searchlight from helicopter

[robthirlby]

I need to create the effect of a helicopter mounted searchlight for "God Only Knows" in mid May. The old Pancan seems to have been (mercifully?) withdrawn.

 

Last year Stage Electrics introduced something called the "Right Arm" which could do the job beautifully but dont yet hire them and my budget doesn't run to buying one. Has anyone played with this device and/or know a company who hires them?

 

Any alternative ideas would be interesting. For once noise may not be too much of an issue as presumably this helicopter would have an engine!

 

Rob Thirlby

[SoLiEn]

are you basically asking for a roving spotlight?

 

if so, whats wrong with a moving head?

[woody74]

This is what I'd use...

 

Cheers,

-w

[Graham the lampie]

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p225/blacklight1974/1.jpg

 

 

Made by Clay Paky

 

My 2p comment

[Shez]

This is what I'd use...

 

The only problem with a moving mirror, as opposed to a moving head, is that the shape of the beam changes as the angle of the mirror changes. I think you'd be better off with something akin to a moving head rather than a mirror.

 

A couple of months back there was a helicopter searchlight wandering around my street for quite some time late one night. Exceptionally bright, very wide beam (although that depends on altitude of course) and a very distinctive jerky motion. Imagine a sticky followspot at the back of an arena - might take a bit of programming to achieve the effect realistically - smooth pan & tilt it ain't!

[Steve Cavill]

The shape of the beam also changes with a moving head, to get a perfectly round beam of light you need to project in a straight line.

 

Either will do the job perfectly, as the beam angle changes on a helicopter search light.

 

If you want a random movement, something like an old Par36 scanner will do the job, but it all depends on what budget you have available as to the effect you can get, also how bright the ambient lighting will be at the time its needed...

[musht]

Original is the Spectrolab Nightsun:

 

http://ils.spectrolab.com/

[Ynot]

Depending how large a beam you want, why not a Clay Paky Pin Scan - we have 5 and I'd say one of these would be fine.

 

TD

[Steve Cavill]

Theyre the ones I was thinking of Ynot.

 

Although it depends how bright it needs to be, etc...

[Ynot]

Theyre the ones I was thinking of Ynot.

 

:D :D

 

<< Blatant plug - available for hire if not in use at our place... >>

 

:D :D :D

[paulears]

All lights change the beam shape as the angle to the ground plane changes - even a parallel beamlight does. The helicopter beam, due to the height, tracks at a very similar angle to the ground plane, meaning the beam stays the same shape. If you really have to have that effect, then a par can on a tab track would work rather nicely, and in a bit of haze, look very different.

[Sirch Sound]

How tight is your budget? You can hire a MAC250 for £100 per week, and if your looking down the automated generic route then theres the ETC Source 4 Revolution :D Haha a revolution its certanly not. Well, its a nice fixture when you get it up on the rig, its just getting it there thats the problem!

 

Rich

[LampieManPro]

£230 and they are on ebay also

[Jivemaster]

A single ACL 250 or 450w running off a tranformer would do. trouble is that beams are only visible in haze. Will the light be from a fixed place or will the "helicopter" be moving. A 500w scanner (disco ish) should have the jerkiness needed for realism when run off a joystick.

[david.elsbury]

Don't forget that for a convincing effect you also need to talk with your sound designer, for a good helicopter SFX. Because without the sound, it's only a random roaming light from the grid...