How to Choose Lighting for a Small Production
Try to find a place to get the lights., Make sure you determine the following information: Do the fixtures have compatible power connectors?, Think about the type of production you are doing and what the production involves., Choose what type of...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Try to find a place to get the lights.
If you want to keep the lights, you will obviously need to buy them.
However, many local rental shops will have lights (referred to as instruments or fixtures from now on), as will theatrical supply companies.
Many local theatres and auditoriums have lights that they might let you borrow. -
Step 2: Make sure you determine the following information: Do the fixtures have compatible power connectors?
There are three types of plugs in the lighting world:
Edison-like the ones in your house, stage pin, and twist-lock. (In the UK these are: 13Amp-square pin, 15Amp-round pin, and 16Amp) Do they fit your performance? You don't want to buy huge instruments when you have nothing but stands to put lights on.
Do they need to be dimmed? Some lights are not able to be dimmed.
If you are renting or borrowing, how long can you keep them? The more time you can spend experimenting with your light, the better. , For theatre or dance, you will need to accommodate for scene change needs with different light levels, colors and angles.
Thus, you need more lights or lights that can change their color and/or position automatically.
Use caution though...these "automated lights" need special control consoles and are quite complex.
Make sure that you have everything you need to support an automated fixture.
The best thing to do for a small production though, is to make compromised in the position and color of the lights.
Sometimes, you can't always get the "look" that you want on a budget.
Don't forget effects! If you are doing an awards show, or lecture, you will probably need just white light in the same spot all the time at the same level.
While dimming is a nice touch, lights for this type of production do not have to dim.
Think though- do you want to add certain effects such as projection? For rock concerts, you need light to stay on the band, but otherwise, you are going to probably want a color flashing, crowd blinding, strobing display of light show frenzy! Dimmable lights with lots of color will work well.
If you really want to look professional, though, think about elements of the show and what effects you want to add at certain moments.
This will really excite the crowd... , For just straight white light, you can use any of the three basic types of instruments.
They are: ellipsoidal, fresnel, and PAR.
Ellipsoidals can produce a hard edged beam that is concentrated in one spot.
Fresnels (get a price reduction at the rental house by pronouncing it Fur-nel) are more of a wash light and produce a "soft" type light.
PARs are a cheap alternative to Fresnels.
They are best described as old car headlights in a coffee can.
They simply produce a nice, round, sometimes (depending on the lamp) even wash of light.
Be aware that only ellipsoidals can project patterns and effects.
Rock bands should get a lot of PARs and plug them in! , Ellipsoidals are nice, and very flexible.
They can project patterns and shine long distances while keeping the beam of light relatively small.
Fresnels produce a softer, more diffused beam with a soft edge.
They are great for a wash of color.
PARs are the favorite of rock bands all over, but that doesn't mean that awards shows and theatres don't use them.
For a small to medium (or really, even large) sized event, you can't beat the cost and flexibility of PARs.
They produce a very diffused, un-focusable light to wash the stage on.
For dance shows, use PARs as side lights. , Events using only six or eight lights need to get some PARs and maybe some small fresnels or small ellipsoidals.
Remember, you don't need big lights for small venues.
For shows using over 15 lights, it is a good idea to expand and have a variety of lights, especially if your event is in dance or theatre. , Test to see how bright they are and how far they will "throw"
or shine without losing too much light.
Also, see how wide the beam is.
Most Fresnels and some ellipsoidal instruments have a "focus variable" where a lens can be moved to get a wider/narrower beam.
Play around with this. , For awards shows, don't add any color.
For rock bands, keep no color on the performer lights, and very deep and primary colors for accent light.
For theatre, you will need to add color very carefully.
Try talking to someone who knows what they are talking about.
For dance, the same is true.
But on the sidelights, use medium tones, and experiment with warm and cool colors (be careful to keep this very low key, unless you want your dancers to really pop out of the stage. , -
Step 3: Think about the type of production you are doing and what the production involves.
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Step 4: Choose what type of lights you will need for the effects and "looks" that you just thought about.
-
Step 5: Know how to use your lights.
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Step 6: Think about the size of your event.
-
Step 7: Get your lights and plug them in.
-
Step 8: Think about color.
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Step 9: Experiment to get the right look.
Detailed Guide
If you want to keep the lights, you will obviously need to buy them.
However, many local rental shops will have lights (referred to as instruments or fixtures from now on), as will theatrical supply companies.
Many local theatres and auditoriums have lights that they might let you borrow.
There are three types of plugs in the lighting world:
Edison-like the ones in your house, stage pin, and twist-lock. (In the UK these are: 13Amp-square pin, 15Amp-round pin, and 16Amp) Do they fit your performance? You don't want to buy huge instruments when you have nothing but stands to put lights on.
Do they need to be dimmed? Some lights are not able to be dimmed.
If you are renting or borrowing, how long can you keep them? The more time you can spend experimenting with your light, the better. , For theatre or dance, you will need to accommodate for scene change needs with different light levels, colors and angles.
Thus, you need more lights or lights that can change their color and/or position automatically.
Use caution though...these "automated lights" need special control consoles and are quite complex.
Make sure that you have everything you need to support an automated fixture.
The best thing to do for a small production though, is to make compromised in the position and color of the lights.
Sometimes, you can't always get the "look" that you want on a budget.
Don't forget effects! If you are doing an awards show, or lecture, you will probably need just white light in the same spot all the time at the same level.
While dimming is a nice touch, lights for this type of production do not have to dim.
Think though- do you want to add certain effects such as projection? For rock concerts, you need light to stay on the band, but otherwise, you are going to probably want a color flashing, crowd blinding, strobing display of light show frenzy! Dimmable lights with lots of color will work well.
If you really want to look professional, though, think about elements of the show and what effects you want to add at certain moments.
This will really excite the crowd... , For just straight white light, you can use any of the three basic types of instruments.
They are: ellipsoidal, fresnel, and PAR.
Ellipsoidals can produce a hard edged beam that is concentrated in one spot.
Fresnels (get a price reduction at the rental house by pronouncing it Fur-nel) are more of a wash light and produce a "soft" type light.
PARs are a cheap alternative to Fresnels.
They are best described as old car headlights in a coffee can.
They simply produce a nice, round, sometimes (depending on the lamp) even wash of light.
Be aware that only ellipsoidals can project patterns and effects.
Rock bands should get a lot of PARs and plug them in! , Ellipsoidals are nice, and very flexible.
They can project patterns and shine long distances while keeping the beam of light relatively small.
Fresnels produce a softer, more diffused beam with a soft edge.
They are great for a wash of color.
PARs are the favorite of rock bands all over, but that doesn't mean that awards shows and theatres don't use them.
For a small to medium (or really, even large) sized event, you can't beat the cost and flexibility of PARs.
They produce a very diffused, un-focusable light to wash the stage on.
For dance shows, use PARs as side lights. , Events using only six or eight lights need to get some PARs and maybe some small fresnels or small ellipsoidals.
Remember, you don't need big lights for small venues.
For shows using over 15 lights, it is a good idea to expand and have a variety of lights, especially if your event is in dance or theatre. , Test to see how bright they are and how far they will "throw"
or shine without losing too much light.
Also, see how wide the beam is.
Most Fresnels and some ellipsoidal instruments have a "focus variable" where a lens can be moved to get a wider/narrower beam.
Play around with this. , For awards shows, don't add any color.
For rock bands, keep no color on the performer lights, and very deep and primary colors for accent light.
For theatre, you will need to add color very carefully.
Try talking to someone who knows what they are talking about.
For dance, the same is true.
But on the sidelights, use medium tones, and experiment with warm and cool colors (be careful to keep this very low key, unless you want your dancers to really pop out of the stage. ,
About the Author
Marie Torres
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
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