Automated lighting consoles have several innovative functions to help the programmer, many of which have become commonplace. One of these is called "fan" or "align." In the simplest terms, this is a tool that mathematically spreads parameter values in even proportions. From a visual standpoint, fanning provides the ability to quickly create symmetrical (or even asymmetrical) looks on stage. This feature can be found on the majority of professional automated lighting consoles, and it's important to understand the uses and procedures associated with fanning or aligning.
The Origins of Fanning
Before automated lighting, most rock and roll lighting rigs consisted of large numbers of PARs and ACLs. These single-focus fixtures would need to be positioned in unique patterns that illuminated the stage and also created interesting beam looks in the air. In fact, ACLs are still often used today, and most of the time they are focused in a fanned out position.
The best way to describe a fanned out position is to look at your hand with all your fingers placed together. Now spread out your fingers as wide as possible. You have now "fanned out" your fingers. In a similar manner, imagine focusing lights so that they are spread out an even amount from each other. This is your basic fanned-out positioning.
As automated lighting became more mainstream, programmers often found themselves positioning fixtures in a fanned orientation. Sometimes it took considerable time to move many fixtures into a perfectly symmetrical, fanned out position. Thanks to some very intelligent console developers, we were blessed with a shortcut function that helps lighting programmers quickly create fanned out positions (and much more).
Basic Fanning Procedures
Fanning the positions of automated fixtures is a very simple task. Typically the user will hold down a Fan or Align key and adjust the parameter (like pan or tilt). The console will then spread out the values to evenly vary the result for each fixture. For instance, imagine you have five fixtures, each with a pan value of 50 percent. If you now hold down the Fan key and adjust the pan value, you could end up with the following result:
The console has kept the middle fixture at 50 percent and increased the value of fixtures 4 and 5 an even amount. It has also decreased the value of fixtures 1 and 2 by the same amount. The result on stage is that the fixtures are now spread across the entire stage, similar to the spreading your fingers apart.
This example assumes that your console defaults to fanning from center, which is the typical default on most consoles. However, many consoles also allow you to change the direction of the fan. For example, if you choose to fan from the start then the fan adjustment as above could appear as:
In this example, the console has left the first fixture at the starting value of 50 percent and incrementally increased the value of the subsequent fixtures. The end result is that on stage the fixtures will be focused further and further off one side of the stage. Depending on the console manufacturer, you should have a number of different fanning patterns or options from which to choose. Consult the user manual or help files for further details.
The Order of Fixture Selection
One of the big keys to understanding fanning is that the console will look at the "order of fixture selection" and apply this to the fanning tool. In the above examples, we assumed that the fixtures were selected in numeric order from 1 through 5. The fanning was then applied based on this selection and resulted in a symmetrical look on stage. However, if the fixtures had been selected in the order 3, 2, 5, 4, 1, then the fanning would have been applied in a different order. For instance, with a standard fan from center (the first example) the result would have been:
On stage, the fixtures would appear to be positioned randomly, crisscrossing each other as opposed to being evenly spread across the stage. While the order of fixture selection can be used to create random looking fans, it can also be used to create interesting selections of fixtures. For example, maybe you want to fan the pan position of fixtures that are in line with each other, but on different trusses. The fixture numbers used in the fanning procedure may be 31, 252, 7, 104 and 108. By carefully selecting the order of fixture selection, unique and interesting looks can be created.
But Wait, There is More…
Hopefully you now have a basic understanding of the principles and uses of a fan or align tool to aid with the creation of fanned positions. However, fanning can be used with any parameter, not only pan or tilt values. Look back at the second example above and imagine the values are for the magenta parameter instead of a pan parameter. You can imagine how this would create an incremental saturation of magenta from one side of the stage to the other. Fanning is a great tool to create varied parameter values quickly.
One of my favorite uses is to create random strobe values for fixtures that do not have built-in random strobe features. I will select my fixtures in a random order, set them all to an average strobe speed and then fan the strobe value a small amount. This will randomly increase and decrease the strobe value for all fixtures, resulting in a unique strobe value for each. It is important to select the fixtures in a random order; otherwise it could appear that the strobing gets faster from one side of the stage to the other. As you can see, fanning values of various parameters can result in many dynamic and exciting looks on stage.
Now Is the Time
Most automated lighting consoles also allow timing values to make use of the fan or align tool. The results are very different when applied to fade or delay times, but both have very distinct looks. For instance, if five fixtures have a fanned fade time of 1 through 5 seconds, the results are as follows:
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All fixtures will begin moving at the same time, but they will incrementally take longer to get to their destination. Likewise, if the same fanned time is applied to the delay value instead, then each fixture will wait longer to begin its move, resulting in a stepped-peal effect. The method for applying fanning to timing values varies from console to console, so refer to the manual for details.
Stay Cool as You Fan
Fanning positions, parameters, and timing are extremely powerful tools that enhance programming. It is important to understand the procedures to use fanning as well as the various parameters and options associated with the tool. While fanning is not a required function of programming, it certainly is a key tool in the tool box that adds creativity and uniqueness to every production.
