# Footlights?



## Charc (Dec 10, 2007)

Before I go on my little rant, I'd like to get some opinions from CB users:

Footlights.

What is their place in theatre? Are they commonly used? What are the pros and cons of their implementation? Any other information I should know? What are your personal feelings on footlights? All responses welcome.

~Charlie


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## ZJH90 (Dec 10, 2007)

I too would like to know the answer to these...


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## meghan (Dec 10, 2007)

FOOTLIGHTS are striplights placed on the floor, along the downstage edge of the stage. Used sparingly, they can provide excellent low 'fill' light to a performer's face and can help eliminate shadows from overhead lighting, from hats, roofs, etc. My school has never used footlights but I'm sure some places still use them for something.


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## SHARYNF (Dec 10, 2007)

if you look at lighting for TV live performances they are used quite often to give a more even natural light to compliment the down light and front light

Sharyn


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## Scrumptusbrisket (Dec 10, 2007)

i saw a production of rent and they used some pretty intense footlighting during one of the songs to create a larger then life shadow effect on the back curtain. Very effective.


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## TupeloTechie (Dec 10, 2007)

Scrumptusbrisket said:


> i saw a production of rent and they used some pretty intense footlighting during one of the songs to create a larger then life shadow effect on the back curtain. Very effective.



yes, I saw a production of rent a couple of weeks ago, they had a full stage of strip footlights, along with a good many birdies also used as footlight. It seemed that they used these in many scenes, not just the ones with weird shadows. 

Also, I think this is kind of on a similar subject, what is the point of booms places in from of the arch with lekos on the very bottom pointing up and to the side? (this was also used in the production of rent)


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## icewolf08 (Dec 10, 2007)

it depends on the show. Some shows can make very good use of footlights. They can create a very "theatrical" feel to shows. When you uplight a subject it makes them look taller, just like downlight makes a figure look shorter. 

Footlights are also useful when lighting dance and dance heavy shows. The goal of designers who light for dance is to reveal the figure of the performers, and footlights can give an interesting perspective.


meghan said:


> FOOTLIGHTS are striplights placed on the floor, along the downstage edge of the stage. Used sparingly, they can provide excellent low 'fill' light to a performer's face and can help eliminate shadows from overhead lighting, from hats, roofs, etc. My school has never used footlights but I'm sure some places still use them for something.


Footlights do not need to be striplights and in theory don't need to only be on the DS edge of the stage. Many fixtures can be use as footlights. They also don't have to be used sparingly.

I have used footlights on many shows, it all depends on the effect you want to create.


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## gafftapegreenia (Dec 11, 2007)

The Historical Role:

The edge of the stage was one of the earlist places for illuminants. Candles, oil lamps, gas jets and later electric lamps have all served as footlights. Why here? It was convenient, and in many houses one of the few places lights could be placed that they would be easily accessible. Remember, with candles and oil, someone would have to come by to trim wicks and refill the oil. As technology progressed, this lighting position stuck. Footlights, and all striplights for that matter, are really just a carry over from the olden days when rows of flammable illuminants would be used. Theatre, always being heavy in tradition, continued to build theatres with footlights. Striplights were effective in the older theatres. Why do you think so many older installations have permanently wired Xrays? Remember this is a world before DMX dimmers or even computer control. The Fresnel as a stage instrument has only really been around since the 30's. It was far easier and effective to have rows of lamps instead of same number of Plano Convex spots it would have taken to fulfill the roll. Footlights evolved into the built-in strips we can still find in many older theatres. The earliest styles were the "open trough" design, with a row of RWB lamps hooked to dimmers. Footlights evolved in the early years of electricity into a number of style - the reflector-roundel-A-lamp style still found on many older strip lights, the "compartment" type that used either sheets of colored glass or gel, along with a lamp and reflector, and the "dome" type that used glass domes over the lamps for colors. A trip through the archives on the websites for the Strand Archive and KlieglBros will reveal many distinct styles. Footlights, and all striplights for that matter, are really just a carry over from the olden days when rows of flammable illuminants would be used. The old strips and footlights refuse to die for two main reasons: tradition and the fact that, for some people, that is the best they are going to have in the forseeable future. In the "historical" period of footlights, they were still used as one of the main sources of stage illumination. Many permanent footlight installations can still be found in odler theatres using RWB, RGB or RAB configurations.

As dimmer and instrument technology progressed, and it became more affordable and practical to use several individual spotlights (P/C, Fresnel or ERS) to illuminate a scene instead of using the "floodlight" that is a footlight, footlights fell out of favor. They were seen as old fashioned and unnecessary in the "modern" theatre. I would place the beginning of this trend around the 1960's. For the most part, they were right, footlights had outlived their place as a main and standard source of illumination. The effect it had on a performer was harsh, casting large shadows and making a performer look "flat".

However, footlights live on, why is this?

Well, first there is the "art imitating life" thing. Designers today may use footlights when they want that "feel" of turn-of-the-century lighting. Perhaps they are doing an older musical. I spoke with an acquaintance a while back who was tracking moving lights for the current Broadway production of Chorus Line when it was pre-Broadway. He said the designers goal was to recreate the lighting of the original production, hence in photos of the current production, you will see alot of footlights. It's a design choice and something the creative team must agree upon. 

Many older theatres continue to use footlights as curtain warmers, and a few still use them as main a main illumination source. The Oriental here in Milwaukee does just that. 

The real role of footlights today is as a supplimentary or "fill" light. The days are gone of universally installed RGB mixing footlights. Zip strips and Birdies are commonly used today as footlights. They're useful to selectively fill in under a hat, highlight an actor, create dramatic shadows, or even-out the lighting on a performer. Ever watch stand-up comedy or The Chappelle Show on Comedy Central? You'll notice they use ungelled zipstrips as footlights. 

In summary, footlights are simply another tool in the lighting designers bag of tricks. Used properly and consciously, and not neccesarily sparingly, they are of great aid to any designer.

I'm sure the others will elaborate even more, but I hope this serves as a good basis for the evolution and modern roll of the footlight.

EDIT: I know alot of people beat me to a post, but hey, I'm a history nut, when I'm not in a theatre I'm probably in a museum. And on that note, have you SEEN museum lighting these days?


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## icewolf08 (Dec 11, 2007)

TupeloTechieKid said:


> Also, I think this is kind of on a similar subject, what is the point of booms places in from of the arch with lekos on the very bottom pointing up and to the side? (this was also used in the production of rent)


Once again, this has a lot to do with how the designer wants to reveal the human form of the actors. Low side light is used often in shows that have a lot of dancing (think: Rent, Chicago, Cabaret, etc.). The proscenium boom position is a very useful for sidelight downstage.


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## Van (Dec 11, 2007)

gafftapegreenia said:


> ..... The effect it had on a performer was harsh, casting large shadows and making a performer look "flat".
> ..........


 
Great Post! Well done! I just wanted to comment on this one aspect. Not only do footlights make some performers look "Flat" but also they have the effect of making actors look Fat. By Highlighting the underside of the jawline, they tend to give people the appearance of a "double chin". 
As an addendum, to gafftapegreenia's excellent history lesson. The term "Wet Blanket" arises from the use of gas footlights. Often actresses in large skirts would venture too far downstage, as a result the would light themselves on fire from the open flame gas lights. By law the Stage Manager had to have a hamper of soaking wet wool blankets close to the SM stand, which could be used to extinguish the flaming actress.


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## Logos (Dec 11, 2007)

Van said:


> By law the Stage Manager had to have a hamper of soaking wet wool blankets close to the SM stand, which could be used to extinguish the flaming actress.



Why?

Compulsory extra keystrokes


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## gafftapegreenia (Dec 11, 2007)

Hahahaa, took me a second Logos. Subtle.


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## Pie4Weebl (Dec 11, 2007)

The production of kiss me kate I am on right now uses foot lights as side light. For all of the scenes that take place in the actual show he uses them to help differentiate that from the "real life" scenes. Peter also used them in too darn hot. The stage is a 3/4 thrust so they are a great way to do side light and not obstruct the audiences view of the stage, and still sculpt the dancers some.


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## len (Dec 11, 2007)

The current tour of Annie is using them. 

Also, I sort of use them in rock and roll all the time for one band. I use single cell cycs downstage and to the sides of the lead vocal. I put a dark amber in one and a dark red in the other. Coupled with his 1960's vintage Gibson sunburst it looks very cool. He hates the heat since he's only 2 feet from them, but loves the look.


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## icewolf08 (Dec 11, 2007)

charcoaldabs said:


> I might have reached an all time low! I'm tempted to hijack my own thread! However, *gafftapegreenia* I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on museum lighting. Please PM or create a new thread.
> Back on track. So I was talking with an actress from my most recent show. She apparently got ahold of the DVD, and commented that the lighting looked terrible. (I'm not crazy in that the tape version of life action lighting never comes out right?) Anyways, she noted specifically some issues with seeing the actors faces clearly. I too noticed on the DVD that some lighting didn't quite come-out right. What onstage looked like tons of light U.S.C. looked muddled and dark on tape. I suspect this was a primary factor in the faces also loosing clarity. So after telling me my design was "terrible" (hey, I'll admit it was weak in some areas, but she should admit she doesn't have an understanding of stage directions, can't sing, and plays all her characters the same ) she proceeded to tell me what we needed were footlights. But she didn't know the term footlights, but instead managed to convey the long strip things with lots of lots in them on the edge of the stage. This seems woefully impractical to me. Our stage would not like footlights, we would have to re-route circuits, and I can't really thing of a time when this lighting position would come in handy. I'd be worried about casting shadows on the upstage wall, proscenium and softgoods, regardless of the fact I feel like there wouldn't be enough control of the instruments. I mean that what we did for this show was to create acting areas largely based on light, which filled in for a lot of missing scenery. So flooding the stage, even from a portion of footlights, seems like it would reek havoc on the acting areas. Not to mention sightlines. It's about 4 feet from the edge of the stage to the floor. We have a very slight rake in the house, and people in the first 4 or so rows would be loosing some visibility. I understand her point. Our first AP slot is essentially straight downlight. The 2nd AP slot is just a little too high of an angle to provide good frontlight. The 3rd AP slot is just right, but that allows 10 instruments to cover the stage. The 4th AP slot is unusable, without vertical drop-down extenders, which we don't own.
> This post has degenerated significantly, and it's quite late for me considering my workload. I'll just let this post (yet another one that shows I still have some growing-up to do) simmer on CB.


If you could see the actors clearly with your eyes then the fault was in the filming. Who filmed the show? If it was a parent with a consumer camcorder, that was probably where your issues started. You have to have a lot of light for video, especially with consumer grade cameras. Walk into a TV studio and you might wonder why so many lights, but without them the set would appear too dark and due to the need to shoot at a wide aperture there would be quite shallow depth of field. Video cameras and digital still cameras just don't have as wide an exposure latitude as film, and neither film, video or digital stills come close to the exposure latitude of our eyes. We can see things that are very dark and very bright in the same scene, whereas with a camera, depending on how you set your exposure park of the scene may come out under or over exposed.

So chances are, in your case, it was bad video, not bad lighting.


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## SerraAva (Dec 11, 2007)

I agree with the use of footlights for specific effects and dancing shows. I use them every year during dance season. They are, however, an unrealistic form of lighting. I don't know the show in question Char, but remember that in realistic shows like Miracle Worker and Dairy of Anne Frank, they don't have a place. I say this because a good friend of mine, long time director, actor, and voice actor, said, "God did not intend for light to come up." Meaning, when you go outside or even in a room, the light just about always comes from the front, side, behind, and/or overhead. Sorry for the use of that name, couldn't think of a better way to put it, plus it is also the original quote too.


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## SteveB (Dec 11, 2007)

icewolf08 said:


> Footlights are also useful when lighting dance and dance heavy shows. The goal of designers who light for dance is to reveal the figure of the performers, and footlights can give an interesting perspective..



I can say that I have never seen foot lights - I.E. the "traditional" set of striplights across the downstage edge of the stage, focused dircctly upstage, used in any of the many, many (and many more) dance companies I've worked with in 30 years. I can also say that I've never had a request for them, nor have I ever seen this used in any light plot as sent by a touring dance company. 

That's not to say it isn't used on occasion or for a particular purpose, but to say it's "useful" for dance and dance heavy shows, would be a new one to me. 

Note that I am not talking about side shin busters/kickers and or floor located side lights. Nor am I talking about the occasional downstage special(s) as needed for a particular dance, just that this is certainly not part of any main light plot of any dance company I've ever seen or worked with.

Steve B.


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## Van (Dec 11, 2007)

Logos said:


> Why?
> 
> Compulsory extra keystrokes


 
Think of it in the same light as the fact that you can't cook a wombat. Nobody but a few, very specific Governmental Bureaucrats and bleeding heart animal rights groups really care.


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## jwl868 (Dec 11, 2007)

A year or two ago a saw a national tour version of Marriage of Figaro where a single footlight at center stage was occassionally used to project the singer's silouette on to the set in the back. The look was very good.

(I'm not a big opera fan - it was an anniversary present for wife.)

Joe


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## gafftapegreenia (Dec 11, 2007)

Really you first need to know what those taping/photographing the show are using. The shows I've lit that have been taped/photographed by professionals have needed no altering.


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## gafftapegreenia (Dec 11, 2007)

While I myself have not yet specifically designed for film video or television, as the LD you would want to know how much light the camera's need. With this knowledge you can then design your rig accordingly. I don't know all the details, but I'm sure John Hirsh does.


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## Jezza (Dec 11, 2007)

SerraAva said:


> I agree with the use of footlights for specific effects and dancing shows. I use them every year during dance season. They are, however, an unrealistic form of lighting. I don't know the show in question Char, but remember that in realistic shows like Miracle Worker and Dairy of Anne Frank, they don't have a place. I say this because a good friend of mine, long time director, actor, and voice actor, said, "God did not intend for light to come up." Meaning, when you go outside or even in a room, the light just about always comes from the front, side, behind, and/or overhead. Sorry for the use of that name, couldn't think of a better way to put it, plus it is also the original quote too.



SerraAva: This is a perfect example of motivated versus unmotivated lighting, as it was once described to me. Footlights are in essence, unmotivated, as there are very few occurrences in nature when light will seem to emit from beneath a person. While I agree that Anne Frank or Miracle Worker are "realistic" in nature, as in they are a show about real people in a "real" setting that the audience is familiar with, I do no agree with the statement that footlights don't have a place in such a production. That decision is wholly in the hands of the designer. Perhaps I wanted to uplight Anne as she slumped to her knees, recognizing her cruel fate. While there would be no light in the "real" room or world that would create the effect, it would be visually pleasing to the audience and illuminate her in a way that evokes sadness and capitalizes on her slender, frail figure. A lighting coming from a steep upward angle is the only light that will give me the desired effect/look on her, thus, the unmotivated footlight works. It would be complimented, however, by motived fixtures streaming light in the windows, creating the illusion of candle light, etc. 


As for footlights in general, I love them. Its sad when I see too many theaters who have done away with their pit rails and have painted over and sealed the footlight flaps. I used them for a rendition of Les Mis and LOVED the almost ghastly effect I could create in deep reds and blues. 

For Rock and Roll, I have seen LED panels used incredibly effectively as footlights. Placed close to the performer they emit a very small amount of heat energy but still allow for a rich and bright fill light. I remember OAR used them on one of their tours -- very effective. Its nice, once in a while, to see the spot lights cut out and just see the lead singer etched out from the bottom, a really interesting look. Try it sometime!


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## drawstuf99 (Dec 11, 2007)

This isn't completely relevant to the footlight comment, but I had heard a rumor at some point about lighting for video. Someone had mentioned that they had heard that you can triple-gel an instrument with close to primary RGB and manage to get an instrument that wouldn't show much light at all, if any, on stage; however, when looked at through a video camera it would show up more and allow for additional light for video folks. In this manner, they wouldn't have to alter the look of the show, but were able to help the video folks out if they happened to have a lower-key camera. 'Something about waves of light that some of those finicky video cameras pick up versus what we can see. Anyone heard this?


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## SerraAva (Dec 11, 2007)

Funny you mention that Jezza. When I last did Dairy of Anne Frank, for the end scene, I had a leko over the exact spot which each actor ended up. Only these were on, and I faded each one out one at a time to represent them dieing. The only two left were Anne and her father, face to face with each other. Anne's light faded out slowly as she turned to the audience. Mep and Mr Kraller then came into the scene as Mr Frank's light faded out and the scene up. Very powerful, effective, and unrealistic. Point is, for effect, we do unrealistic things. That was meant to be the end of Mr Frank's flashback, pulling him back to reality. If someone wanted to do it with footlights, they could, or some other interesting take on it. I meant for they have use for effect, not reality. Should have worded it rarely instead of never. I apologize for the miss wording and understanding.


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