Ready to really use your stage lighting instruments to their full effect? Look no further; we’ve got all the accessories your lights need. Previously, we spoke of some external accessories. Today we’re going to discuss internal accessories.
Most of these internal stage lighting accessories work with ellipsoidal theatrical lighting. These light fixtures are made with a slot for internal accessories to just “drop in.” If you’re trying to force one into your stage lighting instrument, please stop and take a deep breath. Double check you have the right slot and try again.
Pattern Holders
Pattern holders, or gobo holders, hold the gobo in place. By placing the pattern, or gobo, inside of the focal plane of a fixture adjustments to image (hard or soft edges) can easily be created. Be sure to use the right size gobo with your holder. A belongs with A, B with B and M with M, for example. Steel gobos fit into steel pattern holders and glass gobos fit much better in a glass pattern holder. Glass gobos are thicker than steel and need a slightly different holder to hold them in place properly.
Gobo rotators
Simple Spin produces complex looking effects
Gobo rotators are inserted into the accessory slot on an ellipsoidal, not in the gobo holder slot. This is because they are much thicker than regular gobo holders. The extra thickness is due to the parts needed to make the gobo rotate. Please note gobo rotators will require a power source so plan for that when creating your plot. Many rotators allow for DMX control to allow for fine-tuning of the rotating effect. Several rotators also allow for two gobos to rotate together. The effects possibilities are endless.
Irises
Drop in Iris
This is a metal frame that is designed with an adjustable shutter assembly. The iris gets placed inside the focal plane of a stage lighting fixture, in front of the lens assembly. Irises are designed to reduce the diameter of the beam emitted from the fixture. These are often called “drop in irises” as they are just dropped into the accessory slot on an ellipsoidal. Please do not force it in, as you might have the wrong fixture for the accessory. Â Â
If you need to be able to adjust the beam width during your production, think about using a DMX drop in iris. This will allow you to control the beam width from your console.
Irises are excellent for use in an ellipsoidal for a quick and dirty spot light. If you just need a little extra punch, and don’t want a full-blown follow spotlight, consider putting an ellipsoidal on a stand with and adjustable iris. This will give you a limited version of a full spot light, but at a fraction of the cost.
Donut, not the yummy kind.
Donuts are sometimes mistaken to do the same job as an iris. Irises and donuts are not interchangeable. Donuts are placed externally and reduce off axis rays of light coming from a fixture. In plain English, donuts make your gobo images slightly sharper by reducing the halation around the image. Both are holes in thin metal plates, but irises are adjustable and placed internally to adjust beam size.
There are many ways to pimp your ellipsoidal. There are probably as many accessories for the ellipsoidal, as there are ellipsoidals to choose from. Can’t figure out which accessory is right for your stage fixture? Give StageSpot a call.
