Miniature lighting

[Geri Lx]

Hi everybody.

 

I am a stage lighting freelancer from Timisoara/Romania. 

 

This is the most complete stage tehnical forum I know. Great job. I mean it.

 

I need your help for some references and tips (I'll apreciate link's) for creating the stage lighting for a small children (puppet) theater.

 

The owners and sponsors want to create a small (miniature) stage with all the features a normal size theater stage has, so I need some references for small theater (or theater like :) ) lighting devices. I'm used, and I work for 10 years now, with the all normal sized ones (PAR's, PC's, profile's, fresnels, etc) but I don't know many small ones. Small in size primary, since it would not be much space to hung and put them.

 

Ill wait for your sugesstions ...and please excuse my faulty english.

 

Later edit

When I say small I don't mean 5 cm small but half or third size normal devices. Like PAR-36, but profiles, PC's, fresnels, other PAR-like sources, floodlights, etc. Also ...acessories, brackets, barndors, gobos, goboholders etc.

[Geri Lx]

I'd like to finish the job. Not so much for the money but because I consider it challenging and fun.

 

Put yourselves in the same position,... what lighting devices would you use? Not toys. Functional things. For example ...what is the smallest profile you know, and maybe used? (with everything... focus lens, etc) 

 

I'll be back, if not tomorrow in a few days, with the room and stage dimensions.

[david.elsbury]

You have already mentioned PAR36's, there's also PAR16 (MR16) and Selecon do an architectural range that take MR16 lamps and at least one of those lamps is a profile. www.seleconlight.com

Also Arri make a 300w Fresnel, no idea if its too big or not, but I'd say it'd be expensive...

 

Hope this helps :)

[Geri Lx]

You have already mentioned PAR36's, there's also PAR16 (MR16) and Selecon do an architectural range that take MR16 lamps and at least one of those lamps is a profile. www.seleconlight.com

Also Arri make a 300w Fresnel, no idea if its too big or not, but I'd say it'd be expensive...

 

Hope this helps :)

 

 

 

Yes...something like those. Thanks.

 

 

They could be iven bigger than those selecons arch. profiles. (30 cm long) Let's say for the profiles because they are usualy longer, till ...maximum 60 cm long.

 

The  ETC S4 junior is close. I maybe will use a few for the front.

[Andrew C]

Ikea used to sell a light that would take Gobos. Problem is I can't remember what it is called, and can't see it in their on-line catalogue. Someone else might remember what it is called...

[maeterlinck]

Ikea do / did. Last time I was there it was on super special offer, so I got one for a laugh. Looks a little like a Patt. 23. Alas doesn't work any where near as well. Though for £3 it's not bad. MR16 lamp inside.

 

Another vote for the Selecon architectural range though.

[Neil Hampson]

In my own (limited) experience in puppet lighting, I have seen quite complex rigs made up almost entirely of Par16's and shop fitting profiles, although this was for a much smaller puppet theatre with 18" / 45cm Puppets. most of the birdies were mounted on Perces on the sides of the Pros arch built into the playboard and general cover was provided with Strand Minim fresnels, which are probably one of the smallest 500W fresnels ever built.

 

I have used the 300W ARRI fresnel, and it looks like a scale miniture of the 2KW counterpart, but as suggested above it's probably very expensive.

 

Have a browse around the companies that make shop fittings and window displays, until recently (6 months) the HMV shop in Manchester was lit with what looked like 1/3 - 1/2 scale profiles and Par 36's. I have also seen Fresnel versions. Most of them are designed for track lighting, but they are usually easily converted.

Regarding the PAR 16, ther is an attachment that you can buy that will convertit into a crude zoom profile, with gobo capacity, they don't look like a profile as the lenses are exposed rather than being enclosed in a lens tube.

 

There was, once-upon-a-time, somthing caled the 4:1 project, were a whole stage, including the lighting fixtures was reproduced fairly accurately in quarter scale, to allow designers to see the lighting designs in real life before commiting to a full size set, this obviously goes back a long way, before the concept of rendering software etc. The lanterns were miniture versions of Harmony's, Preludes etc. I remember that the units were all custom made and so were very expensive. I am sure there was a thread on here about them as well.

[Andrew C]

Looks a little like a Patt. 23.

Hmmm... Not the one I was thinking of. This was more like an Optikinetics projector, with all the bits on rails out the front.

[Mr_Jules]

Been there and done it....

 

Go Here and search for "micro". Everything you could want. Not cheap and not all that easy to come by unless you have a local distributor.

[dmxtothemax]

I have seen plenty of small scale versions of theatre style lights using 12v 50w halogens, could be just the thing you are looking for! check out lighting and lamp suppliers for track lights.

[musht]

Ikea units were Isbytare, looks like 23 came with shutters, iris, gobo holder and dichro colour,leaks light from sides and Korelin, trafo in base came with gobo holder and dichro colour.

 

Apart from previously mentioned Altman , Times Square also make miniature theatre style lights, the pricing isn`t:

 

http://www.tslight.com

 

Solux market what looks like a good value mini profile:

 

https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore/fram...ojectortli.html

 

It is one are where looking at LED units would definately be worthwhile, RGB MR16 lamps are more versatile than halogen lamped birdies.

[Geri Lx]

Thank you very much guys. 

 

 

Tomorrow I will have a meeting with the owner and a lighting equipment dealer, and thanks to you I have some homework done. We (and I) will have a good starting point.

 

 

 

I also hope that this topic will help someone who's going to be in the same situation, so further suggestions will be always good. :D

 

....That means I'll be back too with what we will use.

 

 

 

Wish you all ...all the best. Keep it up and do art! :D

[p.k.roberts]

further suggestions will be always good. ;)

 

Sorry to come to this one a bit late, but budget permitting you might want to have a look at Dedo lights. More commonly used for TV location lighting, but they are small, efficient, great optics and have good range of accessories.

[Geri Lx]

further suggestions will be always good.

 

Sorry to come to this one a bit late, but budget permitting you might want to have a look at Dedo lights. More commonly used for TV location lighting, but they are small, efficient, great optics and have good range of accessories.

 Not late at all. Like I said, the topic may be useful to others too.

 

 

Now I'm receiving the emails from the dealers with the equipment and prices they offer.

 

Next week the owner of the space (future kid's theater) should make a decision about what get's bought (how much money he will spent).

 

I just hope he will not get  discouraged by the costs. :P He didn't had a clue about theater and about how expensive it can be to make one work, iven it's just for children. ;)

[church]

Ikea do / did. Last time I was there it was on super special offer, so I got one for a laugh. Looks a little like a Patt. 23. Alas doesn't work any where near as well. Though for £3 it's not bad. MR16 lamp inside.

 

Another vote for the Selecon architectural range though.

 

check out this website:

 

www.spotlight.it

 

I also have some 150W fresnels in my inventory that are intended for use by photographers that I use on stage where there is limited room. They are only 5 inches long and have a screw focus mechanisim and work extremely well. but they are made in the U.S. Check out the photographic equipment they have some neet equipment.