My ceiling is right at 7ft., so I plan on using flush/canned style lighting. My room is approx. 13x33. What I'm trying to figure out is, what would it take to be ample lighting without over doing it. Does anybody know that amount of spacing needed between these to provide enough lighting? I'm sure it differs between the lights I decide to use, but is there an equation or something to kind of go by?

Sorry for the obvious newb question.

I would recommend about 10 lights for those dimensions. Your lighting needs may vary, depending on your desires for other lights such as sconces and screen highlighting, etc.

If you use dark colors (as most of us do in a dedicated theater) you will find that light gets absorbed easily, and things end up darker than you think they will after painting and finishing.

Ken

I would recommend about 10 lights for those dimensions. Your lighting needs may vary, depending on your desires for other lights such as sconces and screen highlighting, etc.

If you use dark colors (as most of us do in a dedicated theater) you will find that light get absorbed easily, and things end up darker than you think they will prior to painting and finishing.

Ken
:DI agree

what about putting the back 2 sets on a separate dimmer? Is that necessary? Or should I just leave them all on a single dimmer? Should I go with a regular bulb or one of the larger diameters?

I would design the lighting in such a way that you can turn off the lights near the screen, yet still have some ambient light near the seating. That makes watching sports with a group a bit more social. Not many people like watch non-movie content in the dark. By running seperate dimmable circuits you can fine tune the light to your particular needs of the moment.

I would design the lighting in such a way that you can turn off the lights near the screen, yet still have some ambient light near the seating. That makes watching sports with a group a bit more social. Not many people like watch non-movie content in the dark. By running seperate dimmable circuits you can fine tune the light to your particular needs of the moment.

Excellent idea. I never would have thought about that. Thanks for the input.

I agree with the notion of two separate dimmer switches. As for the number of lights, look at the spread of the beam relative to the ceiling heing as well as the total light intensity you are trying to achieve. 500 Lux is a nice level for cleaning, easy reading, etc. If you just want a little ambient light during the football game then 2-300 lux would be sufficient.

Personally, I’d shoot for 500 figuring it’s easier to dim down than to make it brighter. Your room is 40 square meters, so 40 m x 500 Lux/1000 lumens per bulld = 20 bulbs. I’d proably round that down to 18 and go with a 3 x 6 arrangement. If you think that’s overkill (and for a theater, it may be) you could go for a 2x6 arrangement that would give pretty even spacing between the lights.

It is amazing what coverin gthe white walls will do – I just finished putting up the black/dark brown/tan fabric in my theater. When I started a 500W torch lamp lit up the room like nigh noon. Now I have the 500W lamp and a 500W construction light and it’s still pretty dim in the room. And the carpet isn’t even in yet.

My 2 cents..

If you are using recessed lights, with your ceiling height I would recommend spacing 4-4.5 ft center to center of the can lights. Higher ceilings you can space them further (more bulb spread of the light).

I agree switching and dimmers are key too.

My 2 cents..

If you are using recessed lights, with your ceiling height I would recommend spacing 4-4.5 ft center to center of the can lights. Higher ceilings you can space them further (more bulb spread of the light).

I agree switching and dimmers are key too.

I agree with this general idea, but have a slightly different take for a HT environment.

A normal rule of thumb is that spacing = ~1/2 ceiling height. So 4' or so spacing for a normal 8' ceiling.

For your 7' ceiling, it would be ~3.5'. I'd suggest that 3' - 3.5' spacing. the reason being that you can then use narrow-spread lamps. Along with dimming and zones, it gives you better control over localized lighting while eliminating as much "horizontal" incident light hitting your screen.

I have some can lights with 10-12 degree spreads, and others with 20 degree spreads, as opposed to the normal ~35 degree spreads. I can have plenty of lighting in the rear of the room without washing out the screen.

The Illuminating Engineering Society recommends a level of 30 footcandles (= 300 lux) in auditoriums. This is enough for the audience to see its way around and read the program, but not enough for more difficult visual tasks or more prolonged reading. For example, if you want to keep the room really clean you may need more light to see well enough to do it, and you would certainly need a higher level of illumination for things like working on the equipment.

There is also the aesthetic to consider. An array of cans on a grid will permit you to achieve a uniform illuminated field throughout the room at whatever level you settle on, but is that what you really want? Uniform illumination is great for places like basketball courts, workshops, and offices, where the task at hand is the paramount factor to consider, but in a room dedicated to appreciating the artistic efforts of musicians and filmmakers perhaps something more visually interesting would be a better choice.

The interplay between light and shadow is what creates visual interest in lighting design. You might want to consider where you actually need to have illumination for convenience and safety, where you want to use illumination to direct attention, and where you can use shadow to create the illusion of larger space or to keep attention away from areas that are visually unappealing or distracting.

For example, suppose your theater has a closet in it. Whether it's used for A/V equipment, general storage, or whatever, its door, as an interruption in the wall, is bound to attract attention. Why not make sure that this door is in shadow--by placement of your lighting fixtures--so that it's less of a visual distraction?

On the other hand, if there's an exit door or a bathroom door, bump the light up slightly there so its location is easy to find.

Maybe you have some nice movie posters or other art on the walls. Why not highlight them with appropriately positioned fixtures fitted with lamps of the appropriate beam width, and let that light be part of the general illumination?

A lot of specialty lighting stores have people on their staffs who will assist you with lighting design and choices of fixtures, lamps, controls, etc. Sometimes there's no charge for this service if you buy the equipment from them (exactly like the kitchen designers who work in cabinet showrooms).

Just some thoughts to consider from someone who designed lighting for live performance for 15 years.