Circus Folk Arts Blog

Stage lighting can be learned starting from school when you need to cooperate with simple stage design and try to match that with the available lights that can help in highlighting the performance. The materials may be more complex once you have ventured into the professional types of performances, may it be concert, stage play, comedy act, speech or presentation. To help you learn about the process, you can start by practicing with materials such as stage lights, dimmer board and Gels Gobos. Here’s an overview on what to do once you have all the equipments ready.1. You need to ensure the safety of all the people involved in the production. Your main responsibility in this case is to wire up the lights to make sure that the circuit will not blow up at any instance during the performance. There is a formula that is being followed when it comes to this which is more known as the West Virginia formula. This will help you calculate how many lights can be handled by a circuit. The formula goes like Watts (W) = Volts (V) x Amps (A). The wattage can be seen at the lamps that you are using. To check the amps, you have to look into the circuit breaker. Most buildings utilize the 120 voltage.2. stage lighting must follow a plan that you must create during the pre-production phase. The plan includes a comprehensive list of every light that will be used in the production. You also have to indicate where you intend to place each light and on what area on the stage will the lights be used and when. The instruments can be hanged on the pipes that can be found on the ceiling or at the vertical poles offstage. Study the area before you install the materials to make sure that you will be able to use all the available resources properly. 3. You also have to be aware about what’s going to happen on stage. You have to know whether it’s a concert and if it is, what kind of performer is going to use the stage. The lights will contribute on the overall ambience, and a rock concert will need different lighting set up than an acoustic kind of event. It is recommended that you visit the rehearsals to know more about the matter and coordinate with the people involved in the production to gather more ideas about the kind of mood that they want to employ come the production date. 4. Gels and gobos can help you create more drama and add effects on what you are doing. Gels have colors and are made of plastic-like materials that can be inserted on the lights to change the colors. To create a pattern, you can use gobos that are actually metal stencils that can be used to come up with patterns such as clouds, fallen leaves and other popular designs that will suit the ambience of what’s happening on stage. Through continuous practice, by honing your craft, and getting experience with various kinds of lighting equipment, it will be very easy for you to be good at it in no time.