drama tech A-level - no equipment

[jack_hartwell]

Hiya, im currently doing a drama tech A-level in 6th form and im in studying lighting; and for my performance I want to include about 2/4 intelligent fixtures, but as im a student I dont have any money to hire in some nor does my school :/ if any one is able to help that would be great of course I would pay you but I cant afford like £1,500/£2,000 for them. Here is what I would like or equivelent:-

 

2/4 Martin macs 250's

1 Can base unit

5 Can backs with headsets

 

If you could help that would be awesome!!

 

Many thanks

 

Jack

[Dmills]

Hiya, im currently doing a drama tech A-level in 6th form and im in studying lighting; and for my performance I want to include about 2/4 intelligent fixtures, but as im a student I dont have any money to hire in some nor does my school :/

Ahh, WHY do you need intelligent lighting?

What is the effect you are trying to achieve and what stock do you actually have to hand? Maybe someone can suggest a way to use your schools stock to do what you want rather then requiring nodding buckets.

Most LDs will go to some trouble to avoid moving lights unless there is no easy alternative as the alternatives tend to be more reliable, quieter and cheaper, sure there are places they make sense, but much of the time you can find another way.

 

A huge part of lighting design is working with what is available and within budgets, and you almost certainly do not gain extra makes on that course for using shiny kit or for blowing the production budget...

 

Regards, Dan.

[Dj Dunc]

You can hire macs for around £50 the week (per unit) but as Dmills states, they are not to be used just because you can. Not sure on cans. Have a look at the Stage Electrics website (or others)

[Ali2580]

Most LDs will go to some trouble to avoid moving lights unless there is no easy alternative as the alternatives tend to be more reliable, quieter and cheaper, sure there are places they make sense, but much of the time you can find another way.

 

A huge part of lighting design is working with what is available and within budgets, and you almost certainly do not gain extra makes on that course for using shiny kit or for blowing the production budget...

 

Dan pretty much summed it up. Very rarely do I use intelligent lights when I design lighting purely because 9 times out of 10 I can get the effect I'm after with generics. I'm sure this has been discussed many times before but if you or your school don't have the budgets then why bother? Go down the generic route and save a lot of time, hassle and money and think probably about a design rather than getting a few movers and playing with them.

 

Hope this helps.

[jack_hartwell]

Hey guys, thanks for your responses!

 

I would like intelligent fixtures in my production to learn how to program them and also backstage crew is limited and I need a follow spot in quite a few scenes also I would like them for my dance scene, and for a few other scenes that I would like to play with and use different types of lighting and also my after production party (dont worry they will be hanging so no damage at all)

 

 

Thanks

 

Jack

[Robin D]

..... a few other scenes that I would like to play with....... after production party

Nothing else to say. I'm sure everyone will be queuing up to loan you their £'000's worth of kit. :)

 

You don't appear to have read the bulk of replies that say you don't gain extra marks for shiny new kit. You are much more likely to get credit for really exploring what you can do with what's available.

[Dmills]

Not a good idea to be learning how to program the things in tech for an exam piece surely.....

 

Using a mover as a lime basically NEVER WORKS! If you need a follow, you need a operator at the lantern, the board op with a mouse or trackball will not be able to do it well. Besides a follow spot is simpler then a mover, and that is a massive advantage. I do question thinking you "need a follow spot in quite a few scenes", unless this is panto, you probably don't really, and it tends to be such a cheesy effect unless done really well.

 

Dance scene..... Parcans man, possibly a couple of gobos in profiles, possibly if I was feeling sophisticated I might scrounge up a couple of moonflowers and put them across the back on switched power (depends on the style of the dance and when the piece is set), that way I don't have fan noise throughout.

 

Also have you considered that mac250s are arc sources and will not blend real well with TH generics?

 

So far you have not enumerated any DESIGN reason to want movers, and it will be the DESIGN and operation you will be marked on, not the after show party.

 

If you can come up with a legitimate design requirement that can only be accomplished with nodding buckets then maybe someone will help, maybe, but I don't see anyone lending you kit just so you can play with it.

 

What is the play, what is the set, and what is the design brief that requires the things?

 

Regards, Dan.

[jack_hartwell]

Im not expecting for people to lend me macs just like that, and I am using all of my generics I have; then I still have the follow spot problem I have tried to play around with that scene and I really need one and its only me and my sound guy that know what to do!! so I would like a few macs, also I do get extra marks if I use intelligent as I can then go on to show how I programmed them, how I used them, what problems I faces and how I over came them and it will be a useful to know how to use them for further performances.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

Oh and its not my exam peace yet this is only coursework and theory im doing at the minute,

I wanted movers purely to learn how to program them for my drama tech, and also for my school production on the lion king

[jacet]

...and also my after production party (dont worry they will be hanging so no damage at all)

HA! Your belief that hanging something in the air will protect it from a good party suggests that you haven't been to many good parties! Seriously though don't underestimate the destructive power of a pint and an overenthusiastic drunk.

 

Also mods, is this not more appropriate for the next gen?

[Dmills]

Automated lanterns suck as follow spots, go find a dancer (they often have really good hand eye coordination) and spend 15 or 20 minutes showing them how to use a follow.

Half an hours practise and you have yourself a follow spot operator (It really is NOT rocket science).

 

I don't see anything in the Lion King that needs (or even particularly benefits from) movers in the context of a schools production, loads of side light, probably quite a bit of back in many scenes and I might hide a couple of beamlights around the set or on the loading gallery with operators to form high angle soft edge 'followspots', but I am not seeing a particular need for movers.

 

You will score better on really clever use of a handful of generics then you will on poor use of a whole rig full of movers, they really don't add ANYTHING in the context of an A level.

 

It is telling that until the refurbishment, RADA used to teach their top level lighting course using 123's, 23's and 743's (I think there may have been some T spots or such in there as well), and that course is probably one of the toughest to get onto in the country.

 

Some of the finest lighting I have ever seen was done with a mere 12 channels of rack, and probably no more then 16 lanterns, it was the Tempest and if I ever manage a design that fits the piece and compliments the action as well as that one did I shall be a very happy man.

 

Regards, Dan.

[jack_hartwell]

...and also my after production party (dont worry they will be hanging so no damage at all)

HA! Your belief that hanging something in the air will protect it from a good party suggests that you haven't been to many good parties! Seriously though don't underestimate the destructive power of a pint and an overenthusiastic drunk.

 

Also mods, is this not more appropriate for the next gen?

 

dude its a school production there will be no alcohol and I dont see how anyone would climb up on the rigging at my school its about 50 meters from the ground

[jacet]

...and also my after production party (dont worry they will be hanging so no damage at all)

HA! Your belief that hanging something in the air will protect it from a good party suggests that you haven't been to many good parties! Seriously though don't underestimate the destructive power of a pint and an overenthusiastic drunk.

 

Also mods, is this not more appropriate for the next gen?

 

dude its a school production there will be no alcohol and I dont see how anyone would climb up on the rigging at my school its about 50 meters from the ground

1- It doesn't have to be beer. Coke, lemonade, vimto, red bull will all cause the owner of the lights a massive headache when they get splashed from people dancing and throwing their drinks about.

2- You don't have to be able to reach a light to be able to destroy it.

3- If you have a clearance of 50m in your school hall I will eat my hat... and I like my hat!

[mrjammy83]

tell you what

 

do what I did. if you wat to learn how to program thenstart off by buying the books and info on lighting design.

 

I bought the Stage lighting handbook which proved invaluable and has some great information on generic lighting design and some bits on using itelligent fixtures.

 

you can then go on to look at books that SPECIALISE in itelligent programming.

 

I used 7mac 700 profiles on a show I did last year and this was based upon a constructed lighting design that required multiple spot positions, gobo washes (the director specifically asked for) movement effects for scene changes and musical numbers and focus in posistion difficult to achieve with the generic rig. the generics managed 4 colour wash plus side,key and back lighting. special gobo projection and cyc / cloth illumination. plus all the specials that came with the set. 96 channels of dimming for all the generics

 

I found it to be a real challenge and a test of my programming as I ventured into the realm of intelligent fixtures for the first time on a major production. however this was greatly improved by having a full plan of what and where these fixtures were going to be used. having a good knowledge of how the desk (leapfrog 96) would behave using intelligents plus generics also helped. this I gained from reading the manual and doing my research before undertaking the task.

 

I know we all have to start somewhere but there is a massive difference between using fxtures to forfill a need and just because you "want to play"

 

in a school environment where you are taught and you learn. if your tutor felt it essential that you learn programming of these fixtures at your current level and within your subject he/she would go to the end of the earth to ensure you had the equipment to enhance your education.

 

the other question to ask,with a hope of a responce that you want to hear would be to ask your teacher if it were possible to ask a well established technical forum if there is a member that would be interested in visiting your school for a lesson or afternoon to demonstrate some of the modern intelligent fixtures and there uses. with a possible view for them to oversee the process of the technical aspects of you show which would then allow you to learn form a professional and use profesional equipment in a professional way.

[Tris]

dude its a school production there will be no alcohol and I dont see how anyone would climb up on the rigging at my school its about 50 meters from the ground

 

Wow, you're lighting from the top of a 10 storey building

 

I'm sorry this still sounds ridiculous. Approach some local companies as they are the only ones likely to give you a discount let along freebies and you would need to make it worth their while somehow. You have said you have used all the generics already but this is the point people are making - if you have a finite supply of lanterns then you design to that. You don't keep designing, run out of lanterns and then demand more. This is school, they have little money anyway, they are facing major budget cuts and you are being indulgent. I can train a year 7 to be a followspot op in about 10mins - look harder for someone to help

[jack_hartwell]

...and also my after production party (dont worry they will be hanging so no damage at all)

HA! Your belief that hanging something in the air will protect it from a good party suggests that you haven't been to many good parties! Seriously though don't underestimate the destructive power of a pint and an overenthusiastic drunk.

 

Also mods, is this not more appropriate for the next gen?

 

dude its a school production there will be no alcohol and I dont see how anyone would climb up on the rigging at my school its about 50 meters from the ground

1- It doesn't have to be beer. Coke, lemonade, vimto, red bull will all cause the owner of the lights a massive headache when they get splashed from people dancing and throwing their drinks about.

2- You don't have to be able to reach a light to be able to destroy it.

3- If you have a clearance of 50m in your school hall I will eat my hat... and I like my hat!

My school is a very old fashioned school (christian) most of them wont go to crazy when dancing xD and yeah my school hall is fairly big; 70x60x50m

 

and also Dan your very very helpful I might need your help again soon :)

 

and I still would like 2/4 movers for my production as there are dance scenes that I would like them for or should I use moving washes? as I would mainley use them for colour changes instead of gobos