Lighting Observation. Got any stories?

[Jamtastic3]

Hey do you ever check out a venues lighting rig, lighting and the layouts? OK might be a stupid question, then again some places you just notice it clearly.

I say this cos the other night ago I went out with friends and we went to a nightclub and couldn't believe the state of their lighting. For a start they had 10 MX-4's around the rectangular dancefloor but embedded in the ceiling. Ok I don't know about anyone else, but I really hate Martin's MX series - a real nasty design and they look fragile. So all you seen was 10 knobly moving mirrors, poking out of the ceiling. Also, looking at them, there was 2 of them with no lamps but still moving and with most of them, they were real dirty, dusty and the mirrors were smashed or not working properly. They also had these 6 wierd 80's style lights shaped like a shell (IF ANYONE KNOWS THEM, PLZ PASS THE WORD) that were on a simple step chase, and unlike my mates I was looking and I just thought to myself, wtf! I kind of felt like goin up to staff and saying just how bad it looked. Just to say this place has no lampie or technician, only a DJ as such.

 

I also noticed it in another venue, where they had 3 Roboscans, moving but no lamps on and one was just totally smashed and what they did have working for the dancefloor - 4x 50w MOONFLOWERS and a couple of pinspots!!!!! I couldn't believe it. Mind you I won't be goin to that place again, the walls were dripping with sweat.

 

Has anyone else ever felt like that or observed places like I have? It would be great to hear a few grotty venues/lighting.

[Tom]

I have to say I don't usually really do that in any great detail but I was a bit taken aback the other day when, while watching a gig at a certain north london cafe famous for it's jazz, my non technical girl friend (it was the technical girl friends night off - kerching) turned to me and said "the lighting's a bit crap isn't it"!

 

Brought a warm glow to my heart <_<

[bruce]

Was recently in a venue where all of the installed lights - nothing fancy, just pars and pinspots - had short flying leads. These were connected via inline IEC plug & sockets to other cables, which disappeared above the false ceiling.

 

Nothing too unusual about that, I hear you say....

 

But the IECs had been wired backwards. The plugs were connected to supply, and the sockets to the lights.

 

And it had been like this for years!

 

Bruce.

[Guest lightnix]

At a certain hotel in Birmingham, there used to be a cinema on the ground floor, which was eventually "adapted" for use as another conference room

 

It was weird. Although the FOH lighting circuits all ran back to the dimmer / control room, for some peculiar reason the 15A plugs for the upstage and dip circuits were located by the FOH sockets; to connect an upstage circuit to the dimmers you had to "patch through" the FOH :blink:

 

Nothing was marked. It took us about an hour to work out what the hell was going on and another hour to mark it all up. Fortunately after that it was an easy gig. Except for the client, who got a real tongue lashing from the audience :** laughs out loud **:

[fluiduk]

Yeah I always look at rigs ** laughs out loud **, my bf thinks im sad!

 

Theres a really drool worthy rig at liquid in luton. Loads of white MACS, lazers, and about 10 data projectors on the white walls!

 

Heres a pic :: http://www.amina.co.uk/images/liquid%20nightclub1.gif

 

Aaron

[mac500]

I'm always the same whenever I go out. Always looking at the lx rigs. Especially in clubs if the lights are being operated well and they go with the music I hardly notice but when they are operated naffly, which is more often then not, the lighting sticks out like a sore thumb and looks naff.

 

There is a lesson to learn somewhere, you may have big rigs, but if you don't operate them correctly you might as well just have a couple of flash and trash pinspots etc.

[Thirdtap]

'lo

I have noticed that some of the former Warner Cinemas now 'Vue' have removed all the 'theatrical' lighting from the foyers. They had alot of Teatro stuff and some movers as well. In a couple of cinemas I been to all the truss and the IWB stuff is still up but no lighting rigged. It seems that they have changed to low maintenance sodium or florescent lighting instead.

[mac500]

Think it must of been a money saving issue. They did have some macs up at my local one but I hardly saw them being used.

[Modge]

I can think of a number of venues near me that have truely appalling rigs (I try not to let ppl see me looking its sad I know but hey...I'm me) and they rule. I think of one place with both appalling lx and noise - rig is mostly pin spots (rigged with gaffer to cable trays - I try not to stand under them) and a wierd 80's harvester gone nuts type of thing. Another of my faverate places has pin only pin spots - 4 colours a simple case though the colours.

The thing is despite this suckiness (partially in both cases cos the place is dark :unsure:) I always have my best nights at these places (partially also because they're rock / metal / goth / other places and thats my kind of thing)

[Mush]

Yeah I always look at rigs ** laughs out loud **, my bf thinks im sad!

 

Theres a really drool worthy rig at liquid in luton.  Loads of white MACS, lazers, and about 10 data projectors on the white walls!

 

Heres a pic :: http://www.amina.co.uk/images/liquid%20nightclub1.gif

 

Aaron

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Loads of Opti Lliquid projectors as well ,I think , in Liquid`s and that lovely white Corian dancefloor.

[fluiduk]

Yeah loads of opti projectors. Really nice.

[vinny baby]

Yeah its funny how one tends to look straight at the celing once you walk into a club.

 

this is a pic of trillogy, a night club in doncaster.

 

the lighting has beed superbly designed.

 

there is 3 cirlces of truss supended above the dance floor, that has had LED spikes fitted around the perimiter to give the effect of a chandilier (<--sp?). the dance floor is lit with ROBE 575 spots and 250 washes, I believe it is controlled with an azure.

 

http://www.robe.cz/images/gfx/ins_trilogy2.jpg

 

vince

[Ketil B]

Hey do you ever check out a venues lighting rig, lighting and the layouts?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes, abit too much.

 

I say this cos the other night ago I went out with friends and we went to a nightclub and couldn't believe the state of their lighting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

wood this be the scrub-way?

 

but you do find in club (in small ones), the tech cash go's on the sound before the lights.

 

And which club do you work in Jamtastic?

[Jamtastic3]

Ha yes it was Ketil! Spot on, someone else has been observing that place. It's a regular for my friends. I think maintenence for their lighting doesn't exist, cos there is no respect for the lights.

 

I work at the Bongo Club - I'm the lampie there. We've got a really good sound system (don't ask the details I don't have a scooby), so I see where you're coming from with the sound coming first with cash.

I think we have an ok lighting rig, it's adequate for the space we have (about 14mx15m). The place is not made to seem like cables are to be hidden into walls and lights sunk into the ceiling, like all the trendie 'I'll run sound-to-light fixtures' places. The Bongo isn't that sort of vibe. It's basically a 'raw' rig - you can see the truss, cabling and drapping blacks for sound. I'm the only light tech as such, so I maintain all lights and design the rig, mostly in a static state (things don't need moved). Live bands love the sound, and I do great lighting for them but when we have clubnights we mainly rely on 4 CP Miniscan HPE's. We have 6 Datamoons but sometimes they can just look bright and cheap.

I've been asking for another few CP scans which would be amaizing but I think like most venues, lighting comes after everything else.

Don't know if you've been there Ketil (it's the new one btw). If you have give your opinions, neg or pos, good to get some info. Also good to know where you work too? Hope it isn't scrubway

 

Everyone: Don't you find that you don't get the respect you should actually get from bands or just in general? All I ever hear is 'amaizing sound mate' to the sound tech. The odd 'oh that light was nice', but that's it.

[James]

Everyone: Don't you find that you don't get the respect you should actually get from bands or just in general? All I ever hear is 'amaizing sound mate' to the sound tech. The odd 'oh that light was nice', but that's it

 

I find it depends on the band / group / gig I've done bands who don't care what I do as long as it fits in their rider I've done a whole bunch of radio 4 recordings (Now Show etc) where they don't care what happens as long as the audience can see.

 

I've done one band who insisted that they couldn't possibly play with bright lights in front of them. It came to the point where the lead singer stoped playing and insisted I come on stage, stand DSC and he pointed out Every Single FOH lanterns and asked me a: did I know they were on and b: how could he possibly play with those bright lights shining in his eyes. and c: can I turn all the FOH off now.

 

So - when bands don't say anything I would think of that as a good sign as lighting obviously should be seen and not heard.