Entertainment is a form of art, and thanks to around a million years of civilization and development, it has reached the pinnacle of the modern era. Lighting is one of the most influential factors in creating an enchanting and memorable experience. It is not only a necessity but also an entire genre of entertainment in itself. Stage events specifically need creative and dynamic kinds of lighting to fulfill the essential requirement of visibility and manifest an exponential amount of stimulating effects.
Stage lighting is more than just wavelengths of high-end frequency. They can create dynamic moods and environments, just like any other component in a stage activity. The number of things one can do with just lighting is so insane that it might be impossible and overwhelming to know where to start! Fortunately, art has rules, and following the footsteps of fundamentals in lighting can clear step one to mastering this art.
What Is The Most Critical Function For Stage Lighting
There is a specific purpose for everything. So, what’s the purpose of lighting? Like every form of art, there are many purposes for its existence. Every type of stage lighting can serve the following functions for an enlightened performance:
- Balance: Lighting has this unmeasurable responsibility to even out all the bumps in what makes a good presence and performance. Lighting has many essential aspects, such as enhancement of the overall performance, focus and unfocus highlighting, movement, and hues! To strike a balance between these aspects, aesthetic lighting is essential. LED PAR lights are great for this purpose.
- Composition: The audience needs drama, and how does one fulfill this need? That’s right! Through the medium of lighting. Every kind of performance revolves around a theme and a composition. Appropriate lighting can provide the much-needed icing to beautify the piece further. One can achieve this through different hues and saturations.
- Lighting: Lighting plays an essential role in providing the audience with a means of visibility. It forms the bare minimum function for any stage performance. Thanks to higher standards, basic visibility is not the only function audiences will look for in a stage. The audience judges the performance through eccentric lighting.
- Contrast: Lighting provides a way for emphasizing certain elements on the stage. When certain parts are dimmed and highlighted accordingly, the audience is captivated by these emphasized elements and characters. Create direction for the audience by using light color theory, and try to create as much drama as possible.
- Mood and atmosphere: Lastly, stage lighting serves as a weapon for influencing the audience’s emotions. The interplay among colors and transitions form the foundation of any stage performance.
Types Of Stage Lights
An LED stage lighting supplier would take into account different available types of LED lights. Now that the essence of stage lighting is taken care of, the next step is to know what types are available. Take a look at the following types of stage lights:
LED PAR Can Light
To expand the form, PAR stands for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector. They are quite the bare minimum in lighting the stage up. They are not only used in performances, but these babies are worshiped in a variety of theatrical plays, weddings, discos, and even lighthouses. When thinking about the stage can lights, one can always rely on them.
Their build is simple, with a cylinder-shaped tube that concentrates light. It is completely sealed off, and it has a reflector inside it. Being made using aluminum material and quality steel, it uses principles used in the old times. LED PAR can lights have this focus function through their accurate light beam direction. They are one of the best stage lighting LEDs that exist.
Understanding LED PAR Cans can enable informed decision-making about the ins and outs of proper stage lighting. These battery-powered PAR cans are budget-friendly and can be accompanied by colored gels or intelligent fixtures to widen the spectrum of colors.
It has a source of light, a reflector, and a lens. The bigger ones, like PAR 54 LED lights, have the option of replacing each of these separate parts. This lowers costs by a considerable margin, even though they are primarily for intensive usage. Back in the day, these cylindrical pipes were filled with halogens, tungsten, and incandescents to light the show. All thanks to technology and millions of years of civilization, LED PAR lights have prioritized efficiency and viability. Undoubtedly they are the superior lights for stage performance.
Floodlight
Flood lights are essentially what they mean, to create a smooth and controlled flood of light that drowns the audience and performers in an intense illumination. This kind of light provides much-needed ambiguity in emphasis. Colored gels usually accompany these fixtures to create an atmospheric flood of aesthetic lighting. Going into its structure, floodlight fixtures can operate on a horizontal and vertical movement. Due to the absence of lenses, adjusting the light through panning and zooming can prove impossible. For an even wash of light, symmetrical floodlights do their job. One similarity it possesses with PAR cans is the ability to create pattern designs and support other add-ons.
They are the smooth-talkers of the event. LED floodlights are not only energy-efficient in doing their job, but also are available in the broadest range of the LED stage lighting design. We offer the most outstanding deal of providing LED-fixed floodlights to reduce costs and get the correct illumination.
Followspot
Followspot, often called spot, is the kind of fixture that produces tiny pin-pointed lights to provide emphasis on certain characters. It uses a highly hard-edged principle of light, similar to that of lasers or beams. Colored gels and diffusers can also accompany this.
The spotlight is the most widely known kind of fixture that is associated with stage performances. They would move along to the performer, so they are the best for speeches. Stage performances that revolve around improvisation require follow-spot fixtures. This is because of their manual operation. Followspots get the added advantage of extreme control regarding intensity and lumination.
Fresnel
Fresnels are optimal fixtures for creating softer and romantic lighting. The edges of a fresnel-lights are smooth and almost non-existent, just like the letter ‘s’ in the word. Fresnels are very useful in establishing the right atmosphere for the stage. Like all the other fixtures mentioned, fresnels can support different colors through colored plastics. They are often recognized as the in-betweens of PAR CANs and Ellipsoidals. Though they are equipped with zoom function, their effect is invisible due to the soft nature of produced light. Named after their creator, Augustin Fresnel, their concentric lens sets them apart from the rest.
Ellipsoidal
Sweetly called ERS (ellipsoidal reflector spotlight), ellipsoidals are made of a reflector, projector, a barrel, and a pair of lenses. It produces a narrow beam with high intensity. The role of ERS is to set the subjects of the stage apart. ERS is mainly known to make certain display areas stand out from the foreground. How are they different from other lights? ERS doesn’t make use of one single unit. Unlike floodlights, they have pan-zoom-tilt functions, which can project a hard-edged and well-defined stage lighting design.
Strip Light
LED strip lights are the most stylish of the bunch. They look fantastic, no matter where it is used or for what occasion. Their versatility and portability make them much cheaper and long-lasting. Combine that with LEDs, and strip lights are the most overpowered source of stage lighting.
Strip lights are nothing but a combination of tiny miniature LEDs on a strip, hence the name strip lights. They can be arranged in any way to highlight even a tiny room. They are best used to make objects on the stage stand out. Strip lights are multi-purpose and can prove worthy to be put on the stage!
Considerations Of Buying Stage Lights
As mentioned above, there are different types of stage lighting equipment. But no stage performance can use all of them, nor does it require all of them. To choose from the plethora of stage lights, the following factors serve as guidance and provide direction:
Installation and placement
There are various types of stage lighting placements, along with various installation processes. Take a look at the following:
- Front lights: Washes light over the entire stage; light faces towards the performers
- Backlights: Washes light from behind; adjusted color and luminosity can create exquisite silhouettes
- Downlights: Positioned towards the bottom, wash lights are often placed in this position more than other types of stage lighting fixtures.
- High-side lights: Horizontally placed to light up the performer at side angles.
Custom Stage Lighting Design
The entire look of a sound stage production is determined by its design. A simple approach to stage design can enhance the whole experience it provides to the audience. But in the end, it all depends on the type of stage performance conducted on the stage. This stands a fact among all the LED stage lighting companies out there. Consider the following questions:
- Should the lighting be static or dynamic? If the latter, opt for lighting equipment or fixtures with a moveable head.
- What’s the budget for lighting? Opting for any fixture with LED would answer this question because LED stage lighting fixtures are among the cheapest, most eco-friendly, and most durable options.
- What kind of control is needed? Voice-powered equipment and intelligent control are not out of reach just yet. They are best for sound-based performances.
Answering this question narrows down the choice to a selectable few.
IP-Rated Stage Light For Outdoor Events
The diverse competitive global market, as well as the general public, requires lighting to be as efficient as possible regarding energy consumption. Our LED stage lights are extremely energy efficient due to their high-power high-output build. Battery-operated par lights further narrow down the cost and provide multiple benefits in the long run. Therefore, IP rating is an essential consideration. While looking for IP ratings, opt for the highest ones and a particular certification known as the ‘Energy Star certification.
Pricing
Lighting is essential, but what can be done with a low budget? This brings us to the next consideration, which prioritizes the wallet. These assets can look extremely manipulative when deciding the right price for them. It is certainly not the best idea to spend too much on the equipment you can get cheap, or go for low-quality ones and call it a day. This brings light to the importance of light budgeting. Fortunately, since our products are primarily based on LEDs, they are well within the mid-range budget! To go for a cheaper option, opting for battery-operated PAR lights, such as a PAR 60 LED light, can save an immense amount of budget for the program through its attractive pricing!
Lead Time
Last, consideration of lead time is often ignored, causing many not-so-happy accidents. Lead time essentially refers to the period between placing the order and receiving the goods. Not to mention the testing period and emergency replacement time! Having enough stock to meet requirements as they come along is as crucial as having good lighting fixtures. And to last enough time, the institutions need to be durable and robust. It all comes back to LEDs, doesn’t it?
Quality And Certificates
Consumers of all kinds are responsible for being just and informed about specific quality standards and their respective certifications. Look for the following certificates on upcoming purchases:
- Quality Management System Certification
- BIS Certifications and renewals
- Material and Component Certifications
- EnergyStar®
Fortunately, we are certified in all of these areas! To know more, click the following link: https://vorlane.com/certifications/
Conclusion
As already mentioned, lighting is a broad area. And hence, the type of stage lighting design chosen can affect the performance. Besides the usual technicalities, other types of equipment can serve as add-ons. For instance, color gel plastics can be used to manipulate color to fit the theme. Currently, they have been replaced by intelligent fixtures. There are different types of stage lights, and all of them revolve around the stage subject. The ultimate choice depends on the kind of event, but the rudiments stay put. That is why fundamentals are everything in stage lighting. Has the decision been made? Contact us today!
