Whether it’s a live theatre production, or a live music performance, lighting the stage effectively is an important consideration. The lighting can capture the mood and the tone, invoke an emotional response from the audience, and direct attention to specific stage areas, at key moments. But how should you set up your stage lighting? And what are the essential features for effective stage lighting? Well, here at Light Design Ltd, this is our guide to everything you should include to make sure your stage lighting is effective.
Key stage lighting equipment
So, what are the key components necessary for your stage lighting? Well, you should consider:
Spot fixtures – spotlights are synonymous with the stage. These can help to illuminate your cast members or direct attention to key activities on stage. Spotlights also keep the light away from areas that you don’t want to be illuminated, and focus the light on the person in the spotlight.
Wash fixtures – wash fixtures are the opposite of a spotlight, as they illuminate whole areas of the stage at once. But these provide soft light, which does not create hard edges or focused images, just gentle background lighting. This is perfect for setting a scene, and providing a blank canvas for other stage lighting fixtures.
Beam fixtures – these are used to provide narrow, concentrated beams of light that are often moving. These are a great way to light music performances and high action, high energy features.
What are the essential features for effective stage lighting?
But the lighting fixtures themselves are not enough to effectively light your stage, involve the audience and really make an entertaining event. So, what do you need your stage lights to do, and what important lighting features are necessary for success? Well, you should consider:
Moving lights – your lights need to be able to move. Spotlights will need to be able to follow performers on stage, to keep them in sight, and beam fixtures will need to move to bring energy and action to the performance. Lights that move out onto the audience can also be essential, especially for live music performances.
All round lighting – effective stage lighting involves great lighting from 360 degrees, at different points of the performance. Front lighting helps illuminate the stage and the cast, while side lighting can help capture movement, and provide illumination to the side of the body, and the arms and legs.
Back lighting is also important, especially in theatre, as this creates the visual perception of distance from a performer to a prop.
Follow the performance – more than physically following the performer with a spotlight, successful stage lighting is lighting that is based on the performance itself. So whether its a theatre show or a music performance, the stage lighting will be cohesive with the events on stage, illuminating key areas and performers, at just the right time. This will draw your audience into the performance and help to ensure a successful event.
For more information or advice, get in touch with the team today, here at Light Design Ltd.