students wearing hats...

[DoctorStar]

Evening all,

 

So we ran the first dress/tech rehearsal on stage this evening for our school production of Bugsy and whilst many of the lighting issues I can fix tomorrow (black spots/swapping cue stack for sub-masters) I am finding that the boys have their faces in shadow by their hats whilst the girls' faces look bright.

 

We have punters in on Wednesday so I'm wondering whether I should try to get some low level foot lights in or perhaps some side light off a boom located where the curtains open to. Is anything likely to work (I am working from a zero experience basis with little time to experiment) or am I simply making work for myself that is likely to lead to little reward, big shadows and odd looking faces?

 

Any advice welcome,

 

BW

 

Ian

[tommulliner]

Up lighting is probably your best bet I should think. Not sure on what results you will get but depending on how big-a problem this is, surely worth a shot?

[Ali2580]

Surely the angle of your FOH bar isn't so steep that it directly hits their faces?

 

However, you need to remember that if you add low level foot lights, it will project up (major shawdows on scenery may cause problems.) Side lighting may also be key. If you get the right angles, it should all be fine.

[Tregilibob]

if you can, get the boys to wear their hats tilted back slightly. allows your lighting to get through, and audience to see the faces!!!

[Andrew C]

Get them to tip their hats back, and to look up! Listen to how often the director says the same thing...

[Ashley R]

You will find that they have pulled the hats down to sheild thier eyes from your lights. You will have to get them used to haveing the bright lights in thier eyes.

 

Maybe try a run through of that scene but without any hats at all, so they get used to the intensity of the lights. Then add the caps and make sure they are back on thier heads and they look up/forwards.

[landy]

Get them to tip their hats back, and to look up! Listen to how often the director says the same thing...

 

Simple and cheep!!

[JDLX]

I agree with the comments above, kids are bound to pull hats down over their eyes to shield them from the lights. Your best bet is to have a word with the director and point out the problem. I would only resort to footlights as a last resort as they can be problematic at times.

[ramdram]

Definitely a job for the Director...presumably he is now happy with the lighting plot...then he will have to direct the cast to act with the latest lighting arrangements.

 

Mind you, we have worked with some nippers who have no idea at all, and neither did the Director. The blocking was so rubbish on one visiting school production that one aspiring Gielgud insisted on upstaging himself whilst delivering his lines to the actress playing opposite on an almost empty stage.

 

When the Director finally twigged the actor (a callow youth) actually started arguing that HE could not be expected to change his position at such short notice...getting an onstage bollocking can be so humbling...

 

The answer is as plain as the light on their faces, everyone backstage reminds the cast constantly to tilt the hat and the head back...it is for the audience to see the actors, not the other way round.

 

Best of luck for tonight.

[LXbydesign]

Footlights ARE fine. I disagree peaople saying they can cause problems.

 

Forsome musicals and the like I usually put a line of frosted birdies along the front which , when faded up a few points, can eliminate any shadows on the face caused by hats etc. They dont have to be on very bright - to cause unwanted shadows on any backcloths. Just have them on a glow to simply lift the faces a little.

 

Dom

[DoctorStar]

Many thanks for the replies. Performances going well on the basis that props lady and prompt push hats back as the hoods enter. I would like to have explored some footlights but time and equipment both ran out and pragmatism beat technology.

 

Ian

[Don Allen]

When you get a chance, have a play with Par16 as footlight as they are very usefull. Some points:

 

Try not to use a colour frame as the light reflects back at the audience.

 

Focus the lights into the top of the stage so the audience is not aware of any extra shadows.

 

Try the different beam angle globes, I use the 9 degree ones to light an actors face upstage on rostra without lighting anyone else.

 

Use an offset floor bracket so the yoke is below the stage with the body of the light and only the front opening is above the stage to make them a very low profile light.

 

Use low voltage ones with immable electronic transformers for a longer globe life.

 

There has been lots of discussions on Par16 so do a search.

[rossmck]

Agree with LXbydesign - I've done this show a couple of times and in both cases used birdies along the front of the stage (with frost) the furthest upstage cloth was always brightly lit which countered any shadows from the birdies (always used at low power) ...

 

Also in one of those productions the director had two of the cast hiding under a table at one point, they were also lit subtly with birdies as it was impossible to reach them with anything foh.

 

Footlights definitely have their place when used properly :)