site
http://allthingstheatre.net.au/ever_wanted_to_do_a_rock_musical.htm

"Our robotic light specialist, Sean, is 15 years old and so will relate to your students and demystify the technology."

pretty big gig for a 15yr, damm when i was that age (two years ago) i was just grasping the idea 3phase power and working with my first moving light

i have some respect for this sean as i have worked with groups who have been selected not by their choice to work crew and the young can be the hardest to teach because they get the "what does that do's" in their head and stop listening to you and start asking about all the lights you have despite you explaining that 15min ago when they were asking about the moving lights your now trying to explain.

hats off to you sean from another young tech

 

[gafftaper]

when i was that age (two years ago) i was just grasping the idea 3phase power and working with my first moving light

Hey Hughesie, I thought you had that metric 10 phase power down there.

 

[Hughesie]

ok i will break it down for you

out normal power that everything regular runs off is 10amp 240v
but when we run lighting dimmers we use three phase 30amp...oviously

any other questions?

 

[derekleffew]

In the USA,

Stagepin, 2P&G, GSP, connectors are used for dimmable conventional stage lights, and are always 120V (actually 108-120V line voltage). (Except for Pioneer Lighting, shame on you!)

Small movers, strobes, and most LED fixtures use Edison (PBU) connectors, and require non-dim constant power.

Large (<575W) automated lights use the NEMA L6-20 connector, which is 208V.

Very Large (Synchrolite) fixtures use the L21-30 (5wire, 120/208VAC, 3ø Wye-connected, 30A/Leg) connector.

Two caveats:
1) Some renegade Lighting Shops (my favorite is Christie Lights) such as Upstaging and PerformanceLighting (they're both excellent, too) use other connectors. Adapters are always available from the lighting shops, who wouldn't need so many if they'd standardize with the rest of the industry. End of rant.

2) Many automated and LED fixtures are auto-ranging 90-250V, so it's most-likely safe to plug them into whatever connector they come with, but NEVER into a dimmer.

3) Okay, 3 caveats. Fixtures such as the VL5 and VL5B, which have an "isolated incandescent lamp" may be safely plugged into a dimmer, but also need a constant-on power source for their motors and electronics.

4) Thanks, Vari*Lite. Series 100 and 200 VL systems use proprietary connectors. "Modern" VLs follow conventions above.

Hope this helps, sorry that I cannot speak intelligently on non-US practices.

BTW-I've been working with moving lights since 1986 and wouldn't call myself a "moving light specialist." I don't consider anyone who can't repair an Icon, or MAC2000, or VL1000, or program a HogII or grandMA a "moving light specialst," but that's just me.

Have a nice day.

 

[Bean]

Just a little thing...
I have got my Martin Mac Servicing Level 1 certification
and I am familiar with the grandma software and board layouts, though I have yet to be able to use one for a real show

 

[David Ashton]

A specialist is a person who works in a
'limited " area, not a person with a wide knowledge, to paraphrase Tom Lehrer "as we specialize more and more we will end up knowing absolutely everything about absolutely nothing.

 

[Timmyp]

I'd like to apologise for my previous post.

I realise that perhaps I was rather harsh. I also apologise for coming over as 'holier than thou', I was merely trying to put it into context, as I personally believe (and this is my personal opinion, and I'm sorry if some of you don't agree with it) that to be a 'specialist' you need years of training, and you need to know something inside out. Which is something a 'child' can't do, due to schooling etc. at least in the UK. As someone else mentioned, things may be different in Oz.


However, as Sean has said above, he has had training. So good on you, and I wish that I had the oppurtunities that you seem to have.

To pull myself back on topic, I'd just like to say that what you are doing as a company is absolutely fantastic. It's certainly something that many schools here in the UK could do with!!


Sorry again for my previous post,

Tim

 

[Hughesie]

having someone at their age helps them learn and helps the instructor understand further how to get through to students, but you will suffer a authority problem with them

 

[Logos]

Changing the subject back to differential prices.
I recently needed to acquire 4 120V 250w EFN lamps for some Martin fixtures I am restoring (Pro 200's).
I asked around. nobody in Adelaide had them "Odd" I thought. The price I was quoted was $25.00AUD each. 'OK" I thought.
I tried Melbourne. I was quoted over $50.00AUD for postage and was told deivery would take two weeks. "Golly" I thought.
I looked on e-bay.
An American supplier was prepared to send me 8 of them for $5.95USD each and UPS international postage of $38.00USD.
They are Apollo lamps.
They arrived today about 6 working days after I ordered them and cost me half what they woould have cost here and arrived quicker.
Go figure

 

[len]

1) Some renegade Lighting Shops (my favorite is Christie Lights) such as Upstaging and PerformanceLighting (they're both excellent, too) use other connectors. Adapters are always available from the lighting shops, who wouldn't need so many if they'd standardize with the rest of the industry. End of rant.

I agree. Never understood why Pete's/Performance uses those power-con looking connectors. Especially on lekos.

One shop I worked for a while back used edison on all the Source4 stuff. Made it easy to rent and to set up smaller shows where there was no/a very small distro.

And all their 208v stuff was L6-15, not L6-20, which caused some issues with other companies.

My favorite, though, was renting out the HES StudioCommand 700s with edison, and adding on L6-15 adaptors to them.