The use of colored light is one of the lighting designer's most effective tools in shaping the visual appearance of the production. Colors influence feeling, support the dramatic design, and focus attention.
Color also has metaphoric significance. We say a person has a sickly tint, that someone sees the world through rose-colored glasses, and we call sad songs "blues".
Deciding which colors to use in the lighting of a specific production is first and foremost a decision regarding the style of the lighting and, consequently, the production style. This decision will influence every visual factor: the appearance of the scenery, of the costumes and of the actors' make-up.
In choosing a color palette for a production the lighting designer must consider the genre of performance, the cultural background of the spectators and the stylistic implications thereof. The vividly colored light used in a rock and roll concert would not normally be acceptable in a dramatic play .
The theatrical lighting designer must not be confined to "natural" color, but must be aware that colored light can be highly suggestive, and is capable of creating tension and contrast.
A
scene
can be lit with a combination of colors, some of which are calm while others suggest tension. At times it is difficult to predict which associations a certain color combination will arouse in the audience, which color will animate the spectators and which will merely agitate them.Colored light is a valuable tool in creating atmosphere and in swaying the mood of the audience.
In general one can safely say that the lighting designer's attitude towards the use of colored light will qualitatively affect the character of the production. It will also reflect his or her outlook on the theatrical experience which moves the audience and affects its feelings.
Choosing color filters also involves some technical considerations. Standard tungsten-halogen lamps in theatrical luminaires have a
color temperature
of 32000 when burning at full power. Their light has a cool crisp quality which at times requires correction.
One way to correct the color of the light is to dim it, lowering the
color temperature
and changing the color of the light from cool white to a warmer white. However, this will change to light only within a particular range of straw-yellow colors.
A series of corrective filters or tints are available, which allow change of
color temperature
without dimming the light. Color filters such as #151 or # 154 can be used to warm the light to a golden tone. In situations where it is necessary to cool the light even more, filters such as #201 or #202 (light blues) are effective .
The lighting designer has a large variety of color filters to choose from. A typical swatchbook contains about 150 filters (and there are a number of manufacturers, each with its own color range).
There is a wide range of tints for each color. For example, here we see three different blues, each of which gives a different result on stage.
The lighting designer uses the swatchbook as an artist's palette, choices of tone, hue and intensity as well as color combinations reflecting his or her personal style. Since the way in which the spectators experience color schemes is influenced by many factors, the lighting designer must carefully plan the use of color in the show. The cooperation of all the visual designers of the show (scenery, lighting and costume designers) is extremely important in order to achieve a coherent and unified color scheme.
