1. STAGE LIGHTING INSTRUMENTS
Parts, Maintenance, Safety, and Use

2. Learning Goals
Learn the exterior and interior parts of a stage lighting instrument.
Use the instrument as a learning tool: learn the practical and artistic uses of stage lighting.
Use the instrument as a learning tool: learn what trades and fields of study go into the creation and use of stage instruments.
Have a general concept of
a) how the instrument works,
b) how to maintain the instrument, and
c) general safety measures for the instrument.

3. Lighting Lingo Stage lights are called “instruments.”
The bulbs in instruments are called “lamps.”
Putting an instrument up on the grid is called “hanging.”
Plugging in the instrument to a circuit is called “patching.”
Pointing an instrument in the appropriate direction, and adjusting the beam width and shape, are called “focusing.”

4. … an ETC Source Four ERS 750 (36˚).
Parts of an Instrument
To understand the parts of a lighting instrument, we will look at one of the most common examples…
… an ETC Source Four ERS 750 (36˚).

5. Parts of an Instrument
ETC Par Four 750 (36˚) means… ETC = Electronic Theatre Controls ® ERS = Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight 750 = Maximum Wattage Rating (750 watts) 36˚ = Field Angle (width of the cone of light at 10% intensity)

6. ETC Source Four ERS 750 (36˚)

7. C-Clamp (Pipe Clamp)
Lamp Housing
Yoke
Reflector
Housing
Instrument Barrel
(Lens Tube inside)
Shutter Handle
Power Cable (Pigtail)
Gel Frame Holder
Grand Stage Pin (GSP)

8. Now that you are acquainted with the parts of a stage lighting instrument, let’s see what different trades and fields of study go into its construction.

9. C-Clamp (Pipe Clamp)
Lamp Housing
Yoke
Reflector
Housing
Instrument Barrel
(Lens Tube inside)
Shutter Handle
Power Cable (Pigtail)
Gel Frame Holder
Grand Stage Pin (GSP)

10. Physics & Machining
Electrical Engineering
Physics, Machining,
& Industrial Tech
Machining & Industrial Tech
HVAC
Electrics & Energy Tech
Visual Art, Color Theory, & Optics
Electrical Engineering & Energy Tech

11. In other words…
There’s a lot of “tech” in theatre technology.

12. Close-up of Grand Stage Pin

13. Close-up of Grand Stage Pin

14. Close-up of Lamp Housing (Rear View)
Secures Lamp Housing
Adjusts Angle & Position
of Lamp (Bulb) within Housing

15. Close-up of Barrel and Gel Frame Holder
SLIDER HANDLE: Adjusts edges of light “throw”
GEL CLIP: Secures Gel Frame and Color Gel
BEAM FOCUS KNOB:
Adjusts sharpness of light edge
GEL
FRAME
HOLDER:
Holds Gel
Frame and
Color Gel
in place

16. Interior of Lamp Housing

17. Interior of Lamp Housing

18. Interior of Lamp Housing
Bolt secures
lamp housing
Lamp Clip
Lamp
(Bulb)
Pigtail

19. Lamp (Bulb) LAMP Specs Watts: 750 Volts: 77-115 Amperage: 6.52
300 “life hours” (total hours of use
at full intensity)
Lumens: 23,000
Total length: inches.
Glass Shape: T
Diameter of glass: 0.75 inches
Base: G9.5 Heatsink (two pin)
Filament Type: 4C8 (Tungsten)
Gas around filament: Halogen
Price (2017): about $17 to $25

20. Reflector Housing (exterior without lamp housing)
C-Clamp
Twist
handle
controls
yoke
position.
Yoke

21. Rear of Instrument (interior without lamp housing)
Glass portion of lamp
(bulb) fits through here.
Since a lamp (bulb) shines in all directions, the reflector redirects the light
through the barrel and out the front of the instrument.

22. Shutter Operation = = = = shutters in “pulled” position “shuttered”
Shape of light
on flat surface
“shuttered”
light = =
Shape of light
on flat surface

23. Lens Tube and Inner Lens (from rear)

24. Interior of Lens Tube (with Inner and Outer Lenses)
Gel
Frame
Holder
Inner
Lens
FRONT OF
BARREL
Outer
Lens

25. Instrument Components

26. Instrument Components

27. How Light Travels through the ERS Lighting Instrument
Yellow lines with arrows = beams of light originating from lamp.
Glass
portion
of LAMP
REFLECTOR
Wall of lens tube: both sides
are black-painted metal (to
reduce reflectivity)
Wall of lens tube: both sides
are black-painted metal (to
reduce reflectivity)
Large Plano
Convex LENS
Small Plano
Convex LENS

28. Cleaning Instrument Exterior
This is as simple as using canned air or a dry, soft washcloth!

29. Cleaning Instrument Interior (Metal Parts)
This is (also) as simple as using canned air or a dry, soft washcloth!

30. Cleaning Instrument Lenses
Take off rubber tabs (these secure the lens in the holding slots).
Mix 3 parts water with 1 part white distilled vinegar.
Submerge lens in mixture for a few moments.
Wipe dry with a soft (NOT microfiber or paper) cloth.
Check both sides of lens for smudges under a strong light. Remove smudges with cloth.
Replace rubber tabs and reinsert lens into lens housing (aligning tabs with holding slots).

31. General Safety Precautions
Follow general electricity precautions (e.g., never touch anything electrical with wet hands).
Heat-resistant gloves are recommended. Even the exterior of an instrument becomes very hot within a few minutes!
NEVER look directly into the lens of the light when less than 5 feet from it.
NEVER look directly at a lamp that is on but not in the lamp housing!
Violation of rules 3 and 4 can cause permanent damage to the retinas of your eyes.
BEFORE you take both hands off the instrument, ALWAYS make sure
a) the pipe clamp is fully tightened, and
b) the safety cable is attached to both the instrument and the pipe or batten.
7) Always tie your wrench to your belt loop with theatrical tie-line.

32. The Instrument in Action
Example of silhouette (back) lighting.
Example of multidirectional,
Overhead (top) lighting.

33. What can Stage Lighting do?
PRACTICAL USES
Indicate and separate locations. Hide or reveal people and objects.
Show passage of time, time of day, season, beginning/end of scene or play.
Project shadows.
Create colors and shapes on surfaces.
ARTISTIC USES
Establish mood.
Highlight aspects of plot.
Indicate a character’s emotional state.
Establish the “Fourth Wall” (division between the plot’s world and audience’s world).

34. Seasonal Lighting Effect: Winter
Photo owned by Real Sound and Vision, Inc. Fair Use applies.

35. Mood Lighting Effect: Foreboding
Production: Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre’s Nocturnal Wanderer by Gao Xingjian.
Director: Paul “Spike” Wilson. Lighting Designer: Peter Fedyshin. Photo by: Heather Garmin

36. Lighting Effect: Plot Highlight (an abandoned shoe)

37. Lighting Effect: Location (basement tenement)
Production: Miami University’s Two by Ron Elisha. Director: Paul “Spike” Wislon.
Lighting Design: Jennifer Lee. Photo by Gion DeFrancesco

38. Mood Lighting Effect: Nostalgia (also partial Silhouette Effect)
Production: Miami University’s Two by Ron Elisha. Director: Paul “Spike” Wilson.
Lighting Design: Jennifer Lee. Photo by Gion DeFrancesco.

39. Resources The Theatrical Lighting Glossary
“Lighting Instruments” in WPI Technical Theatre Handbook
Introduction to Stage Lighting: The Fundamentals of Theatre Lighting Design by Charles I. Swift. ISBN:
Optics and Photonics: An Introduction by F. Graham Smith, et al.
ISBN:
The Stage Lighting Handbook by Francis Reid. 6th Edition.
ISBN: