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So many choices, so many decisions…
The tools of the lighting designer are too numerous to list. Each year scores of lighting manufacturers present their latest theatrical lighting fixtures at the LDI Conference & Trade Show. In addition, hundreds of lighting fixture models are introduced for the architectural, television, and film lighting industries. How do you keep up with all of this technology? Well, I always suggest that you keep it simple. Let’s start with the most common fixtures used in entertainment lighting:
The Fresnel: The Fresnel spotlight is actually named after its lens. Initially developed for lighthouses, Augustin-Jean Fresnel invented a stepped, cut lens to reduce the thickness of the glass so heat would not build up within the glass and crack it. The resulting lens produced a very strong and soft beam of light. The incorporation of this lens in an enclosed lighting fixture was a natural development and useful tool for theatre, film, and television. Fresnels are very useful for soft washes of intense light. They come in many sizes: from 3½-inch diameter lenses to larger than 21 inches. Different models of Fresnels are powered with incandescent and HID arc lamps. For a soft wash of light, the Fresnel is hard to beat.
The Leko: This is probably the most common name you hear for a lighting fixture. The Leko may be the most versatile lighting fixture ever designed, and certainly the most useful. The Leko is the industry nickname for Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight or ERS.
The Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight is obviously named after its reflector. Unlike the Fresnel, which uses a spherical reflector, the ellipsoidal reflector reflects the beams of light to a second focal point. This enables the Leko to act very much like a projector. When you place an object, such as shutters, an iris, or a gobo near the focal point, the optics allow you to project the image onto the stage. The Leko’s shutters can shape the light and cut it off objects. You can also place gobos (a piece of metal or glass with an image cut or dyed into it) into the gobo slot of the Leko and project that image.
The Leko has evolved over the years. It changed radically when ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls) developed the Source Four Leko. This model utilized a specially coated cool mirror reflector that minimized the heat projected toward the front of the light. This not only increased the life of shutters, gobos, and gels, it produced a cleaner, whiter light.
As the Leko is the most popular stage lighting fixture, companies like Great American have developed sophisticated moving effect accessories that can be placed inside a Leko, enabling the designer to create moving water, fire, and other motion effects. Other accessories that can be ordered for most Lekos include CMY dichroic color changers, color scrollers, gobo rotators, and film loop machines. Until the development of the moving light, the Leko reigned as the king of versatility.
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David Martin Jacques is a professional lighting designer and consultant. He has designed hundreds of productions in the United States and throughout the world. David also consults on new worship facilities and renovations. He serves as Head of Stage Design for California State University Long Beach. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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