unit 65 – technical stage operations lighting

Unit 65 Technical Stage Operations - LightingBy Anna Smith

Parcan

Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Gels, Gel frames Bulb: CP60/ CP61/ CR62Used for: Music Gigs, Dance/Fashion Shows, General Cover, Chase Effect, To Add DepthBeam Angle: CP60 12°, CP61 14°, CP62 24°

Parcan lights are used to illuminate theatrical productions, concerts and Television studios. Parcan lights are also used with many traveling shows and bands because of their durability and light weight housing. A Parcan gives a broad, general beam of light and covers a wide area of set. Parcans are possibly the easiest lights to use/work with because they are easy to handle and easy to focus.

For the college Christmas show I would use Parcan lights over Fresnel lights. Even though both types of lights can be fitted with coloured gels (e.g. red and green for Christmas) I would want to use a chase effect to make the set more interesting. A chase effect is a series of steps which can be played back manually, automatically, or in time to music and Parcans are the best at doing this. Fresnel are brighter lights but cannot be used for chase.

• Parcans are aesthetically pleasing lights

• They add depth to a set• The light cannot be

controlled/manipulated• Can point a Parcan in any

direction/fade using the lighting desk• Different couloured gels can be fitted

depending on the intention you are looking to portray

• Chase effect can be used so that the lights can be set in a sequence

LED ParcanAccessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Dip Switch, DMX cableUsed for: Music Gigs, General CoverBulb: Halogen or High Intensity DischargeBeam Angle: N/A

An LED Parcan does the same job as a regular Parcan. The difference between an LED Parcan and a Parcan light is that the LED Parcan uses energy saving bulbs which stops the light from over heating/getting hot. LED Parcans are used in Music Gig and for General Cover, they would not be used to isolate an object. LED Parcans have a dip switch on the back and are controlled by a dmx cable which communicates to the lighting desk.

I would use an LED Parcan over a regular Parcan to light artwork such as an Ice Sculpture. Due to low heat output, LED instruments can be used in areas where a high amount of heat compostion would not be ideal. LED Parcan lights are not as bright as regular Parcan lights but LED lights can be seen better in daylight which is why they are also often used for music festivals.

• LED Parcans are energy saving• Colour of the Parcans light can be

changed at the lighting desk• Controlled by a DMX cable• An LED Parcan has dipswitches on the

back of the light• Do not require additional dimmers• Several lights can be daisy chained to

one power source (due to low power consumption)

CCT (Fresnel)

Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Barn doors, Gels, Gel frame, 15 Amp Plug, Ridged Circular Lens,, Adjustable Knob, Adjustable ArmBulb: 650 Watt HalogenUsed For: General Cover, Musical Theatre Productions, Music Gigs, Dance/Fashion ShowsBeam Angle: 10 - 59°

Fresnel are the most common lights used in stage production. The ridged Fresnel lens produces a diffused even light that is soft at the edges and tends to project a soft shadow. Because the edge of the light is soft., the beam angle of this light cone can be altered by a focus knob on the left hand side of the light that changes the distance between the lamp and the lens. As the lamp is moved towards the lens the beam becomes wider, and as it moves away from the lens the beam becomes narrower.

I would use a Fresnal light over a Parcan light to create a general cover because even though they are both 650 watt lights, the Parcan creates a more angular light beam which makes it harder to blend itself and other Parcan lights together to create general cover, unlike Fresnal lights where by the edges of the light beam are softer due to the ridged lense, so it gives a smoother lighting effect on stage.

• Has an adjustable knob which increases or decreases the beam angle

• Light can be manipulated using barn doors

• The ridged lens creates a defused even spread light

• Different couloured gels can be fitted depending on the intention you are looking to portray

PC (Fresnel)

Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Barn Doors, Gels, Gel Frame, 15 Amp Plug, Pebble Convex Lens, Adjustable Knob, Adjustable ArmBulb: 650 Watt HalogenUsed For: General Cover, Musical Theatre Productions, Music Gigs, Dance/Fashion ShowsBeam Angle: 10 - 59°

A PC light is part of the Fresnel family. These types of Fresnel's are more popular in Europe but are slowly gaining back popularity in the United States. Unlike the ridged lens a CCT, the PC has a Pebble Convex lens, the pebbled effect gives the beam its characteristic soft edge. The edge of the beam is slightly harsher than a CCT, but is not hard edged. Just like a CCT a PC has a focusing knob to change the beam angle.

I would use a PC over a CCT Fresnel in theatre if I wanted to portray the emotions of anger/fury. This is because the light of a PC is harsher than that of a CCT because of the Pebble Convex lens a PC uses, therefore a PC light would have more of a impact on the audience rather than a CCT. Both lights allow you to change the colour gels therefore they are suitable for this scenario.



• The Pebble Convex lens creates a more direct harsher light


Selecon (Fresnel)

Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Barn Doors, Gels, Gel Frame, 15 Amp Plug, Ridged Circular Lens, Adjustable Frame, Adjustable ArmBulb: 650 Watt HalogenUsed For: General Cover, Musical Theatre Productions, Music Gigs, Dance/Fashion ShowsBeam Angle: 6 - 60° (for Selecon acclaim)

A Selecon light is also part of the Fresnel family. Just like the CCT the Selecon also as a ridged lens, the difference between the two lights is in fact the beam angle. The Selecon Fresnel gives off an even spread light across a set which is why it is often used for general coverage whether that be in Musical Theatre performances or Music Gigs etc.

I would use a Selecon Fresnel over a over a CCT to create general coverage for a dance performance. I would do this because although the brightness of the bulbs are the same, the Selecon has a greater beam angle than the CCT making it better for creating general wash. I would also use it over a PC Fresnel because it has a ridged lens rather than a pebble convex lens, the Selecon beams will diffuse better into one another creating a more even spread for the dance performance.





1K (Fresnel)Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Barn Doors, Gels, Gel Frame, Barn Doors, 15 Amp Plug, Ridged Circular Lens, Adjustable Frame, Adjustable ArmBulb: 1000 Watt HalogenUsed For: General Cover, Musical Theatre Productions, Music Gigs, Dance/Fashion Shows, Back LightingBeam Angle: 10 - 64°





The 1K along with the CCT,PC and Selecon is yet again another member of the Fresnel family. The ridged1K lens produces a diffused even light that is soft at the edges and tends to project a soft shadow. The thing that makes the 1K different from other Fresnel's is the beam angle but mainly the 1000 watt halogen bulb. This means the beam is much brighter coming from this light but the misconception is that people think the light travels further because of this when in fact it doesn't’t.

I would use a 1K over a Parcan light to create back light for an actors monologue because the 1K has a brighter bulb (1000 watt halogen) unlike the bulbs used in a Parcan (CP60/ CP61/ CR62) which are not as strong. The back light is used to avoid shadows/silhouettes being cast, a 1K is particularly good for this as it does have a powerful bulb and light can be manipulate using barn doors to isolate the actor centre stage unlike the Parcan where you cannot control where the light will hit.

Flood Light

Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Barn Doors, Gels, Gel Frame, 15 Amp PlugBulb: 500 Watt HalogenUsed For: Lighting Cyclorama, Lighting the Audience, General Cover (If Desperate)Beam Angles: N/A

A floodlight provides an even illumination across a wide area of set. Flood lights are used in many everyday scenarios such as to light monuments, stadiums, Airports, Advertisement boards etc. But in theatre they tend to be used to illuminate a Cyclorama or to light an audience. This is because they have a large beam angle which make them ideal because there will be no gaps as you would only use the one light,

I would use a Flood light over a 1K Fresnel to highlight a Cyclorama. I would do this because even though the 1K is 500 watts brighter than the Flood light, the beam angle is not as wide. This means you would need more than one 1K to light up a Cyclorama using up more heat composition/power and there would most probably be gaps where light wont reach to despite the defused effect they give off, unlike the flood light where by you would only use one.

• Cannot increase/decrease beam angle

• Light cannot be manipulated• Different couloured gels can be

fitted depending on the intention you are looking to portray

• Illuminates a large area of set/audience due to large beam angle

BirdieAccessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Gels, Gel Frame, 13/15 Amp PlugBulb: 50 Watt Halogen Spot BulbUsed For: Museums/Exhibitions, Light the Audience, Edge of StagingBeam Angle: N/A

A birdie is a miniature lantern that's ideal for hiding in small parts of a set or along the downstage edge of the stage. It provides a surprisingly bright soft-edged pool of light. Although the beam is unevenly spread and the light cannot be manipulated, the benefits of having a light where no normal light can go are massive. In theatre the Birdie light tends to be used to light the audience as they are Aesthetically pleasing and not to bright.

I would use a Birdie over a Parcan light to illuminate the audience in a theatre production as they are more aesthetically pleasing than the Parcan (a prettier light) but also the Parcan would be to big and to bright and may distract the audience from what is actually happening on set.


• Light cannot be manipulated• Different couloured gels can be

fitted depending on the intention you are looking to portray

• An aesthetically pleasing light (only really used to make things look pretty)

PinspotAccessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain,, 13/15 Amp PlugBulb: Par36 30 WattsUsed For: Museums/Exhibitions, Glitter Ball EffectBeam Angle: N/A

Pinspots are low-voltage high intensity beam lights which are often used to illuminate museums/art exhibitions. They are also used to light glitter balls (although you need more than one Pinspot to do this) This is so you get an even amount of coverage across a set. You should always use 2 or 4 Pinspots to light the glitter ball an focus them so that there opposing one another.Diagram:

I would use a Pin Spot to light a glitter ball over a Parcan because the beam angle of a Pinspot is perfect for hitting the diameter of the glitter ball, unlike the Parcan which is to wide. You can change the gels of a Parcan which is more time efficient but you can still change the colour of a Pinspot by changing the light.


• Light cannot be manipulated and cannot control where the light will hit

• In order to change the colour of the light you must change the bulb

• Coloured gels are not compatible with this light

Source 4Accessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Gels, Gel Frame, 15 Amp Plug,, Shutters (Not Barn Doors), Gobo, Gobo Holder, IrisBulb: HPL 575 WattUsed For: Illuminating people or Specific Objects, Theatre ProductionsBeam Angle: 25 - 50°

The more common name for a Source 4 is a Spot Light. Spotlights are ellipsoidal and very strong lights, because they are stronger they are more frequently used in theatres. The light on a Source Four can be manipulated to create a circle of light on stage using a iris. The size of the circle of light can be adjusted to make it bigger or smaller, which is why it is perfect for highlighting actors or specific objects.

I would use a Source 4 over a CCT in a music gig to create a single spotlight for a singer. I would do this because the Source 4 uses an energy saving bulb therefore it produces a brighter white light than a CCT would. Both lights can be manipulated as a Source 4 uses an iris and a CCT Barn doors but the Source 4 gives a defined circle on stage where as light tends to spill using a CCT with barn doors.

• Light cant be manipulated due to shutters and a iris

• Light is manipulate into a circle of light (size can be adjusted)


• Gobos can also fitted so patterns can be perceived

Minuette ProfileAccessories: G Clamp, Safety Chain, Gels, Gel Frame, 15 Amp Plug,, Shutters (Not Barn Doors), Gobo, Gobo Holder, IrisBulb: 650 Watt HalogenUsed For: Special Effects, Theatre ProductionsBeam Angle: 6 - 48°

Minuette Profiles are very similar to Source 4 lights. Profile lanterns produce clearly defined spots of light and are the most focusable and versatile of all lights. They have a lens (some have two lenses), a lamp and a reflector, and they also have shutters and a gate. Minuette Profiles are known for being used for special effects and would not be used for general cover.

I would use a Minuette Profile over a CCT to create stage lighting for a forest design. I would do this because even though both lights can be used with couloured gels so that colour is altered e.g. green, Minuette Profiles are best known for their special effects. By inserting a gobo into the gobo holder you could have a pattern projected to represent the forest as well as using a colour. A CCT cannot be used with gobos therefore the effect would not be the same.

• Light cant be manipulated due to shutters and a iris

• Light is manipulate into a circle of light (size can be adjusted)


• Gobos can also fitted so patterns can be perceived

unit 65 – technical stage operations lighting

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