Light is a precious gift that can be seen everywhere, adjust the three criteria of light – brightness, color and type, where all three qualities are combined is the stage, so stage lights are an important key to providing a sense of reality, mystery. Stage lights are available in a variety of colors. In addition to regular lights, these colorful varieties are used to create special effects. Different colors of lights on the stage bring out different emotions. Colors such as red are used to express love and enthusiasm, while yellow lights are used to express the past and memories.
The story of stage lighting:
The history of stage lighting can be traced back to ancient Greece. Theaters at that time used clay lanterns to illuminate the stage. With the development of science and technology, stage lighting technology continues to improve. In the 19th century, the invention of electric lights made stage lighting brighter and more flexible. In the 20th century, the emergence of LED lamps brought new changes to stage lighting.
Stage lighting is an art and a technology. Stage lighting engineers need to master the theory and techniques of stage lighting in order to create excellent stage lighting effects.
Stage lights are usually installed on the side of the stage floor. The lights are directed upwards to illuminate the actors’ body movements and the performers’ costumes. The entertainment industry requires special light sources for stage lighting, TV and other special events: it requires high-power lamps, controllable lamps and special light control technology.
There are three basic types of stage lights:
Floodlights, spotlights, and projectors. All three series are supported by LED technology that introduces standard LED light sources and LED video panels for unique light effects.
Stage lighting can be divided into the following categories according to its functions and uses:
Lighting fixtures: This is the most basic type of stage lighting to illuminate the stage and actors. Lighting fixtures can be divided into tungsten lamps, halogen lamps, LED lamps, etc., according to their light sources.
Special effect lighting: used to create special stage effects, such as smoke, lasers, fireworks, etc.
Control equipment: used to control the brightness, color, angle, and other parameters of stage lighting.
No matter what event you’re hosting, having stage lights is important. Lights provide illumination and color to create a wonderful atmosphere. One of the main functions of stage lights is to provide color to the stage; therefore, for the desired effect, you should choose the correct color.
"I once saw a very wonderful stage lighting design at a concert. The stage lighting changed with the rhythm of the music, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that I will never forget."
To make the activity fun, you should avoid using only one color. As a rule of thumb, you should use contrasting colors such as light amber and light blue. To create an interesting layered shadow look, you should use lights from different angles.
While color is essential, you shouldn’t use extreme colors. You should always prefer muted colors to dark, intense colors. The cool thing about muted colors is that they always enhance the look of a scene’s visuals. Green should be avoided if the lighting primarily focuses on the actor, as green lighting does not look good on human skin. If you must use color, use it only to brighten the background. However, the times have been advancing, and stage lights have always stayed caught up. Now, there are many kinds of stage lights used as backgrounds. For example, LED retro light, this kind of stage lights are specially used in the stage background.
"In stage lighting design, plot and theme are the most important factors. For example, in the drama "Hamlet", stage lighting can be used to create a dark and depressing atmosphere to highlight the tragedy of the plot." This play's stage lighting design and layout are worthy of our study and reference.
Example: Theater stage lighting configuration
There are many types of stages in theaters: ordinary proscenium stage, extended stage, island stage, and also called black box stage. Because the stage forms are different, the lighting configuration will definitely be different. Among them, ordinary proscenium stage is more common in the past or present, whether it is rebuilt or newly built theaters, so this type of stage lighting configuration is even more necessary.
The stage (proscenium stage) has different lighting requirements due to different repertoires performed, so before using the lights, it is necessary to know which repertoires are mainly performed on this stage, so that the configuration of the lights will have clear goals and intentions. For example, some stages are positioned to perform traditional operas or ballets, so the configuration of lamps must be configured according to the requirements of operas and ballets. For example, if the main programs are large-scale singing and dancing, acrobatics, etc., in addition to the basic requirements, special lamp positions and lights, or other effect stage lights should be configured according to the specific program requirements.
Before configuring the lights, you should first understand the types, main functions and uses of the lights. Here, the author briefly introduces some lighting performances for selection when configuring the lights.
1. Spotlight: The spotlight used on the stage is LED Leko Spot Stage Light or Led Profile Light. This kind of lamp can adjust the size of the light spot, the beam angle ranges from 15° to 55°, the diffuse light on the side is relatively small, the power ranges from 200W to 600W, the focal length is divided into long, medium and short, and the distance of the light spot can be selected according to the needs; the light spot can be cut into various shapes such as square, diamond, triangle, etc. This light produced by Grace Stage Lighting has many characteristics: CRI＞95/96, PWM, HSIC control, etc.
2. Rib light: also known as soft light, but it is called spotlight in TV stations. This light will have a larger irradiation area than Led Profile Light. Sometimes, in order to control its diffuse light, a cover leaf is added in front of the mirror to block it. Its characteristic is that the light area is large, unlike the spotlight with obvious light spots, the irradiation distance is closer, and the power is 200W, 400W, 600W, etc.
3. Downlight: also called PAR light, beam light, emits a relatively fixed beam: ranging from 10° to 60°, the beam angle is wide and narrow, and the spot size cannot be adjusted. The focusing angle of the focus PAR light ranges from 5° to 65°, and the focus and color can be changed through DMX. It can also replace the Led Profile Stage Light to a certain extent.
4. Ceiling row lights: high-power diffuser lights, used to illuminate the sky curtain from top to bottom, requiring bright and balanced light, and a large irradiation area.
5. Ground row lights: high-power diffuser lights, used to be placed on the stage surface, the lower part of the sky curtain is facing upward, and the light irradiated by the ceiling row lights is connected, and the upper and lower parts are even.
6. Diffuser strip lights: long strips, divided into multiple grids, generally can be divided into three or four colors, each grid uses an incandescent bulb with a power of about 200W, requiring various colors to be evenly connected, and used to illuminate a large area of curtains or painting curtains, and can also be used as a large area of balanced light. Various colors of light can also be used at the same time to adjust different color beams.
7. General diffuse light: such as iodine tungsten lamps and ordinary floodlights, mainly used to evenly illuminate a certain area or some scenery.
The stage lights introduced above are some basic stage lights. Due to the different performance forms, other types of lamps should be configured. For example, in addition to basic lamps, song and dance evenings use a large number of various stage lights such as par lights and moving head lights; even stage effect smoke machines, dry ice machines, strobe lights, lasers and projection slides are configured, as well as matching back-projection lights to reduce light source spots, etc.
We often meet friends asking how much stage lighting costs？
The price of stage lighting depends on the lamp's type, function, brand, and other factors. The price of stage lighting depends on factors such as the type, function, and brand of the light. It is recommended that you should not blindly pursue brands, because most brands are processed by other manufacturers. For example, there are many excellent international brands in the United States, and their products are all from Chinese manufacturers. Buying directly from manufacturers can save a lot of money.
It is worth noting that: since the craftsmanship and material selection of each manufacturer are different, the feedback and comments of buyers are very important at this time (rather than paying for DJs or Internet celebrities). The brand Igracelite is a manufacturer in China, and their reputation is very good; You can check it on various social media or Alibaba platform.
Stage lighting design
Stage lighting design is based on the performance's plot, theme, scene, etc., and its purpose is to create a stage visual environment that meets the performance effect. Stage lighting designers need to consider the following factors:
Plot and theme: Stage lighting should match the plot and theme of the performance to enhance the atmosphere of the performance.
Scene: Stage lighting should be designed according to the performance scene to highlight the scene's characteristics.
Actors: Stage lighting should highlight the actor's image and performance to attract the audience's attention.
Stage lighting applications
Stage lighting is widely used in various performance occasions, such as dramas, operas, dances, concerts, parties, etc. Stage lighting can create different stage effects and bring an immersive audio-visual experience to the audience. After we purchase stage lights and install them according to the construction drawings, we must remember the safety issue; we need to regularly check all lights and the power cords involved, especially when using some larger-power stage lights.
1. What is the service life of stage lighting?
The service life of stage lighting depends on the type of lamp, usage conditions, and other factors. Generally speaking, LED lamps have a long service life, up to over 100,000 hours. The service life of traditional lamps is short, typically about 50,000 hours.
2. What are the maintenance methods for stage lighting?
Stage lighting maintenance methods mainly include the following points:
Clean the appearance of the lamp regularly to prevent dust accumulation,Due to the extensive use of smoke machines, fog machines and other effect machines, as well as the smoking habits of the audience, in a relatively closed environment (even if the environment is relatively large), the smoke sprayed by the machine will penetrate into the interior of the lamps and damage the lamps over time; so regular cleaning is necessary.
Periodically check the bulbs, wires, and other parts of lamps and lanterns, and replace damaged parts as soon as possible.
Calibrate lamps regularly to ensure accurate lighting effects.
3. What are the common faults of stage lighting?
Common faults of stage lighting mainly include the following points:
The light source is damaged. Wires are broken or shorted. Motherboard failure. If you need any stage lighting repairs, don't hesitate to contact us at Grace Stage Lighting.