How to Operate Led Follow Spot Lights
Performing followspot duties is hot work. Be prepared – wear gloves and keep yourself hydrated.
This portable LED follow spot emits a tight beam powered by a bright 120 W LED to highlight actors at far distances. Its built in CTO filter lowers color temperature to match traditional tungsten halogen lamps. It offers multiple DMX modes and simplifies professional fading with smooth LED dimming. Includes a tripod for fast setup and teardown.
Power
The first step to becoming a follow spot operator is developing a strong understanding of stage lighting and control systems. This can be achieved through training courses or workshops. In addition, you can also gain practical experience by interning or working part-time at theaters and other performance venues. This will allow you to develop the observation skills and reflexes needed to operate a follow spot.
A follow spot is a type of spotlight used to track performers and highlight their movements onstage. It can be controlled manually or via a computer program. Some manufacturers even offer ground-control systems that enable operators to control their followspots from a safe position on the floor backstage.
Most modern follow spots use high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, but smaller versions may use traditional tungsten halogen bulbs. Many of these fixtures have a chopper that closes a gate of opposite shutters on the top and bottom of the beam to cut off some of the light.
The Chauvet Professional Ovation SP-300CW is a powerful LED-powered follow spot that emits Stage Lighting Supplier a crisp cool white beam. It is quiet and features a 6-slot Color Boomerang for quick and easy gel changes. It has onboard DMX and manual modes for simple professional fading, and the built-in CTO filter can lower the color temperature to match tungsten.
Beam
Followspots are a key tool in any professional theatre production. They allow the operator to track a performer with a beam of light. These lights are used to highlight a performer, making them stand out from the crowd and add a great deal of visual impact to a show.
There are many different types of followspots on the market, each with its own unique features. The most common are LED, which offer superior color rendering and brightness. They also consume less power than traditional halogen followspots, and can be easily controlled via DMX. Other types of followspots include ground-control systems (such as PRG Bad Boy, Zactrack, or Blacktrax from Cast Lighting), which remove the operator from the equation and enable a moving light-based followspot to automatically track a given performer.
The most important feature of a follow spot is its ability to focus the beam of light. This is achieved by closing a set of opposite shutters on the top and bottom of the fixture. This can be done manually or with a chopper. Choppers are often used in conjunction with gel magazines to create specific color effects.
A follow spot requires a knowledgeable and experienced operator. It is often difficult to control, especially if the operator has little experience with the equipment. It is crucial that the followspot be properly balanced, and it is recommended to practice using it before a show.
Size
Unlike other follow spot lights, which are large and heavy, this unit is compact and lightweight enough for one person to handle. It also uses an LED lamp that consumes less power and stays cooler than its traditional tungsten counterparts. This light is great for a variety of theatrical, film and television productions, and other performance venues.
A follow spotlight is a high-powered spotlight that tracks performers on stage to highlight them and add visual impact to the performance. The spotlight is usually operated by a dedicated lighting operator, who can adjust its position and intensity to track a specific performer or area of the stage. Becoming a followspot operator requires training and practical experience, which can be gained through educational courses or workshops.
A good quality LED follow spot has a number of features to improve its usability and functionality, including a dimmer, multiple color options, and an adjustable iris. It is also fan-cooled to prevent overheating, and it can be controlled via DMX or manual controls. It also has an integrated gobos and gobo holder, and can be used as a strobe. The LED follow spot is an affordable and efficient alternative to a traditional incandescent followspot, and it can be easily incorporated into your existing lighting system. It is available from a number of different manufacturers, including Chauvet.
Control
A Followspot is a powerful spotlight used to follow the action on stage with a beam of light. It can be used to highlight a particular actor or prop for the audience and add depth and dimension to the performance. It is a highly Single Row 5W LED Car Light Bar flexible device that can be controlled with many different methods and is used in a wide range of applications, from weddings to theater productions.
The control of a Follow Spot is largely the responsibility of the operator. It is often the case that the SM (or assistant SM on larger shows) will call specific cues for the followspot, but the details of how to execute those cues are left to the operators. For example, the SM may call “Spot 1 on Hilda, open white rock and roll, 3/4 body soft edge far upstage center”, and it is up to the operator to know whether that means a chopper closed, gel #4 dropped or some other combination of settings.
Some newer moving lights have a dedicated Followspot mode that disables pan/tilt controls so the operator can focus on the beam. This is helpful if you have more complex follow spot cues, but it also can be a little tricky to manage. You could add a scroller or Seachanger to the unit to simplify color management, but even then there are issues with managing multiple parameters and keeping the light hot and consistent.