Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: nightclub 60's/70's/90's

Message

   I am in the early phase of designing the set/lighting for a show that is set in a nightclub that spans the 60's/70' and 90's (or 1967, 76 and 94 to be exact.) The main part will on the stage where these singers perform. This is little time for scenery change so the backdrop will be the same. I am thinking of relying lighting only to suggest the different eras.

For 60's, I am thinking of building a 10' tall semi-circle that serves as an archway, then I want to put dozens of incadenscent lightbulbs along the arc and mimic the effect that the light is "running" from one end to the other (eg. bulb 1, 4, 7 is on, follow by 2, 5, 8, then 3, 6,9, repeat.) First question: what do you call this kind of lighting/effect?

Could you point me to a good guide in helping me understand how it works and how to build it? I will probably hire an electrician to help me on this but I should make myself somewhat knowledgable to be able to communicate the intent. I assume there is some kind of circuit board that controls who goes on and off, etc. Does this controller have to be custom-made and is there readily available product that does that?

I will also build a stage using 4' x 8' platforms on legs, to create a cascading stairs. I want light to emit along the edge of the treads (or bottom of risers) I could think of two ways, the simplest way is to use rope light but I think it looks cheap. The other way I could think of is to block the open space at the risers, leaving about 1" space at the bottom, then I filled the bottom with a translucent paper. Next I put a cyc light/fresnel behind the stairs and let the light come through the translucent paper. Would this method of lighting the stairs work?

Next, I need to create the ambience of a 70's nightclub. I was thinking of getting one of those rotating light instruments that were used in disco, I have seen some being sold on internet for around $100. the wattage is maybe 200w. Are these strong enough for theater stage use?  I plan to put these behind the arch and cast the light on the cyclorama. Is there any other light effect that you would suggest for the 70's?

Finally for the 90's, if I could afford it, I will get a couple of moving light beams (that those used in rock concert) but chance is that I don't have that budget. I was thinking of using a fog machine and use a bunch of PARs to create a series of fixed light beams. Any idea for the 90's?

If there's anything related to anything other than lighting (I know this is not the right forum) that you could suggest to help me create the ambience of the different eras, I am all ears.

I apologize for the long post as there are so many things I want to learn from you all. If there's any specific part you could provide me with advice, or point me in the right direction (website, book, blog, etc.), I will very much appreciate it. Thanks.

Author	Message
yolkietoby Walk-On Joined: 7/01/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: nightclub 60's/70's/90's Posted: 7/01/08 at 5:18pm
	I am in the early phase of designing the set/lighting for a show that is set in a nightclub that spans the 60's/70' and 90's (or 1967, 76 and 94 to be exact.) The main part will on the stage where these singers perform. This is little time for scenery change so the backdrop will be the same. I am thinking of relying lighting only to suggest the different eras. For 60's, I am thinking of building a 10' tall semi-circle that serves as an archway, then I want to put dozens of incadenscent lightbulbs along the arc and mimic the effect that the light is "running" from one end to the other (eg. bulb 1, 4, 7 is on, follow by 2, 5, 8, then 3, 6,9, repeat.) First question: what do you call this kind of lighting/effect? Could you point me to a good guide in helping me understand how it works and how to build it? I will probably hire an electrician to help me on this but I should make myself somewhat knowledgable to be able to communicate the intent. I assume there is some kind of circuit board that controls who goes on and off, etc. Does this controller have to be custom-made and is there readily available product that does that? I will also build a stage using 4' x 8' platforms on legs, to create a cascading stairs. I want light to emit along the edge of the treads (or bottom of risers) I could think of two ways, the simplest way is to use rope light but I think it looks cheap. The other way I could think of is to block the open space at the risers, leaving about 1" space at the bottom, then I filled the bottom with a translucent paper. Next I put a cyc light/fresnel behind the stairs and let the light come through the translucent paper. Would this method of lighting the stairs work? Next, I need to create the ambience of a 70's nightclub. I was thinking of getting one of those rotating light instruments that were used in disco, I have seen some being sold on internet for around $100. the wattage is maybe 200w. Are these strong enough for theater stage use? I plan to put these behind the arch and cast the light on the cyclorama. Is there any other light effect that you would suggest for the 70's? Finally for the 90's, if I could afford it, I will get a couple of moving light beams (that those used in rock concert) but chance is that I don't have that budget. I was thinking of using a fog machine and use a bunch of PARs to create a series of fixed light beams. Any idea for the 90's? If there's anything related to anything other than lighting (I know this is not the right forum) that you could suggest to help me create the ambience of the different eras, I am all ears. I apologize for the long post as there are so many things I want to learn from you all. If there's any specific part you could provide me with advice, or point me in the right direction (website, book, blog, etc.), I will very much appreciate it. Thanks.

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tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 7/01/08 at 9:27pm
	I have no answers for you - LOL - sorry but what play are you doing?!
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yolkietoby Walk-On Joined: 7/01/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 7/02/08 at 12:11am
	It's called "I have a Date with Spring." It's a play in Chinese, set in a Hong Kong nightclub during those eras I mentioned. I suppose it's not too well known outside of the Chinese-speaking community.
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Spectrum Celebrity Joined: 4/16/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 176	Posted: 7/02/08 at 3:30am
	The effect of the "running lights" is called marquee or chaser lights. There are two versions of this effect; having 3 or 4 strings of lights staggered in sequential order and lighting one string at a time (in a 4 stage sequence, lamps 1, 5, 9, 13... are lit and then 2, 6, 10, 14... etc.) OR just the inversion of that, where all lights but one string are on, giving a more professional look. Instead of every fifth lamp chasing across the arc, an extinguished lamp is "running." The controller is an electronic circuit called a 3 (or 4) stage counter, driving solid state relays or triacs to switch the 117VAC power to the light strings. As I mentioned in another thread, I am about to manufacture just such a device to do what you're looking for - and a whole lot more. Without giving away any "trade secrets, I can probably steer you on to information that will get the job done. Timing is everything! If we had our devices on the shelves we'd be happy to rent a set to you. If you want, email me at info@theatricalreality.biz and I'll try to help you (or someone technically savvy) build a suitable circuit. Since this involves controlling 117VAC line voltage (it can be lethal!), I would highly recommend you get someone with knowledge of electronics to build it for you (in which case you probably don't need my help). Good luck and be careful.
	Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
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tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 7/02/08 at 9:20am
	ah! It must be the same as the film of the same title? It's an adorable piece! Good luck with it.
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yolkietoby Walk-On Joined: 7/01/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 7/02/08 at 1:06pm
	yes, there is a movie adapted from the screenplay made in the 1990's I believe, and there have been quite a few staged productions since then. I am only aware of a Mandarin Chinese movie version. It's about four female singers going through 2 decades of life. Are you referring to the same title? If so, either there is an English version which I am not aware of, or you do understand Chinese?
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tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 7/03/08 at 7:32am
	yes, it's the same one - no, I don't understand Chinese LOL - it's subtitled
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bmiller025 Star Joined: 10/06/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 82	Posted: 7/04/08 at 3:27pm
	Definitely listen to Mr. Spectrum regarding the chaser effect! Great advice. I have created chaser light effects many times. If you have enough dimmers available in your lighting system, and a light board with either chase capability or a way to memorize a sequence of cues that can be programmed as a loop, you won't need to build a timing circuit to switch between the various circuits, and the light board operator can control the effect. In the past, I have specified usually three or four circuits of lights, and written a sequence of cues that turns off one of the circuits in turn. Our brains are very easily convinced of the magic of this effect. It works beautifully. It is also very easy to change the direction of the chase, by jumping to a different sequence of cues. Keep track of how many lights you have in your set-up, and make sure you have enough wattage capacity in your dimmers. If there are a whole lot of lights, that could require the use of four circuits, instead of three. For example, if you are using 60W bulbs, have a total of forty in the rig and your dimmers are 600W, you will need four dimmers. Most dimmers have capacities that are a lot more than 600W, so this may be a silly concern. When you wire the lights together, keep in mind that you will connect every third or fourth light together, depending on how many channels you use. If you are uncomfortable with wiring the apparatus together, get someone else to do it! Here are some photographs of a production I did where the effect worked very well. This is an example of a three circuit chase. The marquee around the set was pretty much in motion throughout the show. ForeverPlaid Regarding your other questions, the gap under the steps sounds fine. Depending on what color the steps are painted, you may not need to put the paper in there. If you use a few well-positioned fresnels, you could create a very exciting effect by having the light just spill out through the gap. Another fun approach would be to put a fog machine under the stairs. The fog is lit very nicely as it pours out through the gaps. Regarding using a rotating light for the 70s, that sounds fine. You may want to have several of them going at the same time if you want to create the full disco effect. You may not need to purchase the big ones. You can get rotating lights from many online suppliers for less than $30.00. They are not really bright, but as an effect, they don't need to light anything. The moving light fixtures are going to cost you an arm and a leg. You will also need a pretty sophisticated light board to run them. Such a light board will be able to create the chaser effect discussed earlier with no trouble at all, of course! Without additional information from you, it is hard to make suggestions for how many lights you will need to create the effects you want. Creating the effects for the different eras also will be fun. Definitely start with simple in the distant past, and make each successive era more complex and detailed. If you are going to try to use intelligent fixtures for the 90s, you may be able to create era-appropriate effects for the earlier times with the same equipment. Treating the light as a static fixture will work many times. One final suggestion... Rather than planning to project the light effects on the background, you may want to think about hitting the characters onstage with them. It may be easier to create the effects you desire that way, without needing to cover a huge surface area. Good luck, and have fun!
	http://www.brianmiller.biz/BrianDesign.htm
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yolkietoby Walk-On Joined: 7/01/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 7/04/08 at 6:56pm
	Thanks Brian, after thinking about it, tying the lights to the lightboard (in lieu of using a separate dedicated circuit) probably sounds the most feasible to me. It's probably quite easy for us to implement and more flexible in terms of coming up with different "movements". Your other suggestions make sense too. the fog thru the stairs could be cool, I will run it by the director and see what he thinks. I didn't know intelligent light is so complicated, from what I have read each one would take up a whole dozen of channels... for just one scene maybe it's not worth it. Maybe I will try using laser machine for the 90's... but that means I need a hazer.... Anyway, thanks once again for your advice.
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tdsands Walk-On Joined: 5/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Posted: 7/09/08 at 9:52pm
	OK so I don't think anyone else has mentioned a Disco ball for the 70's but it is cheap and very effective.
	tdsands @ NRT
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Lights and Sound
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Lights and Sound

Topic: nightclub 60's/70's/90's( Topic Closed)