pacmunchkin Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 We're planning on doing some outdoor theatre next year and I really don't know the first place to start with the lighting. Does anybody have any links and/or advice that would steer me in the right direction as far as power, generators etc. as well as any other advice? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prolightdesigner Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 The first thing you would want to do is figure out what kind of lighting system you want to assemble. How many of which lights you'll need, what trussing you'll need, and how much of the different types of cables you'll need. Then calculate your wattage and find an appropriate generator to power the whole thing. As with a lot of the posts on this forum, without more details it is hard to give any more specific recommendations. -Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacmunchkin Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Well, at the moment, all we know is that this event is happening, and I was wanting to get as much knowledge as possible before planning the specifics. If anyone has any suggestions on books etc. that would be useful, I would be grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Jules Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 As Jeff has mentioned, you'll need to provide a lot more detail. Be aware that in bright summer conditions, you'll have to wait until quite late before traditional theatre luminaries have any real impact. If you are performing near a mains supply it may be possible to draw what you need from that, or have a temporary supply put in for you. This can, depending on the local authority rates prove cheaper and more convenient that dealing with portable supplies. If you haven't had much or any experience with generators, you may wish to consider going on a short course or ask for whoever delivers it to give you a decent heads up on the operation. Try and find one that works at a relatively quiet volume (near silent gensets are very expensive) or make sure that it's placed sufficiently far away from the audience so as not to annoy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a917917 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 if you contact me on a917917@hotmail.com im sure I can help you as ive just done an outdoor event, movers and all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 The first thing to work out is what time the performance is going to be, and what time is sunset on the performance days.timeanddate.com is a very useful resource for that - look under Sun and Moon Calculators. There is no way to compete with sunlight - you can do a bit of 'shadow fill' (needed for cameras), but you can't change anything else. So if the production is going to take place during the hours of daylight and early dusk, you may not need any production lighting at all - just houselights for after the performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmxtothemax Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 We're planning on doing some outdoor theatre next year and I really don't know the first place to start with the lighting. Does anybody have any links and/or advice that would steer me in the right direction as far as power, generators etc. as well as any other advice? Cheers The first thing you will have to get your head around is electrical basics, such as voltage, amperage, wattage and resistance. these are the essentail basics, once you get your head around these things, it will be much easier, try asking an electricain if he still has his text books, so you can borrow them, or try the library, even try a colledge or university library . I think you want to understand the basics first,But I suggest that you dont leave too much till the last minute, try to plan things in advance,such as power available as this can limit things ,if limited power is available, no point wanting a rigg that just cant be used ,due to power limitations, there are many other factors to consider, but I think you get the message. ps. let us know how you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 if you contact ...im sure I can help you as ive just done an outdoor event, movers and all But surely the whole point of a forum such as this is to share information. If you've got information to share, then please post it and help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Allen Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 This book Concert Lighhting by James Moody is one of the best overall, so is a good starting point. The easiest way is with Par64's as they have a lot of puch, don't mind living out in the weather and can be run during light rain. You said outdoor theatre, so I am assuming conventionals will do. If you haven't done much with Par64's, try the different beam widths. I use medium floods for general lighting and backlight with narrows and very narrow spots for specials. You will need HT gels to last a season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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