Focusing or pointing?

[LXbydesign]

HaHa this thread is so funny - and pointless!! (I think)

 

O, well , sorry but the term "focusing" IS used by any lighting person in the industry - and if you can find me one LD who would say, "can we focus the profiles and allign the PARS and increase/decrease the size of fresnel beams" then I'll eat my -soon to buy- hat.

 

Oh and "please would you reorientate the X/Y postion of the moving heads at the same time!!!

[Ynot]

From Google dictionary: Focus = maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system; "in focus"; "out of focus"

 

Not looking for a shooting down here should I be wrong...Greg

<Salvo towards Greg... >

You've shot yourself in the foot there, really...!

You can focus a beam to be IN focus or OUT OF focus.

A fresnel just changes the focus from one state of 'OUT' to another state of 'OUT'.

 

(And yes, the thread is rather moot and pointless to a degree, but fun to padanticise over to some small level...! :D :D :D)

[JDP]

At the end of the day, when your asked to focus a rig for the LD, you jump on the truss and do it with no arguments. Its as simple as that - no arguments with the LD about terminology.

[Mr_Jules]

Just to add my tuppence.... As far as I'm concerned, and I don't really care what other people's definitions are, as I'm sure they all differ in one respect or another, but a lantern is 'focused' once the beam is where you want it, is the size you want, the shape you've asked for, and the edge, and therefore the beam in general, is as sharp or diffused as you'd like. In other words, it's how you want it to be. End of. A sharp edged profile can be 'out of focus' if what you'd like is a soft edged corridor, and although some lanterns have a lesser number of parameters to change - think of a cyc flood - 'it can still be out of focus' if it doesn't do what it is intended to do, regardless of what it looks like. Just the way I think of the whole focusing schedule.

[gherriott]

So, Greg, when a show you're working on has a session in the production schedule dedicated to "focussing", you tell the lighting designer that you're only able to adjust the edge of the profiles in the rig and not make any other position or size adjustments because that's not "focussing"?!

 

 

 

From Google dictionary: Focus = maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system; "in focus"; "out of focus"

 

Not looking for a shooting down here should I be wrong...Greg

<Salvo towards Greg... :D >

You've shot yourself in the foot there, really...!

You can focus a beam to be IN focus or OUT OF focus.

A fresnel just changes the focus from one state of 'OUT' to another state of 'OUT'.

 

Haha I knew this would happen! Gareth I was not by any means stating that I BELIEVED we should now have a dedicated time for all the different technical names for 'focussing', I was merely playing devils advocate with a rather pointless yet interesting topic. If someone tell me to focus a lantern whether it be a profile, fresnel, PC, Par or moving head, I would know what they meant, as I hope all others would too. However for the sake of being devils advocate as mentioned earlier and being pedantic, I thought I would throw the definition of focussing out there. I am sure there are many other terms thrown about losely when it comes to technical jargon. Will there ever be a definitive answer to the OP's post though? When it comes to 'focussing' a par can, is focus the correct terminology, and what would be the reason be, for or against the arguement?

 

(And yes, the thread is rather moot and pointless to a degree, but fun to padanticise over to some small level...! :D :D :D)

[gareth]

When it comes to 'focussing' a par can, is focus the correct terminology, and what would be the reason be, for or against the arguement?

Who cares?

[nothingatall666]

surely it is perfectly fine to say 'focusing' cause it is put in to a different context?

 

 

I suppose everyone is going to have to agree to disagree?

[paulears]

You've all missed something - you've looked up the scientific definition to do with sound light and heat. That's not what focusing is.

 

a: center of activity, attraction, or attention

b: a point of concentration

c: directed attention : emphasis

 

This is what our focus sessions do isn't it. Not about lenses moving and stuff like that - its about providing light that does these things - isn't it?

[nothingatall666]

You've all missed something - you've looked up the scientific definition to do with sound light and heat. That's not what focusing is.

 

a: center of activity, attraction, or attention

b: a point of concentration

c: directed attention : emphasis

 

This is what our focus sessions do isn't it. Not about lenses moving and stuff like that - its about providing light that does these things - isn't it?

 

I couldn't agree more .

 

In drama you focus the attention on certain actors or actions. this doesnt involve any moving parts.

and what about the common phrase 'shh, I'm trying to focus'?

like I said. its all about the context you put it in to.

 

From Google dictionary: Focus = maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system; "in focus"; "out of focus"

 

google needs a new dictionary me thinks. (though its likely there were other definitions to the word 'focus')

[Jerome]

???

 

But yet are you talking about the type of bubble you put into the par can? A PC will not do the same as a fresnel bulb as we all know yet you can still only rotate the beam in a par can so is it pointing the beam where you want it regardless of the type of bulb? From majority of of replies to this thread, pointless or not, I see most people would say you focus a par can yet I still dont believe you can actually focus a par can as you can't alter the beam in terms of sharpness, zoom, etc. You can just point it in the direction you want it... or am I really mistaken? I'm slightly confused what are the next generation to refer to it as?

[Mr_Jules]

As most of the replies have considered, (and I can't believe I'm doing this at 5.30am! - but that's what you get from having a newborn!), there's a lot more to focusing than altering the beam angle and sharpness.

 

Paul has, yet again, cut through the guff to provide a pretty decent definition.

 

Also, a PC and Fresnel invariably take exactly the same lamp.

 

The next Gen will call it exactly what we always have

 

Bed

[gareth]

The next Gen will call it exactly what we always have

Unless they really are that short of something to do that they feel the need to sit at their computers and argue the toss about the use of a perfectly good word that's been used to describe the process of setting the position and optical qualities of a beam of light on a stage since lighting design was invented. Bloody students.

[JimWebber]

HaHa this thread is so funny - and pointless!! (I think)

 

(Snipped)

 

Oh and "please would you reorientate the X/Y postion of the moving heads at the same time!!! :D

:D

 

Seeing as we all seem to be having our pedantic heads on, (Or as Gareth so accurately says, who goves a t*ss?)

 

The X/Y and for that matter Z position does not normally change during focussing/pointing/whatever we decide to call it sessions.

 

Unless the unit is physically moved, or the truss itsellf moves, then it will stay in exactly the same place.

 

Admittedly the beam of light will move...

 

(Sorry)

 

Back to agreeing with Gareth now....

 

Jim

[matt c]

If ever I'm trying to focus on something, I find a beer always helps. Just one, though, otherwise I end up focussing on the wrong thing.

 

And when I'm done focussing, a few more beers to finish the day off. :D

[LXbydesign]

Point proved, I have been reading this thread on my lappy sat by the lighting desk - and decided I wanted to tweak a pair of the PAR can beams - so I called across one the LX guys and asked him if he could re-align the D.S PARs a little more to the left. he just looked at me funny so I just said oh ok - I mean rorate the beams a little to the left , and away he went!!

 

Thanks Jim for the comment re: X/Y (and Z).!! But splitting hairs -again allbeit light hearted, I was led to belive that the X/Y position was actually refering to the movement of the head from a control point of view - and not the physical moving of the entire unit!!

 

back to plotting . . . .