Theatrical Lighting

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Theatrical Lighting

• A Brief Introduction

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General Lighting

• Provides a diffuse, shadow less, wash of light
  over the entire stage space

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Specific Lighting

• Introduced by the lime light in the middle of the
  19th century, provides a sharp, highly controlled
  shaft of light.
• These shafts were used to highlight a small area
  of the stage, a principle actor, or create the
  illusion of sunlight (or moonlight).
• These units were typically placed in the
  balconies of the auditorium or the galleries on
  the sides of the theatre.

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Common Lighting Terminology

• Flood A broad beam of light, less directional
  and intense than a spot.
• Spot A controlled, narrowly-focused beam of
  light.
• Tungsten Light from an ordinary light bulb
  containing a thin coiled tungsten wire that
  becomes incandescent (emits light) when an
  electric current is passed along it. Tungsten
  colour temperature is around 2800K to 3400K. Also
  known as incandescent light.
• Fresnel A light which has a lens with raised
  circular ridges on its outer surface. The fresnel
  lens is used to focus the light beam.

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Types of Lights

• Flood
• Fresnel
• Pebble Convex
• Profile
• FollowSpot
• Parcan
• Birdie

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Flood

• This is the simplest type of lantern, consisting
  of a lamp and a reflector in a box, with no lens.
  
• The reflector concentrates the light towards the
  opening in the box. There is no control over the
  focussing of a flood, other than its general
  direction.

Symbol for a flood on a lighting plan
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Fresnel Lights

• Stage Lighting Fresnels provide a round soft edge
  circle of light that can be adjusted from spot to
  flood.  You can change the color of this
  theatrical light by placing color gel in front of
  the unit. 

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Fresnel

• The Fresnel (pronounced "Frennel") is a
  soft-edged spotlight with more control over beam
  angle than floods, but less control than
  profiles. The lens is a series of stepped
  concentric circles on the front and pebbled on
  the back It was first used in stage lighting in
  the late 1920s.
• The size of the beam can be adjusted by moving
  the lamp and reflector closer to or farther from
  the lens, either by a screw mechanism or a simple
  slide. The beam can be shaped by the four
  barndoors attached to the front of the lantern.

Strand Cadenza Fresnel
Symbol for a Fresnel on a lighting plan
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Fresnel

• Fresnel "spotted down" - lens further from glass
• Fresnel "flooded" lens closer to glass

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PC (Pebble Convex)

• The PC is common in Europe, but is rarely seen in
  the US.
• The basic design of this lantern dates back to
  the first days of stage lighting, but the modern
  version has one important difference. This
  lantern uses a modified lens with a pebbled
  effect on the plano (flat) side. The pebbled
  effect gives the beam its characteristic soft
  edge. The edge of the beam is slightly harder
  than a Fresnel, but is not hard edged. The pebble
  convex lens uses the efficiency of the plano
  convex lens and gives the light a softer edge.
• Like a Fresnel, there is one focussing knob to
  change the beam angle.

Symbol for a PC on a lighting plan
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Profile

• Profile lanterns produce clearly defined spots
  of light and are the most focussable and
  versatile of the lanterns. They have a lens (some
  have two lenses), a lamp and a reflector, and
  they also have shutters and a gate.
• Profiles get their name from their ability to
  project the shape of anything placed in the gate
  of the lantern between the lamp and the lens.
  These shapes may be formed by the shutters, or
  they may be cut out of thin metal (a "gobo).

gobos
Symbol for a profile on a lighting plan
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Profiles cont.

• Some profiles with only one lens have two sets of
  shutters, one of which gives a hard edge to the
  beam, and one which gives a softer edge. These
  are known as bifocal profiles.
• Profiles with two lenses (zoom profiles) are best
  for projecting gobos and other shapes, as the
  size and sharpness of the beam is fully
  adjustable throughout the beam angle range of the
  lantern.
• A zoom profile lantern is known by the range of
  its beam angle (e.g. Prelude 16/30, Cantata 18/32
  are both zoom profiles from Strand Lighting's
  range).
• A followspot is a special type of profile lantern
  with additional controls, extra handles, sights,
  built-in colour changer and iris, and is usually
  of much higher power.

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Ellipsoidal Profile Spots / Leko

• A Leko is an ellipsoidal profile spot. Leko's are
  much more common in the US than the Zoom Profiles
  we tend to prefer in the UK. They are of fixed
  beam angle.
• The name Leko is a contraction of the original
  manufacturer's names (Joseph Levy and Edward F.
  Kook - founders of Century Lighting). Leko's were
  originally patented in 1933, and is still
  manufactured today by Strand Lighting (which now
  owns Century Lighting).
• Ellipsoidal profile spots are sometimes known as
  ERS (Ellipsoidal Reflector Spots).

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Ellipsoidals or Lekos

• A stage lighting ellipsoidal light, also known as
  a leko is the most versatile conventional fixture
  of stage lighting.  While it emits a circular
  beam of light, you have the ability to adjust
  every aspect of it for your theatrical lighting
  needs. 

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Leko Continued

• 1 - You can change the diameter of the circle to
  adjust to your stage lighting need.
• 2 - You can change the shape of the circle using
  shutters that will help adjust to your theatre
  lighting need.
• 3 - You can change the colour to help adjust to
  your theatre lighting needs.
• 4 - You can project images and shapes with gobos
  that can produce scenery with stage lighting.
• 5 - You can have a sharp or fuzzy image.
• 6 - You can lock the focus of the light where you
  need it.

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ETC Source 4

• They are very similar to the Lekos, because they
  are ellipsoidal and strong lights.
• They are stronger and used more frequently in
  theatres.

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Followspot

• A stage lighting followspot is a theatrical
  lighting unit that is manipulated by a followspot
  operator (human) behind the unit, to point the
  light at the desired object. 
• Followspots have the ability (in general) to
  change color, focus and size of the circle
  easily.  Some folks call it a theatrical spot
  light.  It is comprised of a stand, a yoke, and
  the head. 

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Super Trouper Followspot

• When the Strong Super Trouper followspot was
  introduced in 1956, it was the brightest in the
  world. It originally had a carbon arc source but
  this was superceded in 1971 by a Xenon discharge
  lamp.

Tonight the Super Trouper lights are gonna find
me Shining like the sun
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Followspot

• With the lenses far apart, the beam is narrow
  
• With the lenses close together, the beam is
  wider.

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Parcan

• This lantern first came into use in the 1970's in
  the Rock and Roll industry. It quickly found
  favour due to the relative cheapness of the
  lantern, the weight and the ease of focussing.

• The lantern itself is simply a "can" in which the
  PAR lamp is contained (hence "Parcan"). The PAR
  (Parabolic Aluminised Reflector) lamps are
  available in a range of beam angles depending on
  the amount of diffusion on the front lens of the
  lamp. The lamp is a sealed beam unit consisting
  of a lamp, reflector and lens in one.
• Because the light produced can be very intense,
  Parcans are especially suited to strong colours
  or for special effect. Be aware that deep colours
  can burn out quickly at full intensity.

Symbol for a parcan on a lighting plan
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Birdies

• A birdie is a miniature lantern that's ideal for
  hiding in small parts of a set or along the
  downstage edge of the stage. It provides a
  surprisingly bright soft-edged pool of light.
  Although the beam is sometimes unevenly spread,
  the benefits of having a punch of light where no
  normal lantern can go are massive.
• Where does the name come from? Well, you see the
  birdie looks a little like a parcan, but is a lot
  smaller? You could say, it's "One under Par" -
  which, as every golfer knows, is called a
  "birdie".

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Seneca's Oedipus at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter
UK, 1998. Lighting Design Jon Primrose.A
single narrow Parcan used as a backlight through
atmospheric haze. A birdie uplight adds fill from
the front.
Far from the Madding Crowd at the Northcott
Theatre, Exeter UK. Lighting Design Jon
Primrose.Glass Moon gobo used on the rear
cyclorama.
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The Standard 3-Point Lighting Technique

• The technique uses three lights called the key
  light, fill light and back light. Naturally you
  will need three lights to utilise the technique
  fully, but the principles are still important
  even if you only use one or two lights. As a
  rule
• If you only have one light, it becomes the key.
• If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the
  other is either the fill or the backlight.

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The Standard 3-Point Lighting Technique - Key
Light
Key Light This is the main light. It is usually
the strongest and has the most influence on the
look of the scene. It is placed to one side of
the camera/subject so that this side is well lit
and the other side has some shadow.
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The Standard 3-Point Lighting Technique Fill
Light

• Fill Light
• This is the secondary light and is placed on the
  opposite side of the key light. It is used to
  fill the shadows created by the key. The fill
  will usually be softer and less bright than the
  key. To achieve this, you could move the light
  further away or use some spun.
• You might also want to set the fill light to more
  of a flood than the key.

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The Standard 3-Point Lighting Technique - Back
Light

• Back Light
• The back light is placed behind the subject and
  lights it from the rear. Rather than providing
  direct lighting (like the key and fill), its
  purpose is to provide definition and subtle
  highlights around the subject's outlines. This
  helps separate the subject from the background
  and
• provide a three-dimensional look.

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Timeline of Lighting Developments

• Candles
• Oil Lamps
• Gas Lighting
• Electric Lighting
• Lime Light
• Arc Light
• Electric Spotlight

Some of these overlap each other so the timeline
deals with each separately and not in true
chronological order
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Candles

• Italy - 1580-1618 Candles are introduced in both
  the academic (Teatro Olimpico) and court (Teatro
  Farnese) theatres.
• England - 1600s Used in the private (indoor)
  theatres and Ingo Jones' (1573-1652) Court
  Masques .
• 1660s Reintroduced during the English
  Restoration.
• Mounting Positions Chandeliers over both the
  stage and the house, Front edge of the stage
  (footlights), and "Ladders" between each pair of
  side wings.

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Oil Lighting

• 1780s Swiss chemist Aime Argand develops the
  modern oil lamp that soon replaces the candle as
  the primary light source.
• Mounting Positions The same as with
  candles--Chandeliers, Foot lights, and Ladders in
  the wings.

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Gas Lighting

• 1816 The world's first gas stage-lighting system
  is installed at the Chestnut Street Theatre in
  Philadelphia.
• 1817 Gas-lighting systems are installed in
  London's two legitimate houses Drury Lane and
  Covent Garden.
• 1820s Gas light is in experimental use in most
  countries of the Western World.

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Gas Lighting

• 1840s Gas lighting is widely adapted and the gas
  table (control board) makes its appearance.
• 1880s The incandescent mantle (the Auer burner)
  is introduced producing a much brighter and safer
  light.
• Mounting Positions Footlights, Border Lights
  (between each pair of scenic borders), and Wing
  Lights (between each pair of scenic wings).

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Electric

• 1879 Thomas Edison perfects the first practical
  incandescent electric lamp.
• 1881 London's Savoy Theatre installs the world's
  first electric lighting system-- 824- 16 candle
  power lamps were used to light the stage and an
  additional 334 lights illuminated the auditorium.
  
• 1882 The first American installation of electric
  lights is at Boston's Bijou's Theatre.

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Electric

• 1890s By the end of the 19th century most
  "modern" theatres have switched from gas lights
  to the much safer electric lights.
• 1903 Kliegl Brothers installs an electrical
  lighting system with 96 resistance dimmers (and
  20 additional dimmers for house lights) at the
  Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. See
  the illustration below.
• Mounting Positions The same as with
  gas-lighting Footlights, Borderlights and
  Winglights.

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Lime Light

• 1816 The calcium light (also known as a
  limelight or Drummond light) is demonstrated by
  Thomas Drummond, it's inventor.
• 1837 English actor-manager Charles Macready uses
  a limelight at London's Covent Garden.
• 1870s-1880s The limelight is in general use in
  "modern" theatres. By the end of the 1880s as
  many as eleven units were used in productions at
  Stockholm's Royal Theatre .
• 1890s The limelight is beginning to be replaced
  by the newer and brighter carbon arc lamp.

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Arc Light

• 1807 Sir Humphry Davy demonstrates a carbon arc
  lamp powered by a 2,000 cell battery. Further
  development is halted by the lack of a readily
  available power supply.
• 1832 Hippolyte Pixii, a French instrument maker,
  builds an experimental direct current dynamo
  (generator).
• 1849 An arc lamp is used to create a sunrise
  effect at the Paris Opera's production of
  Meyerbeer's Le Prophete.

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Arc Light

• 1878 Charles Brush develops a practical dynamo
  making the carbon arc lamp a workable source of
  light
• 1890s The carbon arc lamp begins to replace the
  calcium light in the "modern" theatre. The
  illustration on the left is a Kliegl No. 5, a 5"
  Lens Box with a 25 amp (2750 watt) carbon arc
  lamp (1913).
• 1920s The newer and safer incandescent
  spotlight, using a modern 1000 watt lamp, begins
  to replace the carbon arc for general theatrical
  use.
• 1990s Carbon arc lamps continue to be used as a
  follow spot until the end of the 20th century.

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Electric Spotlight

• 1904 Louis Hartmann builds a small (5" lens)
  spotlight, a baby lens, which used a 50 candle
  power (approximately 50 watt) lamp for David
  Belasco's production of The Music Teacher.
• 1906 Hartman uses 4-- 250 watt baby lenses (in
  addition to 31-- 1,5000 watt carbon-arc spots) in
  Belasco's The Rose of Ranchero.
• 1907 Edison introduces the 500 watt lamp.
• 1911 Edison introduces a "concentrated filament"
  lamp for use in a lens hood (spotlight).

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Electric Spotlight

• 1913 Kliegl Brothers markets the No. 60, a 5"
  Baby Spot built around a 100 candle power lamp.
  According to the catalogue, the unit provided a
  "mild ray of light."
• 1913 The 1000 watt lamp becomes available.
• 1916 Designer Norman Bel Geddes replaces the
  carbon arc lamp in a lens box with a 1000w
  incandecent lamp.

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Electric Spotlight

• 1920s 5", 6" and 8" PlanoConvex spotlights (lens
  hoods), using a 1000 watt lamp, begin replacing
  the Lime Light and Carbon Arc lamp.The
  illustration on the left is of a Kliegl No. 5N, a
  5" Lens Box with a 1000 watt lamp (1926). Note
  the similarity between the No 5 and the No 5N.
• 1929 Kliegl Brothers introduces the Fresnel lens
  spotlight.
• 1933s Both Kliegl Brothers (Klieglight) and
  Century (LekoLight) introduce the ellipsoidal
  reflector spotlight

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The End