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Stage lighting

Stage lighting, as can be deduced by its name, denotes to the lighting of a stage utilized for performances such as opera, theatre, dance, play and other art forms. Stage lighting is not just a matter of simple illumination. A person at the helm of stage lighting needs to understand style, form, balance, aesthetics and also human emotions and psychology. His skills should be broad enough to comprehend a thorough understanding and appreciation of the science of light, optics, vision, visuals, perception and lighting technology.

The earliest stage performances usually transpired in open air theater in daylight making advantage of natural lighting. Truth to tell,  Greek performers were known to have presented their plays at various times of the day to make us of differing kinds of natural light.

Candles, torches, oil lamps and similar products came to be used eventually. These pave the way for electric lighting to be used in due course of time. The development of the incandescent lamp in the late period of 1800s set the stage for the development of small portable lighting equipment. They were utilized to provide light wherever is required on stage. When gas lights were utilized to illumine stage programs, concerns on safety was always at stake. Several theatres were razed to fire and became rubble due to fire started by gas lights.

The ellipsoidal reflector, electric filament lamp, light dimmers and a host of other fixtures contributed to different stage lighting methods utilized from time to time. Light sources such as induction, Xenon, metal halide, fluorescent, and sulfur lamps are being utilized to advantage in stage lighting.

Stage lighting is essentially the use of light to have certain predetermined effects while giving out the needed amount of visibility to the happenings in stage. Soft lighting, even lighting, localized lighting? All these concepts and a whole lot more are used to give out the kind of lighting that will be tailor fit for a particular performance.

Light has specific inherent properties that impact the eye and brain processes, hence causing feelings and emotions. A comprehension of this concept aids in effective stage lighting.

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