How to Create Special Lighting Techniques
Several special lighting techniques are common to film, video, and theater. While the way color is perceived is different in each of these three media, some common lighting techniques are the same. Specialized lights are used in production work to create certain effects, such as sharp-edged light, soft light, patterns, and flashier effects like water, fire, and moving clouds. Automated lighting systems for more complex special effects are available through theatrical supply houses, as are thin pieces of acetate color known as "gels" that are placed in front of the light to tint it. Metal and glass patterns, commonly called "gobos," are also available for certain lights to project shapes and images such as windows, leaves, and more complex patterns and colors.
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Things You'll Need
- Ellipsoidal reflector spot lights
- Gobos
- Gobo holder
- Variable speed gobo rotator
- Blue-green gel
- Gel holder
- Dimmer system
- Lighting console
- Fire gobo
- Red-orange gel
- Yellow-orange gel
- Fresnel light
- Color correction gel
- White foam core board
- Stand
- Clips or clothespins
Instructions
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Fire and Water Effects
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Hang an ellipsoidal reflector spot (ERS) light from a position where it will cover as much of the set or stage as you need the water effect to cover. You may need to hang more than one light. Plug it in as specified for your venue's lighting control system.
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2
Select a metal gobo from your theater's stock or the local theatrical supply house that has a fairly open (more empty spaces than lines), jagged look. Appropriate gobos for this often go by such names as "Shatter," "Smash," or "Jagged breakup." Place this gobo in a standard gobo holder designed for the style of ERS you are using, and place the holder into the slot on the light designed for it, about midway down the body of the light, next to one of the four shutter handles that stick out from the light.
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3
Select another open gobo, this one with finer lines that do not have to be as jagged. Many tree branch gobos will work for this purpose, and most theaters have some in stock. Place this gobo in the gobo rotator designed for your style of ERS (only newer ERS instruments generally accept rotators) and place it in the slot provided. You may have to unscrew a small panel that covers the insertion point, known as an iris slot. Consult your light's manual for the specific location.
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4
Cut a piece of pale blue-green gel to the correct size gel holder for your ERS. For most lighting instruments, this will be between 6 and 7.5 inches. Place the gel in the holder and slide it in the slot provided at the front end of the light. Film and video lighting may require lighter colors of gel than theater lighting.
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Plug the gobo rotator into a dimmable circuit that is connected to your lighting console (control board). Turn on the light and focus it, sliding the barrel (front portion of the light) back and forth until both gobos are soft focused, with the stationary gobo slightly more in focus than the one in the rotator.
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6
Slowly bring up the dimmer that the rotator is plugged into until the effect of the moving gobo looks like moving water. You may need to adjust the speed manually on the rotator itself in some models.
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7
Create a fire effect in the same manner by using a flame-shaped gobo in the stationary position and a jagged, open gobo in the rotator. Instead of using a solid color gel, cut the bottom half of your square from a dark orange-red gel and use a lighter yellow-orange gel for the top half. Tape them together with clear tape. The speed of the rotator will need to be faster for this than for the water effect, and you may be able to program your lighting console to flicker the light itself to various levels, adding to the effect.
Soft Light Effect
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Set up a Fresnel-style light (the glass lens at the front of the light looks like a lighthouse lens) pointing approximately 135 degrees away from your set or actor to produce the soft light frequently needed for film and video.
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Clip a tungsten-to-daylight color-correction gel to the light using a gel holder or heat-resistant clips.
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Hold a large (2- by 3-foot minimum) white piece of foam core board in front of the light, angled so it reflects the light back onto the actor or object you are filming.
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Adjust the board until the light hits the person or object in the way that looks best through the camera, and either clip the board to a stand with spring clips or clothespins or have someone hold it there throughout the filming. This soft lighting reduces glare and can improve skin tone over direct lighting.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit lighthouse lens 1 image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
