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City Theatrical’s EFX Plus2 projector unit mounted on an ETC Source Four ERS is one option to create a variety of moving effects.  

Steel pattern gobos can be fitted with a split, or variegated, gel to create a threedimensional appearance. Shown here, a steel gobo from Apollo.  

When you approach your lighting design for a service or a production, there are times when you may need a lighting special effect or two to help reinforce the message or help tell a story. There are quite a few ways to produce lighting effects and not all of them require a lot of money to accomplish. Of course, an unlimited budget can help you solve any number of challenges, but using the challenge of a limited budget—and some imagination—you can produce some wonderful effects. The one thing to remember is that while there are guidelines to producing effects, even the ones in this article, there really are no rules; no wrong way. If it works for you, for the production, and it is safe, then it works no matter if it costs $1.00 or $500.

For this article, I am looking at lighting effects that work on their own or in conjunction with a standard theatrical fixture, most often an ellipsoidal reflector spotlight (ERS). You can accomplish many of these effects with a moving light, but we will look at the uses of this technology in another story. I’ll be looking at patterns— also called gobos—both steel and glass, gobo rotators and moving effects, flicker generators, candles, strobes, and effects accessories.

Gathering Inspiration
The first thing that you need to do is decide what effect that you are aiming for—do you need fire, water ripples, a flickering TV, clouds, etc. Once you know the effect desired, and the scope of the effect, you can then try to work out how you will achieve the effect. A good starting point for research is lighting manufacturers’ websites where you may find suggestions, many with MPG movie clips to see the effect in motion. Try to play with different lighting effects after services or at a time when you aren’t rushed for a solution. Try different methods and tricks to create an effect. Keep notes on what works and what doesn’t. A lot of times you will come up with a happy accident that produces a result you did not expect, but that you love. Try things like different focuses with the light using a gobo—there is a focal point where the pattern will appear crisp and in sharp focus. By running the barrel in and out, you will go in front of and behind focus, where the image goes soft or out of focus. This method can take a pattern that looks sharp one way and give you a completely different look out of focus. A flame pattern turned sideways and taken out of focus can look like waves of water. You can also mix color in the same light. You can cut plastic color filters (or gels) into strips or shapes, tape them together and put your unique gel into the color frame.

This is referred to as variegated color. The technique can produce some rather interesting effects, helping capture some of the rich mix of colors that are in natural light at different times of the day, such as sun through trees when mixed with a leaf gobo in the ERS.

I spoke with a few lighting designers who work in houses of worship and with some of the leading manufacturers of lighting effects gear. I’ll start with what the manufacturers suggest you consider when looking for lighting effects gear. K.C. Hooper, product specialist with Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Apollo Design Technology Inc., discusses some of the more popular lighting effects that he sees created in churches using Apollo’s products. “Moving effects created from the combination of Apollo gobos, crushed dichroics, and Smart Move rotators are one of the most popular and cost-efficient ways to create visual interest. The right combination can be used to add mystery or revelation-type images, or they can also be focused to create a stand-alone illusion, such as a starry night or fire.”

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Michael S. Eddy writes about design and technology. He can be reached at mseddy2900@hotmail.com.   .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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