Moving Head Lights on a budget!!

In today’s economy it’s nearly impossible for us all to have the lighting we really want. It’s no exception when it comes to smaller congregations trying to meet creative expectations on a small or sometimes nonexistent budget. More and more churches are wanting to add a little flair to their services with moving head intelligent lighting. but it can be a little daunting when you start shopping around and the price for some of these units would buy a small economy car!

I was faced with the same problem a few months ago when asked to equip our new auditorium with a full arsenal of  moving head lights on a VERY small budget! but in my research I stumbled upon a few products that I just had to share with you.

Chauvet Intimidator Spot 250

These babies come in at $999.99 unheard of for the quality and features that are packed into these units! So if you want to get into some great moving head fixtures at a budget price check them out! I posted the specs below.

The Chauvet Intimidator Spot 250 is the moving fixture effect light of choice for mobile applications and a staple in small permanent installations. The Intimidator Spot 250 moving yoke fixture comes with a gas discharge lamp, affording a large and extremely bright throw. Chauvet includes a pan and tilt lock for safe transport and slot-n-lock gobos and colors for customized effects. Ease of use coupled with a wide variety of effects at an affordable price make the Chauvet Intimidator Spot 250 light a worldwide favorite.

10- or 14-channel DMX-512 moving yoke
Pan: 540°
Tilt: 270°
Color wheel:
7 interchangeable, slot-n-lock colors + white
Split colors
Rainbow color spin at variable speeds
Indexed rotating gobo wheel with gobo shake:
7 interchangeable, slot-n-lock gobos + open
5 metal, 2 glass installed
Rotating gobo wheel spin at variable speeds
3-facet, high-speed rotating prism at variable speeds
Variable motorized shutter (for strobing)
Variable motorized focus
Variable motorized dimmer (0–100%)
Remote fixture reset, lamp on/off & vector speed channel
Individual reset of pan/tilt, color, gobo, shutter, prism, focus
Move-in-black for pan/tilt, color, gobo
Built-in effect macros via DMX (gobo, gobo rotation, color, strobe, prism)
Built-in automated programs via master/slave or DMX
Built-in sound-active programs via master/slave or DMX
Pan/tilt lock during transportation
3-pin and 5-pin DMX connections
User-selectable pan/tilt ranges:
Pan: 540°, 360°, 180°
Tilt: 270°, 180°, 90°
Automatic pan & tilt correction
User-selectable basic or advanced operating modes
Weight: 58 lb
Size: 16-3/10″ W x 20-2/5″ H x 13-3/10″ D

Elation Design Spot 250

The Elation Design Spot 250 is another great option. It is a little more expensive than the Chauvet version, coming in at around $1799.99 but it does have a few key features that the intimidator does not. Two notable differences are the frosting capabilities of the design spot, which allows you to shape the edge of your beam from hard to soft, and the iris feature which allows you to shape your beam from narrow to wide (this feature can come in very handy in small applications when stage space is at a minimum).

So, I hope this helps! Go have fun and think BIG!