Catwalk lighting

[Ben K]

Hi all,

I'm operating/ helping rig a fashion show soon and was looking for a couple of answers and a bit of inspiration really

So here goes:

-I was thinking basically to have o/w fresnels running parralel up the catwalk and a bit of front light to pick up faces, what can I do to make it a bit more interesting than just constant light???

-how much colour can I use??

-Do I need anything on the floor e.g uplight? (I would preferably not use it but if it is 'worth it' then I should be able to drag some channels from somewhere.)

-I've been told by the designer he wants a follow spot but how is it best used? does it just follow models up the walk'?? (I would point out that it will be level with the catwalk at this point as we have the smallest box in the world with a projector directly infront of it!!!)

 

 

For a bit of background I will be opping using a sirius 24 with 'nova' fresnels noone has heard of that I'm sure are 'older than them there hills!' the designer is in year 9 (as am I!) so it is amateur but I am very keen to make it look as impressive and proffesional as possible.

 

Any help appreciated and thanks in advance! ;)

B

[HobitLight]

There have been topics on this before. The search brought up this which seems useful.

[Trunker]

Nova fresnels. I have used these years ago if I remember rightly the focusing on them is appalling. The beam is not great, but for a catwalk you have the right sort of idea. Use Fresnels from above all the way down the catwalk, these should blend together really well. Don't use profiles because you will end up with 'patchy lighting'. If you want to use colour, try up-lighting in ust a few areas, just to try and 'show off' the colours in the 'costumes'.

[david.elsbury]

Don't use profiles because you will end up with 'patchy lighting'.

I would have to take issue with this statement, at one of my main place of work (Aotea Centre) we use profiles extensively, FoH and overstage, and there is no such thing as "patchy lighting". It's all as smooth as if it were a rig of fresnels (but with lots more control)

 

If you have "patchy lighting" with your profiles, is there possibly something wrong with the way you are focussing the units?

[Oliver S]

A nice effect to do, if you have lighting lined up from one side of the cat walk to the other, is to create a chase scene where the lights flicker on from one side of the cat walk to the other.

 

******** [ 1 ]*******

******** [ 2 ]*******

******** [ 3 ]*******

~~~~~~~ *** ~~~~~

[ ******** 4 ******* ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

So to make my writing clear, it would be dark and the lights would flick on at 1 and then at 2 whilst going off at 1 and then on at 3 whilst going off at 2 etc....

 

Sorry not sure how clear I was writing so wanted to make sure you guys know what I mean!

 

This would be nice to have just before the next models come on stage or something

 

PS: The " * " are just spacers needed so that I could do the specific diagram, otherwise it all gets shifted automatically to the left!

And the " [ ] " and " ~ " indicate the T of a catwalk

[niclights]

The important bit is constant even coverage of the catwalk. Don't vary colour here. Uplight is a bonus and definitely useful but not essential.

 

For colour or dynamics you can do things from the stage (ie. entrance) end. Backlight or cyc etc. One trick is to keep the catwalk dark and do some moody silhouette through plenty of smoke as an intro. For larger shows you can add movers for this section. Once models are on the catwalk it's all about seeing them. Projection is effective for designer/shop logos.

 

The only time I can see a followspot being useful is at this stage intro again with catwalk dimmed. Not something I would bother with.

[6th Order]

Any scope for some movement across the audience? scans etc Will it be high energy music?

 

If it is then keep the catwalk simple and play around with the 'house', if not then perhaps some more 'architechtural' stuff. Presumably it's more than one designer/style/section so you could vary colour themes for each section.

 

Can you get more info on the content of the show from the 'designer'? (is that show designer or fashion designer?)

[cliveybaby]

Please, please remember the fact the performers/models are walking down

a thin bit of staging

 

had to sort quite a few fashion shows out when the lighting had been set to look great

 

but the poor cat walkers could not see the edge of walkway due to virtually

eye level lighting

 

try to get the bulk of your coverage as high as practically possible

 

Good luck

 

Cliveybaby

[dvidos]

I really have no experience in this type of show, but found an image which seems to agree with people's opinions here.

 

http://www.sound-light.gr/images/7_h.jpg

 

Seems a bit underlighted for video, but they look like bars of 6 parcans left and right of the catwalk.

 

hth,

Dimitris.

[Caldair]

In that picture I would have, if I had the lights, thrown a bit of colour on the audience (not the stage - they spent a lot of effort on choosing colours for their clothes and would probably want to pull you through a sewing machine if you mess with that) and perhaps the white wall (but, again, not the models). Otherwise, yup. They do as even a white wash as they can get, mostly (as far as we can see) from the side, keeping the light out of the models' eyes as much as possible and emphasizing the body (like in dance).

[David Lee]

As said before - white light on catwalk. No extra colours to "highlight" the clothes. You'll only annoy the designers.

[Don Allen]

When lighting a catwalk, as well as lighting the models with a well focussed side light from both sides of the catwalk, remember that the VIP's and buyers sit in the front row so please don't blind them which is what would happen with that abaove picture.

 

I have successfully lit carwalks with Par64, it's all about the correct angle. One advantage the Par64 has the oval beam, in this case no need for shutters !

 

A bit of diffusion if you want to be picky.

[Bryson]

Actually, the VIPs and buyers are often there to be seen, rather than to see, so if they're lit, I wouldn't worry too much....

[dvidos]

Don, you got me thinking.

 

You are right in not blinding the front row. It is similar to "Lighting the Arena" technique, where you need steep enough lights to back light the actor, but not the audience.

 

Then, in the picture, it is clear that the Par Cans, the womans body and the eye level of the people sitting, form one straight line...

 

It is not easy, I must confess.

[niclights]

It might look like that but there doesn't seem to be much light on the audience. In fact the focus looks low with the majority of light probably coming from the front.

 

But, relevant to this, I wanted to point out I have successfully lit catwalks many times with pars rigged in a typical front truss slightly beyond the end. With a reasonable amount of width you can get surprisingly good even coverage for the full length. So it is not essential to rig down either side and this can also help avoid splashing the audience with limited clearance.