Need Technical Suggestions for a new On-Going Laser Light Show in a movie theatre

[absolom7691]

... 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.

Yes! This! There's so much more to lasers than just kpps, graphics and how many idla projectors that can be crammed on stage.

[swamidog]

As you well know, Swamidog, the "Eyes Wide Shut Experience" is held the second Friday of every month.

Speaking of which, as an 'unmarried computer programmer', its your turn to be the sacrificial virgin. Wear something lacy. :0

-David

i already performed the forbidden dance of a thousand veils for you and mrs. dk... what next, the dance of the three snakes?

[SaltyRobot]

You are assuming you're average.

Hey! My daughter had a high fever last weekend, otherwise we totally would have been there!

-David

[SaltyRobot]

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.

Totally agree most PF fans love watching lasers to PF. That's why an entire show devoted to PF works. What doesn't work for me is having Lee Greenwood, then Heart, then Pink Floyd, then Kanye finished off by Garth Brooks. Seems like this show would appeal to the masses since it has a little bit of everything but I think most people find this to be a turn off and don't even consider buying the ticket or if they did coming back a second time.

Some of my favorite Lasers show are Metallica for an hour, Led Zepplin for an hour, then of course PF. I think there are bands today like Daft Punk, Tool, Royksopp, etc. that would A) make good laser shows and B) hold peoples attention for an hour.

I agree with Discothefunkyhippo. Its about taking the audience on a journey for an hour. Hard changes in genre or band choice can disrupt the journey.

[laserist]

The first laser show I ever saw had the following play list:

Neptune - Gustav Holst
Tank - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss
Timesteps - Wendy Carlos
Adagio (from Concerto Grosso OP. 6 NO. 9) - Arcangelo Corelli
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd
Pepper Box - The Peppers
Abaddon's Bolero - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Gimme Shelter - Cal Tjader/Jagger/Richards
Echoes - Pink Floyd
Hoedown - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

It opened in St. Louis June of 1975 running 15 shows five nights a week, and 385 tickets was a sell out. it sold out every show for weeks. (and most shows for months...) After about 3 months the schedule was trimmed to 12 shows per week, 2 on Wednesday, 2 on Thursday, 3 on Friday, 3 on Saturday, and 2 on Sunday. That schedule with occasional modifications ran for 8 or 9 years. That first show ran for 92 weeks before Laserium II premiered. Laserium I was still regularly selling out the last two shows on Friday and Saturday nights at the end of its run. I can't tell you the number of people I've heard say anthology shows don't work - All I can saw is some of the most successful and longest running shows Laserium ever did were anthology shows.

[Bradfo69]

You made me go and YouTube a couple of those pieces. Interesting list. Doing a show to classical music is something that has been on my list to tackle one of these days. May have to listen to a few of these in the car a few times and see what vision comes to mind.

[laserist]

The piece by Corelli was a lumia number that was done with a pebbled plexiglass wheel. Neptune coincidentally used the same pebbled plexiglass wheel and a much finer grain plexiglass standoff for a finer effect. Laserium had a mirror on a galvo that the operator could use to sweep the rygb beams across the lumia effect - in case you've ever wondered about how the lumia was moving to the music. Tank was a scan thru joystick (points!) to the drum solo and just joystick points with chopper. Danube was Lissajous loops, eights, and offsets. Timesteps was a cycloid development number. Heart of the sun was a diffraction effect with a Liquid crystal fuzz effect, selsyn, and some little bit of scans. (On the Mark VI it evolved a bunch) Pepperbox was lots of audio mod and fixed cycloids. Bolero was a spiral development number. Gimme Shelter was a short lumia number where the RYGB beams were reflected off thin crinkled aluminized mylar. Echos was another cycloid development number. Hoedown was pretty much in your face everything...

You made me go and YouTube a couple of those pieces. Interesting list. Doing a show to classical music is something that has been on my list to tackle one of these days. May have to listen to a few of these in the car a few times and see what vision comes to mind.

[swamidog]

is this the danube show?

The piece by Corelli was a lumia number that was done with a pebbled plexiglass wheel. Neptune coincidentally used the same pebbled plexiglass wheel and a much finer grain plexiglass standoff for a finer effect. Laserium had a mirror on a galvo that the operator could use to sweep the rygb beams across the lumia effect - in case you've ever wondered about how the lumia was moving to the music. Tank was a scan thru joystick (points!) to the drum solo and just joystick points with chopper. Danube was Lissajous loops, eights, and offsets. Timesteps was a cycloid development number. Heart of the sun was a diffraction effect with a Liquid crystal fuzz effect, selsyn, and some little bit of scans. (On the Mark VI it evolved a bunch) Pepperbox was lots of audio mod and fixed cycloids. Bolero was a spiral development number. Gimme Shelter was a short lumia number where the RYGB beams were reflected off thin crinkled aluminized mylar. Echos was another cycloid development number. Hoedown was pretty much in your face everything...

[laserist]

Yes, but in it's original form the lumia didn't have the diffraction insert.

is this the danube show?

[JohnYayas]

I watched the YouTube above...

What a great example of why laser shows aren't popular.