House lights

[adambattey]

Hi,

 

I know that this has been asked before but I don't know how my space compares to the previos topics...

 

I am looking to rig some lights that can be used as dimmable house lights for the school auditorium. Currently it is the one aspect of the 'theatre' experience that is failing - nothing breaks the illusion of the show like me hollering down to stage side over a bustling audience for someone to turn on the houselights. Then, after flicking each of the 7 switches a number of times all the lights glare into life and. are. just. HORRIBLE.

 

I am debating getting some lights (possibly pars) to shine up and around the hall to create a non-intrusive glow that will be dimmable in conjunction with the rest of the stage lights. Also, possibly toying with the idea of a couple coda4's pointing at the roof (as you can see it is con..vex...?cave...? you know what I mean) and think that having the options of blending colours on it so that the houselights can be any colour you want could really benifit the space and range of performances in there.

 

Here is a pic of my space from the stage looking out to the 374 seat auditorium.

 

http://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p9tl...tage.JPG?psid=1

 

 

What are your thoughts? Am I on the right track or have I gone careering of road...?

 

Cheers,

 

Adam

[paulears]

Crazy the architects didn't sort this one! I recon this is an ideal use for the cheap LEDs - bearing in mind they do flicker a little as they fade right down - but the ability to change colours can create nice mood lights. Failing that, some low power Fresnels would do the trick - nicer than floods. Being frank - almost any fixture with a little gel in it would be better than what you have.

[TomHoward]

We've got a fair sized sports hall that's sometimes used for dinners and dances, and as an alternative to the strip lights we usually rig 4xPar64 in each of the four corners bouncing off the white ceiling - two open and two with a deep colour - and this gives more than enough light.

Our house lights in our theatre are a grid of Par56s, which have a heavy frost (Lee 129) in them (the beams are too narrow otherwise and you just get 'hot spots' in the seating, especially nearer the back where the seats are nearer the grid - it's a retractable rake very like yours).

 

Do you have anywhere to hang over the audience, or at the sides or rear? I'd either look at a grid of Par64s or Par56s over the seating from above if you can rig to the positions, with the heavy frost to diffuse them over the entire area, or if you can't get the lamps over the seating, maybe one Par64 in each of the four corners bounced off the ceiling. You could try out a couple of Par64s from a couple of circuits on that first bar bounced up into the ceiling to see how much light you get back, but I would imagine you'd want to put some at the back of the room as well if possible.

 

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

 

Just to add to Paul's point about low power Fresnels - we do have some EA PARs which we also use in the sports hall instead of the 1000W Par64s if we are pushed for power - with a 575W lamp they still output a comparable amount of light to the Par64, so could be a lower power alternative if you are short.

 

We also have some Par56s fitted with Raylight reflectors and 575W bulbs as well that output a huge amount of light for the power, but these run seriously hot (lack of protection around the bulb) and melt through any gel in seconds so I wouldn't necessarily recommend them.

[ramdram]

Or some el cheapo halogen security lights. We've used them for years and they have had no probs with being dimmed from the desk.

 

Should you be short on desk channels simply google for dimmers, such:

 

http://essentialsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/On...ollers_118.html

 

second one down for example. You might even be able to blag an "Educational Discount"???

 

HTH

[Neil Hampson]

Be careful if specifiying / buying some "el cheapo security lights" I'm sure that in practice positioned out of harms way in the grid they would be fine, but be aware that many of them are rated only for outdoor use as they can run very hot in use.

I work in studio space similar to the one you have posted, posibly a little smaller, for house lights I use four Patt137 200W floods with a pale gold gel. although I agree fresnels would give a nicer light the floods would otherwise be in the bin and lantern stock is very limited. There is othing worse than having to use flouresent lights for House lights

[adambattey]

Ah, Cheers for your input guys! Much appreciated! I shall carry on in my quest for dimmable lights! ha ha!

 

x

[Jamtastic3]

It looks like your seating is edged with protected barriers. So....

 

One idea you could try is adding vertical scaff poles to the outside barriers on each side.

 

They could be equally spaced out or placed on each level. The poles could be maybe 6ft in height, clamped onto the barriers, with a par56 mounted on top pointing up to the ceiling.

 

To make it fancy, you could have a conventional par and an led par clamped to the same vertical pole with the led pars letting you suit mood lighting pointing in the upper part of the ceiling and the normal pars pointing straight up at the outer or lower part of the ceiling.

[Junior8]

By the looks of it there are no suspensions above the bleachers which is a typical but unforgivable error - especially in schools. Looks like a dire blackout too! Your problem is more than simply the lack of dimmers isn't it? Even if you could dim these fittings it would still be vile! I'd be very wary of using anything but sources that don't point straight down - house lights are there to light the house, not for effect, and it is vital that they provide sufficient shadowless light - unobtrusively - where it is needed. Unless you can get something installed to hang from above the seating any solution may be more trouble that its worth. The only real solution is the installation of some permanent dimmable downlighters on those horrible beams. If you could get some bars and sockets put in a few Patt 60 hanging down would do the trick nicely - don't laugh this is the system at the Chichester Minerva.

[Smiffy]

You have a nice white ceiling. Rig 3 or 4 Asymmetric floods off the bar closest to the Audience, pointed at the ceiling, and gelled in a nice warm tone.

 

Soft, relatively shadowless source that will fill the room,

 

Cheers

 

Smiffy

[LXbydesign]

If you could get some bars and sockets put in a few Patt 60 hanging down would do the trick nicely - don't laugh this is the system at the Chichester Minerva.

 

STILL ????????!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good heavens. I did a couple of shows there in the beginning - and still remember it being built! --showing my youthfull-ish age now . . .