There are several points in my show where I go out into the audience to pick a volunteer. In order to keep better control I'd like to be able to light the house from two lighting stands up on the stage (one stage left and one stage right). I typically perform in auditoriums with 400 to 500 seats. I'd appreciate any help you can give me regarding what kind of lights would be best to use for this application.

Thanks,
Tony

I have installed into another touring show exactly what you are refering to. We installed 4 Source Four pars aimed at the ceiling. By aiming them at the ceiling they can be low...even though these are at 20'. They make for a nice soft light with no hot spots right in the audience's eyes. At times they use two, others they use all four.

Hope that helps.

Kevin

Kevin is right on with this. Bounce light on the ceiling gives more even and softer light in the house, yet everyone can see clearly. The only thing I use differently are the lighting fixures. I use 2 500w "Scoops" which are large flood lights. But the Source Four's are likely much easier to troop around.

Thanks very much. I appreciate the help. I'll look into these options.

You might also look into some used Molefay units. These are what concerts typically use to light the house from the stage.

Paul...
Those are great lights. But if I'm not mistaken those are mainly used for audience blinders. While they do light up the "house"...LOL, I'm not sure that's how he wanted to do it.

Kevin

I'm definitely not looking to blind anyone!! could be good for misdirection though!

Rather brazen for misdirection, if you ask me!

"Where did that elephant come from? Could it have been brought out when our retinas were frying? Hmmmmm, I wonder..."

I wasn't advising that you blind the audience by any means. When using a couple of them at less than full power, they work fairly well as touring house lighting. We used them on trees at the four corners of a house a couple of times and it looked rather nice. The nice thing about Molefays is that each of the individual lights in the instruments is individually focusable making the spread very versatile. You're basically getting 8 individually focused pars in a single instrument.

Just to clarify- I certainly didn't mean to imply that anyone was intending to blind their audience. I just found the notion to be rather amusing...

Guys you are spot on about bouncing lights into the ceiling. I work in the entertainment biz (sometimes as a gaffer sometimes as DP) for a nice soft light ceiling is a great choice. also many auditoriums have house lights on dimmers. perhaps an assistant that knows your cues could help with that.

Halcon

Kevin - do you think I'll need 4 source fours to light a 400 to 500 seat auditorium? I'm thinking I might start off with 2 and see how that goes, unless someone with more experience here tells me otherwise.


Thanks for your help.

Tony...
We design, install and program lighting rigs in churches, theatres and touring shows. So anything we can do to help, just ask.

The shape of the ceiling along with size of the house will determine how much light you will need. But, I would definately start with just two...tjhat may be all you need, it may be all you budget will allow right now. Speciafically try to stay with Source four's. They are samller than Par 64's, use 57.5% of the wattage of a 1000 watt par, yet put out the same amount of lumens. The beam spread is changed by switching out lenses that come with the light. Par 64's only chnage beam spread with another $25 lamp. In the space of one Par 64 lamp you can fit one dozen of the 575 lamps for the S4.

Hope that helps.....although it may have just raised more questions...LOL

Kevin

Kevin,
That definitely helps. I truly appreciate it. Do you have any suggestions on where to purchase the source four's. I did a google yesterday and it came up with a lot of different places. Thanks for the help.

Regards,
Tony

I don't think two source fours will do you for such a large auditorium...You'll likely need 4 of em, esp if you're going to bounce them off the ceiling.

You could also use a wide angle filter on it to distribute the light more evenly and choose a gel that also dispurses the light.

A source four PAR is still a tight pattern fixture compared to a standard Fresnel. It wouldn't be the ideal fixture to use for your purpose.

A 6" Fresnel will give you a far wider pattern, still controlable if you put the barn doors on the fixture.
Two 6" Fresnels will light up a large main floor no problem.

Strand 3380's are the most common, and most affordable. They're a 1K fixture.
The 3380's will however come in at a little higher price than a S4 PAR, and they're a bit bigger and heavier....but an ideal fixture for what you've described.

Just wanted to mention last time I saw a "well Known" traveling illusionist. He was useing two 750 watt CYC lights to light up the house. He also had the same lights pointing at the audience, and by useing dimmers controlled the intensity and effectively used them for misdirection as well. I wont mention his name but the program said his LD was David Cotkin...

Fitz

Be cautious about using fixtures that look like cyc lights, but are actually factory modified cyc lights and have their reflectors replaced to be used as mini scoops, or work lights.

Selecon is one company that takes their basic Aurora cyc light and modifies the reflector for use onstage as a work light or scoop. It's the work light you would want if you were to use this type of fixture.

It looks identical to a cyc light, unless you examine the reflector.

A regular cyc fixture has an extrememly tall, but very narrow pattern. This is so they can illuminate a 30' high cyc, and also why you need a large number of them to illuminate the cyc all the way across.

One other consideration with a modified cyc fixture is that there is no way to modify or control the beam pattern. This may or may not be a problem depending on what you're doing onstage at the time.

Kevin,

Which Source Four Par do you recommend.

Personally I went to this site to look at the different ones like the Zoom, Jr, etc.

http://www.etcconnect.com/products/fixtures.asp

Which one do you recommend?

G0THIKE

Gothike...
We personally use and have spec'd out to other shows the Source Four Par EA. We also use the Sourse Four Ellipsoidal in spreads of 19º, 26º, & 36º.

silverking mentioned that the Source Four Par is a tight pattern. Indeed it isn't as spread as a Fresnel. However, at the throw distance that it would at for lighting a house, it does just fine. With the wide flood lense on it, the diameter of the beam at 35 feet is ner 30 foot in diameter. If that is not enough then the other option would be the Fresnel route as silverking mentioned. However, to carry bulbs that can fit in a multitude of fixtures, I would stay with ETC and get the Parnel, which is a source four fresnel.

Here is the photometric data for the Source Four Par with the various lenses that are included with the fixture, such as, Very Narrow Spot, Narrow Spot, Medium Flood and Wide Flood...
http://www.etcconnect.com/docs_downloads......R_EA.pdf

Hope that helps.
Kevin