Tag: lighting professionals

Light Shows Attract Millions of Visitors to Niagara Falls

Posted on by J3551CA

The world-famous waterfalls of Niagara are a sight to behold any time of the day or year.  But at night, they are simply magical as state-of-the-art illuminations give them an ethereal quality. On the Canadian-US border, the Bridal Veil Falls, the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls throw as much as 170 million gallons of water from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.

During the day, visitors don ponchos and enjoy the legendary Maid of the Mist boat tours, but at night the falls glow three times brighter than ever before, thanks to innovative, color changing lighting that has been designed to make the water look absolutely breathtaking.

With over 20 million visitors a year, the Falls are one of the largest tourist attractions in the area, and if you are planning a trip to see them, you should definitely stay to take in the light show.

Lighting Up Niagara Falls

The falls are illuminated throughout the year, to mark holidays and significant occasions. They are also lit in a range of colors to mark specific dates for charitable causes.  Keeping the lights bright underneath such a huge amount of fast-flowing water has been a challenge for the designers at Niagara, but technological advances in lighting have meant that the illuminated falls are now more beautiful at night than ever before.

In 2016, almost 20 years since the last major investment in falls lighting, the existing Xenon lights were replaced.  Now using new, energy efficient LED lighting technology, the falls are easily illuminated with programmable lighting effects and an array of colors. Where once there were gaps in the lighting pattern, the new LED lighting has filled them to provide a stunning and thoroughly constant effect throughout.

All of the lamps are weatherproof and remain relatively cool, even when they are running at full brightness.  The designers behind the light shows, updated lighting programs, created a system that can rotate and adjust to seamlessly blend colors, as well as altering the intensity of the lights and colors as and when required.

Using a total of 12,600 individual LEDs, arranged in 1,400 three-by-three squares of color, and illuminating 120 areas across the American Falls and 230 across the Canadian Falls, there is the potential to produce up to 16,777,000 different color combinations. The finished effect gives the appearance of a video production that constantly changes, making every visit to the Niagara Falls illuminations completely different from the last.

Why Visitors Love the Lights at Niagara

Every evening at dusk, the Falls are transformed into an incredible, multi-colored masterpiece, fusing fast-flowing water with an amazing light display.  This daily occurrence alone is enough to keep visitors coming back for more, but the Niagara Festival of Light that runs from November through January see’s not just the falls, but the surrounding areas bathed in festive sounds and colors.

Light Up Your Event with Frank Gatto & Associates

With over 30 years’ experience in the lighting industry, Frank and his team are on hand to help with every kind of large-scale lighting requirement. Call us today at 561-368-0101 to find out more.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

How To Understand Color Temperatures In Event Lighting

Posted on by J3551CA

To the regular audience member, stage lights are bright and colorful and are there to enhance the overall live experience of any event. But, did you know that while the lights on stage may just appear too bright white, there is actually an entire spectrum of colors that make lighting effects look as awesome as they do?

So, How Is Color Used In Lighting?

The way we experience the color of light depends upon the mix of light frequencies that reach our eyes and how they get there. The way in which we see the color of light also depends on the frequencies that the object absorbs, and the frequencies in the original light source. Using colors carefully in stage lighting can dramatically enhance the on-stage visuals, as well as completely changing the feel and atmosphere of the performance,

Experienced and highly skilled lighting experts are able to plan an entire light show using a variety of colors that blend so well the transitions are almost entirely seamless to the audience eye.

By using a mix of cool and warm lighting tones they can create awesome looking light shows that add ambiance and fill the stage with energy.

When planning the light sequences for any staged event, lighting directors use a number of different factors, including the use of:

  • Pale colors for acting-area lighting
  • Deep colors for side or back-lighting, or for special effects.
  • Yellows and oranges are “warm” colors for sunny days or happy times.
  • Pale blues are “cold” colors for less happy times.
  • Lavenders are “neutral” colors and can appear warm or cold depending on the other colors in use at the time.
  • Lanterns with no color gels can appear warm due to the high color temperature of the light source.

They will also carefully consider the use of some other colors and types of lighting which will produce certain very specific effects, including:

  • Avoiding the use of green colors for front light – unless these have been specifically chosen to light a witch or evil character
  • The use of contrasting warm and cool colors to add interest and make the lighting look more dimensional when they are using two light sources at once
  • The fact that not all skin tones are the same – for example, lavenders & pinks work better on dark skin than yellow colors.

Combinations of colors can also produce highly effective lighting results.  Using a warm rose, pink or yellow from one side, and a cold blue or lavender from the other side helps to create a wide variety of different moods.  Colors like lavender can also act as a neutral balance and can look either warm or cold depending on the other lighting on the stage at that time.

Lighting Your Studio Set

When it comes to television lighting, finding the correct grid and mix of colors can be a complicated business.  Experienced lighting technicians will be able to not only provide the right placement for studio lighting but also be able to successfully blend warm and cool colors to enhance the overall look and feel of the performance, without leaving it looking flat and washed out.

Here at Frank Gatto & Associates few provide first-class lighting services for network television lighting, corporate industrials, award ceremonies and sporting events. Speak to us today at (561) 368-0101 if you would like to find out more.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

Rigging and Trusses

Posted on by J3551CA

Everyone knows just how important it is to have good stage lighting at any entertainment event or on a tv or film set.  But, behind the glamour of the spotlight, there are miles upon miles of infrastructure that makes the magic happen.  A complex system of aluminum supports and poles are carefully built to form a solid structure from which to hang all the lighting effects any live show or production could ever need.

This system of rigging and trusses is the unsung hero of the lighting world because without them production teams would be limited to simple floor and ceiling lights that wouldn’t look even half as effective.

What Is A Rig and Truss System?

First off, let’s look at the basics:

Rigging is created using a series of rope lines, pulleys, counterweights and other devices, that enables the stage crew to quickly and safely move lighting and other components around to the back and side of the stage.

Trusses are a series of sticks and poles that can be connected to create a structure that allows lighting fixtures and other staging equipment to be hung with ease.

Rigging and trusses are the behind to scenes saviors of the lighting world, and without them, the audience would have a very boring time watching live events.   Rigging and trusses can be found in theaters, concert venues, arenas and stadiums anywhere in the world.

Who Works on Rigs and Trusses?

Working with rigging involves climbing up high above the stage area, and members of the rigging teams definitely need to have no fear of heights!  Different members of the crew, have different jobs to do to ensure that every part of the rig is safe and that provides effective support for the lighting.

The Ground Rigger looks after the perimeter around the aerial work platform, while the Bucket Rigger needs to be able to operate the aerial work platform as well as undertake groundwork.  High Up Riggers and Rope Riggers will be responsible for the installation of equipment way up high and they are often suspended from the rigging itself by a harness, and they may also need to demonstrate exceptional rope skills.

Why Are Rigs and Trusses So Important for Great Lighting?

The very best way to illuminate a stage is to employ a three-point lighting technique.  In simple terms, that is the first point 45 degrees to the left and 45 degrees up, a second point 45 degrees to the right and 45 degrees up, and a third light 45 degrees up and straight behind the subject.

To facilitate that kind of angles, you need to be able to lift any lighting equipment up off the floor but still be able to suspend it lower down than usual ceiling lighting would allow.  Large venues and professional studio sets require carefully constructed rigs that can contain many individual lights and effects to enhance the performance in front of them, but the ideology is the same – better lighting comes from the ability to elevate your light source.

Here at Frank Gatto Lighting, we have many years’ experience of providing the very best rigging and truss systems for some of the biggest shows on earth, so we are pretty good when it comes to finding the perfect rigging solutions for every event.  If you would like to find out more, call us today at (561) 368-0101.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.