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How to Light Up the Night Life

Just as a soundtrack emboldens a film, a good light show takes music to another level. The atmosphere a few choice lights and effects can create is immense, making them an important consideration for venues, party organisers, bands, and mobile DJs. For the uninitiated, lighting may seem complicated, but the category really boils down to a few elements: lights, effects, control, stands, and rigging. Let's take a look!

Varieties of Lighting

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Disco Lights

Disco lights come in different shapes and sizes but focus on energetic effects that can really liven up a dance floor. They typically feature multiple beams, colours, and shapes that can move rhythmically in patterns around an entire room.

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Lasers

Lasers cast very thin, focussed beams of light that do not diffuse as they travel. They create stunning sheets of light when used with fog and haze but are otherwise largely invisible. Their small reflective mirrors allow for fast, dynamic movements.

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Pinspots & Mirror Balls

Pinspots are designed to send a focussed beam to be refracted by a disco/mirror ball. They are typically immobile, with swappable colours and lenses. A set of four will give you maximum coverage over your mirror ball. Mirror balls are the cherry on top of a lighting system. For while they don't emit any light themselves, these motorised reflectors will easily fill an entire room with patterns as they spin. Just hit them with a pinspot, effect, or laser.

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Moving Heads & Scanners

Moving Head fixtures can come equipped with a variety of configurations from tight beams, broader spotlights, wide washes, or anything in between. In addition to movement, they can feature focus & zoom, colour capability, and interchangeable gobo patterns. Scanners use a focused beam which is then refracted through a prism and reflected off a moveable mirror. The resultant 'scanning' effect, like a barcode scanner, creates an exciting, three-dimensional cone perfect for casting through smoke.

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Strobes & UV Blacklights

Strobe lighting flashes at various frequencies with bright white light, creating a mesmerising, slow-motion effect that makes dance floors and stages look hyperreal. Combine with haze for an intense, 'flickering screen' effect. UV Black lights use a fluorescent lamp with a special phosphorescent coating to emit UV radiation. This is then absorbed and re-emitted by things which contain phosphor, namely teeth, nails, and the remnants of laundry detergent on white clothes.

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LED panels/strips

LED panels and strips provide washes that can have multiple colours. They are great for illuminating flat surfaces as they are long and easily mounted and can create eye-catching 'chases' to simulate movement.

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Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights (ERS)

Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights use a narrow beam angle to highlight stage elements. They have adjustable focus and can loaded with 'gobos' (special lenses) to project patterns. They are best grouped together to draw the viewer's eye to a subject.

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Parabolic Reflectors (PAR)

Parabolic Reflectors create a wash across a large portion of the stage to serve as background for other lights, effects, and subjects. They generally don't have adjustable focus or zoom but instead have interchangeable lenses. PARs are a cost-effective way to vibe your stage.

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Fresnel Lights

Fresnel fixtures cover more area than ERS and can zoom unlike PAR. Being able to target moderate areas with soft light makes them incredibly versatile. Fresnel fixtures offer a great deal of flexibility at a decent price point.

FX Units

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Fog Machines

Fog machines create a thick 'smoke' which falls to the ground. They are perfect for obscuring dance floors and stages.

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Haze and Faze Machines

Haze machines leave a thin atmosphere that hangs in the air, and which adds a third dimension to lights and lasers. Faze machines, as the name suggests, create an atmosphere somewhere between fog and haze. They are a versatile tool for any stage or dancefloor.

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Bubble Machines

Bubble machines push out hundreds of bubbles per minute, which look great as they catch sun or artificial light.

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Foam & Snow Machines

Foam machines create a thick, spongy layer of bubbles which will rest in 'drifts' on the ground or can be picked up and played with. Snow machines throw 'snow-like' foam to give the impression of a thick, white layer of powder covering the ground.

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