# What does hades look like?



## SeanR (Aug 8, 2011)

I couldn't decide where to post this. I apologize if this was the wrong choice.

Okay you guys have been such a great resource overall I'm hoping you might be able to give me some creative lighting ideas. 

I need to light hades during ancient greek times for part of a show. (the show is a comedy) There is a bench and a black stage in a blackbox. I am also limited in how many instruments I will have to play with so I can't get too fancy.

I have to believe there is something more interesting than red. I have been playing around with the idea of green and orange. But I'm not thrilled with it.

I would love to hear thoughts. 

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## headcrab (Aug 8, 2011)

You might be able to do something with blue and green (I'm thinking gobo rotation etc.). I.e., the river Lethe, etc.

You could also go all Marilyn Manson on your set and put dead stuff everywhere


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## Van (Aug 8, 2011)

Hades has/had a couple of areas. Tartarus, Limbo, The Ellyssian Feilds and Hades' Castle. 
Limbo, was just that a grey, foggy, misty area where mediocre souls went for eternity. I always imagined it as a greenish-grey blasted field.
Tartarus, where the ****ed were punished sort of looked like earth except for the tortures that were being inflicted, Imaging the Tree and the pond of Tantalus sort of just existing in a world of black and shadow.
The Ellysian Feilds where Hepres went would be your classic Garden of Eden.
And Hades castle I always sort of pictureed the castle and underground world of the Devil in "Legend" < with Tim Curry and a very young Tom Cruise and Mia Sara.> 
Don't go with the crowd make it your own. I like the Orange and green idea.


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## DuckJordan (Aug 8, 2011)

What about a bright cold white? Just a thought.

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## jonliles (Aug 8, 2011)

Hades is an Ancient Greek God of the Underworld. The Underworld has the various places that Van listed - Tartarus, Limbo, The Ellyssian Feilds and Hades' Castle. are you lighting a god of a place? The "Percy Jackson..: The Last Olympian" book has some solid descriptions that may help spark ideas. Beyond research, my only other suggestion is to think in terms of layers. Heavy Saturation colors & textures overlapping ... at least that is what tartarus looks like in my minds eye. 

On the secondary color wheel (granted it does not directly translate into lught, but rather pigment), Orange, Green and Violet are complementary colors of each other - supports your original idea. Go with it. Good luck!


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## tolienbosheit (Aug 8, 2011)

Talking to the layering effect and limited instruments: If you have any scoops laying around, they are good for giving a large wash for the price of a single instrument...The light is also very diffuse, so any patterns/gobos in an ellipsoidal will easily cut through. With a little bit of forethought, they shouldn't be too hard to focus and keep the light from washing anywhere and everywhere that you don't want it to.


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## shiben (Aug 9, 2011)

Do your entire production as an eastern European mind f***, and just throw CTB and Frost on everything in a backlight system, then make all your specials various heavy colors from the side or at a 45... if Possible do all frontlight this way? This way, hades can be wherever you want in the show, seeing as the entire thing is pretty much a mental version of hell... If you do this, just have the hades scene have about 20 women run out and start breaking chairs on the walls and screaming. Next have them rip off their clothes and pour blood on to their bodies out of boots scattered around (I have actually seen this done...). Alternatively have all the "in charge people" in gigantically tall chairs or on stationary bikes. 

Also, sometimes the really stereotypical thing (Red=hell) ends up being the right choice. Fwiw, Red really only equals a small portion of religion's hells anyhow. Some people dont actually think you get burned in a lake of burning sulfur... Also sulfur burns blue and some pink not really "red" per se... but at any rate, Im down with the green and orange... The key is to be a bit disorienting, off, or otherwise screwed up.


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## jonliles (Aug 9, 2011)

What we are all suggesting is this: What does the Underorld/Hell look like to you? Describe your mind's eye. Now, throw in a touch of research (if going more Dante's Inferno: the video game is quite inspiring). Now think, how do I translate that mood into light. tolien suggested scoops for your base color. Layer in your ERS, add in back or top lighting. Maybe kill the front light totally. It is your design concept. How do you execute it? Good luck.


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## SeanR (Aug 17, 2011)

Just wanted to thank everyone for the comments. Sadly I didn't get a chance to really utilize these ideas due to other reasons. But I always love hearing how different designers might look at something slightly differently, and I know it will make me better in the future.


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