silhouette dancers

[JohnHartman]

Since RP video screens won't work, we're going with a poly silk. Ordered it today. Based on different comments, I'll do some testing to see which light works best. I doubt I'll be able to find 2 Linnebach projectors (we have 2 areas to cover), so it's either S4 or work lights. Hopefully will post some test pix before the event.

as an out of box idea from the other options discussed... How about a high lumen DLP projector with a short throw lens? more expensive, but it would be effective.

 

[JChenault]

If you are going the 'Build a linnebach" route - consider a low voltage lamp. Low voltage lamps ( for the same wattage ) typically have a smaller fillament. My one experience with a true linneback ( about 40 years ago ) we had two units that would cross fade, and a low voltage lamp. I believe it was around 70 volts, and the filament for a 750 to 1000 watt lamp was about 1/4 inch tall by 1/8 inch wide. ( All of this is from very fuzzy memory when I was in college ). I only remember that the lamp was a med pre-focus T-12 of some sort.

Anyone know what that lamp would have been?

 

[derekleffew]

...Anyone know what that lamp would have been?

I've never heard of a non-120V T-12 MPF lamp. Are you sure it had a medium prefocus base? The 2100T24/9 (60V) with mogul bipost (G38) base was very popular in Linnebach Projector s and some followspot s. The 50 hour life was a drawback, however.

 

[shiben]

Maybe, but none of the pictures on the syncrolite website resemble the units. They had a rectangular louver on the face, shaped kind of like a work floodlight. There was no moving yoke. It produced a warm sharp-edged rectangle.

Was it a Selecon with a douser? IIRC, they had some... Or it might have been a custom job. I remember the LD telling me they did some custom built lights on there.

 

[len]

Thot you'd like to see the result. A few photos on my FB page. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.359746527385039.102654.124379020921792&type=1 We ended up using a S4 with a 50 degree barrel. Still not enough distance but the client was happy.

 

[JCarroll]

For future reference, the Silhouettes on Americas Got Talent went through a local church. They used a PRG Bad Boy, and had a second for a backup.

 

[bmdsherman]

I did a show with Pilobolus and for this dance they used a powerful projector plugged into a Mac book. I don't remember what kind of projector it was but it was a PIA because it required two phase power and took 2 people to lift.

Edit: here is a picture of the projector they used.

 

[len]

How did you decide to rig the screen?

Just saw this question. We had the drape sewn with a pipe pocket at the top. Just used standard pipe and drape hardware. Next time I think I will have a bottom pocket sewn in so that there's a little tension and it hangs a little straighter. One other thing I would try would be to aim a fan at it to get a flutter effect.

 

[beells]

Does anybody know which fixtures Blue Man Group is using for their recent tour? Their opening number involves multiple light sources to cast shadows on an RP screen. Some of it is floor-mounted MLs that do a slow tilt/pan/zoom, but they also used a boxy beam projector of some sort, maybe 12"x12"x8" with a louver grill on front.

sk8rsdad- I can't tell you everything about the piece but all the fixtures used in the opening "Screen Cyc" segment of the BMG nat tour are actually never seen on stage- they are long gone before anyone sees the open stage. There are a series of Diversitronics strobe caps inside ETC source four fixtures for the first half. There are a set of OceanOptics SeaChangers inside ETC source four fixtures for the send half. During the strobing section we also use hand-held S4 pars with dark blue gel to back light the Blue Men which may be what you thought was a moving light. The blue sweeps are done by hand and everything else is "conventional" either with a strobe cap or color changer. There is a little more to it, but it's the basics- Glad you enjoyed the effect- it's a killer product.

 

[EWCguy]

I'm ready to experiment with my first shadow-play on the back of my standard muslin cyc. From reading another thread, it looks like a 1kw Fres w/out lens is going to be my best bet.

[From that topic] Unfortunately as awesome as beam projectors are that would produce the complete opposite effect, you would have a spot about the size of the instrument on the screen that would be very bright indeed.

I am curious, since I have them, what a beam projector will do. I really haven't played with them too much and only recently found out that the nifty "O" ring/channel can be moved out of the way of the reflector.

I'll try S436 (largest angle I have), the 1kw Fres, and the BP. I'll report back how mine went.

 

[MarshallPope]

The lamp cap from a Source4 also works well. I haven't bothered to read through the thread to see if that has been mentioned already.

 

[JChenault]

I'm ready to experiment with my first shadow-play on the back of my standard muslin cyc. From reading another thread, it looks like a 1kw Fres w/out lens is going to be my best bet.


I am curious, since I have them, what a beam projector will do. I really haven't played with them too much and only recently found out that the nifty "O" ring/channel can be moved out of the way of the reflector.

I'll try S436 (largest angle I have), the 1kw Fres, and the BP. I'll report back how mine went.

Usually when you are doing this you want to light the entire drop more or less evenly. The S4 -36 would have to be WAY back to get coverage. The beam projector is designed to make a small spot that does not spread. Removing the spill rings will give you a bright spot in the center, and a dim wash everywhere else.

Now if you want to try multiple fixtures to give you overlapping shadows, the S4 might be interesting.

 

[EWCguy]

Since this project ended up being in just a single, small area behind the cyc, the director was most happy with a single 36° SourceFour - from about 19' placed at 16" off the floor and aimed slightly upwards. The crisp circle was a "show" element and the beam had the best "look" as compared to a 6" fresnel and a 10" beam projector at the same distance. If the 6" fresnel had been promising, I would have then tried a 1k 8".

I can certainly understand how different this project would have been if I were trying to evenly backlight the entire width of my cyc! The BP, with spill-ring (thanks for the term!) gave us an oddly shaped field around a hot center. The fresnel (sans lens) gave us a fairly wide wash but I didn't like the way that it re-lit some of the shadow areas--making them less shadowy than others. I guess I should take a picture of what I mean here! If time...

 

[JimOC_1]

Thanks everyone who posted. I helped with my first shadow dance last night and the school was pleased. Small 7 x 7 ft sheet (thick), 22 ft throw, Selecon Pacific 14 - 35 zoom, 750W GLE, flat bench focus, 50% dimmer setting.

 

[MPowers]

For light source, anything LED won't work at all. A good solution is to grab a large fresnel and remove the lens so it's just the lamp and the reflector. This creates very defined shadows behind whatever you're projecting, and I've used it in multiple shows to great effect.

I have also used lens-less 8” fresnels as both a linnenbach projector and a shadow projector as the OP would like to do. I do not believe that multiple sources will work unless carefully masked to prevent overlap, or multiple shadows from a single dancer will result. OTOH, a single source will be a noticeably lower intensity as you approach the sides.