This is a picture from Kinky Boots where there is a big dramatic slow motion fight scene. You can tell there is tension in the air because of the harsh white light and the stark contrast to the orange/yellow light in the set. 

This photo is from The Phantom of the Opera when the phantom leads Christine to his lair. It is clearly very spooky and mysterious and the phantom is in darker light because he is seen as bad where Christine is seen as good. 

Mood lighting

This image from Alice, Through the Looking Glass, has very effective mood lighting. The blue makes it seem very cold and alone. The angle of the light and the shadows it creates as a result, also help with this idea of alone.


This image has a happier, more dreamy mood. It is from a production of Much Ado About Nothing. The lighting is warm and gives a welcoming feeling. The lights hanging above head make it seem more of a romantic atmosphere.

 I think this picture conveys a dark, mysterious mood through the use of shadows and gobos. I like the way the gobos on the walls blend with the actual color of the wall to create a nice wash that is very subtle and aesthetically pleasing. Also, the silhouettes of the people create a very mysterious mood.

I think this pictures conveys a very sad and longing mood. The fact that the only black and white are used in this scene help reinforce the mood.  Also, the use of side lights and shadows add another layer of texture to the scene to convey a mood. 

Mood via Lighting

This first photo I feel does a pretty decent job of showing off how lighting has the ability to help convey the mood to the audience. This photo was taken from a 12 Angry Men stage performance, and I think that this lighting does help push the greater mood of the entire performance. I feel like this lighting does a good job of creating initial tension, while also not being too gaudy. This seems like the way the lighting would likely be for the beginning of the play.    

This photo also does a really good job of conveying the overall mood of the scene as well. This seems to be a scene where there has likely been a natural disaster or some other type of destructive mishap. The cold blue light, which is washing the stage and the majority of the actors, is then accentuated by the highlights of the warmer amber light onto the "living" actors. It creates this weird mixed feeling of hope that these characters will be able to stay alive, but at the same time knowing that death is an immediate possibility for any of them.

Moody Lighting

This picture gives a very creepy mood by utilizing the backlight to outline the characters and shadows.

This picture gives a very romantic mood again utilizing backlight of the bed. The low lighting and soft blue lighting also give it a feeling of warmth even though these are cool toned lights.

Mood Lighting

The lighting in this picture is a classic example of how color can be used to set a mood. Red and Green are associated with Christmas, so the holiday spirit is quickly conveyed. The vibrancy of the lights also adds to the magical feeling, with the intense colors bringing feelings of excitements.

I really enjoy the way this design conveys so much with so little. The stark white coloring already sets a mood of isolation, sterility. At this angle the light catches the matter in the air, creating an eerie sense of reflection, as if possibly signifying a memory.

Moody Lighting

This is for a scene from a play called Dead Man's Cell Phone. I think the lighting really helps establishes a looming mood because of the shadow "standing" over the woman. I think how small all of the other shadows are help make it more daunting. The use of a lot of darkness helps add to the scariness of the scene. I also think the only light that lights the stage is the light going over the woman who is otherwise surrounded by darkness aside from the back wall.

This photo is from the Bacchae and I think it captures the power and the mysteriousness of Dionysus (the character in the photo).  The way there is some light on the actor and a more defined light on the flowers focuses the audience's attention towards the flowers. The way there is not very much light, makes the use of the light more effective, as well as emphasize the mysteriousness of Dionysus.

Mood in Lighting

This set is from the rock musical next to normal, which is about a mother struggling with bipolar disorder. The lighting for this set gives off a gloomy, ominous feeling, and I would believe it if I was told that that is the intent.

This picture I took at my church in Houston. There is a lot of purple used here, which is usually a color of royalty and regality. Here it gives off a pleasant mood. This is during the singing portion of service where the band and the music are very lively but with controlled excitement.

Moody Lighting

This photo is from the Carriage House Theatre's production of The Garden. What has me obsessed with this photos is how the photo establishes a gloomy mood as well as nighttime in the garden. I like how the center of the stage is brighter than where the characters are. It makes me that there is some sort of tension or drama at this moment of the show.  

What is so interesting to me about this photo is that you can already depict a sad mood just from the woman's face. But the lighting design and the background makes the mood a little more complex by creating a look of solitude. The lights going across the woman's body is similar to lights traveling through jail bars, which can immediately invoke isolation.

Moody Lighting

This photo is from a movie called The Missing Person. I think it is a good example of moody lighting because of how the man isn't directly lit. He is being lit on one side of his face with a pinkish-red light so your attention is drawn to that part of his face while the rest of the lighting is really dim. It makes you wonder what is happening that is causing this bright light and it contrasts from the look on his face.

This picture is from the movie I Am Henry. I think the moody lighting in this setting gives off a very creepy and mysterious vibe. The audience isn't able to see much from the candlelight, and the figure in the center is mostly lit from the sides. At first glance, you aren't sure whether or not the figure is an actual person. While candlelight could be seen as romantic in some cases, it definitely isn't in this one.

Moody Lighting

The low red lighting sets an intimate mood in this scene. With the main light source as the lamp, the shadows cast under the table help focus the scene on the table and the champagne. I also really enjoy how the red light illuminates the walls, as if they were painted red.



This image is part of the ending act of Bo Burnham's Make Happy stand up comedy act. The use of fake smoke combined with the low angle spot lights create the effect of light being emitted by Bo. This creates a star effect. I really light the symmetry of each light peak and the light color.

This image, from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, features low lighting, a blue-wash, and swirling gobos. The scene features Eliza singing about her husband's betrayal, burning the letters he wrote her. The scene is passionate and sad, with Eliza crushed over Hamilton's cheating. The lighting here exemplifies that well--it is easy for the audience to understand the hurt and despair Eliza is feeling at this point in the show.

This image is from Jonathan Larson's RENT, featuring very harsh, isolating lighting around each character on stage. This is a moment in the show where various cast members, portraying AIDS/HIV patients, sing out, wondering if they are alone in the world--and if anyone will care if they die. This lighting shows this literally--each cast member is alone in their own square of light. Along with this, there is no other lighting on the stage. No other wash, just blackness. This is a simple, powerful example of mood lighting. 

Gobos/texture

I really like how the texture used is varied by what surface its being projected onto. The colors of the picture also really add to the effect that is created. It makes it feel like embers or autumn leaves.


There is obviously a gobo being used here. I thought it was interesting how the path changed in width and direction. Though it is interesting, it does kind of bother me. It also seems to be projecting a little onto the wall in the back, making me wonder where the light is positioned.

Gobos

 I really like this use of the gobos because its not just one gobo, but they've used a bunch of gobos to create a coherent picture. I imagine that it was a pretty hard task to pull off, which makes it that much cooler.

I really like this because it adds nature to a very orderly restaurant scene and it creates a natural vibe because the lights are shining at different intensities, creating an illusion that some trees are farther away than others, like they would in a real forest.

Texture in Lighting

Using gobos, this design creates the atmosphere of the forest without featuring any physical greenery. The silhouettes of trees are cast onto the back scrim in three separate pools, with their large scale making the stage appear fuller and darker, creating a woodsy effect.

This preshow lighting design, currently used for Hamilton at the Rodgers Theatre, utilizes gobos to create the illusion of light seeping through the "ceiling boards." The set is made to appear like the interior of a sparse colonial building, despite the locations within the script changing several times across the course of the play. With minimal structures, the textured lighting adds a great sense of depth and realism to the stage, creating a more believable space.

Gobos

This first picture is interesting mostly because of the clear black-and-white contrast in the costumes. The Gobos can be seen in the back on the brick wall. Based solely on my observation of this picture, I get a fairly crowded feeling with this pattern and its chaotic nature. Mixed with the red on the cyc, there is definitely a sense of tension between the two groups here, and the gobo design reinforces the uncertainty of what is about to happen.


I found this picture in a website for a Quinceanera DJ company. I like the consistent pink in the stage and the patterns on the floor make perfect additions to the dance hall, since the pattern adds texture to the floor so that people enjoy dancing more.

Gobos/Textures

In the top photo, it looks as if there is a gobo or texture being used in order to give the illusion of trees' shadows. I think the gobo helps make the scene look more mysterious and emphasize that it is nighttime; it also helps the audience be sure that the actor is outside of the house. The cool tone of the light also helps the two actors stand out since their spotlights are warmer tones. 

I really like the light texture in this photo. I think this could be used in a scene where something surreal was happening. Maybe it could also be used to represent being underwater or a mystical event. I think this lighting would have to be carefully used in order to make sure it is not overused. This texture would definitely signify something important happening in the play.

These snowflake gobos are really adorable--I really like the shapes and they fit in really well with the apparent Christmas theme of this party. It's interesting that they have so few--it could be just this picture was taken at a weird time, but I feel like you might want a little more light on a dance floor!

Gobo lighting seems to be incredibly popular with weddings--many of the examples I sorted through online were custom-made gobos with the couples' names and the date of the wedding. This lighting is absolutely gorgeous--it makes the room seem so much grander than it already is. And it saves the couple the expense of bringing in more exciting carpeting!

Gobo Lighting

This first image is really interesting to me because I had always thought of gobos as lighting the ground rather than lighting a person. I think it is really cool the use of the gobo here instead of fake wings as a part of her costume. 

This light is neat because it looks like it is coming in through a window by a street lamp or some other source of man-made light. I think its different because there isn't supposed to be a window in the floor but the representation of light coming through a window into the room we are looking at. 

Gobos/Texture Lighting

The main thing that attracts me to this photo is the actor facing toward the light as if it's an actual window. It makes the pattern much more believable. I also like the warm/cool color contrast between the window lights and the purple lighting. To me, the purple lights create the feeling of mystery and the contrast with the actor by himself makes a feeling of loneliness.

The decor already establishes a beach theme, but the lighting makes it even more lively. The bubble and wave effects contribute even more to the idea of being in an ocean. In my opinion, the yellow flooring doesn't need any special lighting. If it had a basic wash of lights, it'd look more like sand leading to the water and create an even greater entrance through the curtains.

Gobos/ Texture

I think of the window gobos really makes the set more natural and majestic in a way. I think there is a power or holiness about the way the light appears to come through the windows. The way the light continues onto the platform makes it appear to be more realistic. It looks almost like there is a slight curve toward the audience which gives the feeling that the wall, that is supposed to be in front of the audience, is curved. I think it really draws the attention of the audience because it is the only part of the stage that is more warm and visible than the rest of the stage.

I think the way these gobos are presented give an unnatural, haunting kind of feeling to the set. They work well with the blue and green lighting to present the women with the wings as the tree themselves. It gives the audience a chilling and magical feeling. I think the yellow light that forms the empty space around the trees gives a notion of moonlight and gives a contrasting spookiness to the present blue and green on the stage.

Gobos/Texture

I really like this pictures because it shows the use of gobos and texture on the ceiling rather than across the floor. Instead of illuminating the room with the use of one light, which would be brighter and more harsh, gobos are used to caste shadows and textures which create a dimmer light to help set a mood. 

The use of gobos in this pictures is used to create a foresty feeling in the room. I think the foresty textures help reinforce the trees in the background.

I thought the gobos used in this picture were very intriguing as they create a sort of astronomical space and floating effect. I thought these gobos were very well placed as they make the person the main focus without drawing attention away from the environment.

I think this gobo is interesting because the color of the floor compliments the gobo itself. The gobo is obviously of trees and the color of the floor has a very earthy tone to it which fits into the gobo well and makes it look much more realistic. 

Selective Focus

This first design, taken from Anastasia, does an excellent job illuminating the whole stage while still keeping focus on the principal character. By lighting the ensemble in blues and purples, they become one with the scenery, creating a very chaotic feeling. The two white lights shining down on opposite sides of Anastasia put her in the spotlight, making her the focus of the scene, despite being farther upstage.

This design comes from Rent on Broadway and exemplifies the use of a follow spot to cast focus on one character. At the bottom left, the three characters are still lit, but with low intensity. By contrast, the high intensity follow spot makes the light stand out above the rest, directing the focus to wherever it is aimed.

This lovely photo was taken during Trinity's production of Three Penny Opera. There is a clear spotlight seen here center stage on the two characters Macheath and Tiger Brown. There is a distinct edge and a clear difference in color temperature between the spotlight and the rest of the lights, insisting we focus on the two characters.


This is another example of different color temperature creating focus. This is from the extremely popular Broadway musical Hamilton. Even though Aaron Burr is doing the similar choreography as the other characters onstage, the fact that his light is significantly different from the rest of the stage makes him the focus of the scene, in addition to him being center stage. There isn't a clear sharp edge on his spotlight, but the color difference is enough to make him the focus.