Ever noticed how amazing the lights are whenever you went to a concert? Yes, we did too, and while theatre or plays are different in the manner that people don’t pay as much attention to the lights as they do to the actual play, a musical concert is actually about having pretty lights with vivid pattern to make people have a good time! So, with that in mind, we have 5 event lighting tips you should apply to take it to the next level (or, at the very least, make it a bit better than before):
Research, research, research: We’re not going to go ahead and make a thesis-long list of the different lighting styles out there. The internet is a huge place, so even if you haven’t been to many concerts or noticed the type of lighting styles, video libraries like YouTube are vast and will never cease to give you new ideas. All it takes are the right keywords and you’ll have everything you’ll need at the click of a button.
Backdrop: You may have awesome effects at your disposal, but most of them won’t amount to anything if they’re not properly configured with the backdrop in mind. While most concerts use a simple black backdrop, there is a chance that yours may not. This may be time consuming, but the result is well worth the effort. Select your backdrop color depending on the kind of lights and effects it can provide to see if that looks good or customize the lights and lighting effects in accordance to the backdrop if you don’t want it to be changed.
Preparation: The thing to remember about concerts is the simple fact that they are meant to display vibrant colors to signify energy and youth. Coupling that with light effects and you know that the people are in for a treat even if you won’t stick around for the final act. However, all of these are really held together by knowing what comes next and timing transitions accordingly. As the lighting designer, you are effectively another member of the band with the dynamics you follow.
Equipment & Budget: The best advice that any experienced stage lights manager can give you is that it isn’t necessarily as much about your equipment and your budget as it is about creativity and knowledge. As a matter of fact, you may just have all the tools you’ll ever need to create an amazing concert lighting and you may not even know it. If you’re looking to create a career out of this kind of thing, investing your time rather than money is much more sensible. But, for those who are just managing the lighting themselves because they don’t have a ‘lighting guy’, you can refer to the first point where we mentioned that the internet is a limitless resource of ideas and workarounds that will make your standard equipment suffice for an amazing concert!