Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: new and need lots of help!

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Majicwrench
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Joined: 2/07/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 178

Posted: 11/01/10 at 12:05am

I am a huge, huge fan of the saying "less is more". Do you really need that much more lighting than the room already has?? It is easy to get sucked into the idea that you need this or that. You need actors, and an audience.

Looking forward to hearing how it turns out!

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ChanaGoanna
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Joined: 10/05/10
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Posts: 16

Posted: 11/04/10 at 1:52pm

Majicwrench, it is possible that you are right. Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting my town's public HS director who's quite renowned. She graciously talked to me about my project and said that they had done something similar using just the lighting overhead in their cafeteria plus one followspot.

So yeah, maybe...but I'm worried that it won't be enough light and that they'll look terribly flat and underlit. Not that that's the end of the world, but as this is going to be THE impression people will first have of my efforts at taking over the theater program, it's important for me to make a good first impression so they'll continue to invest in it. It was a terrible program before, and I need to really wow people, while still making a decent amount of money from this....so I'm trying to find the right balance, and it's a delicate one.

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JoeMc
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Joined: 3/13/06
Location: Australia
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Posts: 832

Posted: 11/04/10 at 11:45pm

I normally use a followspot [aka Lime, Drummond light or Dome spot] for musical soloists, opera & dance. Also if warm props are bloked to a spike mark to be picked up in a Profile [hard edge] special spot. Because from experiance with comeatre, the luvvies never seem to hit the same stage mark on cue twice in a row or have a reluctance &/or stage prescence to move into a designated special light.

To attain dimmention/definition, side or back light is needed, to give a subtle light/colour lift to enhance the the mise'enscene. Rather than just rely on front full on blatt lighting as pionted out by Keith.

"not enough light" is the general mantre of dance school teachers & a lot of first time directors. Primarly because they view it from the wings & not from the punters view piont.

If you utalise the followspot the operator needs to practice with thier pick ups, one trick is by chucking a tenis ball on to the stage & the operator learning to follow it. Also to have the ability to tweek the focus to a softer edge or using the Iris &/or cheating in the dowser. Further on spot pick ups it's a good practice to clue in target sights on the lantern, to aviod spilling on the Legs or the proscenium & Tormentors.

Edited by JoeMc - 11/05/10 at 1:54am

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Topic: new and need lots of help!( Topic Closed)
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Author	Message
Majicwrench Celebrity Joined: 2/07/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 178	Posted: 11/01/10 at 12:05am
	I am a huge, huge fan of the saying "less is more". Do you really need that much more lighting than the room already has?? It is easy to get sucked into the idea that you need this or that. You need actors, and an audience. Looking forward to hearing how it turns out!
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ChanaGoanna Player Joined: 10/05/10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Posted: 11/04/10 at 1:52pm
	Majicwrench, it is possible that you are right. Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting my town's public HS director who's quite renowned. She graciously talked to me about my project and said that they had done something similar using just the lighting overhead in their cafeteria plus one followspot. So yeah, maybe...but I'm worried that it won't be enough light and that they'll look terribly flat and underlit. Not that that's the end of the world, but as this is going to be THE impression people will first have of my efforts at taking over the theater program, it's important for me to make a good first impression so they'll continue to invest in it. It was a terrible program before, and I need to really wow people, while still making a decent amount of money from this....so I'm trying to find the right balance, and it's a delicate one.
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 11/04/10 at 11:45pm
	I normally use a followspot [aka Lime, Drummond light or Dome spot] for musical soloists, opera & dance. Also if warm props are bloked to a spike mark to be picked up in a Profile [hard edge] special spot. Because from experiance with comeatre, the luvvies never seem to hit the same stage mark on cue twice in a row or have a reluctance &/or stage prescence to move into a designated special light. To attain dimmention/definition, side or back light is needed, to give a subtle light/colour lift to enhance the the mise'enscene. Rather than just rely on front full on blatt lighting as pionted out by Keith. "not enough light" is the general mantre of dance school teachers & a lot of first time directors. Primarly because they view it from the wings & not from the punters view piont. If you utalise the followspot the operator needs to practice with thier pick ups, one trick is by chucking a tenis ball on to the stage & the operator learning to follow it. Also to have the ability to tweek the focus to a softer edge or using the Iris &/or cheating in the dowser. Further on spot pick ups it's a good practice to clue in target sights on the lantern, to aviod spilling on the Legs or the proscenium & Tormentors. Edited by JoeMc - 11/05/10 at 1:54am
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
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