I have seen some shows.
Senior Member
Are planetarium laser shows antiquated?
I have seen some shows.
Last edited by JohnYayas; 08-10-2015 at 17:23.
Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
it all depends on your aesthetic.
there's room for both in my religion.
Originally Posted by JohnYayas
suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.
Senior Member
No Planetarium Laser Shows aren't antiquated, but most aren't very good. But take heart most Fulldome programs aren't very good either. Still when measured against someone who has sorely misjudged his audience "droaning on in the dark" I suppose it isn't too hard to understand a bit of misplaced pride.
"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." Pablo Picasso
el gringo loco
I went to a Canadian strip-club once when I was 18 and all I can (still) say is.... Wow.
..but, seriously, I think the answer to your title is 'depends on what is being played'.. We're seeing a resurgence in Planetariums asking for 'Quotes to come-back', because people are rather ho-hum about the 'fulldome' shows - some, even with 'fulldome laser shows', + the video, etc.. So, that seems to prove-out, it's 'not what ya have, it's what ya do with it..'..
..Also, are these 'antiquated'?
...etc.. ...But.. seeing what was *done* with them.. Do we care?
Long Live Laser Shows in Domed Theaters!!
j
....and armed only with his trusty 21 Zorgawatt KTiOPO4...
Senior Member
I say no. I was on a business trip to Tallahassee a couple years ago and was delighted to see that the local planetarium was running a "Pink Floyd Light Show" one of the evenings I was there. I went in expecting a laser show, wow was I wrong. The entire show was full dome video, some of the effects were pretty neat but it just didn't compare to laser at all. I think I even got up and left before the show was over.
I feel that full dome video to replace laser in a planetarium is comparable to full dome video to replace the star projectors, in my opinion it just doesn't work. Sure, it creates some really cool effects, but these effects should augment a star projector or laser projector, not replace it.
I think a planetarium is an ideal venue for laser shows, but then again I'm particularly biased towards graphics/abstract shows. I enjoy the beam shows, but very much prefer graphics/abstract. That's not to say that I don't like beams in a planetarium. I don't think there's enough theaters out there utilizing beam effects. Take the Skylase, for example, great shows, very lacking in auxilary effects. Add a couple scan heads around the cove to do beams and it would be a huge improvement to any planetarium show.
The best planetarium laser show I ever saw was in Munich, Germany. They had 1 or 2 scan heads at the front of the room for beams, 1 or 2 scan heads in the back of the room for graphcis and a fiber fed scan head on either side of the star projector that were on robotic arms to do audience scanning. In talking with the folks after the show, they were planning on adding another scan head at the zenith to do beams straight down. On top of that, the star projector was a Zeiss Universarium, which has the ability to make the stars significantly brighter than they're suppose to be. Couple that with a little fog in the room and you could see the beam of just about every star projecting out of the star projector. It was an amazing show...
I think 'dome' shows are antiquated, much like large frame ion lasers are antiquated (Sarcasm intended).
I fell in love with laser shows because of abstracts, lumia, and scan through effects... beams are frosting on the cake and I do prefer frosting on my cake.
I think dome shows make laser shows feel bigger than they actually are because you feel immersed in the show... I have seen Laserium on a flat wall and well... it just wasn't the same. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, but it didn't have the same effect on me. The dome adds another dimension, much like the extended color palette of ion lasers.
The Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburg, PA has dome shows that run every day (I think) and on the weekend they have shows at night. I went to a few of them while visiting family near Pittsburg. The shows in the evening are run by college students who like to 'experiment'. They added some effects from a video projector(s). It wasn't just stars... they sent the audience through a whirling wormhole. It was a cool effect and quite disorienting. If my memory serves me correctly, the system consisted of solid state projectors from Laser Fantasy running shows on Pangolin/ ADAT. The alignment and divergence of the projectors was amazing. There were 3 projectors powered at 2 watts each. There was one in the back for graphics, and the other two were in the front 'corners' for beams over the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
The Fujitsu Planetarium in Cupertino, CA also has dome shows once a week throughout the academic year. They are running a classic planetarium Laser Fantasy system (Synth... ADAT...Ar/KR... beam-table... lumia). All I have to say is 'Seeeexy'. Again the shows were ran by a college student who was 'trying things out'. He didn't know much about the actual laser, but he was having fun 'performing' the show.
Planetariums can't pay laserists much, so the position lends itself to college students who don't need to make enough money to raise a family. In my experience, college students are bright individuals who are wiling to take risks. Also, planetariums also play the same shows over and over, so the laserists want to change it up. The combination of those two elements brings about the unparalleled human element that other members of this forum bring up from time to time.
I would like to see more mixed media in laser shows. I think there is a lot that can be done with video projector to compliment a laser projector, and vice versa. Each medium has its strengths. I have seen some video art that was just stunning, not once during their presentation did I wonder "where are the lasers?"...
-Sal
Senior Member
College students performing planetarium shows?! If only there were planetariums near here...
I haven't seen any planetarium shows myself and according to the comments here, I'm missing out. I once saw an argon laser at a party with a full featured beam table and it was sick. 7 watts of pure beauty going through all kinds of gratings, bounce mirrors and mirror balls scattered across the venue, it must be wonderful to have such a kit at your house. The laserist was a hobbyist and I pointed him to this forum, but I guess his English isn't good enough...
The only souvenirs I have are my memories, but it's enough to know that Argon could kick any solid state rig's ass.
Senior Member
i agree with most but the following was over the top
The last thing I want to do is a beam show that has the unavoidable signature feature of hauling the entire audience back down from floating among the stars to simply sitting in the theater.
"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." Pablo Picasso
Senior Member
Pun intended?!
I agree that a full on beam show doesn't work in a planetarium, that wasn't my point. In many songs beams would not work well with graphics, period. However, take a pink floyd show for example, the entire show you are "floating among the stars", then Run Like Hell for an encore, there should be beams there...The last thing I want to do is a beam show that has the unavoidable signature feature of hauling the entire audience back down from floating among the stars to simply sitting in the theater.
Ultimately, everyone's vision of a perfect show is different...
Senior Member
This was my first "serious" laser. I was 17 years old and it took me damn near 4 months to pay for it. When I think back, it was the best laser I had ever own. Sure, I love the convenience of solid state power but the beautiful consitency of that argon beam and the fact that all your lines were the same divergence and were perfectly aligned. Modulating was a bitch back then unless you could (and most couldn't) afford a PCAOM. After I saw my first Laserium show, the Star Trek show, I was hooked and hooked hard. Most of my friends thought I was nuts saving up for that laser. When it is a passion though.....
Nothing beats a proper dome show and I think Laserium are probably the only ones to fit that bill. I tip my hat to all of the Laserium artists, new and old.
Last edited by absolom7691; 08-11-2013 at 04:17.
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