PARCANS or PARABOLIC ALUMINISED REFLECTOR spotlight

PROFILE SPOT or ELLIPSOIDAL REFLECTOR spotlight

FRESNEL spotlight

FLOODLIGHT and/or CYCLIGHT

FOLLOWSPOT

PROFILE SPOT or ELLIPSOID AL REFLECTOR spotlight

These lanterns are the workhorse of lighting. They are used for colour wash effects, as downlights, backlights, side lights, and for general lighting in theatres. They produce a soft edge beam that can be adjusted from flood to spot.

FRESNEL spotlight

These lanterns are designed to provide a moveable and variable beam of intense light for key lighting and highlighting of featured performers on stage.

PARCANS or PARABOLIC ALUMINISED REFLECTOR spotlight

These lanterns are a theatrical fixture which can be focused, thereby allowing the use of a gobo to project images. ERSs or Lekos, as they are commonly referred to, also have shutters which can frame the image. This allows you to ‘shutter’ off of scenery or isolate your spot to a specific location.

FOLLOWSPOT

These lanterns are the small square box-style lights used in theatres and studios to provide a large even wash or to light cycloramas. They are often used in rows and can be called STRIPLIGHTS, BATTENS or BORDERLIGHTS and can be used for a colour wash. If used in rows on the ground they are called GROUNDROWS and if placed at the downstage edge they are called FOOTLIGHTS.

FLOODLIGHT and/or CYCLIGHT

These are the bell shaped cans that you see on stages and over rock concerts. In a range of sizes and wattages, they are useful for general washes of light and colour. The beam size (narrow, medium, wide, etc.) is determined by the lamp type chosen.