# need help to know how to use a followspot please help



## followspotuser (Oct 22, 2008)

ok i is 15 nd has just come into my first major preformance at mi high school nd need help on hw to use a followspot so if u could then that would be gr8


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## soundlight (Oct 22, 2008)

Could you please use plain english when phrasing your question? You're much more likely to get a real response if you do.

What do you not understand about followspot operation, and secondly, what type of followspot is it on?


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## waynehoskins (Oct 22, 2008)

It's pretty simple.

Basic controls a spot has:
on-off control (turns it on and off) (on an arc unit, don't use this during show)
iris control
one or more types of shutter controls, typically guillotine
one or more focus controls
color boomerang
dowser

How to use a spot:
- sight along it to the target so you can pick him up right away
- turn it on or release the dowser when the stage manager gives your cue
- when you have it on, make sure you have the spot the right size and right color
- turn it off or dowse it when given the cue to do that

How to use the internet:
- spell words right
- use right verbs


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## Les (Oct 22, 2008)

Follow all the advise above and...

Get some practice! It's like driving a car. You can't learn on the internet!

Do you know what kind of spot it is? Provide us with a make/model and you will get more specific answers. 

Have someone give you a hands-on demo.

You may need to get your keyboard looked at. It appears to have some missing keys.

Above all, Welcome to Controlbooth. We're not all A-holes, we just have some very specific guidelines when it comes to proper grammar and spelling.


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## porkchop (Oct 22, 2008)

I can solve your problem in two steps:

Step 1) Pay attention in English class and read the part of the website that says this is a forum that uses proper English.

Step 2) Use the search function. Not to long ago there was a VERY detailed thread that tells you more than you could ever want to know about followspots. This topic has been covered over and over again, just look for it.


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## icewolf08 (Oct 22, 2008)

Point the end of the fixture where the light comes out at the actors on stage 

Welcome to the booth. As was said, we don't always pick on people, and we try not to do it to new members, so hopefully we didn't scare you away. We are a great resource for you, so ask lots of questions, and make friends with the search feature.


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## gafftaper (Oct 22, 2008)

Porkchop! Soundlight! The poor guy's 15 and never posted here before! Explain the rules and give him a chance before you bash him like that! 

Welcome to The Booth Followspotuser hopefully you are still around! First off please don't be offended they mean you no harm. This forum is frequented by a lot of pro with an impressive background of knowledge and experience. Besides trying to teach you about technical theater we have chosen this to be a professional community where we use proper English and internet/text slang is not acceptable. The senior members around here believe it's very important for you to develop communication skills and are a little frustrated with some of the young folks they are seeing out there in the industry who can't write a complete sentence. So please don't take it personally, but we ask that if you are going to be part of the community you work on your professionalism in communication. I strongly recommend that you switch to Firefox as your browser and use the spell check feature. 

Secondly get to know the search function. There are thousands of great articles in the archives and as was pointed out, an excellent one on followspot operation was just posted not too long ago... Here it is. 
edit by DL-Here's a more recent thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting/7995-spot-light-crash-course.html?highlight=followspot.

Finally, this forum is primarily for saying hello and introducing yourself. In the future post questions like this in the lighting forum and you'll get a more thorough response. 

Welcome! Please stick around and join the discussion I promise they'll be nice to you.


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## NickJones (Nov 5, 2008)

Ahahha, good to see I am not the only one who has used MSN/Text speak here, I kinda got my head snapped off :neutral: But I have learnt that spell check functions are verrrrrrrrrrrrry usefull. Finally a post that I can reply to with somting I know absoloutely! Okay, for starters, you point it at the person. Then you check you are in the right place and wait till you hear "Spot's up in 3, 2, 1," then you use the slider either on the side of the followspot or near it, this is called a "Dimmer" it controlls the intensity of the light, then, there are controlls to change the size of the beam, I can't tell you exactly how it is, becuase I have not seen it myself, (if you are considering posting more often learn that a, these guys like good or atleast readable grammar, and b, they love specs, as do I, I can just throw it into Google, and get what I want) then you may have filters, that add colour to your spot, "Rose" or pink style filters are used just to soften the light, and all the other colours are basicly just to do figure 8's in party/disco scenes. And to do them, you turn it in a figure 8 shape.
Good luck with your show,

Nick


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## Hughesie (Nov 5, 2008)

Interesting description there nick, but i think your making some assumptions into the type of spot the person is using. Speaking of the person, he hasn't returned to the site since he left that post .


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