I've been working on a 97-minute lighting show, which for the most part has been very successful. Right now, after 1 performance, the director has taken her mental notes, coupled with reviewing the video from multiple angles and is making changes. Her changes in some cases are as simple as giving me exact RGB values(but in Hex, which I have to convert to binary), to in some cases requiring me to chuck whole sections of scenes and starting over for those areas. However, I'm not here to complain. The show is timed to hit properly so really, once I start the source(a BluRay for shadowcasting) and the MyDMX show, it's so tight all I have to do is go take a 97 minute break.
Between the scene changes, the effects shown in the 3D Visualizer, and making notes as things go, here is what I've learned. While it may not apply to the DJ quite as much or even as well, just take these tips to find ways where it may improve your lighting designs.
1: Preparation. Of course, in my situation, preparation is everything, this show can't work without being prepared, it's too complex to do it on the fly. But that's not the only type of preparation you need to worry about. In my case, you need to prepare for what's coming next.
LED fixtures and fixtures with color wheels should be pre-configured in the previous scene(or within the same scene using multiple steps) for what is about to happen. If you pre-set your color wheels and RGB values, when your lights come up, it looks SO much better as you're bringing UP the intended color, not fading UP intensity AND color.
2: What is a blackout? I have discovered that there is more than 1 kind of blackout and you need to know how to use it. Again, for DJ's and other party events or anything that doesn't have a rigid schedule, this may not apply so much.
Sure, you can snap everything to blackout, or you can fade to blackout. But, does blackout mean "All zero values" or does it mean "cut the lights to black". Case and point is more obvious with color wheels and less obvious with RGB mixing devices, as well as units with shutters.
When doing a snap blackout, none of this applies. A "snap blackout" means "immediate blackout". Not saying this doens't have merit though, it's effective and I have to use it, but not as a true "all zero value", but rather a "cut the lights, dude!" blackout.
Here's what happens during a fading blackout if you choose to go to ALL ZERO values:
If you're using color wheels, the audience will see them spin, which can be distracting, but also looks "amateur". With shuttered fixtures, depending on the value and how the light is, you could pass through some stages you don't want to slip through. For example, my Chauvet Q-Spot 150's, the shutter control fader, should I go to value 255 and I want to go to blackout, I have to pass through a shutter/strobe range. Not good, so I had to redo things to value 63 for FULL open so I stay within the shutter for how much light range. With RGB fixtures, the color will change as intensity/dimming changes, which may or may not look bad.
For my situation, the blackouts are programmed into the show as a scene, in order, so everything is logical. No two blackouts are alike.
This is how I do blackouts for this show. Again, keep in mind this may not be practical for your application:
In my case, blackout means "get the lighting ONLY to black". So, this typically means I take the last step from the previous scene and copy that into my new blackout scene. I then set the fade time to what is desired(anywhere from 1-10 seconds) and set shutter and dimming values as applicable to ZERO, leaving color wheels and RGB values alone. If the blackout gives me time(most do), I can then create a second step to prepare for my next scene by setting new color wheel wheel and RGB values as applicable. I then take this last step in my blackout to form the start for the next scene by copying it and pasting it into the next scene and fading up!
None of what I'm talking about takes a lot of extra work but it does take a bit of time to pay attention to the details. If you're doing highly syncronized shows, even if it's just 1 song or something, just following these steps will give your light shows and designs a much more polished and professional look.
Also, please note that the only way to really ensure this is going to work right is to test in the real world with your real lights. The 3D Visualizer doesn't show everything, but it sure does try. Many things I overlooked were revealed in the show itself. That's where taking notes and having a scene list with timings let me make notes quickly so I could make changes offline.
Not to knock DJ's doing lighting shows, but when calling up scenes as the mood hits, these steps aren't necessary. This isn't a slam on DJ's, it's just really not worth the extra effort becuase you don't know what you're going to go to next. Also, in such situations, the audience isn't going to really be bothered or mind so much. When I provide sound for DJ's or bands and they need lighting, I don't worry about this stuff since I'm rarely synced with what they need to do.
As always, let your show determine what you need to do. Have fun and pay attention to the details.
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