gareth Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Anyone else seen "Stan & Ollie" yet? It's a great film, but am I the only one who had a bit of a 'grrrr' moment when the auditorium shots of their Lyceum shows in 1953 clearly showed a pair of Strand Patt.263s on the pros booms despite those units not coming into existence until 10 years after that time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pscandrett Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Anyone else seen "Stan & Ollie" yet? It's a great film, but am I the only one who had a bit of a 'grrrr' moment when the auditorium shots of their Lyceum shows in 1953 clearly showed a pair of Strand Patt.263s on the pros booms despite those units not coming into existence until 10 years after that time? Out of interest, what would have been used in the 30s and 40s? Is there a source for hiring such items for filming? Clearly there's still plenty of 60s/70s/80s Strand (et al) lanterns still about; it's probably easier to use those given their availability and probable similar heritage 'look', given their long manufacturing period. The Strand Archive doesn't have very many pre-WWII ones mentioned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinntec Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Out of interest, what would have been used in the 30s and 40s? Is there a source for hiring such items for filming? Clearly there's still plenty of 60s/70s/80s Strand (et al) lanterns still about; it's probably easier to use those given their availability and probable similar heritage 'look', given their long manufacturing period. The Strand Archive doesn't have very many pre-WWII ones mentioned...Patt 4x - 42, 43, 44, "old" 45 most likely for spots plus battens (Patt 63) overhead upstage of LX1 up to cyc lighting. Footlights almost certainly and likely no backlight as such. The most worrying thing is that these events only pre-date me by a couple of years ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave m Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 https://www.ancientlights.tv/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alasdair_f Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 https://www.ancientlights.tv/ I'm slightly worried by how many of those I recognise and have used (even briefly), given I consider myself young (i.e. <40) :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'm slightly, well worried is perhaps too strong, more interested, at how many of those we have in the loft over the scene dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'm slightly, well worried is perhaps too strong, more interested, at how many of those we have in the loft over the scene dock. polish them up, stick 'em on a wooden tripod and sell to hipsters to fund Caribbean holidays for the entire tech staff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 There's probably a market for the pageants as is, in that lovely industrial finish black. We have used one of the pageants as a prop on a wheeled stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinntec Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'm slightly worried by how many of those I recognise and have used (even briefly), given I consider myself young (i.e. <40) :unsure:Yes, I have also used the 500W and 1kW versions Patt 43 and Patt 44 if I remember correctly which we called "black boxes". Even Pageants! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Nearby village hall to us is still almost entirely lit by Patt 23, Patt 123 and Patt 45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 Out of interest, what would have been used in the 30s and 40s? Good question. Was it even 'fashionable' to have FOH profiles on a pros boom position in that era? Or would it have just been a gallery-front position FOH, with the bulk of the work being done by follow-spots, floats and battens? Looking at the Strand Archive - maybe patt.43 might've been found in a theatre like the Lyceum in the early 50s? 1953 saw the launch of the patt.23 (and what looks like its higher-wattage cousin the p.53), so they might've been possibilities I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 They were touring the variety hall circuit (the last remnants of the music hall business model) which operated a weekly change of bill and is probably best compared to the working mans club circuit than modern touring theatrical shows. You got one band rehearsal and were expected to remodel your act to fit the technical dimensions of the stage in your own time. All the acts you work with this week were completely different to the acts you worked with last week and you were usually on a buyout contract so a popular show could have you performing 18 times per week. There simply wasn’t any concept of lighting cues, textures, frankly anything beyond ensuring that the act could be seen by 3000+ people crammed in to the theatre so lighting would have been on/off at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 They did have followspots of course, so there were cue sheets for each act - usually a wash fro. the battens, and full body, half body etc sizes for the follows spots and of course blackouts and full up finishes. They had from the 40s onwards in variety venues the odd spot up with the battens. My theatre in 1958 was kitted out with 3 colour battens plus a switched white working light circuit three of these, the same with footlights. There were 3 acting area spots each side as booms, another 6 of the acting area flood/spots. Front of house light was quite limited - just some more of the focus lanterns. In 66, the upgrade was to Patt 263/4, Patt 60 floods and Patt 243 Fresnels with a few 23 and 123s. The circus down the road still have the acting area spots hanging up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 Yes, Tom, I know about the very different way of working as far as the old variety tours were concerned, as well as the lack of finesse and complexity to the lighting - the days of floats and battens were a very different era. However, the question is whether what was shown in the Lyceum auditorium shots was strictly accurate - both in terms of the lanterns shown (which wasn't), and the pros boom positions they were rigged in (which is what I'd like to know about in terms of whether those positions would've been used for lighting back in those days). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Almost standard feature of 30`s cinemas was colour changing coving, adding in things like twinkling stars and projected clouds. Control and ambition was available for more than an electric recreation of gas by then. Wasn`t `limelight` folowspot position at extreme ends of balcony not more likely than proscenium booms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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