Stage Lights

A rewarding career is that of the lighting designer. Every production needing stage lights brings with it new challenges. Lighting designers find this job very rewarding. Fulfilling the objectives and goals of your lighting career can be very satisfying. In today's world, the lighting designer is not only a lighting specialist, but an artist. A lighting designer's job is to make the actor and his costume appealing to the audience. Highlighting a performance or setting focus on a certain area is also part of their job.

When a director wants more light on an actor, this may not mean exactly that, but may mean they want the lighting reduced around them. This is the effect of stage lights that will be your specialty. An actor who is tilting his head downward, may simply need to tilt his head towards the light. If solving this problem takes more lighting, it will be your decision on where to place these stage lights. Lighting from a side direction, from above or from below will all be up to the lighting designer. Possibly, you will decide lighting in different strengths and from all directions is the best.

Stage lighting has been around for many years. The early Greeks build their open air theatres in relation to directional sunlight. Torches, candles, gas, and finally electrical stage lighting has come into place. Electrical stage lights have been around since the late 1800's. This old time lighting though usually meant only an electrical dimmer for dramatic effects.

Today many types of lighting are used. From fluorescent fixtures, to ellipsoidal reflectors, we continue to find better and more beneficial ways of stage lighting. Computer software helps the lighting designer plan out his lighting system. With this software it is much easier to try many systems without affecting the performance. Many stage lights are also controlled by computers, lessening mistakes during a production.