Use of movers

[RJS]

Moving lights are great and I really like the effect of them sweeping out over the audience etc, but don't you worry that people are starting to overuse moving lights in theatre.

 

For example my old school are considering replacing most of the generic lights with intelligent ones. Specifically martin cx4's for the washes and mx4's for the spots B-) . there would still be some CCT minuettes and some CCT profiles (cant remember range of beam angle)

 

Is it just me or does anyone else think this is a bad idea?

[Potassium Neuf]

At the last concert I went to (Iron Maiden in Cardiff) they had around 20 moving lights in their rig, but they only used them occasionally for special effects.

 

They certainly weren't overused during the gig, and were all the more effective when they were, especially when coupled with an impressive stage set.

 

It was almost like theatre, but much louder B-)

 

The vast majority of their rig was still composed of parcans with different colour filters, and typically they would only be switching between 2/3 different colours at a time.

[mac500]

I personally would not go there with the mx and Cx range as they are too noisy. The fans sound like a jet plane is taking off. Heed my advice and don't waste your money for a theatre situation.

[andystone]

You can't really replace conventional luminaires in a theatre with intelligent fixtures, particularly not moving mirrors - they simply don't achieve the same effect, are different colour temperature and you don't have the control over them that you have with conventionals i.e. no barndoors or shutters (OK, I know there are intelligent fixtures with shutters, but it's not the same.

 

Colour wash intelligent fixtures can be good for theatre as they offer great flexibility in the number of colour washes you can have and the spread across the stage.

 

Moving mirror heads and moving body spots are only really useful for effects.

 

You can of course get motorised yokes for conventional luminaires and these can incorporate motorised zoom and focus, but you're still missing the shutters and barndoors!

 

Andy Stone

Stagetec

[Brian]

It would be a strange decision. The MX-4 only has 15 solid colours and they are all a bit 'disco'; the 16 degree beam angle may be a bit limiting, perhaps a bit too tight; and the gobo range is also of limited theatrical use (plus you can't rotate the gobos).

 

The CX-4 might make a bit more sense but it's also got a 16 degree beam which is way to small for a general on-stage wash. They claim 77 colours but the moment you need to use a gobo or beam reducer you are down to just 9 colours, again they are all a bit 'disco'.

 

I guess if most of the work is music/dance you might get away with it but for any drama they will soon show up their limits.

[RJS]

Good to see I'm not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea.

[Stu]

Cor blimey it's a bad idea - ok yes perhaps hire in some movers for the very occasional need, but a school having a moving light rig comprising of a few disco lights just isn't work. To suitably colour wash a stage your going to need quite a few fixtures, and it's just not worth the hassle.

 

Stick with generics.

 

I personally prefer to use movers for the odd effect, and at least make the few I do really work, as opposed to having lots of little, almost pointless effects.

 

Stu

[vinny baby]

+ the featured Intelligent lights DONT DIM.

 

scanner instead of conventionals

 

Daft!! B-)

[tjkerr]

Movers will allways have a place it's just getting boring watching the same LD's using the same stanard gobos!!!! Oh and I aint feeling people loving Mac's soo much because really they are over priced crap! Look around theres much better grear out there and better priced!

[vinny baby]

Oh and I aint feeling people loving Mac's soo much because really they are over priced crap! Look around theres much better grear out there and better priced

 

hmm, I agree and disagree. Its true that there is lot of products out there now, that are value for money and just as good as the Mac. BUT!!! Martin gear is very very very good, and thats why it sells, even at the stupid prices, (yes they are over priced a little).

 

at the end of the day, you wouldnt go out and exspect to buy a ferrari, for £5000

 

you get what ya pay for!!

 

also with some of this Crap, (ACME SPOT QUEENS SPRING TO MIND) its all nasty!!

 

and at the end of the day you can not pollish a terd. <------ spell check, 'U' or 'E' reads the same with either letter. B-)

 

vince

[mac500]

TJ what would you suggest that is better then QUOTE: 'over priced c***p'. You get what you pay for I.e if you buy movers from a small company they do not have the reliability and service then the much larger companies do.........

 

If you had the choice of either hiring a MAC 250 or a light from pearl river I definatly know the one I'd go with!

[Stu]

If you had the choice of either hiring a MAC 250 or a light from pearl river I definatly know the one I'd go with!

I'd personally go for the Pearl River 250 fixture, as the Mac 250s are horrid little beasts.

 

From having used both extensively on shows there really is no comparison.

 

Stu

[Barney]

I was working with a theatre consultant, a couple of years ago now, who were responsible for a big theatre rebuild including a dance space / studio.

 

They were all for stripping out the generic lighting and control, and replacing them with moving lights. Couldn't get to see that this was going to be impractical as they would need to be moved at least every week. "Why do you need to move the lights...?"

 

[On a similar topic, the consultants also planned to bolt vertical dance booms to the side walls of the stage for crosslighting. Not sure how the dancers would have squeezed down to the front of stage without walking in front of lamps, or crawling?]

 

Plus, they/the management were angling for the two spaces to be covered by "multi-tasking" technicians. Not necessarily a bad idea, but these people were to be the usual mix of house electricians and backstage crew. ie, they were planning on using a flyman to cover the (rigging and) operating of a dance show!

 

Now, I've got nothing against a flyman helping out with some lighting, but surely you need someone who's (a) worked with dance companies before, (b) know's enough about lighting, © has a concept of how a moving light works.

Sorry, that got a bit off-topic.

 

Anyway, I think replacing a complete rig with intelligent fixtures is a very bad idea. Except if you are a disco.

[gil-galad]

Movers are great but people expect a little too much of them sometimes. If you want to swap intelligents for your whole rig then you really need a large quanitity. Then theres the noise to think about. I've had forty in a fairly large theatre and you could definately hear the fan noise.

Things like barndoors on washlights are all very well but have you seen the size of a mac2000 wash with barndoors on!!!!

 

Don't get me wrong if someone is willing to pay for a theatre to have its standard lx bars full of intelligent fixtures (lets say 80 washes and 24 spots) then great but is it really cost effective? Wouldn't most visiting companies only want a generic rig anyway so you're running an expensive fixture with a veri finite life span versus a fresnell with a bit of colour that will last over 25 years with an occasional lamp, new gel and a ten minute service.

[Benny]

I feel that even at a school production level there can be a desire to use moving lights because they are exciting.However they must be properly balanced with the use of conventional lights to avoid seeming too "showy",.