Warm/Cool Repertory Plot Plot

[carsonld]

I am trying to create a repertory plot for our auditorium for t spring semester because we have multiple graduations, concerts, and little events. I have been told that the warm/cool method can help sculpt the person(s) on stage, which is exactly what I am wanting to do for the majority of events. I have my stage set up into five areas and each area has a front, top and back light. For the most part I think I am good on my grid. I have all warm lights but also have two 36° gelled in R61 for cool lighting and hopefully help with some of the sculpting since they will be at a 45° angle. (If any tips or question for that please ask or tell ).

The main problems I am having is on my coves and electrical battens. I have my top lighting gelled in L201 and then I have side lighting for my 3 middle areas (my two outer areas aren't rarely ever used) and those side lights are gelled in R09 and R356. With my side lighting in my coves gelled with R34 and R72. I have also added some more saturated cool/warm side lighting for the full stage. Will these colors work? I have seen most people use a blue/orange while I am using purple/orange and pink/blue Or is my stage just going to look like a giant ugly mess?

Any plots or tips will help tremendously!

Below I have attached my plots for our Coves/Electrical Battens and Grid.

 

[twalker1998]

If I'm understanding correctly, you have warm lights for every area, but only two cool lights for the whole stage- while this method may light the entire stage, it may not accomplish the exact effect you're going for. I would suggest setting a cool light right next to the warm light for each acting area. Make sure you keep the cool light on the same side of the warm light for each area- for example, if you set the cool light for area 1 on the SL side of the warm light, set the cool light for areas 1-4 on the SL side of those warm lights as well. I would also use R60 as opposed to R61 for the cool lighting, but that's just my personal preference. R61 still works just fine.

As for your side lighting- I would choose more saturated colors above stage. Again, this is personal preference, but unsaturated side lighting doesn't really affect the subject much. Also, make sure you have the same color coming from both sides. Right now, you have R356 coming from the SR side of your battens, and R09 coming from the SL side. You typically want your side lighting to match up- having the subject be hit with one color from one side and a different color from the other will look wacky. Another thing to keep in mind with side lighting- not every area needs it's own side light. In all my designs I've had three colors of side lighting (colors varying on the show), with the beams crossed on stage. So, the three lights that were set on the SR side of the batten were focused on SL, and vice versa. Basically, put one color in the ellipsoidals closest to center, a second color in the next set of ellipsoidals, and a third color in the last set and focus them so that all areas will be hit with those lights.

Not sure if any of this helps as I'm very bad at explaining things over the internet, so if you have any questions you're more than welcome to PM me.

 

[z2oo]

I have to disagree with twalker1998...
If you're going for a basic warm/cool rep plot, the most accepted (arguably) method of lighting the stage is by having your one warm and one cool light for each area, separated by about 90 degrees (45 degrees from the centerline in opposite directions). Check out this thread for more info on what you can do with a limited inventory.

I do agree about the sidelight colors -- use just one color from each side, since it doesn't look like you have enough instruments to cover the stage in multiple colors from the side. My color preference is to have something like R53 from one side, and maybe R33ish from the other. Don't go too saturated if you're doing a multipurpose rep plot.

 

[twalker1998]

I have to disagree with twalker1998...
If you're going for a basic warm/cool rep plot, the most accepted (arguably) method of lighting the stage is by having your one warm and one cool light for each area, separated by about 90 degrees (45 degrees from the centerline in opposite directions). Check out this thread for more info on what you can do with a limited inventory.

I do agree about the sidelight colors -- use just one color from each side, since it doesn't look like you have enough instruments to cover the stage in multiple colors from the side. My color preference is to have something like R53 from one side, and maybe R33ish from the other. Don't go too saturated if you're doing a multipurpose rep plot.

You have a point, that's just not the design I typically use in proscenium theaters or auditoriums such as the one OP is designing in. I usually use the McCandless method for the apron areas, lit from the FOH position with 26 degree ellipsoidals, and then use one warm WFL Parcan and one cool WFL Parcan focused straight on for each acting area hung on battens over stage. Lights the stage quite well, actually. In black box theaters though, I almost always use McCandless. Really just personal preference, I guess.

 

[StradivariusBone]

You have a point, that's just not the design I typically use in proscenium theaters or auditoriums such as the one OP is designing in. I usually use the McCandless method for the apron areas, lit from the FOH position with 26 degree ellipsoidals, and then use one warm WFL Parcan and one cool WFL Parcan focused straight on for each acting area hung on battens over stage. Lights the stage quite well, actually. In black box theaters though, I almost always use McCandless. Really just personal preference, I guess.

I recently built a rep plot along this idea after I saw it hung in our sister theatre, previously the plot was a full-on McCandless. We have 5 zones across our stage, each zone has a downlight PAR and three color front wash (Pink, Amber, Blue). The apron we light with 26 degrees from the front and the coves. The only issue is we don't have much in the way of center light on the apron since it's divided into two zones, but we just don't have enough circuits to make three.

I like the McCandless for plays, but using the method @twalker1998 is describing is more adaptable to what we typically have going on.