| A 28 volt very narrow beam PAR lamp (used on aircraft) often adapted for use in PAR64 and PAR46 fixtures. ACLs are commonly wired with 4 lamps in series to bring the required voltage of the circuit close to 120 volts. ACL lamps are typically brighter, more intense, and have a higher color temperature than standard PAR lamps. They typically are more expensive and have a shorter lamp life. | ||||
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| A stainless steel stranded cable commonly used for theatrical rigging. | ||||
|
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| A measure of the amount of current flowing in an electric circuit. Devices such as cables and dimmers are rated in terms of their maximum capacity in amps. Devices such as lamps or motors that consume electrical energy rated in terms of amperage required for proper operation. Any technician working with electrical equipment must understand how to properly connect equipment to not create an overload situation. Standard 12/3 stage cable is rated for 20 amps maximum. Amperage=Wattage/Voltage. | ||||
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| A classification of control protocols which sends analog dimmer control signals serially down two wires. A common AMX protocal is AMX 192 which allows up to 192 dimmers to be controlled via a two wire control cable. | ||||
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| A lighting fixture in which some functions have been electronically or mechanically automated. Common automated functions include: color change, beam movement, shutter, iris, and gobo change, as well as internal dimming capabilities. Completely automated fixtures may also include many other effects and functions. Automated fixtures break into two main categories: moving mirror, and moving yoke. Combined with sophisticated computer control, data distribution systems, and trained operator/programmers, these lighting systems provide enormous flexibility in creating dynamic lighting images. | ||||
|
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| A lighting control console designed specifically for the purpose of controlling and storing/playing back cues for automated fixtures. These consoles often have subsystems for controlling different features of automated fixtures such as color change, gobo, and focus position. Complex cue structures, effects, and chases are typical features of automated fixture control consoles. Three primary types of automated fixture consoles include: proprietary consoles designed to work primarily with one type of automated fixture, generic controllers which are programmed to control many different types of automated fixtures, and hybrid controllers which combine the functions of standard theatrical memory consoles with those of an automated fixture console. | ||||
|
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| A proprietary product developed by Wybron in the early 1990's to interface a 3-dimensional locating system with pan and tilt functions of automated fixtures. A sensor attached to an actor or musician is used by the system to locate the actor on stage. Resulting data is can be fed to automated fixture controller to allow lights to follow actors in real time as they move around the stage. The resulting effect can be similar to that of a followspot. | ||||
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| A lighting design term referring to any light which comes primarily from behind the actor, musician, or object being lit. Backlighting is associated with strong highlights or halo effects. | ||
| A followspot move in which the operators continuously move the beam in a figure-eight motion around the stage or audience. This term is also used to describe similar movements performed by moving lights. | ||||
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| An electrical term referring to the ends of a feeder cable set which do not have any permanent connector attatched to them. Bare ends are often used to tie dimmer feeder cable into a house power supply or company switch. | ||||
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| A lighting design term referring to a light cue which takes the stage quickly into darkness. A blackout is often abbreviated B/O. | ||||
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| An aluminum or steel support structure often used for temporary rigging of lights, scenery, or sound equipment. As the name suggests a box truss is rectangular in shape creating a rigid structure which is easy to stack and load onto a truck. An additional advantage of box truss over other truss shapes is the ability to hang lighting instruments inside the truss, where they can remain protected while in transport. | ||||
|
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| A cable connecting device which breaks a multi-circuit cable (multi- cable) into individual circuits. | ||||
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| A rigging device or method which distributes a single point of a load to more than one hanging point. | ||||
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| A momentary switch or button on a lighting control console which brings a channel to a level of full when pressed. Bump buttons allow rapid manual control over lighting control channels. On some consoles bump buttons can be put into solo mode where all channels except those controlled by the bump button go out. | ||||
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| A lighting cue which happens instantly (Time=0). Bump cues are traditionally used to emphasize similar abrupt changes in music, choreography, or to mark the end of a scene. A bump cue where all lights go out is called a blackout. | ||||
|
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| Common term describing any number of types of electrical connecting devices. All cables employ some type of conductor, usually stranded copper wire, and some type of insulation to protect it. Common cable types related to stage lighting include: stage cable, multi-cable, feeder cable, and control cable. | ||||
|
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| A locking single contact connector commonly used to connect feeder cables and portable dimmer racks. | ||||
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|
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| A lifting device comprised of an electric motor and gear/chain drive system. Chain hoists are commonly used to lift portable trusses into place for touring concerts and shows. | ||||
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| A lighting design term referring to a group of lights which are turned on and off in a sequence. A chase can be as simple as a single string of lights flashed sequentially around a sign by a mechanical or electronic switching device (chaser or chase unit), or by utilizing the chase (or effect) functions of a computer memory console, a chase can be a complex multi-part cues affecting large groups of lighting instruments. | ||||
|
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| An electrical circuit. In theatrical lighting terms a circuit usually refers to the part of a lighting circuit which extends from the dimmer to the lighting instrument. In permanent installations where this is a fixed relationship (dimmer-per-circuit) the terms dimmer and circuit are often used interchangeably. | ||||
|
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| A levered frame device within a followspot in which allows different color filters to be introduced into the beam. Standard followspot boomerangs have space for 6 or 7 different colors to be inserted. During a show individual or combined frames can be quickly added or dropped from the beam as needed. | ||||
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| Color media placed in front of or within a lighting fixture to alter the color of the light produced. Filters for conventional fixtures are often made of a dyed polyester film. Since dyed filters work by absorbing unwanted colors and passing desired colors, they deteriorate from heat and must be replaced when they "burn up". Automated fixtures use more permanent dichroic color filters which are created by vacuum depositing thin films onto heat resistant glass. | ||||
|
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| A mechanical device usually used as an accessory to a conventional lighting fixture to remotely change the color of the light produced by the unit. A color scroll, or gel string, consists of individual color filters taped end to end to form a long string. Gel strings typically contain between 10 and 32 different colors. The color scroller utilizes a remote controlled stepping motor, and sensors to be able to correctly position the scroll so that any individual color is in the beam of light. Scrolls can also usually be moved continuously from one end to the other at varying speeds. | ||||
|
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| The measurement of a the color quality of a lamp measured in degrees Kelvin. A standard 1000 watt tungsten halogen theatrical lamp has a color temperature of around 3200. Kelvin. | ||||
|
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| A disconnect or electrical connecting/switching device in a theatre or venue which is traditionally used by a touring company to connect all of its touring electrical equipment. Portable lighting dimming systems are usually "tied-into" the company switch. | ||||
|
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| A lighting console in which cues can be stored and executed electronically. Computer consoles also employ many show editing and cue building functions which make the cue writing or programming process easier. Computer consoles can be divided into three basic types: cue-only type consoles, theatrical "classic" tracking consoles, and automated fixture control consoles. | ||||
|
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| A plug. A device that allows the fast, safe, and convenient connection and disconnection of electrical equipment. There are many types of connectors used for entertainment lighting purposes. Some common types include Camlock for feeder cable and dimming racks, pin connector for stage cable, and XLR connector for control cable. | ||||
|
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| A term describing any cable which carries control signals or protocals between electrical or electronic devices. This signal can be as simple as a low voltage analog signal or as complex as a bi-directional digital protocol. Increasingly, performance electronics are utilizing computer ether-net protocols over thin-net, or fiber-optic network cables. | ||||
|
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| A lighting control concept analogous to a control slider or fader. On manual or preset controllers this may refer to an actual fader or slider. On a computer memory console a channel may only be represented by a number which is assigned by the system to control any number of physical dimmers, color scrollers, or other devices. Generally a control channel represents the smallest easily divisible set of controls a designer has over groups of lighting instruments. A soft patch or pin patch is used to assign dimmers or groups of dimmers to individual control channels. | ||||
|
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| A lighting control console or light board. Common types include the preset board, the computer memory console, as well as specialized automated fixture controllers such as the Vari-Lite Artisan II console. | ||||
|
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| A standard lighting fixture such as a PAR can, Fresnel, or ERS, which offers no built in automated functions. | ||||
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| A simple type of fog machine which atomizes oil into a fine atmosphere, usually by introducing compressed air into a reservoir containing mineral oil. Crackers are also available which crack water into a very fine mist. Haze machines produce effects similar to oil crackers without leaving an oily residue on surfaces. | ||||
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| A lighting design term referring to a cue in which one set of lights increases in intensity while another set simultaneously decreases in intensity. A crossfade is one common way in which a change of scene can be indicated in a theatrical production. On a manual controller the master handles literally must be cross faded from one scene bank to another to accomplish a cross fade. | ||||
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| A point in a live show when a signal is given for some action to take place. | ||||
|
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| A cut of color. A color filter cut for use in the color frame of a specific lighting instrument. | ||||
|
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| Describes an element of the show which has been removed or deleted. Often lines, scenic items, and light cues are "cut" from a production during the rehearsal process. | ||
| Originally introduced in 1993 the Cyberlight is a moving mirror type automated fixture manufactured by Lightwave Research/High End Systems. | ||
| A theatrical scenic term describing a smooth backdrop which is often used to create a sky background for a production. | ||
| Color filters manufactured by vacuum depositing thin films onto heat resistant glass. Dichroic filters reflect rather than absorb unwanted wavelengths and so remain cooler and less subject to burn out. The process for creating dichroic filters is very precise and much more saturate (purer) colors can be created. As a result these filters are quite expensive and are used primarily in automated fixtures. | ||||
|
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| A device which causes connected lamps to decrease in intensity. Most dimmers for entertainment lighting use are some variation of an SCR. Individual dimmers are traditionally arranged in modules of two dimmers with modules combined into dimmer racks. | ||||
|
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| A portable enclosure containing between 3 and 12 dimmer modules. | ||
| A dimming and circuiting system in which every circuit in the system has its own permanently wired dimmer. | ||||
|
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| Dimmer racks contain individual dimmer modules arranged for convenient electrical connection. Some racks are designed for permanent installation, while touring racks are designed for portable use. Dimmer racks typically contain 6, 12, 24, or 48 dimmer modules typically with 2 dimmers per module. | ||||
|
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| DMX 512 is a standard dimmer control protocol implemented by U.S.I.T.T. to provide a means for interfacing dimming and control equipment from different manufacturers. A single DMX control cable carries dimmer intensity information for 512 dimmers serially down 2 wires. Many other devices can be controlled via DMX. Examples include fog machines, strobe lights, and automated fixtures. These devices, developed since DMX was first implemented, may interpret the DMX intensity data in different ways. An automated fixture, for example, may interpret a level of 50 on dimmer 1 as meaning move mirror in the x direction to the mid-way point. | ||||
|
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| A simple fog machine which creates thick, opaque, low-lying or ground fog by the emersion of frozen CO2 in hot water. This type of fogger is often made from a large drum containing a heating element and some type of basket in which dry-ice can be lowered into the water. The resulting fog is often forced through a hose to the desired location onstage. Dry-ice fog effects are somewhat short lived as the dry-ice quickly evaporates and the water cools. Dry-ice is often used to cool the fog produced by other types of fog machines making it to stay close to the ground. These chiller modules or attachments are little more than insulated coolers attached to the output end of a standard fog machine. | ||||
|
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| The most common theatrical lighting fixture employing an ellipsoidal reflector, a sharp focusing lens system, and framing or shuttering devices. Commonly called a Leko or, in the UK a profile spot, the ERS has the ability to project patterns (gobos) and make very precise shutter cuts. | ||||
|
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| A lighting design abbreviation for fade to black. It indicates that a light cue takes all channels to zero over a period of time. | ||||
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| The cable which feeds or supplies power to a dimmer rack. Feeder cable is usually heavy gauge cable capable of safely carrying the hundreds of amps necessary to supply as many as 96 individual dimmers in a rack. Feeder cables are usually connected via Camlock connectors. A bare-end or tail often connects one end of a feeder to the power supply or company switch. | ||||
|
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| A lighting design term which describes a light source or direction which is secondary, or fills in after a primary or key light source has been established. | ||
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| A process by which certain pigments or materials can be made to appear to self illuminate when exposed to UV light. | ||||
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| A type of lamp which converts UV light into visible light through fluorescence. Fluorescent lamps are one of the least commonly used lamps on stage. | ||||
|
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| A lighting design term referring to a cue in which automated lights move upward away from the stage in a sweeping motion. | ||||
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| The process by which a lighting instrument is either manually or remotely positioned to light a specific part of the stage. With conventional fixtures focus is performed after lighting equipment is hung in place and is connected to the proper circuit. Automated fixtures can be remotely focused and may have many different focuses for a particular show. Focus presets are often created as libraries of focus points for a show. Focus presets as well as conventionally focused equipment must be checked any time a show changes venues, as the relationship of lighting instrument and stage may change. | ||||
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| A feature of some automated fixture consoles which allows libraries of memorized focus positions to be stored centrally in memory. Presets can then be accessed individually by cues to position fixtures at pre- determined locations on stage. Using focus presets is a much more efficient method for cueing automated fixtures than writing positions individually into every cue in a show. | ||||
|
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| A term used to describe a range of stage fog, haze, and smoke effects. Fog is commonly created from the heat expansion and atomization of a fog fluid in a fog machine. | ||||
|
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| A device which creates fog by vaporizing a fluid into a fine atmosphere through a heat exchange system. Some fog machines use oil- based fluids while other fluids are water or glycol based. The type of machine and fluid used affects the quality of the atmosphere produced. Fog can be very light and rise quickly in the slightly heated air, or can be very heavy and dense and tend to hang in large clouds. Fog machines can create effects similar to haze machines, dry-ice or liquid nitrogen foggers, oil crackers, etc, but are best at producing large volumes of dense atmosphere quickly. | ||||
|
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| A manually operated lighting fixture specially designed for following performers as they move about the stage. Most followspots employ some method for manual control of iris, shutter, dowser, as well as a color boomerang. | ||||
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| A standard stage lighting instrument. The Fresnel produces a characteristically soft edged beam created by the pebbled surface on the back of the Fresnel lens. Since the Fresnel is used extensively in film and television production there are a vast range of types available. Fresnels can range in size from 3/" in diameter to several feet and in wattage from 150 watts to 10 kilowatts or more. | ||
| The process of combining 2 or more lamps into one circuit using a twofer or similar connecting device. Also used to refer to any situation where two or more components of and electrical system are combined together in a parallel ciurcuit. | ||||
|
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| A place within the optical train of an ERS where shutters, gobos, or other items can be sharply focused by the unit. | ||||
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| A term used loosely to describe expendable color filters used in stage lighting. Originally made of thin sheets of dyed gelatin, color filters are now made from polymer plastics. | ||||
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| A series of color filters connected end to end used in a color scroller. | ||||
|
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| Also called a pattern, template, or cookie, a gobo is commonly an etched steel cut-out placed at the gate of an ERS which produces a pattern of light and shadow in the beam of light. Patterns are commercially available from theatrical lighting dealers or can be made by hand using a number of different processes. Many automated fixtures employ a variety of gobos and gobo effects. These include rotatable gobos, gobo combinations, glass colored gobos, or even sophisticated imaging systems which combine dichroic color effects with patterns or custom designs or artwork. | ||||
|
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| The point where rigging is attached to a truss or piece of scenery. Location of hanging points must be determined for structural safety, but must be reconciled with available pickup points in the building or structure to which the truss is being rigged. | ||||
|
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| A device, similar to a fog machine, which produces a light, fine atmosphere by atomizing a special haze fluid. Since a haze machine does not utilize a heat exchange system, like a fogger, there is no warm up time. The atmosphere produced by a haze machine is dense enough to reveal beams of light in the air, but not so dense as to become opaque. | ||||
|
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| A type of lamp such as a mercury or sodium vapor lamp that produces light by causing an inert gas to discharge photons. HID lamps find special uses in entertainment lighting and make good UV sources. HID lamps require special ballasts and are generally not dimmable. | ||
| A double ended short arc lamp which creates light by causing an electrical current to jump between two electrodes within an inert gas atmosphere. HMI lamps produce many lumens per watt making them many times more efficient than incandescent sources. HMI lamps typically burn at around 5600. Kelvin. | ||
| A union representing professional craftspeople in the entertainment industry. This union includes stage electricians, carpenters, and projectionists. A venue is a union house if its local crew belongs to IATSE. | ||
| A moving yoke type automated fixture distributed by Lighting and Sound Design (LSD). | ||||
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| A lamp which creates light by heating up a thin filament, usually tungsten wire. Most standard household light bulbs as will as tungsten halogen lamps are incandescent. The color temperature of most incandescent lamps ranges from 1800. Kelvin to about 3800. Kelvin. | ||||
|
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| A moving mirror type automated fixture introduced by High End Systems/Lightwave Research in the late 1980's. | ||||
|
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| A device commonly used in an ERS or followspot to reduce the apparent diameter of the beam of light. Many automated fixtures also employ a motor controlled iris which can be used to remotely adjust the beam diameter. | ||||
|
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| A stage cable. Often used to refer to a short length of stage cable. | ||||
|
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| A lighting design term that describes a strong primary light source. Other secondary lights are often described as being fill lights. The term High Key lighting describes even bright lighting such as might be produced on television news set. | ||||
|
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| To turn a channel, lighting unit, or another electric device off. Synonymous with "save", and "at zero", or "out". | ||||
|
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| 1000 watts. | ||||
|
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| A device which converts electrical energy into light. Common lamps used in entertainment lighting include incandescent, HID, HMI/HTI, and fluorescent. | ||||
|
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| A device which produces pencil thin beams of coherent monochromatic light. Used primarily for special effects, lasers combined with beam splitters, scanners, and mirrors can be used to create a variety of three-dimensional images in fog or similar atmosphere. A laser and scanning system connected to a computer controller can be used to project complex animation effects. | ||
| A complete laser assembly including laser tube, control system, scanning or beam splitting components or other effects. | ||
| The laser tube assembly part of a laser system. | ||
| A trademark for a brand of ERS currently owned and marketed by Strand Lighting. | ||||
|
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| A lighting control console or desk. | ||
| The person who runs the lighting control console, programming and executing cues as directed by the lighting designer. | ||||
|
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| A lighting design term referring to a point in a show at which a predetermined change in the lighting is executed. The lighting director or stage manager "calls the cue" usually by saying "go," and the light board operator executes the lighting change. A change may occur instantly, as in a bump cue, or take place as a long fade over time. On simple controllers a cue can be thought of as a combination of channels at specific levels which create the lighting for a specific moment in a show. More sophisticated controllers build cues in increasingly complex ways making the idea of a cue a more abstract concept. Cue is often used to describe a moment or picture (also called a look or state) created by lighting on stage. | ||||
|
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| A term describing a production where the lighting is or takes a primary focus. The idea of a light show may have developed from the psychedelic light show of the late 60's, but is now used to describe a range of laser and lighting spectacles. | ||||
|
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| The head end of a lighting system. The lighting control console sends information via control cables to dimmers or other devices instructing what they should do. Run by a light board operator, or as is common on a touring production by the lighting designer or lighting director, the lighting control console stores and executes all of the light cues for a performance. Common types of lighting consoles include the preset board and computer memory console. | ||||
|
||||
| The person whose primary responsibility is the visual design of the lighting for a project or production. In theatrical terms the Lighting Designer is responsible for all aspects of the aesthetic design of the show. | ||
| Commonly used in the television and touring show industry to describe the person in charge of the lighting. Often the lighting director is the lighting designer for the production. In other cases the lighting director for a touring show is working from an original production design by the lighting designer. | ||||
|
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| Often called a luminair, lighting unit, or lighting fixture, a lighting instrument is a device that is minimally comprised of a lamp, lamp housing, and some type of clamp to attach it to a mounting structure. | ||||
|
||||
| A fogging system which uses liquid nitrogen to cool water? and produce heavy clouds of dense ground fog. The nitrogen fogger has the chief advantage over dry-ice fog, that the reaction can be continued indefinitely. | ||||
|
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| The process by which all of the physical elements of a touring show are unloaded from a truck and installed at a venue for a performance. Load-in is usually accomplished by a combination of technicians from the road crew and the local crew. | ||||
|
||||
| The process by which all of the elements of a production are struck from the theatre and loaded onto a truck for touring. | ||
| The technicians who work at a particular venue, but do not tour with a production. A local crew may be hired in by the venue just for a particular production or may be permanent staff. Local is also used to describe a local branch of a union such as I.A.T.S.E. which provides crews to theatrical venues. | ||||
|
||||
| A lighting design term used to refer to a specific stage image created by lighting. Also called a "state" by designers in the UK. A show may be described as having a certain look, or a particular scene or song may have a look or series of looks which are returned to or repeated. | ||
| A unit used to measure the brightness of a light source. The more lumens produced per watt of power supplied, the more efficient a light source is. | ||||
|
||||
| A lighting instrument. A common term in the UK, luminair is finding more common usage in the United States. | ||||
|
||||
| The measured amount of light reflected by a surface. | ||
| In entertainment lighting, the Master Electrician's primary responsibility is the technical execution of the lighting design as specified by the lighting designer or lighting director. Typical tasks include the organization of crews and schedules as well as the technical planning, rental, installation, and maintenance of equipment. A Master Electrician is rarely licensed as a professional general electrician. | ||||
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|
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|
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| A serial control protocol designed to allow musical devices such as keyboards and synthesizers to share musical information. Many lighting manufacturers have provided a means by which lighting devices can respond to specific MIDI signals. MIDI-show-control, an extension to MIDI, defines a standard way in which simple cue execution commands specific to show controllers can exchange information through MIDI systems. | ||||
|
||||
| A subset of MIDI sytem exclusive commands which contai instructions relative to lighting, scenery, and other show controllers. The most common MSC commands are go, stop, and fire. | ||||
|
||||
| A common lighting effect created by shining a narrow beam light source onto a rotating ball with a faceted mirror surface. | ||
| A common term for automated fixture. | ||||
|
||||
| A classification of automated fixtures which achieves beam motion by reflecting the beam off of a remotely controlled motorized mirror. The Cyberlight (TM) by High End Systems, and the Roboscan (TM) by Martin, are examples of moving mirror automated fixtures. | ||||
|
||||
| A classification of automated fixtures which achieves beam motion by remote motor controlled movement of the yoke and body of the fixture. The Vari-Lite series of automated fixtures (TM) Vari-Lite, are an example of moving yoke automated fixtures. | ||||
|
||||
| A cable designed to supply power from dimmers to multiple separate lighting instruments down a single multi-conductor cable. Standard multi-cables can carry the equivalent of 6 or 12 standard stage cables corresponding to the same number of circuits. A break-out is used at either end to break the multi cable apart into individual circuits. Multicables have the advantage of being much smaller than bundles of multiple stage cables. | ||||
|
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|
||||
| A conventional lighting fixture which represents the original workhorse of the rock and roll touring industry. A PAR can is comprised of a PAR (Parabolic Aluminized Refelctor) lamp and a mounting fixture and base (the can). Standard PARs range in size from 4.75" (PAR 38) to 8" (PAR 64). The most common configuration for touring use is the PAR64. The PAR64 is usually fitted with a 1000 watt narrow or very-narrow beam PAR lamp. ACLs are often substituted for PAR lamps. | ||||
|
||||
| The process by which different parts of an electrical or control system are selectively connected. Patching traditionally takes place at several key points in a lighting system: at a patch panel, at a pin patch, or in a soft patch. | ||||
|
||||
| An electrical panel where individual circuits can be connected to the physical dimmers in a dimming system. Common patch panels look like large old-fashioned telephone switchboards. Patch panels have all but been replaced by dimmer per circuit systems in which the dimmer to circuit relationship is permanently fixed. A touring lighting system rarely includes a patch panel since individual connections between circuits can be made directly on the dimmer rack. | ||||
|
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|
||||
| An architectural or structural point to which scenery or trussing can be rigged for flying purposes. Available pickup points in a particular venue must be reconciled with necessary hanging points on the equipment to be lifted. | ||||
|
||||
| In a permanent circuiting system, a short cable extending from a circuit box which has a female connector into which a lighting instrument is plugged. | ||||
|
||||
| A standard connector for stage cable which is also called a 2P&G connector for 2 pins and ground. Pin connectors are generally rated for 20 amps at 120 volts and are the most common type of connector for the touring industry. | ||||
|
||||
|
||||
| As part of a lighting control console, the pin patch is a matrix of pins which allows individual dimmer control signals to be grouped together into channels on a manual or preset board. The pin patch pre- dates the soft patch found on most computer memory lighting control consoles. | ||||
|
||||
| A truss or truss section which has been pre-assembled with lighting equipment and connecting devices in the shop prior to installation at load-in. Using a pre-hung truss saves many hours when loading a show in or out, and makes for an efficient method of storing equipment on a truck. | ||||
|
||||
| A lighting ontrol console comprised of banks or "scenes" of redundant sliders each controlling one channel of the lighting system. Individual looks can be set up on banks and by using scene masters one look can be faded to the next. The two-scene preset is the most common preset board. Cues are manually set on alternate scene banks and faded from one to the other. Multi-scene preset boards can also be found in some permanent installations which can require multiple operators to preset. | ||||
|
||||
| The process by which light cues are set-up, written, and recorded into memory on a memory console. Programming on contemporary control consoles may involve complex manipulation of functions and software, but rarely involves actual program coding. | ||||
|
||||
| An electronic communication signal by which the electronic devices in a lighting system can share information. Standard lighting protocols include AMX, DMX, MIDI, as well as many proprietary protocols utilized by specific manufacturers. | ||||
|
||||
| A technician chiefly responsible for the rigging for a tour or production. | ||||
|
||||
| The process by which scenery, truss, or other equipment is flown on aircraft cable or chain. | ||||
|
||||
| Technical crew members who travel with a production on tour. | ||
|
||||
| A moving mirror automated fixture manufactures by Martin. | ||||
|
||||
| A portable dimmer rack on casters for ease of transportation. | ||||
|
||||
| The purity of a color, or with spectral colors, how much of a color is near the dominant wavelength. Primary colors are very saturate, while pale tones are said to be desaturated. | ||
| Lighting design shorthand for "take a channel to a level of zero." Not to be confused with the term [Record] used to store a cue in a computer console's memory. | ||
| A special effects projector manufactured and marketed by The Great American Market. Different effects heads are available for the Scene Machine such as the motor driven film loop, rotating disc effects, etc. | ||
| A solid state electronic remote controllable dimming device. An SCR is essentially an electronic switch which achieves the affect of dimming by turning an electrical circuit on and off rapidly over a specific time interval. Most SCR dimmers can only be used to dim incandescent lamps. Other electronic dimmers use similar devices under other names such as the SSR, and include many other sophisticated electronic filtering, control, and circuit monitoring and protection circuitry. | ||||
|
||||
| One of many types of woven gauze-like scenic materials. A scrim will appear as opaque when lit primarily from in front, or can become transparent when objects are lit behind it. | ||
| A metal plate or cutter placed at the gate of an ERS (or less commonly within an automated fixture or followspot) that allows a portion of the beam to be cut away or eliminated. | ||||
|
||||
| The resulting effect of positioning a shutter within an ERS. Shutter cuts are often made to eliminate unwanted parts of the field of light which may hit scenery or into the audience. | ||||
|
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| Light which comes primarily from the side of the actor or object being lit. Strong side lighting is associated with the emphasis of the edges or sides of actors or objects tending to enhance their dimensionally. | ||
| A timing signal used primarily to synchronize video, film, and audio recording and playback systems. SMPTE timecode is measured in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. Some lighting control consoles can be set up to read SMPTE time code--automatically executing cues at specific times. SMPTE or other time-code systems including MIDI timecode (MTC) are commonly used in completely automated shows such as those found at theme parks to keep lighting, sound, and motion control systems in sync. | ||||
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| A multicable and connector system manufactured by?? | ||||
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| A component of most computer memory consoles that allows dimmers to be patched electronically to control channels within the system. Generally multiple dimmers can be patched to single control channels, but a dimmer can not be patched to more than one control channel. As a greater variety of other types of devices are attached to systems primarily designed to control only dimmers, the relationship of control channels to dimmers becomes increasingly abstract. A dimmer in the system may actually represent a function of an automated fixture or a control for a strobelight or fog machine. | ||||
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| A mode affecting bump buttons on a lighting control console. When a bump button is in solo mode it will momentarily take all channels except those assigned to the bimp button to zero. | ||||
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| A loop of nylon webbing wrapped around load bearing structures at the points to which it will be rigged. | ||||
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| A circuiting device that allows multiple lighting instruments to be combined into a single circuit or cable. | ||||
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| A cable used to connect lighting instruments to circuits or dimmer racks. Standard stage cable is type SO, 12 gauge, 3 conductor cable. This is abbreviated as 12/3 SO. | ||||
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| The process by which the scenery and lighting equipment for a show is permanently disassembled when the tour or production closes. | ||
| A type of strobelight mounted in a PAR64 housing. Some strobe cannons, such as the Diversitronics model, can be remotely controlled via a DMX control signal. | ||||
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| A special lighting effect which produces multiple rapid bursts of high intensity light. Strobe lighting is almost always produced by a compact xenon strobe lamp activated by a power supply and timing circuitry. Strobelights can be simple low power devices with fixed flash rates, or sophisticated devices triggered by a lighting control console at specific intervals. | ||||
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| A circuiting device which allows three lighting instruments to be joined into one cable or circuit. | ||||
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| The process of connecting dimmer rack feeder cable to a company switch or power supply. | ||||
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| A set of feeder cables or other necessary connecting devices needed to tie-in a dimmer rack. A standard tie-in set includes a ground, neutral, and three hot cables with bare-ends in one end for connection at the company switch or disconnect panel. | ||||
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| A triangular shaped truss such as that used for radio towers. Triangle truss has the disadvantage over box truss that instrumentation must be struck from the truss before it can be loaded into a truck. | ||||
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| A steel or aluminum structure used for rigging stage lighting instruments, scenery, or other equipment for temporary use. | ||||
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| A classification of incandescent lamps in which the quartz glass envelope (or bulb) is filled with a halogen gas. Advantages over standard incandescent lamps include longer lamp life and the ability to create much more compact filament designs. Tungsten-halogen lamps typically burn at much higher temperatures than their plain incandescent counterparts. | ||||
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| A standard connector for stage cable. Although not common in the touring industry, the twistlock connector can be found in many permanent installations. | ||||
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| An electrical connecting device which allows two lighting instruments to be combined into one cable or circuit. | ||||
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| An ultraviolet light source used to create special lighting effects with fluorescent materials. UV sources can be incandescent, fluorescent, or preferably HID lamps. | ||
| A venue that is a union house, holds a collective bargaining agreement with its union employees guaranteeing such things as pay scale, working hours and conditions. If a theatrical venue is a union house it is most likely covered by I.A.T.S.E. | ||||
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| A union representing mostly theatrical lighting designers, costume designers, and scenic designers and painters. | ||||
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| An organization of individuals who work in the professional and academic theatre. One of USITT's most notable accomplishment is specifying the DMX 512 control protocol. | ||||
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| A company which manufactures, rents and supports a complete automated fixture and control system. A pioneer in automated fixture technology, Vari-Lite suplies its own console operators and repair technicians for most applications. Var-Lite equipment is only available as a rental package. | ||||
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| A local theatre or arena where a touring show will load-in. | ||||
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| The electric potential which exists between two components in an electrical system. Lamps are rated in terms of wattage at a specific voltage. Operating a lamp at another voltage from that which it is rated may cause the lamp to burn at less than full intensity or to burn out very quickly. | ||||
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| The measurement of the amount of power used by an electrical device. Lamps are rated in terms of wattage. Dimmers are rated in terms of their maximum load capacity in wattage. Wattage=Amperage*Voltage. | ||||
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| Somewhat derogatory term for an automated fixture. | ||||
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| Stranded steel cable similar to aircraft cable. | ||||
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| A type of enclosed arc lamp which is commonly used in strobelights. It creates short bursts of bright high color temperature light. Some xenon lamps, combined with special power supplies create continuous output and are used in followspots. Xenon lamps are not generally dimmable. | ||||
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This page created by Microsoft Access 7.0 at 6:16:30 PM on 12/18/97 .