Imagine a time when automated lighting consoles did not have effects engines, fanning abilities, and other automated functions. That was the case back when I started programming. These programming tools were not widely implemented. We had to create complex chases and positions by hand using math and other methods. Many of these methods are long forgotten; however, they are still very useful to this day. The understanding of how these processes work can still be a viable way of programming today to help create more complex programming when they are combined with modern console functions such as effects and fanning. I remember programming many shows in the early 1990s where I would always put off building audience and stage ballyhoos until the end of my programming time. I really did not like going through the tedious procedure of building ballyhoos. They would look great once completed, but getting there was such a chore. The procedure was to build six to eight positions with the fixtures in random placement in the audience or on stage, and then use a chase (preferably a randomized one if available) to step from one position to the next. The catch was that you had to ensure that the movement for each fixture was big enough to not look jerky and to travel in a pleasing manner. So even after the chase was created, you had to spend time tweaking the positions to ensure that the fixtures moved a reasonable amount from one position to the next. The more fixtures in a rig, the longer this process would take.
Now, of course, you can easily create a ballyhoo by placing the fixtures in a single audience position and applying a movement effect. However, it is imperative that you also watch it play out to ensure that the fixtures are moving though the audience and not onto the stage, speakers, or other non-desired locations. Quite often you will need to adjust the size of a pan or tilt effect to keep it from these areas. The other option is to change the base audience position for the effect so the fixture is ballyhooing around a different point. With a bit of patience you can make wonderful looking ballyhoos in no time using console effects.
In the early days of automated lighting, fixtures did not have many of the functions and features implemented today. We often had to create looks simply using an iris and shutter to give the illusion of raindrops or fireworks. Each fixture would open their shutter in turn and iris in or out (depending upon the effect), creating the look of expanding fireworks or shrinking raindrops. They were fun chases to build; they involved thinking through the entire process. Instead of detailing this particular cueing here, I will simply plug my book The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook (available at www.plsnbookshelf.com). The details of how to create these effects are in the book.
In addition, many modern lighting fixtures now include iris effects that automatically perform the “raindrop” or “fireworks” chases. Furthermore, it does not take much for a decent programmer to make use of console effects to automate the opening and closing of an iris in synch with the opening and closing of the shutter. If the previous statement is confusing, then it is important that you spend time working with the effects to learn how to create what I am describing.
The marvelous feature on modern consoles known as Fanning or Aligning can be used to spread fixture positions out into equal mathematical proportions. This is a very useful tool that quickly creates uniformly shaped positions with multiple fixtures. We used to have to manually create these looks. We did not have cool mathematical functions that moved each fixture an equal distance apart. This meant having to spend lots of time creating simple focus positions. In addition, fanning can be used with color or any other parameter to create an even more complex, yet uniform dispersion of fixture parameters.
One of my favorite “old skool” position-building exercises was to create circle chases. In order to have fixtures moving in a circle (either together or “fanned out”), we had to first chart the positions manually by marking eight to 12 positions in a circle. Then time was spent (and lots of it) focusing every fixture to each mark on the stage and recording each of these positions. Finally a chase could be built to have the fixtures move together from point to point, thus creating a circle on stage.
If you wanted the fixtures to appear “fanned out,” then you could simply create the chase by placing one or two fixtures on each point in each step of the chase. Then, as you built the chase, you would continue to move each fixture to the next point and record it as a step. The look was amazing as the fixtures would encircle the stage and the beams would crisscross in the air. Today, this effect can be achieved by placing all the fixtures in the center of the stage, applying a circle effect, and then adjust the size or rate accordingly. If fanning out is desired, simply use the fan tool on the console, and boom, just like that, the fanned out circle chase is created.
A great feature of a classic console was called “InstaLook” and it was part of the first software version of the Wholehog 2. This function would randomize all the parameters of all selected fixtures. The results were always very wacky. I used this often to have the console help me create random ballyhoo positions. By pressing the “InstaLook” button repeatedly I could look to see if the positions were useful, and then I would record them. However, as automated lighting fixtures became more complex, this feature was removed from the console and replaced with the Effects Engine. I still see shows that have looks that I could swear were created randomly from a console with no human thought whatsoever!
Although modern lighting consoles contain many powerful functions and features, it is very important for a programmer to understand the principles and processes to create complex chases without these newer functions. While effects, fanning, and other tools greatly increase programming productivity, they often leave productions lacking originality and attention to detail. All too often effects are relied upon to quickly create many chases, without the programmer or LD really paying attention to the nuances occurring on stage. The best programmers in the business know how to mix hand-built chases with effects to create dynamically pleasing looks. With practice, any programmer can learn the lost art of chase building and bring a fresh, creative look to any production.
