Jimbo The Wiz Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Hi, Does anyone know of any good web-sites or books about the history of concert and theatre lighting ,especially the history of moving light technology. I need to get research for a intelligent lighting portfolio for university. also does anyone know of any web-site or books on the son et luminaries (sorry if it is spelt wrong) or any other such events. any information would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Do a search on Google using the tag Varilite VL1 or similar as this was the first moving light back in 1981 (I think), which was first used on Genesis' Abacab tour for fact fans. There are loads of articles from this sort of search tag that can bring up some useful information. Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mush Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Hi, Does anyone know of any good web-sites or books about the history of concert and theatre lighting ,especially the history of moving light technology. I need to get research for a intelligent lighting portfolio for university. also does anyone know of any web-site or books on the son et luminaries (sorry if it is spelt wrong) or any other such events. any information would be great. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> VL could have done with reading their history : One to get the library to get for you perhaps , fantastic book though: Theater Technologyby George C. Izenour ISBN: 0300067666 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...306352?v=glance Bit more affordable from www.etnow.com Sixty Years Of Light WorkFred BenthamISBN: 1904031072 If you can find any references to Charlie Paton of Lightworks, he devleloped moving lights for Starlight Express(?) then sold the deign on to Strand which became Precision Automated Light, PAL not to be confused with the Martin thing a good few years later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Hi, Does anyone know of any good web-sites or books about the history of concert and theatre lighting ,especially the history of moving light technology. I need to get research for a intelligent lighting portfolio for university. also does anyone know of any web-site or books on the son et luminaries (sorry if it is spelt wrong) or any other such events. any information would be great. :(<{POST_SNAPBACK}> ..............do a web search using any likely term from the following: Use of moving lightSeptember 25, 1981,Genesis 1980 - BarcelonaLighting designer /Alan Owen,/ programmer/operator /TomLittrell 44 Vari*Lite VL 1Developed in the U.S.A. by Jim Bornhurst, a design engineer at Showco Incorporated In a completely novel approach, Bornhorst combined pivoting dichroic filters, the MARC 350 arc lamp, and a single digital data link to produce a prototype. These are some notes for a lecture I deliver on moving lights; I imagine that you will credit both me and any other sources you find in the course of your research - I would send you the links, but they are on another machine. Ken Coker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mush Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 In a completely novel approach, Bornhorst combined pivoting dichroic filters, the MARC 350 arc lamp, and a single digital data link to produce a prototype. Ken Coker<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Is that not a slightly controversial view? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo The Wiz Posted October 28, 2004 Author Share Posted October 28, 2004 Cheers Ken and yes I will credit all sources. thanks to everyone else as well for the great suggestions. its given me a lot to think about and look at. Keep the ideas rolling in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinw Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Is that not a slightly controversial view?Why, its all true? You may find the following book helpful, its mostly on lighting control, but also covers moving lights: ISBN: 1904031242 Title: Let There Be Light - Entertainment Lighting Software Pioneers in Conversation Author: Robert Bell Publication date: 10/03/2004 Publisher: Entertainment Technology Press Price: GBP32.00 Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mush Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Is that not a slightly controversial view?Why, its all true? You may find the following book helpful, its mostly on lighting control, but also covers moving lights: ISBN: 1904031242 Title: Let There Be Light - Entertainment Lighting Software Pioneers in Conversation Author: Robert Bell Publication date: 10/03/2004 Publisher: Entertainment Technology Press Price: GBP32.00 Martin<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for that Martin, will make an effort to have a read at that. Its the timeline that is confusing me, VL was using a serial protocol a good few years before DMX 512 came along. Excluding putting them together in the same box , was VL first to use dichroic colour in a stage or display light? Have talked to somone a long time ago who claimed he brought thin film coating technology to Europe from the U.S. not for lighting but for astronomy. Vaguely remember something about VL getting the idea of dichros from ACR who were using them in laser applications. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 In a completely novel approach, Bornhorst combined pivoting dichroic filters, the MARC 350 arc lamp, and a single digital data link to produce a prototype. Ken Coker<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Is that not a slightly controversial view?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Er no..............I think you'll find that Vari*Lite have a patent on certain aspects of data control for moving luminaires, or at least they had. I read the patent in Manchester Central Library, so it must have been ten years ago. In fact, here is the link for Jim Bornhorst's 1983 patent : http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?...ry=PN%2F4392187Our original poster might find this and the URL below of interest: http://www.manufacturingcenter.com/dfx/arc...0298/298bs.html Cheers Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 The History of Colour Changers has some good VL info (see also this thread). There were also Telescans from France at around the same time as the VL1. Prior to Vari-lite appearing on the scene, Genesis had used flown mirrors with lights focused on them, which could be kind of panned and tilted by raising and lowering the motors hanging them. I've heard stories that Adolf Hitler used simple, manually-controlled moving light displays to great effect at his rallies, where a dozen or more searchlights would slowly sweep down over the audience onto the podium for his entrances. I'm not sure if there are any earlier example than that. I think there may have been a few spinning, rotating effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 There were also Telescans from France at around the same time as the VL1.Lightnix, or anyone else for that matter, do you have any info/pics on Telescans? Only reason I ask is because I've been trying to find out what moving light http://photobucket.com/albums/v153/spikejrt/Misc%20Bits/th_QueenMiltonKeynes1.jpg this is. This particular cap is from Queen's 1982 Hot Space tour, and they were used in both the Europe and Japan tours at least. In groups of 3, and they don't seem to move independantly of each other, so in other words the 3 fixtures do the same thing. But can I find any info on them?! No! Any help appreciated. Stu(And sorry to go slightly OT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinw Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Thanks for that Martin, will make an effort to have a read at that. Its the timeline that is confusing me, VL was using a serial protocol a good few years before DMX 512 came along. Yes, certainly by VL2, they were serial links. I think the VL1 used an analogue servo internally, but I'm not sure if the communications was analogue or digital. DMX was thrown together in a bar in summer 1986, and is loosely based on Colortran's CMX protocol. See the David Cunningham chapter (which is the highlight) of Rob Bell's book for more on this. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Lightnix, or anyone else for that matter, do you have any info/pics on Telescans?Afraid not, they weren't something I ever used. I think the were made by Cameleon in France. Yes, certainly by VL2, they were serial links. I think the VL1 used an analogue servo internally, but I'm not sure if the communications was analogue or digital.I can't comment on the serial stuff, but the VL1 signal was definitely digital. The desk ran a computer, which could run 32 VL1s. Three computers could be linked together to run a maximum system size of 96 heads. The signal was decoded by the "Data Receiver Card", which was located in the "Upper Enclosure" (box) and which drove a servo amp card located in the head. This in turn drove the pan, tilt and wheel motors. There was no iris: beam sizes were done with the "gobo" wheel, which held four (?) beam size gobos, a circle and a breakup. The lens was a fixed focus job. DMX was thrown together in a bar in summer 1986, and is loosely based on Colortran's CMX protocol.I thought it was based on RS485. Maybe they both were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lampieman Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I was always led to believe that V*L was the very first to produce Moving Heads for genesis, and I thought Clay Paky or High End was the first with Scans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I've just been having a clear out of my filing cabinet (usual story - can't fit anything else in) and I've come across an article from L+SI entitled 'Remote Control Luminaires: A Special L+SI Survey'. There is no obvious date on it but I'm guessing 88/89; the varilites listed are the VL2 and VL3. I'll try and scan it and put it up as PDFs later on this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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