Types of Stage Lighting; Lamps, Spotlights and Floodlights

A stage light refers to a complete lighting kit, which consists of a housing, lamp (bulb), socket, reflector, electrical cord, and connector. Occasionally, it includes a lens, mounting clamp and color frame. Luminaires used for stage, television and film lighting applications are either Spotlights or Floodlights. You can also have Projectors and special lighting effects. How are fixtures mounted? Usually from overhead pipes, vertical pipes or from floor stands. In addition, all fixtures are fitted with color frame clips to accept a square metal color frame, which can be used with other accessories including barn doors, top hats, donuts and color wheels. Stage lighting fixtures range in wattage from 300 watts to over 10,000 watts in size and capacity.

The larger the wattage, the larger the fixture. To get a better idea, consider the following: In the display lighting field, miniature fixtures range from 50 to 300 watts. Fixtures used for theatre lighting usually range from 500 to 2000 watts, and television and film lighting frequently employs fixtures of 1000 to 10,000 watts.

Using Lamps

To provide a completely dimmable source, most modern stage lighting fixtures still use incandescent lamps, in most cases, using a tungsten halogen lamp. Stage lighting luminaires are available for either 120 volt, or 240 volt lamps operation. One thing to know is that the incandescent lamp is very inefficient. In fact, it uses most of its energy to produce heat, not light. New, efficient lamp sources are being introduced, using discharge and other lamp technology, however these aren’t perfect solutions.

HID and fluorescent lamps, although seldom used for theatre lighting applications, are now commonly being used for film and television lighting. The good news? They are more efficient than the electric filament lamp and produce much higher 'lumen per watt' outputs. The use of HID and other ARC LAMPS for stage lighting will take over eventually. In the future, automated fixtures will use sophisticated new sources and be capable of producing any color or pattern, upon demand.

In the Spotlight (or Floodlight)

Spotlight fixtures are used to provide a narrow and controlled beam of localized light, to the stage. All spotlight fixtures have one or more lenses and are available in beam spreads of 5 to 70 degrees. Designers use spotlight fixtures for AREA and WASH lighting applications, at distances of 15-150 ft. Designers will often provide a series of 'tight', circular pools of light, to each acting area, approximately, 8' to 20' wide.

About Angstrom Lighting
Angstrom Lighting is a full-service lighting and special effects supplier serving the entertainment industry since 1977.  The company rents, sells and services lighting equipment for corporate and special events, theatre, trade shows, schools, churches, architectural applications and film.  The company also offers production design, installation, consultation services & educational programs and has collaborated with such noted clients as the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood & Highland, Morongo Casino, Thinkwell Design & Production, American Girl Place and Los Angeles International Airports.  Angstrom Lighting is a member of ESTA, USITT, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the California Chamber of Commerce, and the Better Business Bureau, including the BBB Online program protecting e-commerce. 

Angstrom Lighting offers the best stage lighting, theater or theatrical lighting, concert lighting, dj lighting, video lighting, party lighting, event lighting and lighting rental fixtures, lighting supplies, lighting equipment, lighting design and lighting education in the industry.

Angstrom Lighting is located in Hollywood, California; additional information can be found at http://www.angstromlighting.com

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