Spotlights for Guerilla Theater?

[jeffspec]

hi,

i'm working with a group of people who are putting on a show in the new york city subway.

we have actors and sets and we go from place to place as we play out the story of the play.

i'm writing this forum because we are trying to figure out what to use for spot lights.

some facts and concerns about the show:

we need portable lights.
we want the show to look like it would in a theater.
we have ambient light in the stations.
we would like actors to look soft and beautiful rather than ghoulish blue/green.
we do not have a huge budget (approximately $50 per light)
we have three lighting technicians who can be close to the action.
we need lights that will hold a charge at full blast for at least 30 minutes.

does anyone have suggestions? our first thought was boating spotlights, but i've come to realize that, well, the area of specialty flashlights is big enough to have its own internet forum.

what do you think?

thanks,

jeff

 

[BlueBeam22]

:welcome:

It sounds like the Coleman 530 lumen LED rechargeable spotlight fits your needs perfectly. It has a 2.5 hour runtime on a full charge, and can also be run directly from either of its adaptors. It has a very nice white beam which is perfectly round and looks projector like. The light is very bright, I own many spotlights including 12V plug-in boating type spotlights, and the Coleman is not far behind them in brightness and performance.
I have owned my Coleman for several months and use it all the time. It is very durable, almost completely water proof, and easy to carry. You can usually buy it at Walmart.com for $45, although unfortunately I just noticed that it is out of stock online right now. I bought my Coleman at Sears for $60.

Here are some pictures I have taken of my Coleman:


The light itself:

A beamshot of it lighting up the base of a plant to show brightness:

I recommend against getting Halogen spotlights as they tend to have very short runtimes way under 30 minutes at full brightness. I own many halogen spotlights and in my humble opinion the Coleman LED spotlight is a better light than any of them and and gives amazing performance.

 

[jeffspec]

thanks!

i have two questions:

first, is there an "on" setting where i dont have to hold a trigger?

and second, i have it in my head that LEDs are very blue and i want my actors to look very warm, with reds and pinks and yellows. wouldn't a halogen be a safer bet?

j

 

[Showolf]

BlueBeam22 is right on the money with this incredible spotlight! I also own one, and it completely smokes all my other halogen spotlights in brightness, and overall illumination of objects! The 3 LED's fire off some amazing WHITE LIGHT and light every object up 100% clear... It also has excellent throw for it being an LED light, and I was just blown away the first time I pulled the trigger and it emblazed everything around me! It does have a continuous "ON" setting, and you'll be hard pressed to find another trigger spotlight with a better looking beam........ You will be 100% blown away!!!!

 

[BlueBeam22]

thanks!

i have two questions:

first, is there an "on" setting where i dont have to hold a trigger?

and second, i have it in my head that LEDs are very blue and i want my actors to look very warm, with reds and pinks and yellows. wouldn't a halogen be a safer bet?

j

As Showolf says, it does have a trigger lock and can be locked on as long as you need it. I agree with Showolf about what an amazing light this is, as it sure is the brightest LED light I have ever held and has amazing throw!:thumbsup:

To my eyes, the Coleman's beam appears very white rather than blue or green. I have quite a few LED flashlights with both blue and green tints, and the Coleman does not look that way to me. The best way to describe the Coleman's beam is a cool white.

If you want a very warm light for perfect color rendition, then yes, an incandescent spotlight might work best. I would recommend the Dorcy Industrial Rechargeable Xenon Lantern $40 from Sears, as it is incandescent, has a very warm white beam, and has a 4 hour runtime. It actually has even more throw than the Coleman and a more concentrated beam, but is still very nice and bright. My thread on it here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=213028

 

[jeffspec]

thanks fellas.

i just bought three of the dorcys. we'll give them a try.

best,

j

 

[BlueBeam22]

Please do post an update about how the Dorcy Xenon Lanterns work for you when you get them. I am extremely impressed by mine, and feel it is an all-around great light. The Dorcy's extremely concentrated beam is great for putting a very bright spot of light on what you need to illuminate.

 

[Blades]

thanks fellas.

i just bought three of the dorcys. we'll give them a try.

best,

j

I'd like to hear about the Dorcy's also. The Drama club at my old school is looking for theater lights, but can't afford them, these might do the trick if they can't borrow any lights.
Update when you can.


Jason

 

[SemiMan]

Wish I had read this earlier....

The Coleman is a great LED spotlight.....and yes the light will seem harsh and not warm and glowy as you are looking for. Perhaps you can modify them with warm white LEDS? I can't remember how they are mounted though. I thought it was a custom board, but going off memory.

How tight of a spot do you need? What is the light to actors distance? I would consider MR16 Warm White LED bulbs that run off 12V DC and then use a 12V deep cycle battery or two. It will be a lot easier charging one than charging a ton. It sounds like you have more resources than money so that should be easier.

Semiman

 

[saabluster]

Wish I had read this earlier....

The Coleman is a great LED spotlight.....and yes the light will seem harsh and not warm and glowy as you are looking for.

Yeah its sad he got directed the wrong way on this one if he was looking for a turn key solution.:shakehead He will not be happy when he sees the color of this light. That said it is a good foundation to work from but will defiantly need different LEDs put in it to achieve what he wants.