From The Horse's Mouth

I was on a panel discussion last week at a theatre conference. The questions came from all tech theatre disciplines from TDs around the country. One of the questions was where to get a theatre inspected for safety issues. The TD felt that there were some big safety issues at his theatre. One of the panelists told him that he should call the local OSHA office and have them send someone down. Two of us on the panel looked at each other in a panicked way. While I think OSHA is a very important agency in protecting workers, some inspectors write citations like crazy. I suggested getting together with other theaters in the town and hiring a safety consultant to come through to point out safety issues, give correction advice and create a report for the administration. The original panelist said that he gets along famously with his local OSHA inspector and they point out issues and give them ample time to fix them. The assumption here is that all inspectors are the same (they are not). I am not endorsing unsafe workplaces or procedures but I am saying that it is best to get all of your ducks in a row before you invite what might be a hungry fox into the duck pen! With all of that being said, be sure to get a safety inspection as theaters can certainly be very dangerous work environments!

With the advent of RGB,RGBA,RGBWA LED fixtures, there is a new flexibility in color in lighting out there. By mixing the aforementioned colors, you can theoretically create any color in a swatchbook. This is a bit tricky when trying to match with incandescent sources and gel colors. It is possible to get very close and in some cases, spot on. Another alternative is to use a Smart Color Pro color scroller with a white only LED fixture. The single color fixtures are usually much brighter than the multicolor LED fixtures. By permanently mounting a piece of color correction to “warm up” the cooler LED sources to match the incandescent sources, you will not be fussing with color mixing three primaries. The added benefit is that the scrollers can still be used on the existing incandescent fixtures when the LEDs are used elsewhere or when they are gelled in only one color. Until someone manufactures an affordable and bright RGB or RGBWA, the color scroller (Smart Color Pro) on the bright and white LED fixture is a viable alternative.

Please be sure to always try to test colors prior to using them as skin tones, scene paint, and costumes as colors vary dramatically.  The following are suggestions and not absolutes:

Warm Colors

• *AP7050 Yellow/amber family. The standard in warm theater colors.  Good for “tan” look. Can turn orange on thick make-up.
• AP2140 Yellow/amber family. More yellows and less red than AP7050.
• AP7300 Orange/amber family. More reds and oranges, favors pinks and blues. Fairly warm.
• AP7400 Orange/amber family. Good for sunset warms.  Brings out reds and pinks.
• *AP7900 Pink family. A nice warm pink color that is very pale.  Even color. A safe color.
• AP8600 Pink/lavender family. Very pink color. Good on most colors except green. Cheery. Great on white costumes.
• AP7100 Amber/tan family. Great for dark complexions. No blues. Mutes costume and scenic colors.

Cool Colors

Over the years as a lighting designer, I would want an image for a gobo or a rendering to show the director or choreographer. I had learned through numerous arts classes in school that I was NOT an artist when it came to drawing or painting. Many times, I would fall back to abstract art as you can only work with stick figures for so long.

Then the wonders of the computer age came along and now I have the advantage of various softwares to assist me in designing patterns or renderings. Lighting designers should spend some time learning how to work with these tools. Even playing with the various softwares can yield some amazing results.

The first type of software is any photo editing tool. The software can range from a simple program that came with even the cheapest digital camera to a full blown program like Photoshop. Take a few close up and landscape photos with a digital camera and import it into the software. By adjusting the contrast, color saturations and (continue reading…)

As I read up on the current LED products in the lighting biz, I came across some new terminology that I haven’t encountered before. These are terms that have been created to show the different operational facets of LED fixtures. Some are also marketing terms to create interest in the product and to point out a problem that some of us never knew existed. “Google” some of these.

Amber shift (aka Red Shift) Flicker Free
LED droop LED Frequency
Inrush Stand Alone fixture
Tricolor Pixel Control
HSV HSIC (a DMX Mode)
RGB Upgradable Firmware
RGBA Remote DMX Addressing
RGBWA Pixelization
LED Blocks Square Law Dimming Curve
CDA (Current Drive Array) Tungsten Response Time
ROHS Compliant
PMMA lens
IP 65 (an easy one)
Master/ Slave mode
PowerCon connectors (hint: Neutrik)
Chipset
Half Intensity Angle

Some of these terms are carryover from moving fixtures but for many in the low budget theatre industry, they may be new terms. A few of these terms were new to me as I ran through the gamut of LED fixtures out there. Do some research and figure out what features are important to you.

I recently replaced the fluorescent tubes in my basement. I have never been a big fan of the quality of light that fluorescent lamps produce. As I wandered the aisle at my local Lowe’s, I was surprised at the explosion of color temperatures and prices that these “eco-friendly” light sources have. As I looked at compact fluorescent and T-12 tubes, there were color temperatures of 2700, 3000, 3500, 4100, 5000, and 6500 degrees available. A simple rule of Kelvin temp scale is the lower the temp, the warmer the color.

There were also many brand names used by the manufacturers. Cool White being the most common. There were also USO Residential, Daylight, Sunshine, and an interesting one called “High Definition”. The most common and least expensive is the cool white fluorescent lamps. As the fluorescent sources are phased into use before the 2014 “no incandescent” deadline, there will be many, many complaints about how the fluorescent sources are cold, glaring, greenish, non-flattering and undesirable.

There will be more of a reliance on gel tubes and GelWraps (both available from Apollo). These are great solutions for interior designers, lighting consultants, museum exhibit managers, and event planners. By using the quick install and removal Gel Wrap product, a venue or facility can have its look dramatically changed for an evening event and a room lit with the least expensive Cool White fluorescent tubes or compact fluorescent lamps can be given the same color as if they were lit with incandescent sources. Keep in mind that most of these gel solution products last about 6 months with normal use before fading.  Apollo has information on where to start when advising clients of which color correction they may need to match incandescent lamps.

PS I ended up buying the GE Sunshine T12 tubes for my basement and highly recommend them (CRI=90!)

Hey, I can see everybody on the stage. Why do I need to put any color in the lights? Years ago when I was designing, several dance companies came through the local university road house from NYC. These were not major companies but smaller yet good companies. I noted a trend that no one was using much color and the colors that were being used were rather pale “washed out” colors. After one of the shows, I went backstage to ask what the deal was with the no color look as the dancers looked pale and not at all “ruddy”. I was told that it was a cost thing. The company did not carry much gel and preferred the lighter colors because they lasted longer. They were presenting rep works so the original designers either didn’t care or hadn’t seen the re-designs. I was a bit annoyed by this. Gel is one of the least expensive “frills” that a designer can use. It helps the performers look healthy, scenery look finished, and costumes look better. Even a small company should be able to afford color. Most theatres have a small inventory as well. Yes, the blue may not be the ideal blue or they may not all match but it will add to the “dimensioning” of the stage elements. It may be easy to cut the colors out of the lighting but remember that dancer from the northeast has been rehearsing in a dim studio and hasn’t seen the sun for awhile. Give them a break and “tan them up” with a Fatherless Amber (AP7050) or a Peach My Interest (AP7630).

As you thumb through your Apollo Gel book, you have probably stumbled upon a neutral density filter (AP2310, 2320, 2330) or two and wondered what does this do and why would I need it.  The neutral density filter is a basic light fixture or lamp dimmer that can be used in several different ways. It was originally created for the film industry where the use of dimming for the lighting of a scene was not always practical. Some film lights are discharge type fixtures that require ballasts and cannot be dimmed. The neutral density (usually called an “ND”) can be used to “dim down” the fixture to match the other fixtures or to only add a subtle fill to part of a scene. ND’s block light output without affecting the color temperature of the fixture. In architectural lighting, an ND can be used to drop down the output of harsh fluorescents or discharge lamps to match other sources. In today’s lighting world of brighter is better, the ND is a good tool to remember.  So you are probably thinking, “How does this help me, the theatrical lighting designer?” Well, with the bevy of various lamp wattages and fixture efficiencies out there, an ND can be a godsend. Let’s say that you only have an ETC Source Four with a 750 watt HPL lamp and an Altman 360Q with a 500 watt lamp to project 2 gobos on your cyc and only 1 dimmer left. There will be a big intensity difference between the two fixtures. With the use of an ND, the Source Four can be dimmed to match the 360Q. Cool huh?  So you may not need 100 sheets of the neutral density filters in your gel file but a few of each density will come in handy at around 11:00pm when you are trying to match those fixtures before the director starts screaming.

Apollo follows the dealer distribution model in getting our products to market, so we are obviously big advocates for supporting your local entertainment lighting dealer.  But I occasionally hear end user complaints that they can’t always get the products they need, when they need them, because the dealers don’t stock them and then the dealer tries to switch them to a brand they do  have on the shelf.  Keep in mind dealers are in business to make money.  They make tough decisions everday on what to keep on hand.  Apollo’s reputation for excellent customer service contributes many times, oddly enough, to their stocking decisions of our products.  They know they can rely on us to get them, in most cases, in a day or two. 

But they also know the importance of end users in this business having immediate access to products in crunch time.  They understand you have other options for purchasing products, so if they don’t carry them sales can be easily lost.  Apollo Gel  is a perfect example of this.  As we continue to gain momentum against the more established gel brands, our dealers are having to decide how many color systems to stock.  Simply asking your favorite dealer to start stocking your most often used Apollo colors can be the solution.  It is amazing how just a few requests will sway a dealer to start stocking a product.  For your less time sensitive needs, planning ahead and rebuilding your gel stock in the off season will also show dealers where the demand is and influence their stocking decisions.

Sometimes, the manufacturers make it too easy for special effects such as a gobo rotator , wave effect light or even a snow machine. It is easy to create the effect by just using the device but what about using it over and over? Is there a way to give the effect a new look? Giving lighting students a challenge to find new effects by using what is in the electrics cage can be a fun assignment. Take a rotating gobo and focus it on a mirror ball at short range and you get a terrific visual effect. Blow fog across a stage between the cyc and a black scrim and you get a nice “flying through the clouds” illusion. I always marveled at how creative my students were because they weren’t given the instructions and told to use the effect. Mind you, keep an eye on the work to be sure the effect is being mounted and used in a safe way. Let the creativity begin!