lighting

baby spot

small spotlight under 500 watts

backlight

light coming from upstage, behind scenery or performers, to sculpt and separate them from the background

back projection

a method of projecting images onto a translucent screen from behind, often used for projected scenery or special effects

bar

metal tube used for hanging lanterns

barn-door

a rotatable attachment consisting of two or four hinged metal flaps, which is fixed to the front of a Fresnel lantern to cut off the beam in a particular direction/s

bifocal spot

profile lantern with two sets of shutters, one of which produces a hard edge and one a soft edge

blackout

a lighting cue where all stage lights go off simultaneously

build

increase light levels

check

decrease light levels

colour filter / gel

a sheet of plasitc usually composed of a colour resin, which creates coloured lights on stage

colour mixing

combining the effects of two or more lighting gels

cross-fade

bringing another lighting state up to completely replace the current lighting state

cyclorama

a fabric drop hung from a curved or segmented batten, or a curved wall at the back of the stage, upon which light can be cast to create effects

diffusion gel / frost

for softening lights

downlight

a light from directly above the acting area

flash

when lights are flashed for effect

flood

to wash the stage with general lighting; a basic box-shaped lantern with a simple reflector used to achieve this effect

focus

the adjustment of lighting/projection equipment and/or the direction it was aimed

fresnel

adjustable light giving a diffused light

follow spot

large profile spotlight with operator

gobo

metal slide placed in gate of lantern which throws a pattern

ground row

floodlight batten splaced on stage

lantern

stage light

LED

stage lighting instruments that use light-emitting diodes as a light source, an alternative to traditional stage lighting instruments which use halogen lamps or high intensity discharge lamps

level

intensity of light

light set

a set which is created entirely by means of lighting, with no physical set on stage

parcan

type of lantern containing a fixed beam par lamp

profile spot

lantern which can produce hard or soft light

shutter

device in lantern used to shape beam

strobe

flashing lights

wash

a general ‘fill’ of light and colour across the stage

spotlight

a bright beam of light projected onto a performance space