Uplighting rear curtains with color changing LED fixtures results in an impressive background look for a service or a production.
“Christmas is the one time of the year where we're allowed to introduce a little bit of ‘magic' into our worship services. When else are you allowed to make the stage sparkle a little?” says John Weygandt, lighting designer for Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo.
While many churches keep tight reigns on lighting during the year, Christmas is that time of year where, as Weygandt describes, the reins get let out and we can explore doing things that any other Sunday might cause an uproar. And while it's easy to do all kinds of exciting things with a large moving light rig, there are also a lot of things that even small churches can do on a tight budget.
SPARKLE EFFECT
“At Christmas, a great way to achieve that ‘sparkle' look is through garland or strands of Christmas Tree lights,” states Natalie Spoerle, freelance lighting designer and LD for College Park Church in Indianapolis. “They can be swagged across the front of the apron, on set pieces, across the back of the platform or stage—wherever, it will give a nice look. You can use them separately or intertwine them with garland to really make the garland shine.”
“And don't be afraid to use garland and Christmas lights in other parts of the room or facility,” adds Weygandt. “A common theme throughout the building really works well.”
Spoerle also prefers to use the older incandescent-style Christmas lights. “Incandescent bulbs give off a warmer glow which works so well for Christmas,” she adds.
“Christmas can also be a good opportunity to use ‘practicals'—lighting fixtures that are meant to be seen on stage,” says Weygandt. “These fixtures can add a warm glow throughout the stage.” For example, old-fashioned oil lamps can be refitted with electrical bulbs and used near all the band members to create an old-fashioned Christmas look.
“Strands of bare bulbs, such as the old-style Edison bulbs, can add a warm, comfortable look to a stage design,” says Weygandt. These can be controlled by a dimmer, and used as an informal low-intensity stage wash over and around the band. “Even very small churches can do something to make their stages ‘sparkly.'”
“Using a star field gobo (pattern) in an ellipsoidal fixture and projecting that on the stage walls, or even on the walls of the seating area, can help add that sparkle look,” adds Spoerle. A gobo such as Apollo Design Technology's MS-1078 can add pinpricks of light all over your stage.
LIGHTING ANGLES
For churches that are used to having just basic front lighting, simply moving the fixtures to a different location can be an effective change for the holidays.
“Experiment with different lighting angles,” says Helena Kuukka, freelance lighting designer based in Orlando, Fla. “If you have a standard situation with all lighting out in front, can you create something with an unexpected angle where you have a light coming from the side giving it an extra layer and more dramatic look?”
"With all the technology out there the old theater tricks are [being] forgotten. There are lots of low-tech ways of achieving new looks."
Helena Kuukka
Freelance Lighting Designer, Orlando, FL.
You can also consider using more area lighting instead of a full stage wash to change the look up and make it more intimate. “At Willow Creek's North Shore campus,” describes Weygandt, “the technical director, Kaleb Wilcox, instituted simpler lighting for the band: one clip-on spot per person. Just clip them to a mic stand and shoot it from the side to light the instrument. Fixtures were small four-inch diameter lights that have a little bit of a hood.”
STAGE DESIGN
“Creating some structure on the stage for visual interest is also a great idea,” says Kuukka. “Softgoods can add a lot to a stage for the holidays. Softgoods are fabrics draped [or stretched] informally over objects and lit in such a way (usually at an angle) that the folds and textures are highlighted.”
However, fabrics purchased from local fabric stores are not treated to be flame retardant, and their use on stage might violate local codes. Theatrical fabrics such as those from Rose Brand, Dazian and others are designed for theatrical use. “Think about safety,” says Kuukka. “Softgoods and wood can catch fire and plastics can melt. Be careful how you place hot fixtures near elements such as these. And consider how your fabrics may move when someone walks by them or the air handlers turn on—will they blow into a fixture?”
Kuukka adds, “And if you buy unconventional soft goods they may look very different under theatrical light or LED lighting than they do in the store. Color can change significantly under theatrical lighting.”
Anything with a texture can create a very dramatic look when lit at an angle and with color. Discarded wooden pallets, metal screening or fencing materials from a local hardware store can also take on a striking look when lit with color at an angle.
While quality theatrical lighting fixtures are nice to use, there are other budget-minded options available that can work as well. Halogen work lights with a gel positioned over the safety grill can be an effective lighting source for fabrics and other stage elements, and they are designed to be positioned on the floor. You can either plug them into a wall outlet and leave them on for the duration for the service, or connect them to an available dimmer circuit.
Using gobos across your stage design can also help add visual interest by creating the illusion of texture.
“And here's a couple simple tricks,” says Kuukka. “Layer existing gobos you already have, and you get a new look without spending money. And taping two gels together side-by-side using heat-resistant gel tape will get you two colors out of one fixture.”
Kuukka adds, “With all the technology out there the old theater tricks are [being] forgotten. There are lots of low-tech ways of achieving new looks.”
RENTAL
You may be reading this and thinking you just have no budget to purchase fixtures that can project gobos or do other interesting things. Purchasing isn't always a necessity, however. Renting fixtures and gobos can be quite cost effective. If you are anywhere near a city, there is probably a lighting rental business nearby. If not, many companies will also ship rental gear.
“If there are no rental options near you,” says Spoerle, “try some local schools that have theaters or other churches—you may be able to borrow or rent some fixtures from them.”
For Christmas and any special time of the year, don't delay in making decisions about what you want or need for extra gear. “Start early,” states Weygandt. “And really, this applies to all aspects of Christmas. Rental companies get booked up quickly at holidays, and local stores can sell out of items like Christmas lights early. Don't linger unless you want to miss out. Whether its fancy moving lights or Christmas lights at a local store, get it early.”
If you have a good idea of what will be useful the following year, check out the sales right after Christmas when stores are marking down their inventory to clear it out. Just make sure you test anything you buy after Christmas right away so you can return it if it isn't working correctly.
PROGRAMMING
Adding or repositioning fixtures contribute to just one aspect of creating wonderful lighting effects for Christmas. Another is what you do with them through the lighting console you use. “Spend a little more time on the programming,” says Kuukka. “Explore what your console can do in programming cues. Look into doing different upfade and downfade times to give you a more sophisticated look. Spend time with those people planning the service to understand the transitions between elements, and become familiar with the music. Think through the transitions and how you can change your transition times to complement them and make the transitions more interesting. Learn how the effect engine in your console works. Effect engines aren't just for moving lights—you can do interesting effects with regular fixtures by having the engine work with the intensity and color.”
Spoerle concurs. “For a regular service, I program Thursday at rehearsal and tweak during the Sunday rehearsal. For Christmas, however, we have several weeknight rehearsals, and I spend three to four days programming Christmas. I video record the rehearsals so I can use that to program to later, and not hold up the rehearsals for programming.”
INTELLIGENT LIGHTS
And then, of course, are the intelligent fixtures for those who have a little more money to invest in fixture purchases or rental. Certainly, moving lights have all kinds of features and effects that can take you anywhere from having the ability to put light wherever you need, to making your event an all-out rock concert or Broadway-style theatrical event. However, they don't add much if you're not going to add one other effect.
“Don't use movers unless you are going to haze the room,” says Spoerle. “What makes moving lights special is the ability to see the beam in the haze. Instead, LED lights would be a better investment to add more color to the stage, set pieces and walls. I've used a lot of Blizzard Lighting's RokBoxes and HotBoxes as low backlights, and they are actually pretty inexpensive to purchase.”
THE BIG MOMENT
In a special event like a Christmas production or service, there is usually one extra-special “big moment.” It's important that you think through how you're going to help make this moment big.
“It comes back to deciding what is the big moment, and how to use what you do have to enhance it. What is the priority? If there's one song that is the ‘big moment,' save your best stuff for that,” Kuukka closes. “Don't overuse the effect through the rest of the service, because it'll take away from that big moment. Consider that one big thing you do with your lighting a ‘one trick pony' to keep that big moment big.”
