I teach a lot of students Eos classes, and sometimes when I get people who work in film, they are surprised that the Eos class includes so much about moving lights.  And I’m surprised right back at them.  Only one film project in my career didn’t have any moving lights in it.  When I share this, sometimes some students assume the moving lights are there because we were shooting a club or concert scene.  So far in my career, I’ve never had that happen.  Mostly we are using moving lights for night exterior coverage (we all but replaced a standing order for a BeBee driver to come out every episode on a serial), but also for window lights (where there are no windows), playing the part of the Sun in poor man’s process and many many other uses.  Moving lights on set make a lot of sense as a “get out of jail” card or for specific effect uses.  So it is vital that you know them. How do you get your hands on them?

Form a relationship with your local live events rental company and ask if you can spend time in their shop with some lights.  Every rental company I’ve known realizes that allowing programmers to play with inventory is a great way to insure their gear stays rented.  Take the time to make color palettes, to get used to quickly controlling their many parameters, and to figure out the sometimes vague language consoles use to describe those parameters.  Learning to use a moving light quickly is a tall task, but it’s worth doing.  Not only because it is fun, but because it is expected that the programmer be a kind of moving light “sommelier”.

When a certain effect is desired from a moving light, the Gaffer and/or Best Boy will ask me what fixture or fixtures I suggest.  Tough to say if this is also because I’m a programmer in my 50’s and there is a certain expectation of my age, or if this is assumed of any programmer.  But since I’m the person who will need to force the light to do what the Gaffer wants, it’s great to have a voice in which light I have to work with.  Which means I need to know the moving lights that are in the immediate area as well as lights that are currently making a splash around the country.  Both their strengths and their weaknesses.  How?

I keep in practice usually doing a show or more per year back in live entertainment.  I also make sure I attend LDI at least every other year to keep current on what is newly released, or what is about to be released.  It’s fun, it’s a tax write off, and I do in fact see it as part of my job.  Also- the business networking at these events is amazing.

Moving lights aren’t just for concert scenes or Marvel movies.  They aren’t just for the super rich productions.  They are workhorses for the industry.  Get to know them, get used to them.  Slide by your local music spots and observe the house programmer do their nightly flash and trash show.  Learn what’s out there and what’s coming up.  I promise it’s worth your time.