HIGH SCHOOL HALL
LIGHTING SYSTEMS
High School Halls need the following:
- HEAPS of POWERFUL lights to turn that dark stage into daylight
- Enough functionality for basic drama shows and musicals
- A few colours to splash about the place when needed
- Permanent and reliable long life lights and lamps
- Spot lights to light sections of the sateg while leaving others dark
- Dimmer control over all stage lights
Most high school hall lighting bars are well out of reach and generally
need a scissor lift or manlift to gain access. That means the job is definitely out of the hands of school students and staff - and in the hands of expensive specially qualified contractors. This means the most important thing is to keep them working without needing regular maintenance or adjustments.
The best way to ensure this is to provide enough permanent lights so that just about any show is catered for by the existing system - and adjustments between shows are unnecessary. By using Par 64 cans the cost per light is kept low - meaning that more lights can be placed in the rig compared with other more expensive "theatre" style lights. This in turn means that there are enough lights on the bar to cater for just about anything, and even in the event that one or two fail over the years, the system will still remain useable for many years before requiring maintenance.
PA Matthews Audio only use super long life 120 volt 1000 watt PAR 64 lights in high school halls for this purpose. With a quoted lamp life of over 2000 hours they last far longer than their 240v cousins (with a life of only 300 hours) or other "theatre" type lanterns. Properly installed, the Par64 can is dirt cheap, ultra bright and will hang from a dusty bar in a hall for years and years before needing any maintenance.
Access to a great range of high quality low cost products means that
PA Matthews Audio can rig your school hall with a full sized light show
for less than HALF the cost of our closest competitors. Because we're a
fully licensed electrical contractor specialising in entertainment electrics
we can do the job twice as fast and give you great backup service.
This 24 can installation at Baulkham Hills High (above) cost
less than $3500 - Installed!
Even if you don't have any existing bars or support points
PA Matthews Audio can arrange to have complete systems
installed. By using modern light weight components you
don't have to redesign your hall to hold up the rig!
The IColour 4 is a great alternative to old style
flood battens - at an amazing price of less than
$300 per unit and using standard 500 watt
flood globes available at any supermarket.
Whilst we don't recommend "movers" to most
general "school hall" applications, we can
recommend them for schools that have a dedicated
performing arts department and classes. No more
paying $'000s for movers!
The Behringer LC2412 DMX controller packs a whole lot of functionality
into a very low cost package - under $400 - when the nearest competition
charges $2000 for the same thing.
The Lite Puter DX626 packs six 5kW channels of dimmer power and can happily drive a truss or bar
full of up to 24 x 1000w Par cans - all for under $800. The nearest competition costs $2500.
Also available in 2.5kW versions (pictured left)