The 4 Main Types and Accessories Stage Lighting The 4 Main Types and Accessories

Main Elements Bulb, referred to as a lamp, produces light Reflector, reflects the light and throws it forward Lens, focuses and shapes light Housing, the metal framework or structure Shutters, shape light beam

Other Parts

Types Spotlights Floodlights Strip/Border lights Followspots Produce focused illumination Floodlights Illuminate, or flood, broad areas Strip/Border lights Provide a wide, uniform wash Followspots Produce a strong beam of light that follows a moving actor

Spotlights Fresnel Ridged lens, tubular lamp, and a parabolic mirror reflector Beams cast diffused or soft-edged light pools, which blend easily Used in conjunction with Barn Doors: control the beams with moveable flaps

Augustin Fresnel French physicist Invented his design in 1819 Used in lighthouse illumination and was much more effecient

Spotlights ERS (ellipsoidal reflector spot) plano-convex lens A tubular lamp Oval shaped reflector Long throw and extreme precision with minimal spill Can narrow/widen for harsh or soft edge Hung in house

ERS Accessories Gobo A metal sheet w/ a punched out design Placed inside instrument to produce a patterned or textured effect

Border/Strip Lights Long and narrow House a row of lamps and reflectors Provide general illumination (usually on a cyc) Tone lighted areas w/out messing up specific spotlighting

Floodlights AKA scoops or Parabolic Aluminized Reflector cans Large lamps Open-faced housing No lens Soft, widely diffused light, perfect for background lighting

Colored Lights Gelatins (gels): transparent color sheets inserted into a frame, mounted in front of spotlights and floods, lots of colors, cheap, but has to be replaced often Plastic costs more, but lasts longer Roundels (colored glass disks) are used in some strip lights instead of gels or plastic, but their intense colors make blending more difficult