Catwalk lighting

[ceecrb1]

I´ve done the odd fassion show...

 

 

The lighting is not there to make the show.

The entire event is about the clothes and the designer.

 

Some times its just best to go un-filtered fresnels and not much more, dont forget the odd profile for a logo which will propably be put on the wall and other things which might appear on the catwalk (like one I did a CAR was placed at the model's exit!?!?!)

 

An effect we find usefull is grouping the lights on the desk relative to the position as the model walks down the catwalk. Here we might kill every light except those focused on the model as she moves down the catwalk.. but only for the "main dress" and use 3/4second fades in and out of the lights as she moves down....

 

LIke I said.. key is the clothes and designer, the people are there ot see that.. not a colourfull lighting spectacle. Some times boring is best for the situation.

[Castelein]

Hello,

My company is on the entertainment industry in Mexico, more focused on the video area.

 

I need to lighting a Catwalk for one of the main stores in Mexico, but I am not very familiar on that.

 

The restrictions that I have are very hard, we only have 4 meters to the roof, the catlwalk is around 15 cms height.

 

My client doesnt want to see any shadow of the models on the catwalk during the show.

 

Could some one advice me which lighting can do this possible, I use to work for different events as concerts and conventions, but it seems hard to erase all shadows.

 

Thanks

David

[paulears]

4m is fine, and shadows should not be a problem. Assuming a long and narrow catwalk where it possible for two models to walk side-by-side or pass, then two rows of lighting, parallel to the catwalk seem to be popular, and if the catwalk has a T shaped end section, then another position parallel to that. Angles are usually steeper than you'd normally use so that the light does not shine straight into people's eyes on the other side (which is always a problem). Shadows should not then be a problem, as from the audience view nobody will be behind somebody else, apart from when passing, and then those people on the other side see their nearest model.

 

If you put the word 'catwalk' into the search box, you will bring up many old topics on lighting fashion shows covered here on the BR.

[Guest lightnix]

Hello Castelein, welcome to the Blue Room :P

 

Shadows can be reduced / eliminated with the use of medium - heavily frosted gels, which will soften the light. These will also help prevent the audience from being dazzled, allowing you to make the angle less steep.

 

That's what I used to do, anyway.

[LXbydesign]

Yes , who was it who said using profiles can be patchy.

 

What rubbish! Sounds like you are just not focusing them properly!!

 

Simply by adjusting the peak knob on the back of the light to ensure a flatbeam , focus the light to a controlled hard edge and use something like Rosco Hamberg frost or a slightly lighter frost to give you a soft edge. As many designers will tell you, doing this in a FOH rig of S4's, for example, even added with tophats or snoots (whatever you want to call them) gives you a bright, well controlled even coverage.

 

This method can be used from the No 1 bar as well if you use wider angle lenses.

 

2p's worth!

[paulears]

Just to add my bit to profile focusing. Many people blend the beams where they hit the floor to give a nice smooth floor coverage, and they forget that at face height this means many gaps, so you get patchy face and body cover. Such a simple mistake, but so easy to do AND solve.

[Guest lightnix]

I used to use parcans with a No.5 (if using 110V) or CP62 (for 230V). The elongated beam produced by the linear lamp, was lined up parallel to the catwalk and proved ideal for the purpose :P

[Tomo]

Just to add my bit to profile focusing. Many people blend the beams where they hit the floor to give a nice smooth floor coverage, and they forget that at face height this means many gaps, so you get patchy face and body cover.

Indeed.

Always get somebody to walk around the whole of the areas your cast will be and watch their whole body for changes in different locations.

 

(Sometimes you'll want those changes, sometimes you don't. But you must check whether they are there!)

[LXbydesign]

Too true Paul!!!

 

I had a student LD who did excatly that!! The floor looked lovely and very evenly lit. Then the actors came onstage. Whoops!

 

I gently said to him - you can "make the floor pretty using top and back light! Just use your FOH to get the even coverage on faces / bodies and just shutter off on the legs and scenery. Dont worry about the light on the floor from FOH as on-stage LX will cover it."

 

So, by the end of the afternoon he was happy.

 

I have done catwalks mostly using PARs with tophats and very light frost - truss ether side and its worked fine. Add some colour correction to ensure a natural daylight cover, which the colour tone will not be biased on any garments on the catwalk.

[timperrett]

I have lit a fair number of catwalk feature stages over the recent years...

 

My advice would be even light is the key - lots of the same lighting fixture as evenly spread along the truss either side of the thrust as possible - I have tended to use Source 4 Pars (MWF lens in the letterbox orientation) around 1m apart angled slightly upstage to the entrance/exit point so that you catch full face and not purely sidelight. Then add a few right at the end of the thrust as front light to give a good even look for the cameras that may be placed at the end. All of this is left open white. Ensure you have light into the doorway(s) where the models appear. 6 way par bars, unless butted up to each other, may not be the best thing to use - don't be lazy! Get some soca and space them evenly! And yes - spread about 1m apart does mean a tonne of fixtures! Even for a big stage, lower wattage fixtures - 500W/575W - can do the job. If flying is not possible, flootlight can be very affective - just keep your battens even!

 

When you focus each light, have somebody 'walking' for you, ensuring the hotspot is in their eyes and that the angle is the same as the last fixture. With so many fixtures, speed up your focus by going around each one before the truss goes out orientating each lens/lamp and roughly angling it. In lighting the thrust, you may spill onto the audience either side of it slightly - until light stopping airspray has been invented that is the way it will have to be! You can increase your angle slightly to help compensate - but the models are the key.

 

Colour lighting wise, we often have coloured backlight/downlight in the doorway(s) which we change from scene to scene. This subtle change the look will add variety without affecting the audience's view of the models and can create dramatic opening and closing of scenes. We have also used gobo washes to create walk-in states and used in between scenes - but not during the show. You can also bring up banks of the lights as the model reaches that part of the catwalk - but always precede the model so they are always walking into light.

 

The staging is everything else that brings the unique look to a catwalk show - moving doorways, LED backdrops, steps, retractable thrusts, conveyor belts, gauzes, retractable screens...the list goes on...all lighting has to concentrate on is making it look even when the models are on!

 

Hope that helps