Cyc Effects

For those theatre shows that are lucky enough to have a cyc and for people like myself who would like to see what other designers do when it comes to lighting a cyc and getting various effects to work. I think it would be great to get people's advice and comments on this, I know I'd like to learn more and get some ideas for future shows - How to do a sunset or sunrise effect? Some interesting looks people have come up with? Recommended Lee/GAM/Rosco filters to use to create various effects? Other ways to use a cyc? An open discussion!

Well I can start things off, the cyc lights have to be the correct distance from the cyc, they are usually too close making the light hotter at the top, and the gel has to be a perfect fit to avoid light spills, and use the lightest gels you can get away with as dark gels will burn out quickly, even HT gels so do not have cyc lights on as workers.Realize that the few thousand watts of light, reduced in intensity by the gel and dispersed over many square metres of cyc is fairly low intensity so it is imperative to eliminate spill from other lights as you will not be able to wash it out.If someone tries to sell you LED cyc lights, avoid that person as there are no such lights yet available, despite a good deal of misleading advertising.To get a sunrise start with 1 red flood centre then build 2 red floods either side, then x to amber.By the way any company in Perth wanting some old Strand battens for free, I have some and they make a reasonable cyc groundrow for the price.Lighting a cyc is probably the least well lit part of most shows because of the problems like, gel burns out, 1 lamp blows leaving hole, person moves behind cyc leaving ripple, creases in cyc leading to lines like, "you need to iron the sky"[Eric Sykes,"Big Bad Mouse"] Thats all for now.Where has Gaffa gone.

Good, thanks David. Feel like sending your battens to Melbourne?!

Probably not worth the freight, they're heavy, talk to older theatres and richer schools, they often have old gear not needed any more but they don't want to scrap it and are happy to give it a good home. It's gone very quiet on this thread recently are people doing shows or something?

I didn't think it was really a busy time of the year for theatre... Maybe no one cares about cyc effects.