| miguel castro wrote on Sat, 07 July 2007 12:44 |
What Do you guys recomend to buy for a 50 to 70ft wide stage.- a 500 to 2500 ppl crowd...- Remmember it's outdoors.
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Miguel. This a considered a pretty BIG configuration.
- I don't have a simple answer of - "go buy this and this." I could easily just say - "buy 40 PARS" - but then you need to know are they narrow, medium... how bright - etc.?
The first - and most important issue is access to power, and how you get power to your dimmers and lights. You've read on this board about the need for absolute safety at all times.
- "Outdoors" increases the safety concerns. Moisture, audience access to cables.
The second issue is with rigging. Also a potentially dangerous undertaking.
I do not know of a good online source of how to get started. There are some excellent books written about theater lighting.
- A great strategy is just to hire someone for those bigger gigs. You can easily require a 40K rig (think 40 1KW PARs) as a start.
- If you were a lighting designer - you might break down the problems - and the design as follows: (Of course this is just one example. Often you start from the point of "what I have available - how best to use it?")
1. Lighting positions
- 50 foot wide stage. Front light should be high enough to be in scale with the width. 10 foot high is out of proportion for example. Do I need 20 foot tall positions? Do I need a truss across the entire front of the stage?
The goal for front lighting is visibility and interesting colors.
- Back lighting. The audience "sees" the back lights. The more lights, the more interesting the show. How to mount them? A truss or towers?
The goal for back lighting is contrast, interesting colors and the ability to make the stage look different for each song. The audience really keys on interesting back light.
- "interest" lighting. Other positions, on stage floor, sides, on top of speakers etc.
The goal here is to look high tech or have the audience see some interesting (but not over-used) effects. Moving lights are almost standard for the stage sizes you are describing. Some folks add some truss pieces or stage props to make the stage look more interesting - and then clamp some lights on it.
Blinders are often used. They shine out into the audience. Or folks will aim the movers to shine on the audience.
- The background. That is a big stage. What's on the back wall? A big TV screen? A backdrop? Just a black hole? Can you project something on it - like a moving light with a rotating gobo - or an effects projector?
2. Complexity of lighting.
-Is a simple arrangement of stage wash good enough? Do I need control of zones? like the drummer or the singer.
- Do I need to spotlight performers from the front? With lights on the truss or towers. Or moving lights that can act as spotlights - or do I need an actual follow spot?
- How much "good stuff" like moving lights can we afford?
After you solve the lighting position question you can begin laying out the instruments and the "looks."
This is always a question of budget. Are 500 W PARS sufficient? Do I need 1KW PARS? How many?
Am I better off with PARS with color changers - or should we invest in moving head wash and spot instruments?
How much light is needed?
How do we Haze or smoke up the atmosphere so the light beams are visible.
- After you layout lighting positions - you then have to figure out how to get control of everything. Number of dimmers.
- Then power - Amount of power required for all of it. Cable, dimmer racks or remote dimmers. Power for the movers.
Then the magic equation of how much total power you need (a lot!). So how do you get that power and distribute it?
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Topic: where to start (Read 2975 times)