One rule that can’t be ignored at trade shows is this: Light the product. And white light is king. DMX512-controlled PARs with an arc source and a power supply built-in can produce an extremely bright white light output, great for auto shows. But they pose problems for other shows, mainly because most of them can’t be dimmed. At some shows, if the lights are not placed in the perfect place on a truss and focused just right, they produce glare. Glare on a computer screen is a big no-no. To avoid situations where I have no choice but to douse that light or focus it someplace else, I use an old-fashioned ETC Source Four PARs with a dimmer. I will color correct them with CTB gel to make them look white instead of brownish. Now if a client complains that it is too bright or they can’t read a computer screen, you simply dim the light to an acceptable level.
–Nook Shoenfeld, from LD at Large, PLSN, Jan. 2008
