Using Gobos with Border Lights

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if there is anyway possible to use a gobo with a border light? We have borderlights downstage of the cyc, but we don't any space on the electric to hang a leko or other fixture for a gobo. Is this possible? Thanks

Just for clarity--I thought I should add that we are using altman borderlights. (Not sure exactly of the frame size though)

 

If you are speaking of cyc or strip lights, then sorry....no. The beam of light in an ellipsoidal is reflected and focused through the lens and the gobo is put into the path of light at the necessary point before it goes through the lens. (thus the name GOBO, GOes Before Optics). You can't put a gobo in a fresnel, par, etc...

 

In short, no.

You need the focusing optics of an Ellipsoidal to project a Gobo.

Take a step back. What effect are you trying to create? There could be another way to get what you're looking for.

Tell us more: Do you know the model, or can you find out (or take a photo) of the lights? Are the units out of sightlines?

--Sean

 

Ok thanks for the answer. I never realized what gobo actually meant.

 

For the effect--I just want to be able to put gobos on our cyc (its a broadway song show, so I wanted to put some broadway like gobos at different times on the cyc)
This is the model http://www.theaterlighting.net/images/borderlight.jpg
And yes, they are out of sightlines

 

OK, well, that won't work.

Can you hang the units further downstage on a boom? Then project over the heads of the actors onto the cyc?

You could also do this from the house if you have a low box boom position.

In a real pinch (and you'll have to figure out the positioning carefully to not be catching the actors in the lights and casting shadows): put a couple lekos on floor plates and put them out on the apron to the sides--like footlights.

That make sense?

--Sean

 

It will be difficult to use the floor because its kind of an odd shaped stage, and hanging on another electric may be possible, but is there a way to put the fixture lower than the actual electric? (Because if not, i'd be hitting a border that can't be flown out)

 

Yes... but would that put the light in sightlines? Would that be ok?

I really think you should explore the "in the wing on a boom" idea.

Or, not to shoot holes in your design idea: Is there another way to get the _idea_ across without something as literal as a gobo _telling_ the audience the "where/when" of the scene?


--Sean

 

Its a camp show for the other campers (at a non theater camp...so I'm not really worried about "telling the story.") I'm more or less trying for the "eye candy"...you know, trying to keep the kids interested in the show when they are not performing. Any other ideas of how to do eye candy type things?

 

If you can't hand below the pipe, can you hang on top of it. I do this a great deal to hide fixtures from sight lines. The problem, as gafftaper just said, is the keystone effect.

As a sidenote, dropping in a city skyline or theatre district type gobo (Like the picture below) into the standard slot (non-moving), and putting in a dichroic in a rotator in the rotator/iris slot gives a great effect! It is a cheap way of making the lights look like they are flashing/chasing.

Below is an Apollo gobo and dichroic!

 

I do have the ability to use the other units (though they may be hard to connect to my dimmer system) I like the cookie idea, but, that may be difficult to do unless i could find someone who could carve into wood well.

We have a FOH pipe that is usually used for front light, but I may be able to put a gobo in a fixture there, but I'm not sure if the angle would work well.

 

1: I have a somewhat decent budget (around $1000), but its money that I have been saving up to buy lights, so if I buy something, I need it to be decent in quality, and something that I can use in multiple shows (not just this one).

2: There are empty dimmers that (hopefully work-there are no lights plugged in, but I'm assuming they work) are on the electric. We have lighting instruments that can kind of be moved around the different electrical, but the majority of the second and third are border lights (there are only 3 electrics--1st includes lekos and fresnels; 2nd are not gelled border lights used as downlight but has additional dimmers for additional fixtures; 3rd is all borderlights gelled with different colors for the cyc) The console that we are using is an edi minstrel and we don't have any toys (sadly).

3: The problem is that by putting a fixture on the ground, the nearest dimmer is either 20 feet up or 20 feet to the wall.

 

Extension Cord.

 

A stage pin extension cord?

 

Yes. Exactly. That's how the shows "out in the world" are done.

--Sean

 

Since you seem a little thrown by the extension cord I wanted to throw out there that you shouldn't make your own extension cord, unless you are going to use the proper gauge and rated parts. I wouldn't introduce an off the shelf home-depot extension cord into my lighting system. I could be wrong, so don't quote me, but I believe you'd want to use 12 gauge, as the rest of your lighting system is probably rated at 20 amps / 2,400 watts. Why introduce a weak leg into your system?

(They can be bought of course too.)