Types of Show Lighting
Lighting can set a mood and create a dynamic look on stage. It can also indicate a scene change, mark an important moment, and give performers the energy they need to shine.
Front lights (fixtures that point forward toward the actors) are a crucial starting place. From there, designers build a palette of lighting states using the director’s cue list as their guide.
1. Key Lights
The key light is a crucial element in any lighting setup. It defines features and establishes the subject’s visual hierarchy in a shot, offering tremendous creative potential to evoke different moods and tones. Learning about the definition and functions of key lights is essential to mastering show lighting techniques that set your professional photography portfolio apart.
A key light’s position, intensity, and angle significantly affect a scene’s tone and mood. High key lighting emphasizes the subject’s bright and even features, while low key lighting creates strong shadows to add dramatic tension to a scene.
For example, placing the key light in the three o’clock position will produce angular shadows on the subjects face that can create a masculine appearance or give a sinister look to the scene. On the other hand, if you position the key light in the six o’clock position, it will flatten the subject’s face and eliminate almost all shadows, creating an airy image that is ideal for shooting portraits or fashion models. It’s important to experiment with the various positions of your key light to determine which looks best for the scene.
2. Fill Lights
Using fill lights can be a great way to create more definition in your shots and bring out the details of your subject. The light can be anything that can reflect back on your subject to fill in any shadows, but the best source of fill lighting usually comes from a lighting unit that has variable strength controls. Using a sphere or bounce card can also be a good way to add fill light without having to carry around another light unit.
Typically placed in front of your subject but on the opposite side from your key light within a three point lighting setup, the fill light is designed to illuminate your subject while lifting any shadows show lighting created by your key light and adding depth to your shot. For the best results, the intensity of your fill light should be lower than your key light.
This is because the higher the intensity of your fill light, the more it will overpower and eliminate any shadows from your subject’s face. For this reason, it’s important to take an exposure reading from the brightest part of your subject before introducing any fill light.
3. Side Lights
Using lights hung on either side of the stage can help sculpt actors and provide visibility. Depending on their location and intensity, these lights can also create dramatic shadows that add depth to the characters.
Lighting that falls directly in front of the subject (and behind the camera) will inevitably cause unwanted glare. However, lighting that is positioned to the short side of the subject can minimize this issue. In addition, this style of lighting can also highlight texture and produce a more film-like look for your shots.
When used on flat subjects, like paintings, this type of light can help prevent a subject from looking like a two-dimensional image by adding depth and detail. However, this technique can only be used for subjects that are highly reflective – otherwise the image may appear too bright or unnatural.
Lighting can be a powerful tool that helps set the mood of your photos. Whether it’s a soft glow that says romance or dark saturated colors that feel creepy, adjusting the light levels and placement of your subject can dramatically alter the overall tone and feel of your photos.
4. High Side Lights
If you are doing a theatrical production, stage lighting will definitely be needed. These lights will help to give shape to actors as they perform, which is important for the overall look and feel of the show. The following are a few types of stage lights that you may need for your show:
Top (sometimes called down light) is a wash light that can be used to color the set or environment with a variety of saturated colors and gobos. It can also be used as a back light to create a halo effect around the actor and help them pop out from the background.
Side lights are hung on the ends of battens and are often referred to as ‘pipe-ends’ or ‘dance sides’ in dance productions. They are designed to free up the middle of the battens for top and back lights. They are often shuttered off of the floor and led beam moving head light vary in angle, from shin to head-high. They are useful to give the dancers some extra coverage in those moments when they lift their bodies off of the ground.
5. LED Tubes
LED tubes are one of the most popular types of show lighting in the marketplace. These versatile lights are easy to install and operate, provide flicker-free illumination with high CRI results and have a long lifespan.
They also offer a range of color temperatures and diameters, so you can find the right one to meet your unique needs. DMX LED tube lights, for example, are a great choice for use in retail or commercial settings where a high level of accuracy and visibility is required.
Ellumiglow offers a number of different LED tube options to choose from, including plug-and-play LED tubes that work with existing fluorescent fixtures and ballasts (Type A). Ballast bypass or direct-wire LED tubes require removing the existing fixture ballast and replacing sockets with non-shunted ones (Type B). Both offer energy efficiency benefits, but Type A is a simpler solution for most users looking for a quick and straightforward switchover. In both cases, LED tubes do not contain mercury or heavy metals. At the end of their life, they are fully recyclable.
