New follow Spots

[Guest joewhite903]

Ok guys im looking to purchase 2x new follow spots up to a max price of £5k Each.

Looking at 1200w Discharge or higher, DMX controlled Iris, Dimmer, colour, Shutter, Focus and any other controlls. Im after ideally externall ballast or internal electronic Ballast. And good quality Stand.

Thanks Guys

[paulears]

You want DMX controllable everything? There are a few, based on CP Goldenscan technology - and at least a couple of clone/copys, but they don't have remote DMX focus. However, you can unplug the local control panel and DMX them up - unless ther's a really good reason, remote iris and dimmer are a bit of a pain.

[gareth]

Why do you need DMX control of focus, iris, etc.? For a follow-spot, that's something the operator should have control of. DMX control of a dimming shutter I can just about understand - and some of the Robert Juliat range have a DMX input on the ballast which allows that. Not sure exactly which ones - but I do know that the Aramis units I used to use do have this facility, and the Topaze units that we have at my current place of work don't.

[niclights]

It's the Lucy & Korrigan models that can have motorised dimmer/DMX. But is extra. I'm not sure if you'd get that in for £5k.

[Guest joewhite903]

Hi im after local DMX control for the operator to have full control over the followspot, with the option to remove the control panel to a side mount.

We did a show last week I was helping out (the one with the fat frog) The school hired the follows in from a company Called THE WAREHOUSE Which supplied us with 2x Robert Juliat Foxie MSR 700 Followspot's , we liked them but would rather buy our own for next year and decided we wanted DMX as we were wearing T-Shirts and kept burnning out arms when moving the iris, Dimmer or channging colours even though we did have a fan running on the scaffold tower. But you know how hot it gets.

Plus were DMX crazy so thought why not. Thanks joe

[themadhippy]

And er what ya going to do when the LD/director asks for L205,L109,#068 and #119 in the spots when all you've got is several fixed colours on a wheel?

[Ynot]

Sorry, Joe, but if this for a school, then I'd have to go down the usual 'senior' BR route and ask why on earth you're looking to but top range follows?

And I'd echo the query on DMX everything...

 

Follow spotting is an intuitive craft, and the fact that very few have DMX anything is testament to the fact that it's not something widely used or in fact needed.

 

How come you were burning your arm on a manual spot? Even wearing a T shirt (which to be honest is standard dress for spot-ops!)?

 

I've always found RJ follows nice and easy to use, (we had a Foxie on trial before we bought our Marius, and I've used a Topaz as well) and all can be op'd with ease without risk of scorched flesh.

 

So - save the £10K and hire a decent pair in for whenever the school needs them.

[GridGirl]

Why complicate matters? The new Selecon Performer followspots (Tahi (short throw), Rua (medium throw) and Toru (long throw)) are fantastic pieces of kit. They don't have the DMX iris or focus, but quite honestly, I wouldn't bother complicating matters with that, one more thing to deal with during plotting really. Clicky here for their info page, and it's also worth noting the following....

 

...and thanks to the Selecon heat management system the operator receives little radiated heat with controls that remain cool to the touch, even after many hours of continuous use.

 

So no more burned hands and arms....I'm not sure what their price is, though I suspect you may well get a pair for under £5k.

[niclights]

Looking at list prices here those Selecon Performers should come in on or under bugdet, except the long throw. But that would be quite a school hall...

[paulears]

Spending TEN GRAND on followspots for a school seems like a criminal waste of money, when the people that will work them won't have a clue how to do it, won't want to learn and in my own experience, you put the 'homeless' kids on followspot duty.

[mumbles]

Spending TEN GRAND on followspots for a school seems like a criminal waste of money, when the people that will work them won't have a clue how to do it, won't want to learn and in my own experience, you put the 'homeless' kids on followspot duty.

and you forgot that they will get trashed. My old school has got 2 spots since I left, and in 2 years they have already bent a colour mag beyond use, and have snapped an iris, as well as a multitude of dents etc and more lamps than you would expect considering they hardly use them. Fortunately these were cheap spots, but considering the lack of use they have, 'tis rather ridiculous.

 

Conversely ours bought at the same sort of time, which are identical just with a different lens have sustained very little damage and are in much more regular use.

 

M

[gareth]

we were wearing T-Shirts and kept burnning out arms when moving the iris, Dimmer or channging colours

In that case, with respect, there's something wrong with your follow-spot technique. If your operating position is set up properly, and you're 'doing it right', there's no reason, particularly with nice new units like RJs, to be burning yourself in the course of running a followspot.

[Guest joewhite903]

And er what ya going to do when the LD/director asks for L205,L109,#068 and #119 in the spots when all you've got is several fixed colours on a wheel?

I am one off the lighting directors, these are for me, I left the school almost 4 years ago, this was my 8th show at the school, I go back and assist, The other guy doing followspoting with me works for me, the school is a poor desgn so we had to have both followspots up one scaffold tower, Rather than in the lighting booth in the previous school, The school isnt coverd for putting pupils up The scaffold tower nomater how high/low it is. we were operating the follows from a seated postition as we found it was the best way to controll all parts off them . Here some pictures off the setup and how small the stage is. http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk245/joewhite903/WWRY/ The Show was WE WILL ROCK YOU , Joe

[Ynot]

Hmmm...

Sorry Joe, but if those pics were in any way intended to impress the Room then I reckon you've failed. This is a it OT, and I must confess to not always being the tidiest during a fitup, ut always do try to keep the place a little better during an actual run - what you're showing us there is quite honestly quite messy.

 

However, back on topic.

Regardless of the seating/standing position, the RJ spots are excellent instruments and you should be able to manage using them without risk of scorching yourself. If you do end up doing so then you must re-assess the way you're operating them. Maye sitting at them isn't the best way - there probably aren't too many spots that do lend themselves to sedentary handling.

 

However, you have reminded us that you're not a student and are maybe operating in usiness as a freelance.....

In that case your best bet will be to speak to ALL manufacturers (maybe even go down to the professional trade shows) and look at every option personally before considering what to actually buy. Your original question was around the DMX functions on spots - you've already had several answers and constructive feedback on that issue. You've also been asked some pretty basic questions about why DMX is in fact a necessity for you - to be frank, in your position I'd have said DMX should be the LAST thing to worry about.

 

So - my advice in summary?

Forget DMX control of the spots.

If you're REALLY serious about adding spots to your inventory, then look at the various manufacturers options that are within your budget.

[Guest joewhite903]

well me and the other guys have decided that we would much rather prefer working with DMX controlled spots anyway weve used different manuals plenty but arent a huge fan off them.

As for not being impressed we were using what we had to make it best as possible we borrowed the scaffold tower from, a local church that a friend does sound as The school wouldnt hire the second tower as it was way out off budget.

If you knew exactly how things were and what we had to achive, I think then you would be impressed as the outcome off the overall show was fantastic. I plan on pruchase my own tower in the near future as it will come in extremly handy so mayby for nexy year we will have 2 towers.

I was mainly just looking to see what DMX Follows people have used and would recommend, Im possibly going to plasa this year so I will be having a look if I havent already bought them by then. Joe

 

P.S. I didnt burn myself it was the guy next to me as he had the cantata very close to him too