# Is to there a such thing as to many strobe lights?



## MR David Person (Sep 30, 2013)

So I was pondering on how I am going to light up my haunt
and I was thinking of lighting the whole thing with strobe lights,
so I though I would grab some opinions on the idea.
Is there even a such a thing as having to many 
strobe lights ?


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## kevin242 (Sep 30, 2005)

could be bad for the percentage of the population who have photosensitive epilepsy, a warning sign might be a good idea if it's for the general public. Might make people want to leave also, I think there is such a thing as "too much" strobe.


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## MR David Person (Sep 30, 2013)

kevin242 said:


> could be bad for the percentage of the population who have photosensitive epilepsy, a warning sign might be a good idea if it's for the general public. Might make people want to leave also, I think there is such a thing as "too much" strobe.


I have warning signs already, I guess I will have to get some friends to test it out so I can see how many is to many.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Strobe lights can be annoying even if you don't have photosensitive epilepsy. I think a lot of that has to do with the rate of the flash and how long the light stays on before fading. Having friends help you test it out is a good idea.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Strobes have also been shown to trigger PTSD flashbacks and migraine headaches.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

We have actors at the haunt that have gotten sick because of a strobe light.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I think I'd go mad working in a strobe room all night. They are really cool though. Kids love'em.

I use a strobe but it's inside a machine, not flashing the customers as such, and it only runs a few seconds at a time.


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## Dead Things (Apr 4, 2009)

I use strobes but only a few and always pointed at a prop, never the ToTs. Did a gig once where they had just installed a new light rig. The lighting guy decided to turn on the strobes for half of our last tune. Didn't think I was going to make it out of there.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

It appears the answer to your question is "Yes, this is such a thing as having too many strobe lights":jol:


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## MR David Person (Sep 30, 2013)

Yes the answer is yes apparently ha, I am probably going to mount them to the ceiling
so your not allowed to look up unless you like the bright flash's of my strobes.
With only 10ish days left I really need to go into over time and get everything done


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

Yes, there is. My husband has to lead me through those parts of haunts while I close and cover my eyes to avoid a head-splitting nausea migraine that can last up to 8 hrs. So yes. I find that one or two that I can look away from works fine, and I also get to enjoy the effect with everybody else. If anything, put up a warning sign so those who are effected by them can stay out.


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## shannibal (Aug 14, 2013)

I agree that there IS such a thing as too many strobes. I know if I was an actor working within the strobes for hours on end I'd have a pounding headache.....and even guests without epilepsy can sometimes get queasy/unbalanced with the strobes flashing. I think maybe 1-3 well-placed strobes are more effective than a bunch of them all over the place. Just my two cents though.


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## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

I must also agree with my brethren. My brother has epilepsy...all he has to do is play a nintendo game too long and he can seize up. That is a scary thing..still, if you must do it, then put up the warning signs.


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## Will Reid (Sep 2, 2013)

xx


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## Mortuis (Aug 13, 2013)

A strobe does have a place in a haunt... it's great for creating a kind of jerky, slow-motion effect. That said, there are way too many people who use them only because they've seen it done in other haunts and they think it's a 'haunt standard'.

Try this: walk through the rooms you intend to use strobes in, at about the same pace as the average customer. If it bothers _you_, odds are it'll bother them.

There are ways to minimize the impact of a strobe... never aim it directly at your actors or your customers; experiment with different angles, horizontal and vertical... see what gives you the effect you want without dazzling your actors or customers... color filters can give you a different kind of effect and lessen the dazzle effect.

Hope some of this helps....


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## mikeythemars (May 10, 2008)

Strobe lights in haunts are like methadone, very therapeutic when administered in small doses by trained professionals, but horrifically damaging if overused/abused by laypersons.

To be more specific, strobes are best employed as a startle element, preferably one tied to a routine. Example: I use only one small 15 watt tiny little Chauvet strobe in my haunt, where it turns on for all of two seconds during an animatronic skeleton routine, illuminating the skeleton (_not_ the audience) at a point where the skeleton suddenly screams. _That_ is proper use, employing it to enhance part of a performance.

What strobes are really _not_ meant to provide is continued full or ambient lighting, so I'm not clear on why the OP wanted to use them that way.


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