[SML] Dance Boom Focus

[Paul Schreiner]

> Nutcracker season is upon us.  I am not really much of a dance guy, anyone
> care to share focus techniques or rules-of-thumb for achieving good results
> from dance booms?  Assume 42x24 stage, three 8' booms per side,  26º Source
> 4s at 2' and 4', 36º Source 4s at 6'.  Also curious what people's go-to gels
> are for sidelight.

I haven't ever had to light....that show, but I've done more spring
dance recitals than I care to count.  Here's a couple of things that
have worked well for me for side lighting.

When focusing, set a 6' stepladder on CL in the leg you're working on.
Shift it US/DS as needed for the other booms.  Gives you a legitimate
way of repeating your focus without needing to tie up a crew member.

Keep your DS shutter cuts to the edge of the far side legs, and your
US cuts off the legs entirely if you can help it. If you need the
spread, then go wide on everything except your most US instruments to
keep it off the scrim, and embrace the spill light into the wings.

If you don't have a high side position, you might be better served by
putting those 36s as high as you can get them and going N/C with them.
There's always times I feel the need to get a little plain
highlighting opposite saturated shinbusters.

As for go-to colors?  Get one saturated gel in each part of the
spectrum and start there. If we're talking Rosco colors, then I'm
typically pulling 312 (Canary), 318 (Mayan Sun), 27 (Medium Red), 43
(Deep Pink), 49 (Medium Purple), 69 (Brilliant Blue), 73 (Peacock
Blue), and 89 (Moss Green).  Or similar, depending on what's in stock.

Biggest tip about gels is something I learned from here a long time
ago: leave an empty gel frame in the outer slot of your instruments,
and just drop a naked gel into the inner slot.  Much quicker, and
exponentially easier to handle and store backstage.

HTH