Thoughtful light placement can yield interesting "looks" on stage. By using Autopilots features, you can also light performers in certain areas of the stage while deliberately keeping the light away from certain areas of the stage. By using the Autopilot zone capability and careful light placement, you can light performers while keeping the spotlight off of set pieces and out of the eyes of the audience.
Keep the following guidelines in mind:
Moving mirror lights typically have wide light beam movement capability so light placement and orientation is somewhat forgiving. You must be sure, of course, that the light can cover all the intended stage areas which are to be tracked with Autopilot.
Be sure to choose and set the starting DMX address properly. Confusion on the starting DMX address is a common problem. Note that some moving mirror lights have restricted the choices for the starting DMX address.
Proper position and orientation of moving yoke lights is critical when using Autopilot. For example, most moving yoke lights have a limited PAN capability because they have a mechanical "stop" which prevents further PAN motion. Attempting to continue with PAN motion upon reaching the mechanical "stop" will result in the yoke "flipping" around 360 degrees. This creates highly undesirable light motion. The solution is to install the light outside the operating area and be sure the mechanical "stop" is orientated away from the operating area. If you cannot install the light outside the operating area, you may try to pivot the light base on the truss so the base is at a 45 degree angle to horizontal. This orients the mechanical "stop" up and away from the stage to eliminate the "360 degree flip" PAN problem.
