Model box set with lighting

[colinnewton]

Hi all,

 

I'm trying to find/cobble together a basic model box set to be used for teaching in drama lessons, where we can alter the set and have a basic lighting rig so we can play with colour and angles.

 

I've found this http://www.theatreinabox.co.uk/index.html

 

But it's quite expensive for a school and wondering if there is someone who has done something similar.

 

I'm also wondering about just getting a cardboard box and some birdies!

 

Any ideas would be great,

 

Thank you

[mar]

The school I worked at previously had one of those theatre-in-a-box kits. They are very solid so should last a good long time if looked after, but I agree quite pricey. It is also a helpful 12:1 scale, so standard doll house furniture can be bought to supplement the blocks provided.

 

I'm afraid I can't really suggest any alternatives apart from attempting to make something yourself from scratch. Cutting blocks to the sizes they give in the specification would be easy enough as would fitting magnets. You could just use a sheet of metal for the stage rather than trying to make the case double purpose. The lighting rig is probably the hardest part - I wonder if they would sell you a set on it's own (perhaps as a 'spare part').

 

Hope that helps.

[colinnewton]

Yes the set looks great but the lighting looks like little LED torches and I'd rather have something a little more theatrical.

 

Does anywhere do a 'mini' truss for birdies?

[timsabre]

Birdies would be way too big.

You want something like this... mini LED spots on a track. There are 2 dimmable circuits on each track. I suspect might be quite expensive though

http://www.universal...ighting-systems

http://www.universal-fibre-optics.com/image/metroled/slider/watches.jpg

[J Pearce]

I had some success with birdies and source 4 minis (with an alphapack if I was feeling fancy) for teaching. Yes they're too big, but it give you options of beam angles, soft vs hard, shutters vs barndoors, gobos, colour and dimming. I found students responded to it in a more intuitive and tactile manner than they did to computer visualisation. Definitely more creative and less numerically technical.

[kitlane]

I had some success with birdies and source 4 minis (with an alphapack if I was feeling fancy) for teaching. Yes they're too big, but it give you options of beam angles, soft vs hard, shutters vs barndoors, gobos, colour and dimming. I found students responded to it in a more intuitive and tactile manner than they did to computer visualisation. Definitely more creative and less numerically technical.

 

A single Source 4 mini is how much? £180 ish?

[J Pearce]

Apparently so. I must confess I didn't purchase the ones we used. Nonetheless, for where I was the 4 were worth that price, but we had large student numbers and were tight for time in our main venue.

[nikkicallaghan]

Is it just me or do the stage in a box lights seem awfully close to the led keyrings as sold in pound shops and auto stores

[andy_s]

Looks like a toy to me. Can't see the point.

 

Better to use the sort of kit you would really find in a theatre.

[Junior8]

Meccano and a box of children's bricks come immediately to mind. Most of the blocks in the box are toy brick shape - I suspect they come from the same source. As for the lighting a search on LED display lighting will bring up many results, with some interesting miniature examples. Not cheap but interesting and quite robust.

[Tregilibob]

The Drama Dept I work in bought the kit, and whilst it is pretty good, it is not perfect. The cyc wall is good, as is the large selection on blocks including treads, and mine came with some people, but the lighting rig is pants, as it is the tiny LED torches with a magnet bolted to it to allow it to be semi positioned. If you are looking at using it as staging ideas it is good, if you are looking at using it to demonstrate your space, check the scale. We use ours as a base and as legs, then end up constructing the set to scale. If you are looking at it to show colour, angles etc of lighting, don't!

[musht]

Gantom make some minature DMX LEDs, pricing wasn`t ludicrous before pound crash

 

http://www.gantom.com/lighting-fixtures/

 

Virtual modelling worth investigating?

Sketchup has a shallow learning curve with a rendering engine like Kerkythea(free)

 

http://www.kerkythea.net

[LXbydesign]

ITrying my skills as a designer - I simply made a 1:25 model box of my old venue out of stiff sheets of card bought from a model shop. I then made useful 'bits and bobs' like 8x4 sections of steeldeck and the height/width of black tabs etc move around and try ideas. Didnt really bother with lights, but on the odd occasion I used a few birdies on mic stands to shine in at appropriate angles.