Visible wavelengths of lights are compulsory for us to see something. Lights allow us to create a mood or craft an atmosphere, according to the story theme. There are no hard-and-fast rules to create a mood. It’s a creative process that supports a story visual structure. Lights need to enhance and balance all the components of a stage performance.
Where is the focus on the stage? What should be highlighted? What should be avoided?
Consider all the pieces and their priorities when creating a composition and painting the area lively with light. Lights can create visual satisfying or reality to draw an audience into a time period and out of the hall or auditorium where they presently reside. A play or staging set in the distant past can use low-dim lighting to mimic the time period, while the interiors were illuminated by candles.
Lights can strengthen the mood or action of the performance. Whether it’s music, a story, a dramatic interpretation — lighting can boost the performance through the use of color, angles, intensity, and effects. Lights can sculpt actors and musicians live and make them seem larger-than-life, drawing them into the foreground and setting them apart from a background.
Now let’s discuss how we accomplish the lighting goals by defining the tools of the trade. Here’s a short guide to the lighting instruments in the lighting tool kit.
Floodlight
Floodlights are some of the most effortless lanterns. They do not have a lens and cannot be focused. As a result, they create a general wash of color and are normally used for lighting.
Profile Spot Light
A ‘Profile Spot Light’ creates a strong beam of light that can be focused on a specific area of the stage. The defined beams are perfect for long throws and can be used to cut shapes on stage.
Follow Spot Light
A ‘Follow Spot Light’ sits on stands or rigs or stage trusses and is designed to follow performers around the stage. It is a more strong, powerful variation of a profile spot, with additional features such as color magazines and an iris.
Fresnel Spot Light
A ‘Fresnel Spot Light’ is basically used to create a general wash of light across the stage, the Fresnel has a feature lens that causes light to scatter, producing a softer edge. ‘Barn Doors’ on all four sides of the lantern can be operated fully determine the spill of light.
Par Can Light
A ‘Par Can Light’ cannot be focused and is one of the cheap range lanterns. Often used in rock concerts. Par can lanterns throw a very sharp and strong beam of light creating an intense dramatic effect.
