When it comes to lobby and entry lighting, there are a couple of things to avoid – and a few things you need to make sure not to miss. Get them in today’s video!
Creating an interesting and dynamic environment for your show does not necessarily require you to spend tons of money!
Entrance Lighting
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of grand entrances is taking a couple lights and simply pointing them at the entrance to illuminate it. This method can certainly work but there is a couple caveats to it.
One thing to be extra aware of if using this approach for a church or a wedding setting is to be sure to take the needed time to program it really well. There can potentially be issues when it comes to your audience being able to see because if you have these lights pointed towards the entrance at an angle, if there is anyone not looking at the doors then they will find themselves blinded by the light.
Pre-Programming
Rather than shining your lights at a general wide angle toward your entrance, taking the time to pre-program them can give you a much better effect. Perhaps “zoom” is an option to use and if not using “iris” may be effective enough to give you the look you are going for.
Narrowing the angle to cover only the doorway area to start and then creating a second cue to expand the lighting once your audience’s attention has been caught will both direct attention appropriately and spare anyone getting a blast of light in their eyes unprepared.
Lobby Lighting
When it comes to lobby lighting you really want to avoid lights at an angle. If you have them coming in so low anyone that walks in will feel a bit like “deer in headlights”. One fix for this would be to take your lights and point them onto the walls. This gives some beautiful ambiance to your lobby entrance without directly pointing any lights into people’s eyes.
Titling these lights upwards towards the ceiling is an even better option rather than shooting them at the walls because it ensures that the angle will be above the incoming audience’s heads and keeps everyone more comfortable.
Another option would be to use PARS and flood the grounds if you are in an outdoor venue. This provides a really unique look and ensures that everyone can see without having any light accidentally get in their eyes and cause discomfort.
When you are aiming your PARS on the grounds a good tip is to look at the top of the light where you are pointing and as you are locking it in keep an eye on the angle to ensure that you see the light face away just as it approaches the building doors, or tent, etc.. This let’s you know that it sticks closely to the ground the whole way.
Conclusion
The basic idea when it comes to entrance and lobby lighting is that whether it be indoor or outdoor environmental lighting take care to avoid angles that could cause the lights to be shined in your audience’s eyes. Taking the time to keep the lights directed at floors, grounds, ceilings, and walls at the proper angle will save you complaints and save your audience any discomfort.
