SURVEY: Theatrical LED Lighting

[Jay Ashworth]

There's a fair amount of information on this topic scattered all over the site, but no centralized collection of knowledge.

So, from the will-ask-stupid-questions-for-food department, this survey:

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why
2) Musical, straight play?
3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Photos wouldn't hurt either.

And, on reflection: 11) How much did the fixtures cost? In what year?

 

[BobHealey]

1.) Rented on an as needed basis to supplement conventional gear. Averaging once per year per community group.
2.) Musicals
3.) Wash/Front/Down/Side
4.) ETC Lustre+ D40 and Source 4 units - what the local rental house has available
5.) No
6.) Better than the alternate option of no fixtures
7.) They are being used where it is not practical to generate the number of unique colors the production/director require from a given position.
8.) 50'x50'x12' black box (50% reserved for audience) with pipe grid or a 30'x30' thurst with a 25' trim height stage and 4 over stage dead hung electrics and 2 audience pipes.
9.) The funds for capital purchases do not exist. Renting + gel come out of production expenses. The black box is a rented space, the thrust stage owns the facility. Their conventional rig gets ~$200 year in upkeep (parts, lamps, etc). It has proven more cost effective to rent an LED than to rent a conventional + scroller head.
10.) Yes.
11.) Don't have line item prices, but averaging $120-$200 per fixture for 18 day rental period.

 

[sk8rsdad]

1) Yes
2) All productions
3) Depends on the show. Mostly tops, tips, sides, cyc, but have used as fronts and footlights, or cheesy blinky lights.
4) ETC Selador Desire D40 Vivid, ETC Selador Desire D40 Lustr+, Blizzard Puck
5) No
6) Fine
7) Yes. Fine.
8) 10m wide x 12m deep. Trim heights of 5m to 9 m.
9) Long payback time depending on billing. For us it's about 4 years because of local demand charges.
10) Yes
11) Contact your local dealer.

 

[theatricalmatt]

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why

Yes, I've used LEDs for shows. And I plan on continuing to use them -- when they're the right tool.

2) Musical, straight play?

Musicals and dance concerts.

3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?

Principally downlight, backlight, and set washes for musicals; the same, plus side lighting for dance.

4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)

Colorado Tour1s, Slim PARs, and ETC Lustr / D40s.

5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?

Nope.

6) How are they working for what you're using them for?

Pretty darn good. Still some issues with steppiness (especially 0 - 3 %), color rendering, and color fading when in conjunction with other fixtures.

7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?

Yes, in that I often have a secondary system of conventionals with the LEDs.

8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?

Several different stages; a small black box with a stage area of about 20 x 40; a larger stage of about 40 x 32.

9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?

Costs are still very high for any fixture with either good color mixing or punch. Benefits are strong, but oftentimes I need to set levels of one system according to what I can actually get out of another.

10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?

Yes, sometimes -- on several of these shows I'm the electrician, not the designer.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Some interesting information so far. I see someone linked back to this too, though tapatalk wouldn't chase the link for some reason.

 

[Tex]

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why
I use LED lighting in all of my productions. They are also used in almost all additional events in my space.

2) Musical, straight play?
Yes. They're used for color wash and to supplement incandescent area light.

3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
Wash mostly. Sometimes downs or shin busters.

4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
14 x 63" Selador Vivid-R - Cyc light and color wash on main stage.
32 x Selador D-40 Vivid - Color wash in black box and assorted specials, shins, foots.

5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
No.

6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
Amazing.

7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
In the black box, I have 15 areas with a D-40 next to the incandescent downlight in each area. It's nice to be able to add color or extra lumens on an area by area basis.

8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
Main stage has a 50' x 20' opening and is 45' deep from stage edge to back wall. Black box is 50' x 45' with a 20' high pipe grid.

9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
My space just opened last year. I think in new construction, LED color is a no-brainer.

10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?[/quote]
No. They were specified by a theatre consulting firm.

 

[lwinters630]

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why
Yes we are using LED for the last 4 years
2) Musical, straight play?
Musicals, Drama, Choirs, Band and other presentations. often back to back or same day.
3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
All, over stage electrics, mostly wash, down and CYC
4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
Vivid R on the CYC, elation designer par zooms (replaced RGB strip light)
5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
I have not measured them, however the VIVID R are extremely bright. I often only run at 50%. and I wish the elations were brighter.
6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
Very pleased, The ability to go from event to event without having to change gels or position for our standard Rep set is a life saver.
7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
I have all S4 conventional in FOH and as front lights on electrics.
8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
50w x 30d x 20trim thrust 50 x 8 with 18' proscenium
9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
As for LED vs the old Strip RGB, saving in lamp replacement, heat (actors are not complaining anymore) no Gel cost. and far less electricity.
10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?
Yes, It took a lot of push and convincing to get it through budgets.

 

[JChenault]

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why
Yes

2) Musical, straight play?
Musicals. It's all my theatre does

3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
Down lights, cyc, occasionally to light set pieces

4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
Altman spectra cyc. K9 bulldog. Off brand Chinese

5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
Interesting you should ask. At USITT there was an excellent session on measuring light output with LED fixtures. The short answer is that it is very difficult. Most meters do not deal with the spikiness of the output, and the model for what the eye sees in the blue range is not correct. You really need a spectroscope.

6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
Cyc is lovely. Toning of stage colors is good but not outstanding

7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
Works well

8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
Stage is about 27 feet wide. 25 deep. Electrics about 17 feet above stage

9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
For cyc they are there. It's the only to fly ( IMHO). For downlight toning when you want and need color flexibility. Quite useful. They cost more to purchase, but the flexibility makes it worth while.

Other uses I am not sure about as yet.

10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?
Yes

 

[StradivariusBone]

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances?
Not at this time, plan to in the future. Using threads like this one to do homework on that purchase.

2) Musical, straight play?
We do both, plus typical HS rental space stuff that would use them.

3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
What we're looking at is to purchase downlight first, but unfortunately it's expensive to purchase everything we need in one go. Possibly cyc lights after, but way too expensive (plus would need the addition of a ground row would more than likely be required). I don't anticipate the need to buy anything for front light or movers. There is a house in town that has a set and will rent them out if the need arises.

4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
N/A

5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
N/A

6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
N/A

7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
We plan to. Everything I've read on CB seems to push towards a healthy mixture of both.

8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
Proscenium is 40' wide and 20' high. 3 dedicated electrics over stage approx 20' off the deck on average. 2 light bridges, one over the apron about 25' up and one about 30' back from the plaster line and 30-35' up.

9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
The efficiency equation is difficult to merit, since at most these things will be on for less than 15 hours a week in most circumstances and over summer will be off completely for 3-4 weeks at a time. I think the flexibility of design with essentially unlimited color choices, time saved in hanging gel and money saved in buying gel will make it worthwhile to upgrade. I think movers are awesome, but I would rather rent them than own them.

10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?
It will be. Which is nice.

-ED

 

[RickR]

I will answer related to a single event in a new facility.

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why
All LED!
2) Musical, straight play?
Musical
3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
All except 4 gobos in incandescents, no movers
4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
All ETC rig - Desire Lustr+ and Selador Classic Vivid-R
5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
No
6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
New and shiny
7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
not really
8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
50'x18' proscenium, 25ish throw
9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
Could have saved some money with some incandescents but will likely save due to maintenance in the long run
10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?
No

 

[paulslhac]

1) Are you using LED lighting in theatrical performances? Have you, and you stopped? Why
Yes, we use them for all our major performances and find them awesome.

2) Musical, straight play?
Both, Musicals and Plays

3) Front light, downlights, wash, footlights, gobo, movers?
Have been used as audience blinders (yes, its crude but DOES work), stage wash

4) *Exactly* what fixtures are you using? (Links to sources welcome)
Its a chinese brand, HI-LED
HILED TriLED

5) Have you measured FC/lux/lumens with a calibrated/semi-calibrated device?
No

6) How are they working for what you're using them for?
They work well. We've got plenty to utilize so theres no issue with them 'taking over' the halogens.

7) Are you using them in conjunction with conventional fixtures? How's that working out?
As above, they integrate nicely considering they are RGB. Yes, its noticable they are LED but again, they do their job.

8) How big is your stage; how high (and far) are your electrics?
Stage is approx 8m wide, 16m deep
Electrics are approx 9m from each bar.

9) What are your perceptions of the costs and benefits, and how far from 50/50 is the balance, in your opinion?
Eliminated the need for gels (cost savings), quiet (none of that dimmer racket), energy efficient

10) Was it your decision to use/buy them in the house/rig in question?
No. However i've influenced more use of them.

 

[Floobydust]

Off brand Chinese. Review here:

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Used in a variety of stages as cyc lights, down lights and sometimes front color washes.
About $88 each and about 270 watts (LED rating). With shipping and Paypal fees, totals about $122 each, qty 12.