Hi guys,

As a lighting designer I am always looking at what is current technology in the world of theatre. What is fast becoming very popular is LED Technology they would be great for use with puppets as they are low powered and you dont get any heat output from the lighting fixture, so you can put them right next to your foam puppet and they will not go up in a blaze of glory.

If you have a look on ebay search for LED Par 56 or 64

These are only two items but there are many more out there the items above a exactly the same size as Parcans but replace the 500watt and 1000watt lamps with over 150 leds.

If anyone wants any advice on lighting let me know and I will help as best I can.

Thanks for the heads up on the LED and lighting.  I agree with you that LED is the way of the future in lighting and has many advantages.   Folks are always asking about how they should light their shows so I am sure you'll get many questions. Do you maybe have any books or resources that would give puppeteers a basic understanding of lighting?  It has been a long time since I have had to really use my knowledge in this area so I am a bit rusty.  I do know that it is not just about lighting the puppet, but that you can add depth to the performance with side lights, back lighting and even lighting the scenery.

I would be interested in hearing more..................... I'm still using candles LOL

I have a few books that I used when I was in college but these are aimed at lighting a theatrical performance in a naturalistic way and also with the planning and cueing of a show. Most of what I have learnt has been on the job training, at the moment I am lighting alot of dance shows so lots of front side rear lighting. The only thing I can think is ask me a question and I will give as much advice as I can. If all you want is basic lighting I can advise all the way up to a full theatrical rig with a programmed lighting desk.

This is not puppetry related ...........but have to ask..............how do you rig up outside Christmas lights to music?

http://www.holdman.com/christmas/video.asp

I have a couple of book suggestions at the bottom of this post:
http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/faq.php/2008/02/03/how_to_light_a_puppet_show

The problem with most of the books out at the moment is that they're based on technology that is from the 70s or 80s. Taking a short course in lighting would get you more up-to-date info than any book you could buy.

I agree that LEDs are a good way to go, particularly as there are a lot of ways you can miniaturise the lighting as compared to using traditional theatrical lights. This means you can do more for table top puppetry or toy theatre, than you could do previously. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe this Australian show would have used LEDs: http://www.blackholetheatre.com.au/gallery/caravan/9.html. They produced some absolutely fantastic 'practical' lighting and atmosphere.

how do you rig up outside Christmas lights to music?

You would need to look for a sound to light controller these are mainly used by discos and you might need to rewire the plug. If you wanted to have individual lights flash in sequence rather than all flash in time you would probably end up re-wiring all the lights in which case I would look at getting a rope light with a sound to light controller.

Hope this helps.

The problem with most of the books out at the moment is that they're based on technology that is from the 70s or 80s. Taking a short course in lighting would get you more up-to-date info than any book you could buy.

I agree totally the current books are 70's 80's lighting and for a big part are now obsolete I tyhink the problem with books are that technology is advancing so fast writers cant keep up. Even in my lifetime I've gone from tape to cd to minidisc to mp3.

Part of the issue is also with electrical terms. Americans are mostly the ones writing the books, and they use different electrical outputs than everywhere else. I can imagine this confuses most lighting newbies, and has the potential for a lot of dangerous rigging.

(Ah tapes... )

Ahhh yes the magnetic ribbon simpler times. With regards to electrical systems in the UK it is industry standard to use 15amp plugs on lighting equipment these are round pin plugs and do not fit standard 13amp sockets so there is no confusion.