Focusing Lighting Instruments THE107

Focusing Lights This presentation will walk you through the basic steps of focusing a theatrical lighting instrument This demonstration will use a 36 degree source four leko Later, we will cover the basic differences of other units

1. Get to the light Depending on where the light is located, you may need a ladder or personnel lift to access it Make sure you are secure at all times Do not lean out – you can lose your balance easily You may need a spotter on the ladder or lift Be safe! If you drop something, yell “HEADS!” If you hear someone yell “HEADS!” don’t look up!

2. Observe the light Ensure that the light is rough focused in the correct general direction Check safety chain Make sure shutters have been pulled Check electrical connection

3. Turn light on Ask master electrician to turn light on when the designer is ready to focus it

4. Get beam in sharp focus Push a side shutter in halfway

4. Get beam in sharp focus (cont.) Unscrew barrel locking bolt and run barrel back and forth until the edge of the shutter is sharp in beam While holding barrel, tighten bolt Pull shutter back out

5. Adjust pan Using pan bolt, focus light to designer’s directions

6. Adjust tilt Using tilt handles, adjust focus to designer’s directions Often, a designer will stand in the center of the area to be lit and ask you to center the beam on the back of their head

7. Make shutter cuts Push shutters in according to designer’s directions Shutters are used to crop “spill” light off of unwanted areas or objects The left shutter crops the right side of the beam, and so on.

8. Adjust soft/hard edge The designer may ask you to “run the barrel” which means to adjust the barrel locking bolt and slide the barrel in and out all the way This softens the beam edge slightly Secure the barrel where the designer is pleased with the beam edge

9. Drop color Means to put color in color slot Do not actually drop

10. Add pattern, if any Patterns are held in pattern holders and inserted in the pattern slot Patterns are projected upside down

13. Add pattern (cont.) You may need to adjust the barrel based on want the designer wants the pattern to look like

14. Finish Make sure everything is tight Unit should not move if jostled Inform master electrician that unit is complete

Other units: Fresnels When focusing a fresnel, remember that you can adjust the beam from spot to flood by sliding the lever in the rear of the unit Fresnels do not have shutters Fresnels cannot have a hard edge

Other units: PARs PARs have removable lenses to adjust beam width Because the beam is oval shaped, the lens may be rotated for a different orientation at the designer’s discretion PARs have no shutters

Other units: Cyc Lights Cyc lights and other broad wash units generally are only adjusted for tilt They have no shutters They have no hard edge