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Show
Basics: Outdoor Shows |
Reciepe for an
Outdoor Show
By
David Lytle, Editor, The Laserist
Thinking
about a big outdoor laser extravaganza for the summer season?
We asked laser show producer Doug McCullough to list the most
critical factors in creating outdoor shows. McCullough, who founded
Audio Visual Imagineering in 1977 and launched Laser Show Design
in Orlando, Fla., in 1997, has produced large-scale, outdoor
displays for Orange Bowl Halftime Shows, city-wide celebrations,
submarine christenings, and Fortune 500 companies. Here's his
quick checklist for a large outdoor show with beams and projected
graphics:
1)
Control ambient lighting to make sure the lasers look their brightest.
That means that any source that could wash out the lasers-such
as parking lot lights, building lights, even lights from a carnival
midway-should be dimmed or doused during the laser show.
2)
Don't scrimp on the size of the screen for laser graphics. McCullough
says a 30 x 40-foot screen should be considered a minimum. He
prefers a 40 x 60-foot screen, which can work for crowds as large
as 70,000 in a stadium.
3)
Have sufficient laser power for the needs of the site. "What
looks good in a studio might have zero impact outdoors,"
said McCullough. He prefers, at a minimum, to have a 4-watt YAG
laser or a 10-watt argon for mid-air beam effects (the green
color of a YAG laser is about 2.5 times brighter than the blue/green
argon color). For full-color graphics, he recommends a white-light
laser at a minimum 13-15 watt power level.
4)
Use foggers to enhance beam brightness. McCullough has developed
his own system of radio-controlled blowers and theatrical fog
machines to produce fog coverage that is ideal for outdoor laser
shows. In addition to increasing the apparent brightness of the
beams, theatrical fog allows for subtler--yet still spectacular--atmospheric
laser effects such as cones, fans and waves that may not be visible
without fog.
5)
Make sure the audience "feels" the music, because the
quality of the sound system has a major impact on the success
of the laser show.
6)
Tailor the show's content to fit the audience. "You need
to take into account the age, background and culture of the audience.
Every show needs to be conceived on an individual basis."
For
more information, contact McCullough at: d.mccullough@mindspring.com
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