Senior Member
Personally, I don't think I would be too interested in a show with a bunch of disco lights and flashing Christmas trees. It would be cool in a club setting or to illuminate a house that people drive by but I think that would mess with the darkness a bit too much. I like laser shows when it is very dark in the venue. Once the rooms starts to be illuminated the magic goes away, at least for me.
It was nearly all laser. The trees lit up for example for about 3 seconds in 45 minutes. The moving head use was/would be very judicious as well - for example, when the helicopter flies in during The Wall, two acted as searchlights coming from behind the audience.Originally Posted by JohnYayas
PM Sent...
Senior Member
For what it's worth:
Sturgeon's Law. "Ninety percent of everything is crap". Everything, even Laser Shows.
The environment for a Light Show should be designed to maximize the effect. If you can't get to pitch black you're doing it wrong.
Anything that causes an audience to close their eyes is bad.
A Laser Effect should be as bright as needed and no brighter.
I've been involved in a couple of flat screen Laser Shows and I've seen others, none were what I'd describe as a success.
In a planetarium I want the audience floating among the stars. Anything that pulls them back down or worse keeps them in their seats is just wrong.
Filling the seats once indicates good advertising. When the audience members come back to see the show again - that indicates a good show.
Laserium was really good for its time. It's been 43 years and it's still pretty good. But it's really time to raise the bar…
"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
Hi Snowmaker!
Welcome to PL! Despite some of the less than encouraging first few responses, we are generally a fun, supportive crowd of mostly smallish laserist businesses, artists and enthusiasts. Unfortunately, as a group I'd have to say we are also a jaded bunch at times. Lasers were so cool/respected in their hay-day in the 70s that some of the older members that have lived through the slow decline in their popularity are still reeling from the pain.Especially those that have lost money trying to revive said popularity.
Was it a change in attention spans that caused the decline? Perhaps a change in the accompanying mind-altering substances preferences that made it hard to get people to sit and watch? Lack of quality content that reflected current audience preferences? Maybe all of the above? I don't know, but its good to be aware that others have had problems reviving an adequate level of excitement.
Personally, I appreciate the mixed media approach you describe as it provides more opportunities to involve an audience who might not be 'wowed' by coherent light. Your background seems to be ideal for the task and hope you'll share your experiences here. For example, the "Light Sources Other than Laser" section really needs some new energy.
To add a small scale data point to your exploration of the possibilities, let me point you to my attempt do something similar for personal use. My home-based environment has roughly 100 DMX devices, more than a dozen lasers, a few video projectors, walls painted with glow in the dark paint, and lots of wine available to entertain family and friends. I'm just an amateur with very limited artistic skills, but I do my best to create a fun environment and design shows to music that I enjoy. A couple of my attempts to entertain are included below with more on my youtube sight:
No matter what you choose to do, I look forward to reading about your progress in the months to come and wish you the best of luck. People here really will support your endeavors with their experience and knowledge - I swear!
One closing thought for the morning. Have you given any thought to creating an experience that doesn't require audiences to sit and watch a pre-programed show? Maybe the way to success is something more interactive with the audience than passive as it has been historically? Just a thought.
-David
"Help, help, I'm being repressed!"
Senior Member
@snowmaker55 - Welcome to PL.
@laserist - What would you say is in the 10% club currently? Anything?
One idea I have tossed around at time is have your typical bar/club mentality but then add in a graphics show on the top of the hour. This way everybody can be self absorbed buying drink and meeting people but at times you can grab their short attention span with a graphics show on the hour. I agree its hard getting the average person to come pay to watch a laser show. Hell its hard getting the average person to come to my house to enjoy a free laser show. Some people just don't get it. That's why the idea of basically forcing it down their throat on the top of the hour comes to mind. LOL
Second I think taking a hard look at music selection is important. Pink Floyd is great but why is there no graphic laser shows in auditoriums to trippy bands like Tool, or Paul Oakenfold. My personal thought is because most kids today go to one rave or concert and think every laser is used for a beam show. What also gets added in is the amount of time needed to make a good graphics shows. When you back calculate how much a graphics show cost to make you end up realizing that you are making like $1/hr or pennies for each minute of a song. These two things lead to beam shows in all clubs, raves, and concerts. Next, Out of the public graphics shows I have seen most have been a mashup of top 40, a country song and some type of salute to America. People go to concerts because they want to hear usually one band play for a hour. Sure the opening act can be good but you buy the ticket because of the headliner. People buy the ticket because they like the band. Taking that same attitude with lasers is important IMO. Having an hour of the same band with lasers will sell tickets for people that like that band. Selling tickets to a laser show that has a mashup of lots of bands will sell less tickets because people will not think its worth the money to listen to one song they like and 7 more they hate. You want people there every night? Pick popular bands that fit well with lasers and have each night dedicated to a different band. My two cents anyway.
Watching Lasers Since 1981
Senior Member
Hey! My daughter had a high fever last weekend, otherwise we totally would have been there!
-David
"Help, help, I'm being repressed!"
Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
but you made it creepy: "come over to my house if you want a *different* experience".
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
I'm a planetarium Laser Show aficionado, and I haven't seen what I consider a good new planetarium laser show in decades. Today most major planetariums have converted to Fulldome video projection systems, and most of those use video projectors that support doing hand puppets with their black level. Tilted domes have lights on the steps. Exit signs that you could tell were illuminated in daylight. There's a lot things that you can do with a ILDA standard projector, a huge amount of possibilities, but they're only a fraction of what you can do with lasers. So when someone bemoans that after the first x minutes "it" gets old it's an indictment of that particular experience not laser shows in general.
The reason to do a Dark Side of the Moon show isn't because single band shows are better or more popular or this or that music is better for laser shows than others. The reason to do a Dark Side of the Moon show is Pink Floyd fans are more likely to seek you out. It simplifies the marketing challenge.
I was talking to Ivan Dyer a couple of years ago at the IMERSA conference. I said, "Ivan a had an idea a couple of years ago that I thought you'd like. Do a Laser show and hook the audience up to an EEG." He said, "I did that! Not to the Audience - to ME! He went on to say, "My favorite number that we ever did was Awaken by YES. I had an EEG done listening to the music, then another done watching the imagery, then a third listening and watching. In the third EEG my theta wave went through the roof!" Now, I didn't have the slightest idea what a theta wave was, but he was so gleeful telling the story that I had to smile. Eventually I looked up theta wave on Wikipedia, and that was interesting...
"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
Honestly, I can't remember seeing an amazing planetarium show start to finish. I have seen planetarium shows with good parts here and there. Its probably because I am too young. The show that got me hooked was on a flat screen at a concert venue. It was mixed media and still used gas lasers. It probably also helped that I took a healthy serving of lysergic acid diethyl amide. I remember the LSO reminding the audience to not drink and drive in an ironic wayI agree with Laserist, ILDA projectors seem to be a huge limitation. Some of my favorite effects require at least 4 scan heads and a handful of motors and actuators. RGB is convenient, but its nowhere near the same as ion lasers.
As for music, aside from a few albums that were created to be listened to start to finish Dark Side included, I get bored listening to the same band/ producer for an hour. I want music that has been thoughtfully selected to take me on a journey and I could care less who wrote or recorded that music. The right selector can throw in a song that I would never ever listen to at the right moment and it will be perfect. For me laser shows are about raising or altering my consciousness, in other words to get those theta waves pumping! Putting on laser shows is a lot of work and it helps if you have a team of people to help pull it off.
With all that said, I think its totally possible to successfully produce laser shows in a theater, but its going to take a lot of work, trial and error, and money. If you can find a group of people in your area to help you with your vision you will be better off. I personally would like to wish you the best of luck and would love to hear about your progress throughout your journey of creation.
-Sal
Senior Member
As you well know, Swamidog, the "Eyes Wide Shut Experience" is held the second Friday of every month.but you made it creepy: "come over to my house if you want a *different* experience".
Speaking of which, as an 'unmarried computer programmer', its your turn to be the sacrificial virgin. Wear something lacy. :0
-David
"Help, help, I'm being repressed!"
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