Hanging lights:

 

You should really be trained by E33 or someone with comprehensive Electrician experience before taking this job on, but I'll put a basic outline of light-hanging tasks for reference and/or a knowledge check.

 

  • Hanging incandescent lights with a wreck and safety cable
  • Plugging in stagepin cables
  • Focusing lights by angling, adjusting the shutter, and focusing with the barrel
  • Putting gels and diffusers in lights with gel holders
  • Programming LED lights
  • Plugging LED lights into power and DMX

 

 

 

Cable Plot:

 

Once your LD finishes their lighting plot, you'll need to figure out how you're going to plug all their lights in. This is where the cable plot comes in. The cable plot is a drawing done on top of the LDs lighting plot, specifying how each light is plugged in. Include the following:

 

For incandescent lights:

  • All the lights labeled with the dimmer number they'll be plugged into
  • The stagepin cable lengths needed for each light, and the path that cable will make in the ceiling when you hang it up

 

For LEDs:

  • All the lights with the address number they'll be assigned before being hung up or placed on the ground
  • mapping of the DMX connections you'll make to get the lights to be programmable, complete with labeled lengths for each cable (see the KLT and LA Sala sections for relevant details)
  • Mapping of the power chains you'll make to plug all your LED lights, including the length and type of each cable (PowerCon, True1, Edison, etc.) as well as any required adapters. Don't forget to label the circuit numbers you're using (see Sala section for more details)

 

Here are some example cable plots:

Julius Caesar Cable plot (incandescent) (1).jpg

Caesar_DMX_Plot (1).png

Caesar_Power_Plot (1).png

 

 

Some important points for the cable plot:

 

  • Remember, cables can't be left hanging over large gaps. Your cabling needs to have each cable following the pipe paths and secured every couple of feet with tie line. Don't forget to reflect the extra distance this requires in you cable plot
  • Cables come in specific lengths: 5’, 10’, 15’, 25’, 35’, 50’, 100’ (feet). Stick to combinations of these in your cable plot. In ambiguous situations, know that having a couple feet of slack doesn't hurt
  • Edison, stagepin, and DMX cables can be daisy-chained, but True1 and PowerCon cannot.

 

 

 

Shows in KLT (Kresge Little Theater):

 

There are two ways the production can go for you, depending on the venue. This is the easier scenario. Lights are hung on the pipes using ladders in KLT. If you need to hang lights behind the grand curtain, you'll also need a MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform) like the SkyJack. Ask your TD about access to this during put in. Ladders don't require any special training to use, so feel free to teach actors and other prodstaff if you feel comfortable.

 

When hanging LEDs in KLT, there are special inputs for plugging in a DMX connection through the ceiling. Before hanging any LED lights, make sure you first program the light to give it a special address, then plug in the DMX cable as you're hanging it so your LD can program with no issues.

 

LEDs also use different ports for power (usually Powercon or True1). They plug into... somewhere (I don't actually know where in KLT LOL, presumably you can snake a cable down the wall to an outlet on the floor, or their might be outlets on the ceiling, who knows?)

 

KLT lights need to be returned to rep plot (the basic setup for general KLT use) during Strike. You can ask CAC for info about returning to rep plot.

 

 

 

 

Shows in La Sala:

 

The harder scenario. Your LDs lighting plot will probably be much more complicated, since this venue is both larger and equipped with much jankier lighting infrastructure. Make sure to check that you can feasibly execute the lighting plot before put-in, and discuss any issues or desired changes with them (see cable plot section for more details). All suspended lights will need to be hung with MEWPs. Make sure you have multiple MEWP-trained folks who can help you during put-in and strike. You will suffer otherwise.

 

Additionally, there is no integrated light booth in Sala; you and your LD will need to set up the ION (?). When hanging lights, you'll need to connect the lights to the board with a DMX connection before your LD can program anything. DMX can be chained through lights, so you'll want to snake a DMX chain through all the lights. One end of the chain connects to the board, while the other end connects to a port in Spacedock (the rectangular balcony above Sala) that connects to all the incandescents. Yes, trying to draw a single chain that passes through all the dozens of lights you're about to hang or place on the floor seems a bit unwieldy, but it's the best way, I promise.

 

You'll also need to power the LEDs (recall that they can't use the incandescent dimmers). First note the different circuits in La Sala: each outlet should be labeled with a circuit number it's connected to (contact CAC if this is no longer the case). Each circuit can handle ~2400W of power. You'll need to be very careful when powering lights so that no circuits are overloaded. Power chains are NOT like DMX chains; do NOT try to connect all of your lights with one power chain. Instead, group 2 to 8 LED lights that draw less than 2400W collectively and make multiple chains of those. You can check the power usage of each LED light by searching for the power rating in its manual online. For example, the ColorForces use 800W each, so no more than two should be connected to one numbered circuit. Notably, a lot of the outlets are on the ground while most of your lights will probably be in the air, so you'll need extension cords that can comfortably run from the ceiling to the ground. Run these cables along the nearest wall, using gaffe tape periodically to secure it. There are also six separate circuits in Spacedock that can be used to power lights.

 

 

 

Miscellaneous notes:

 

  • I highly recommend hanging all of your lights before you begin cabling, otherwise the cables on the pipe get in the way of hanging lights

 

  • Stagepin connections have a history of being finicky in La Sala. You can reinforce any loose connections by adding a couple pieces of gaffe tape

 

  • As the lead electrician (and possibly one of the few MEWP-trained folks) you'll often be asked to hang and pack up curtains as well. Just be ready to factor that into your planning.

 

  • Any cable running along the ground should be out of the way, running along the wall as much as possible, and secured to the ground with tape. This is similar to how you'll run extension cords down the wall.

 

  • Don’t let excess cable hang in the air. Instead, use tie line to secure any slack in the cable to the pipe. You can coil up any excess cable in order to more easily secure it. As a rule of thumb, don’t let any part of the cable reach lower than your shortest light.

 

  • Work closely with sets team during put-in, especially in La Sala. Constructing parts of the set will probably lead to some parts of the roof to be inaccessible because you can't drive the MEWP under it. As a result, they might have to spend a bit waiting for you to finish hanging lights in a specific area. Make sure to coordinate do both teams can get everything they need done.

 

  • Print out many copies of your cable plot: It's incredibly useful for everyone to have a handful of copies to follow along with as they work

 

Good luck, and happy hanging!

 

(Previous Wiki iteration left below for archive purposes, plus a few extra tips)

 

-Obinna Modilim

 

Duties

"Haha, you said duties." ~ Amelia Smith '17

Pre Put-In

Before Tech Week, you should make a cable plot. If the Lighting Designer really wants to do that themself, then you should at least be familiar enough with it to efficiently run light hang.

Things that you should try to do with the cable plot:

  • If at all possible to cable an instrument to a dimmer without using a stagepin extension, please do so.
  • You can daisy-chain scoops with two-fers so that they only use one dimmer.
  • If you are using Colorados try to chain them together with Powercon and DMX. If they are not close enough to each other to chain, you might be able to convince your LD to move them. You can also daisy-chain the DMX and Powercon into the Vari-Lites, but only DMX can come out. You must use an Edison extension cord from the Vari-Lite to the ground. COLORados will take 3-pin or 5-pin DMX, but Vari-Lites and pretty much everything else will only take 5-pin, so you can use 3-pin between COLORados if you are running low on 5-pin.
  • You are going to have to run a chain of DMX from the light board to the dimmer closet. This chain can (and probably should) run through all of the lighting instruments that use DMX.
  • There might be more things. Find a former ME or an LD if you have questions about things.

The Vari-Lites are named Bob and Susan. Their boxes are labeled.

Also, print out many copies of the cable plot (I like 1.5x total number of people that will be on lights team during the team) before Put-In.  A large printout to put at the edge of the screen is also useful.

Also, don't die and stuff. (smile)

Put-In

Yes, that's right. You get to run light hang during Put-In. This basically means that you are in charge of the entire light plot - cables and all - being up on the pipes by the end of the day. As you are going through and hanging, keep track of what you hang and any changes you are making in a central location. This makes your LD much happier when they are patching.

You can't fully focus instruments until the stage is up (or at least taped out), but you can rough focus instruments in the general direction that the light plot indicates when you hang them. Also, OPEN THE SHUTTERS. This is so that you can actually see if the instrument is working during instrument check.

It would be cool if you could test all of the cables before you hang them, but that's not always possible given time constraints. If you don't, though, you will definitely have to fix some things during the day on Monday.

Don't wrap cables around the pipes. It may seem like a good idea so you can avoid using another tie line, but it will make the people who are taking the instruments/cables down very sad. Please don't.

Strike

You are also in charge of making sure that everything comes down during strike. (Unless it's Fall and your LD is also LDing for MTG and has made the same plot for both shows. Then you don't have to take anything down. (big grin))

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