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.