Lighting Problems

[stevieboi]

Hi folks

 

Our church has recently upgraded the sound and video systems, and would now like to move into lighting the space we have using something more interesting than the rather dodgy fluorescent tubes on the ceiling which sometimes interfere with the sound.

 

Our problem is, although we can use the lights currently in the rig, they do not point in the right directions to be of any use, and after emailing the management of the centre it turns out that the lights are not allowed to be moved.

 

what we would like to create is a general wash of colours, and also enough light to eliminate the need for the fluorescents.

 

we do have access to 3x 32a sockets fed from 1x 100a breaker, along with an analogue pulsar (don't know the model) 6 channel dimmer and controller. however this is on the stage, quite a way from where the lights would need to be.

 

as this is for a church, it needs to be as low budget as possible, so any help / advice would be appreciated.

 

thanks

[BlueShift]

On the cheap - Pars are most likely your best bet. They are cheap, reliable and can be had in 3 common beam angle varieties. Par bulbs have internal reflectors so the spread of the fixture is determined by which bulb you buy.

 

As such, you can, to some extent, pick your angles. They can be had for around £15 each, with the bulbs costing the same again - so £30 ish per fixture.

 

I take it that you setup for each sunday, and then pack down after the services?

 

In which case some stand mounted par64 lamps wired to socapex connectors is probably your best bet. that way you can run 6 pars off of one cable. you could get 3 bars of 6 - put 2 bars on stands and place them out into the congregation, but out wide of the stage a little, so shining toward the stage from either side around 40 degrees off of center. you could use these 12 lights for white stage lighting (using narrow beam bulbs) and color wash (on wide or medium flood bulbs) and then use the bar at the back for room lighting - bouncing light off of the ceiling and walls to give an ambient light. you could pair the two stage bars onto 6 dimming channels and then have the back bar on another 6 giving you 12 dimming channels needed.

Then you can run it all off of a 2 preset desk like a strand 200 series 12/24

 

Cheers

[paulears]

Our problem is, although we can use the lights currently in the rig, they do not point in the right directions to be of any use, and after emailing the management of the centre it turns out that the lights are not allowed to be moved.

 

Do you pay for the space, or is it free? If you pay, and there are lights installed, then it could simply be cheaper to buy a tallescope or similar and pursuade the management that you need to use them. You will refocus them, and will make the tallescope available to them so they can use it too!

 

Rigging lights every Sunday is going to be very annoying after a while. If you are intending sing the building for a reasonable time, the other option would be for you to pay to get extra kit nstalled permanently. You are also going to need storage facilities and lights don't travel that well.

[stevieboi]

Our problem is, although we can use the lights currently in the rig, they do not point in the right directions to be of any use, and after emailing the management of the centre it turns out that the lights are not allowed to be moved.

 

Do you pay for the space, or is it free? If you pay, and there are lights installed, then it could simply be cheaper to buy a tallescope or similar and pursuade the management that you need to use them. You will refocus them, and will make the tallescope available to them so they can use it too!

 

Rigging lights every Sunday is going to be very annoying after a while. If you are intending sing the building for a reasonable time, the other option would be for you to pay to get extra kit nstalled permanently. You are also going to need storage facilities and lights don't travel that well.

 

 

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming!

 

Yes we do set up and pack down every sunday, within a limited time - building opens at 9.30, service starts at 10.30, ends about 12.15 and we have to be out of the building by 1.00 as other groups come in after us.

 

so ease of setting lighting up and packing it away is also a factor, as we also have to set up sound and projection in that time.

 

can you explain how socapex works?

 

or what about some kits that are available, that have a dimmer mounted on the stand with 4 lights that plugs into a 13a socket?could these be modified to run off the available 32a supplies?

 

thanks again

[paulears]

Well, I'd avoid the stand mount dimmers - a rack somewhere out of the way is always better.

 

Socapex is simply a generic term applied to what was a make of connector. The ideais that you use a chunky multicore cable, with a 19pin plug an socket instead of 6 separate cables - much, much quicker. Lighting bars are available with a socapex male plug, and you can get dimmers with (normally) 2 socapex outputs. So zapping a cable out and getting light working quickly is quite possible. Downside - expense, really. If you have a 32amp three phase outlet - then you could have a couple of racks (6ch) and a couple of decent stands with a 6 way PAR64 bar - nice and bright. A simple manual control desk with slider faders would probably be sufficient.

 

Blue shift is talking sense here - one other idea would be that if the exisiting lighting hanging points are strong enough, you could possibly hang the socapex internally wired bars off them, on droppers that would let the bar hang below the others you can't use?

[BlueShift]

Paulears - are you implying often I do not talk sense :P:P :unsure:

 

.. dont answer that ;)

 

The other question that springs to mind is - if the lights in the building are installed, they must be pointing toward the stage - in which case, why not take into consideration using said stage for your services if its possible in order to aquire use of the lights.

 

Quick rigging of the bars can be very simple - get a transport frame/meatrack for your par bars - this is basically a frame that allows you to take the all the bars of lights, drop them into one frame which has weels and so can be rolled right onto a van or whatever.

Get some wind up stands - that way you pop the bars on, plug in one end of the socapex, wind up the stand and your done.

 

Rack up the dimmers in a good rack with wheels then just plug in the socapex and a DMX cable and go. if you have a spare line in your audio multi, you can most likely use this for your DMX run, saving you the run of cable.

 

Cheers

[Just Some Bloke]

Get some wind up stands - that way you pop the bars on, plug in one end of the socapex, wind up the stand and your done.

 

Don't forget you'd still need to focus them! Which will still require some form of access equipment: either a tallescope or a ladder (ladder should be fine if you're just using wind-up stands).

 

If you're using the same set-up every week maybe it would be better to invest in something permanent now which can be left where it is and just turned on for each service. Maybe the people who come in in the afternoon would agree to go halves with you on the cost and use the same kit themselves?