Reprinted from the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Church Production Magazine

Manufacturers’ Roundtable: Theatrical Lighting for the House of Worship Market

Recently Church Production Magazine (CPM) posed several questions to a roundtable of designers, manufacturers and suppliers who work in the house-of-worship market. We discussed trends affecting lighting, technology they like, using lighting in projection and IMAG situations, and working in this economy.

The participants include Tobin Neis, marketing manager for Barbizon Lighting Company; Tom Stanziano, lighting designer and sales with SeaChanger; Paul Braile, automated lighting specialist and Dennis Size, lighting designer --- two of the partners in Lighting Inspirations; C. Andrew Dunning, lighting designer and consultant who owns Landru Design; and Fred Mikeska, vice president of U.S. sales and marketing with A.C. Lighting.

CPM: Talk about trends you see in the house-of-worship lighting market.

Tobin Neis: Lately with the economy, especially in new construction, we are seeing radical value engineering cuts to budgets and spaces. I think it is shortsighted cutting building infrastructure. It will cost more than double the amount later to retrofit the infrastructure to add more lighting and sound because there's no place to hang or conduit to run the cables. A solid backbone of infrastructure will more than pay itself off in the long run, especially for the inevitable expansion phase.

C. Andrew Dunning: I have seen the trend of either multi-sites or multiple venues on a given campus having the use of scalable control platforms. Whether the reason is financial or simply actual functionality need, this allows different consoles that all talk the same language to be specified for different rooms, but technicians can move from space-to-space without having to rethink things. Volunteers are able to graduate from one space to another with the investment of training not lost.

Tom Stanziano: LEDs. There are positive and negatives about LEDs. They are power-efficient and have long lamp hours. They are great for color washing small areas and the price has come down considerably over the years. The downside is the electrical components usually fail before the LEDs burnout. They usually don't look good on video; many cause a flicker on camera. Using LEDs for front light is getting more efficient but not quite there yet because there is no beam control, the output is not intense enough and color temperature will play a huge role if video is used.

Fred Mikeska: We are seeing a trend towards remote campuses where the message is delivered via video. With video becoming more and more common, it is important to make sure you have a well-designed lighting system in place.

Dennis Size: Trendy lighting. What ends up happening is that vendors sell the latest new toy to clients when it's not in the client's best interest. You really need to have a solid foundation and then work with the tools. Also everyone is hopping on the LED bandwagon now, regardless of their need.

CPM: What is a new lighting technology that you are excited about and why?

Tobin Neis: I am really interested in the LIFI lamp [plasma lamp] that is creeping its way into our industry. We are starting to see them in moving lights, more projectors and theatrical luminaires.

C. Andrew Dunning: LED products that are finally useable as lights like the Vari-Lite VLX. (See the VLX Product Review on page 72) Overall, I have very mixed feelings about this LED trend. Though the advantages of LEDs are clear there are several things that trouble me. Intensity is still an issue. The "me-too" dynamic in the industry has resulted in a plethora of fixtures. This is good in that customers have options, but bad in that it is very easy for an undiscerning customer to end up with an inferior product, thinking they have found the deal of the century.

Tom Stanziano: I'm excited about plasma lamp [LIFI lamp] technology. This technology has been around for several years and we are now seeing manufacturers like SeaChanger and Robe able to utilize it. The LIFI lamp from Luxim is an 180W bulb that outputs 15,000 lumens with 15,000 hours of rated life, with a a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 92 out of 100 and a color temperature of 5,600K.

Fred Mikeska: At A.C. Lighting, we are excited by the newer developments in LED technology such as flicker-free fixtures, high-efficiency white LEDs and fixtures with a high CRI.

Paul Braile: I am very interested in the Eos and Ion consoles from ETC. You get the reliability and power of an ETC lighting console at a cost that a house of worship can afford. If a church was going to have a special performance and bring in a rented system, the PRG Series 400 Power and Data Distribution system is tremendous. That system is rock-solid reliable. Wybron's Autopilot system is now attainable for the worship market. It is perfect for churches, where you have a minister who wants to go right out into the congregation and preach and touch the public. This is an example of ‘not new' technology, but it's high technology. Take the system and use it wisely; be very smart in how you design it into a lighting system and it's very effective. As far as new technology, I really like the new Vari-Lite VLX; it looks great and has a lot of punch.

CPM: What interesting things do you see lighting designers and technicians doing with church lighting in this economic climate?

Tobin Neis: It's the old adage, when the times get tough you need to do more with less. Instead of installing new systems, there have been a lot of repairs and parts sales that are keeping older equipment running longer. I have seen a lot of creative thinking when it comes to repurposing older gear for new uses. Techs have been channeling their inner MacGyver.

Tom Stanziano: Although there is new construction, they are being tasked to research every aspect-from equipment specifications to the companies that supply and install to ensure they aren't carelessly spending money. Designers and technicians are spending more time educating themselves on new technology, design styles and applications.

Paul Braile: In this economy the market is looking at what companies offer. I believe that companies that provide excellent service, excellent consultation; intelligent designs, and items that make it work will get the work and will survive.

Dennis Size: A lot of vendors sell clients a ‘bill of goods' without really understanding design. I think that now vendors are being forced to sell clients only what they really need. We work to offer clients a design that is right for them. We take a lot of time to educate and train and make sure our clients have what they wanted and what they needed.

CPM: What are some of the things that people need to think about when designing lighting that has to work with video projection and IMAG setups?

Tobin Neis: In video projection, it's all about protecting the screens, accurate shutter cuts on ellipsoidals and the effective use of barndoors on PARs and Fresnels. Front or rear projection, the more spill light on the screen, the harder it will be for the congregation to see. When lighting for IMAG you need to remember you are not just lighting for people or for the camera, it needs to be a happy medium. Human eyes can sense 100 f/stops of light whereas a video camera is basically 10. The lighting people and the video director need to work closely together so that the service is pleasing to both those in the sanctuary and watching on the screen.

C. Andrew Dunning: It's all about angle, contrast and color. Traditionally, theatrical [lighting] angles are too high and can create unwanted shadows. Cameras simply can't handle the contrast range that the human eye can. This doesn't at all mean making everything as bright as humanly possible. Color can be challenging with the myriad of sources available-daylight, tungsten at different color temps, arcs of different color temps and LED. What looks ‘right' to the eye simply won't read that way on-camera.

Tom Stanziano: There are two very important things to keep in mind when designing lighting for video. The first is color temperature. Many churches will install fluorescent lighting fixtures for house lighting due to the efficiency, but what they don't understand is the stage lighting is outputting 3,200K and your house lighting is approximately 5,600K. This will cause the video to look bad. When designing the system, a decision needs to be made whether to balance at 3,200K or 5,600K. This way both areas match. The second thing to keep in mind is angles. Every lighting book states the preferred angle for stage lighting is 45°, yet TV studios, video production and film shoots all use a lower angle. Using a 45° angle in a video situation for worship causes dark areas under the eyes and nose of the person speaking or performing. I have learned that bringing the angles down greatly helps get rid of these dark areas.

Fred Mikeska: While there are many things to think about when lighting for IMAG, you will be well ahead of the curve if you have the right fixtures, hung in the correct positions to provide an evenly lit area. The camera is far less forgiving than the human eye. If you have a mixture of conventional tungsten fixtures and arc source moving lights, be sure to white balance your cameras and color-correct your fixtures accordingly.

Dennis Size: There are always issues when you are doing video or broadcast. You have to have better control and dimensionality but the biggest issue is color temperature. You need to make the decision to either color-correct the lights or color-correct the video. You need to know what you want and how are you going to use your lighting. Think about every need and every use of the space so you can compensate for it in the design concept.

CPM: What advice or helpful information can you offer that both professional and volunteer technicians and designers can use?

Tobin Neis: Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach. Think about the basics; what you need to effectively communicate your message. Embellishment can always come later. Be realistic about your needs. Do you really need the three-color laser for Sunday service...? Probably not. Bells and whistles can be rented.

C. Andrew Dunning: My mantra is ‘think analog, not digital.' For example, when you are told that things are a little dark, the answer may not be to turn everything you have up to full intensity. Or, you are told that your pastor doesn't like lights at his feet. The answer probably isn't to clear every floor-level fixture from the stage.

Tom Stanziano: The things that I have learned is ‘keep it simple.' Whether designing a small or large venue the techniques are the same. Keeping to the basic lighting principles is key. Get education on products out on the market. Every church is different. One product may be great for one church but is not right for another. Bring the equipment into your facility and try it.

Fred Mikeska: Keep your church's long-term goal and vision in mind at every point in the process, from system design to product purchase and application. Analyze the system design and purchase from a long-term cost of ownership perspective rather than short-term or immediate cost of purchase viewpoint.

Dennis Size: You have to really understand the basics of light. You need to understand how to work with color, intensity, patterns and focus. If you don't have the basics you are going to be in trouble.

Paul Braile: Know your staff. Go with a system that they can use, can learn and can grow with as you expand it down the road. Get a system that can be used today and tomorrow. Be proactive, not reactive.

CPM: What is a piece of advice that you received and still use today?

C. Andrew Dunning: Grant younger, want-to-be technicians, a lot of grace. It is incredibly easy to be short with a person asking what might be heard as a stupid question. I constantly have to remind myself of the many people who were infinitely patient with me as I asked what was probably a long parade of questions.

Dennis Size: Always start with a design concept. Know how the lighting is going to service the audience or the camera. Also don't forget how powerful simplicity can be when handled well.

Fred Mikeska: Many years ago a good friend of mine shared with me their mission and vision. It is not about all of the cool technology and gear. We have the good fortune to use technology to help deliver the Word with clarity and impact.

Michael S. Eddy writes about design and technology. He can be reached at mseddy2900@hotmail.com.