Positioning of fixtures...

[KindredHyperion]

We will soon be purchasing some nice new fixtures, but at the moment I am wondering where to put them on the rig, considering we probably won't be able to move them too much (school --> lack of insurance for people to go up ladders :blink:). I thought I'd get some second opinions as to where to put everything so that it will work for the large variety of uses present in a school environment (plays, classical concerts, rock concerts, prize-giving type things, dance concerts, etc etc). The fixture list is as follows:

• 5 AC Tourspots
  
• 4 AC Tourwashes
  
• 12 PAR56s with colour scrollers
  
• plus stuff we had already - 6ish Alto Fresnels, 3 Quartets, 4 Coda Cycs two of which are used as house lighting. Also 2 ancient fresnels - I have no idea what they are at all.
  

Our grid looks something like this: http://www.adamnet.co.uk/files/mainhall-diagram.jpg

 

It's basically five horizontal bars going across the hall, ten positions on each bar.

 

The areas that need lighting are the stage (obviously), and the area in front of the stage (from about the front of the stage to the fourth bar). I'd like to be able to change the colour of all of these areas, so ideally each area should be covered by something that changes colour.

 

I also want to keep the two Codas as audience lighting (unless there are better suggestions), and keep the two Quartets to light the lecterns, however I don't know what the Tourspots are like - will they do the job just as well?

 

It just occurred to me that I'm not sure how anyone is actually going to reply to this - perhaps photoshop that image and return it... ?

[Bryson]

ummmm...most people I know charge for doing your design for you...

 

Seriously though, why not have a stab at it and then we can help you with that, rather than suggest from nothing.

[david.elsbury]

Size of room? Height stage floor to bars? stuff like that will be helpful.

Have you had any ideas how to arrange the fixtures yourself?

I'd use the 12x PAR56's as a colour wash, in pairs, so there's two cans per area. This means you can have scroller A in red, scroller B in blue, and crossfade between them rather than visibly scrolling the strings. This means smooth changes between colours. Maybe 4 areas on stage plus two on the floor?

Then 3 tourspots at the rear of the stage, and either two on the sides, or out front. TourWashes maybe one covering each quarter of the stage?

For generics, I am personally a big fan of lots of rear, side and top light, with not so much frontal coverage. Maybe a two-colour wash from FOH, warm (rose) and cool (steel) perhaps?

Anyway, hope my ramblings help some.

 

David

[the kid]

Like Bryson said have a stab but if you can get the demo of a design program, then you can at least know what it might looks like in life.

 

But do the 1st sketches on paper you can always rub out what you dont like and you don't waste so much time "creating the space".

[Stu]

I cannot help but think that 9 moving lights isn't really the way forward for a school here - with that sort of money you could buy a multitude of generics which would be far more flexible.

 

Using your money wisely with the bargains some of the big companies offer, 2nd hand companies etc could get you an excellent rig and one that is far more flexible than the 9 movers would offer.

 

Plus - Par 56s with scrollers? Weird choice, can you not go for 64s at least?

 

Stu

[KindredHyperion]

I cannot help but think that 9 moving lights isn't really the way forward for a school here - with that sort of money you could buy a multitude of generics which would be far more flexible.

 

Using your money wisely with the bargains some of the big companies offer, 2nd hand companies etc could get you an excellent rig and one that is far more flexible than the 9 movers would offer.

 

Plus - Par 56s with scrollers? Weird choice, can you not go for 64s at least?

 

Stu

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

However, I think that movers are more flexible in the space that we have. I don't think we could physically fit the amount of generics that £15k could buy onto the grid...

 

Also,

we probably won't be able to move them too much (school --> lack of insurance for people to go up ladders :o)

- we need stuff we can just change remotely if suddenly the soloist position is not what we planned etc.

 

To everyone else, sorry about being so assertive :blink: - I'm working on another design at the moment.

 

Adam

[the kid]

Could some of the money not be plowed in to getting the required insurance. What haperens when a lamp goes?

[KindredHyperion]

Ironically, at the moment we have about three fixtures just sitting up there with bulbs that have gone because no-one want to take them down :o!

 

In those cases generally someone does have to go up so we change change the lamp, but that's only when neccessary - it's and issue of time as well as insurance: everyone who would go up there has many many other things to do as part of the job they're paid to do (e.g. schoolkeeping) and often there is just not enough time to spend a reasonable amount of time rigging - usually only about 1 hour at most...

 

Anyway, here's my 'stab' at the thing:

 

http://www.adamnet.co.uk/files/mainhall-diagram2.jpg

 

Those things with (slightly) rounded ends are the pars, and that thing next to the tourwashes is a fresnel to light the piano... :blink:

 

Also, I tried to find a demo of wysiwyg, so I go to the cast software website and I get: Internal server error, try again later o_O;

Is there anywhere else I can get a demo from?

 

 

Adam

[Stu]

Adam,

 

How big is your grid? In terms of width of each bar etc?

 

Stu

[KindredHyperion]

Right... each of those bars is about 7m long and about 10cm wide. The bars are positioned about 2m apart from each other. (I know all the fixtures are ridiculously out of proportion: the tourspots are about 1m wide according to that diagram! :blink:).

 

10 positions on each bar, 5 bars... I'm sure if I just spent the money on generics I'd get more than 50 for £15k!

[Bryson]

They're right about the generics, you know, but it doesn't look like you can change some peoples' minds. It aint all about the whizz-bang wallop....

 

....that said:

 

 

Much more like it. I'd get at least two of the Tourwashes in backlighting positions, for some nice saturated colour backlight, myself.

 

 

No knowing the space or having proper scale drawings, will the general cover not be a bit steep from that position?

 

Is that 2 codas over the stage? Working Lights?

 

No sidelight at all?

 

Are you really doing the GC with Parcans? I'd use the Altos. If you are using the Altos, where did the rest of the Scroller/Pars go?

[KindredHyperion]

Sorry.... that drawing is ridiculously out of proportion! I'll look tomorrow and try and do a slightly more sensibly scaled one.

 

In the meantime: yep, those are codas over the stage. Perhaps for sidelight I'll move them a bit further out and then point them inwards...?

 

Then swap the two centre Tourwashes on the fourth bar with the two centre Parcans on the first bar and I have backlight!

 

Something along those lines anyway.

I'll go in tomorrow and spend ages in the hall working everything out and reply tomorrow evening, as I say hopefully with a slightly more to scale drawing!

 

Adam

 

P.S: Does anyone know where I can get a Wysiwyg demo from apart from their site (broken)?

 

Edit: Ok, the cast lighting website seems to be working again, but the WYSIWYG demo is 218mb - not really feasible on a dialup connection v_v

I'll try doing a drawing on MicroStation.