Question to gaffers

Artyom Zakharenko · September 10, 2012

Hi there guys

Last week i was shooting a video, our gaffer hang a 5K tungsten (build by Strand) in the studio, looking 45 degrees down. The lightbulb litterly exploded, broke the lens and burned the chimera. Now there's a discussion between the lighting rental company and my gaffer about whose fault it was.

1. The rental company claims the units are not supposed to hang high, looking down, because the heat in the unit can't get out that way.

2. My gaffer claims that those are studio lights, build for studio situations, including the possibility to hang them high and face down. Besides, the unit wasn't hanging straight down but 45 degrees, it had room to release the heat. The lamp was on for 5 minutes before it exploded.

Does anybody have experience with this?

Thank you

Artyom

Edited September 10, 2012 by Artyom Zakharenko

Jon Rosenbloom · September 10, 2012

I'm not a set electrician, but I think the rental house is rather full of it. You can't point them down 90 degrees; 45 should be fine. Lights are hung higher than set walls, and they shine down.

To me, it sound like someone left his fingerprints on the bulb. The oil boils and causes the glass to fail. So, the rental house could blame the crew for that, but the pointing down argument is f-ridiculous.

Adrian Sierkowski · September 10, 2012

I agree 100% with Jon, though I'm not gaffer, I've had plenty of 5Ks are about 45 degrees tilt plenty of times.

Rex Harris · September 10, 2012

When I worked as a gaffer a few years ago we had plenty of those kind of lights hanging at 45 degrees and even higher angles than that with no problems. As Jon said above, oil on the bulb is the most likely culprit, especially given the time frame. Providing your gaffer didn't handle the bulb the rental company should have no argument.

Matthew Parnell · September 11, 2012

Have had this happen with 5ks before smashing the lens and damaging the reflector. Usually its either oil on the globe, or a faulty globe(not uncommon). As for the rental house perhaps they should look at the manuals before pointing fingers. Would love to know the exact model of Stand, but in their manuals their 5k models can have a tilt angle of +90 -0- -90 degrees. PM me and I will email the manual I have if you want.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Matthew Parnell

Justin W. King · September 18, 2012

Double Post

Edited September 18, 2012 by Justin W. King

Justin W. King · September 18, 2012

Have had this happen with 5ks before smashing the lens and damaging the reflector. Usually its either oil on the globe, or a faulty globe(not uncommon). As for the rental house perhaps they should look at the manuals before pointing fingers. Would love to know the exact model of Stand, but in their manuals their 5k models can have a tilt angle of +90 -0- -90 degrees. PM me and I will email the manual I have if you want.

Last I checked according to the Henry box book, the DPY globe has a tilt max of 45 degrees. Maybe I misunderstood, or strand lights use a different bulb, but if he was using it at a 45 degree angle, is seems he was pushing the bulb to it's limit. That doesn't mean that it was the cause, but it means thatit probably can't be ruled out immediately.

I've had a FFN MFL par64 lamp explode on me before, and shatter hot glass over the stage before, that no one had touched. Fortunately it was before the even and not after. So freak things do happen.

Jaden Scholes_65655 · September 30, 2015

Have had this happen with 5ks before smashing the lens and damaging the reflector. Usually its either oil on the globe, or a faulty globe(not uncommon). As for the rental house perhaps they should look at the manuals before pointing fingers. Would love to know the exact model of Stand, but in their manuals their 5k models can have a tilt angle of +90 -0- -90 degrees. PM me and I will email the manual I have if you want.

Hey Matt I know the offer was for the postie do you think you could send me that manual or point me in the right direction. I'm a young electro and I'm just eager to learn as much as I can. Let me know if you can help me out.

JD Hartman · September 30, 2015

Hey Matt I know the offer was for the postie do you think you could send me that manual or point me in the right direction. I'm a young electro and I'm just eager to learn as much as I can. Let me know if you can help me out.

Might find this useful, strand archives: http://www.theatrecrafts.com/archive/contents.php

JD Hartman · September 30, 2015

Hi there guys

Last week i was shooting a video, our gaffer hang a 5K tungsten (build by Strand) in the studio, looking 45 degrees down. The lightbulb litterly exploded, broke the lens and burned the chimera. Now there's a discussion between the lighting rental company and my gaffer about whose fault it was.

1. The rental company claims the units are not supposed to hang high, looking down, because the heat in the unit can't get out that way.

2. My gaffer claims that those are studio lights, build for studio situations, including the possibility to hang them high and face down. Besides, the unit wasn't hanging straight down but 45 degrees, it had room to release the heat. The lamp was on for 5 minutes before it exploded.

Does anybody have experience with this?

Thank you

Artyom

Not supporting the rental house....

Depending on the construction of the body, in that position you are restricting the air flow somewhat. Five minutes seems like a short time between strike and overheat, I'm voting for contaminated lamp.

Mark Dunn · September 30, 2015

It clearly says +/- 90 deg. in the Bambino manual. That covers a luminaire hanging from a grid.

timHealy · October 9, 2015

Bulbs blow up for a variety of reasons and now the bulb is gone there is now way to prove if it was a faulty bulb or a shop technician with a dirty thumb or one of the set electricians with a dirty thumb. Or perhaps the voltage was too high? Was there a voltage spike?

That's why productions carry insurance.

Sometimes shite happens.

Best

Tim