Event Lighting Design: Part Two

Color 

As with the design tools of event décor, color is the most noticeable and strongest quality of light. Indeed, all light is colored, and white light is simply a mixture of all visible wavelengths (colors) between infrared and ultraviolet radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum. One of the keys to good lighting design is a thorough understanding of color. We begin with some definitions.


Hue is the pure form of a color with no white, black, or grey added. Tint is the mixture of a hue with white. Shade is the mixture of a hue with black. Tone is the mixture of a hue with black and white (grey). It is sometimes also called value. Saturation refers to the amount of hue in a color mixture. For example, a pure red color (like fire-engine red) would be said to have a high saturation of red. Figure 1 below illustrates these relationships in a triangular form.

Figure 1: Tints, Tones, and Shades (Courtesy Gillette, 2000 - Redrawn by author) 

In the world of lighting, the color wheel takes on a slightly different appearance from the color wheel associated with décor (which uses pigments). For light, the primary colors are red, blue, and green. The secondary colors are yellow (mixture of red and green), cyan (mixture of green and blue), and magenta (mixture of red and blue). Figure 2 illustrates a lighting color wheel (also called a visual or RGB color wheel).

Figure 2: Lighting Color Wheel

The two differing color wheels, the one for pigment and the one for light, are often confusing since they do not make logical sense when mixing colors. Technically, as pointed out by Fitt and Thornley (2002), “the lessons learned from mixing the colors of paint are somewhat different to those for mixing the colors of light. It has to be realized that light is the source of all color, but pigments in paint (or in dyed fabrics – author) are simply reflections or absorbers of parts of the light that illuminates them If a beam of red light and a beam of green light are superimposed the result is yellow. On the other hand, if we mix red and green paint, we get rather a nasty looking ‘brown black’ color. When using light, all spectral colors can be created by adding various component parts of red, green, and blue light and the system used is called ‘addition,’ ultimately creating white. Pigments derive their colors by subtracting parts of the spectrum, therefore the system with pigments is called ‘subtraction’ and ultimately creates black.” 

For special events, the LD is frequently called upon to not only light stage performances, but also decorative elements. These are particularly sensitive to the interaction between the hues of light and pigment hues, since most décor is pigment-based (e.g. fabrics, painted surfaces, costumes). Table 1 illustrates the interaction between the two types of color, and can serve as a guide for what a decorative element or person looks like when subjected to a certain color of light. 

Color of Pigment	Color of Light
	Violet	Blue	Blue-Green	Green	Yellow	Orange	Red	Purple
Violet	Deep violet	Dark violet	Dark violet	Violet	Dark brown	Dark brown	Dark gray	Dark violet
Blue	Light blue	Deep blue	Light bluish gray	Light blue	Dark bluish gray	Black	Gray	Blue
Blue-Green	Dark blue	Very dark blue	Dark bluish gray	Dark green	Greenish blue	Dark greenish brown	Black	Dark blue
Green	Bluish brown	Light olive green	Light greenish gray	Intense green	Bright green	Dark green	Dark gray	Dark greenish brown
Yellow	Scarlet	Greenish yellow	Greenish yellow	Greenish yellow	Intense yellow	Yellow orange	Red	Orange
Orange	Scarlet	Light brown	Light brown	Light brown	Orange	Intense orange	Intense orange red	Scarlet
Red	Scarlet	Purplish black	Dark maroon	Maroon	Bright red	Orange red	Intense red	Red
Purple	Reddish purple	Dark violet	Maroon	Purplish violet	Light brown	Maroon	Reddish brown	Deep purple

Table 1: Interaction of Colored Light with Colored Pigment (Courtesy Fuchs, 1929) 

To add to the confusion, additive and subtractive color mixing are also found in the lighting world alone. Additive color mixing refers to the combining of two or more colors to form a new color. As illustrated in Figure 3, the combining of red and blue light sources, for example, will produce a new color, magenta. Subtractive color mixing refers to the filtering of light. When light passes through a single colored gel or filter, only the wavelength corresponding to the color of the filter will pass through it. Figure 4 illustrates this concept.

Figure 3: Additive Color Mixing in Light (Courtesy Gillette, 2000 – Redrawn by author)

Figure 4: Subtractive Color Mixing in Light (Courtesy Gillette, 2000 – Redrawn by author) 

The last important concept of color in lighting design is the meaning of color. It is a well-known fact that  every color has certain emotions attached to it. It is these emotions that the LD tries to enhance in order to make his design more effective.

My final post on lighting design will discuss direction and movement.


References:

• Fitt, Brian, and Joe Thornley. (2002). Lighting Technology: A Guide for Television, Film and Theater, Second Edition. Woburn, MA: Focal Press.
• Fuchs, Theodore. (1929). Stage Lighting. Little, Brown, and Company. Retrieved January 31, 2006 from www.rosco.com/us/technotes/filters/technote_1.asp#4.
• Gillette, J. Michael. (2000). Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup, Fourth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.