Photo by Frank Alarcon on Unsplash
As a result of the chaos caused by the pandemic, Easter will probably look a little different at your church this year. That’s OK. One thing will remain consistent from previous years. For many people, this Easter will be their first time at your church. And for some of them, it may be the last. So remember that first impressions matter.
So before you try something new and different—the wow factor—in your lighting design, be sure to think about the new people. You may be bored with your lighting and want to mix it up for Easter. But first, make sure that your color choices and general lighting looks are appropriate to the type of program you are doing and to your church's general worship style. This means, be aware of decisions like moving your moving lights just because they can move. Special effects can be—well, effective. But remember to keep the main thing the main thing. The music and the message, not the lighting, should be what people notice and remember.
That said, be sure you have these four basic components covered before you go overboard with strobes and blackouts.
Four Basic Components of Good Lighting Design
1. Visibility
The first, most obvious use for lighting is visibility.
2. Selective Visibility
The second is to call attention to an area of the stage where you want the audience to focus, or alternatively to draw attention away from an area of the stage where you don't want the audience to focus. For example, you may not want attendees to focus on a scene change or the band coming on stage.
3. Mood
The third reason for using lighting is mood. Creating mood with lighting can be accomplished with intensity, color selection, lighting angles, or a combination of all of the above.
4. Modeling
The last reason for using lighting is for modeling. Essentially, using lighting for modeling is nothing more than making the subject of the lighting stand out from the background or making the subject more visually interesting or, in a nutshell, making it all pretty.