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Gasps of appreciation as Rosco lights Christ figures
When a church in Dartford, Kent wanted to precisely light the background around two Christ figures, it seemed
a very difficult problem to surmount.
When the newly-built St Edmund's Church in Temple Hill, Dartford was planned, a bold statement was wanted. So
instead of the conventional crucifix, the church commissioned Japanese artist Tomoya Yamaguchi to paint two giant
Christ figures - one in a crucifixion scene, the other depicting Christ as risen - on large scale white cross
backgrounds. Lighting for the feature was designed by Peter Moore of local company PM Lighting Services, in
collaboration with lighting designer John Roffey. They planned to light the crosses at night, giving them a
very different ambience to how they appear by day. However, the crosses were to be lit in blue, whereas the
figures and their halos needed to be lit in white.
"We did experiment with edge lighting and other things, but none of them gave the impact that the church
and I wanted," says Peter. "We really wanted the figures lit from the front. Then John and I thought
that, with glass gobo technology having really developed in recent years, this could be the ideal solution."
He continues: "Having known DHA Lighting for many years, I approached them to help. So when DHA merged
with Rosco, I was more than happy for Rosco to continue with the project."
Always keen to accept a challenge, Rosco’s Stephen Connolly was called in to solve the problem.
"The key problem was how to create gobos that would accurately illuminate the Christ figures and halos in
white and the cross in blue, without spill," says Stephen. "Previous attempts had been made to produce
a gobo from photographs of the figures, but as the optics of the camera were not matched to the optics of the
luminaires and the camera positions weren't precisely the same as those of the gobos, a perfect outline
was never achieved."
Stephen realised that this was a sensible way of approaching the problem, but it needed significant fine-tuning
in order to get the focus and positioning of the outline absolutely perfect.
Then the solution hit him - use the luminaires that would be used for lighting the scenes as improvised cameras,
with a photographic plate in the same position as the gobo would be. That way the optic would be the same and the
point from where of the photograph was taken would be exactly where the finished gobo would be. And, by default,
the image produced would precisely match the outline of the figure at that distance.
"For the immediacy of its results, we decided that Polaroid film would be the best medium," Stephen continues.
"We built the improvised "camera" with the Polaroid back sitting in the gobo plane and the lens of the luminaire
seated in an adjustable tube, for focus. Finally, we attached a large format shutter to the front of the lens."
As predicted, the photographs thus taken exactly matched the gobo that was required. Rosco traced the images at
1:1 ratio and manufactured the gobo with that outline, meaning that blue light could be accurately projected on
to the cross with white on to the figures.
Peter Moore is very pleased with the result, as is the church: "We held a special evening at the church to launch
the lighting, which included a ceremonial "switch on"," he says. "The reaction from the attendees when they saw
the lighting of the Christ figures was a gasp of appreciation and then a spontaneous round of applause. The gobos
work extremely well, they absolutely transform the features at night. It looks stunning."
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ROSCOLUX LAUNCHED AT PLASA06
The launch of the Roscolux range in Europe was welcomed by both US and European lighting designers. The wider
availability of the range assures themeasy access to these colours for shows on both sides of the Atlantic, as
well as the opportunity to use colours that have been standard for American designers for 30 years.
"I have always felt comfortable using the Roscolux family of colors," says US lighting designer Kirk Bookman. "It
offers the full range of saturated colors, middle ranges and tints. The continuing addition of colors keeps my personal
color palette fresh. I have always been able to count on the color durability and consistency through the years."Rick
Fisher concurs: "It is great that Roscolux is available in Europe, particularly as it now gives designers access to
some of the subtler shades that have been so useful in the US. I have already used Rosco 302 (Pale bastard amber) for
a play at the Royal Court Theatre, where it provided just the right amount of warmth without appearing too much of a
colour.""I'm delighted to see that Roscolux is now available in Europe - no need for sneaky imports any more!"
adds Hugh Vanstone, LD for Spamalot. "It fills a few gaps in the Supergel range, particularly in the subtle blues
which I find very useful."
Additional information about Roscolux:
The addition of Roscolux to Supergel, E-Colour and Cinegel brings the total Rosco filter offering to almost 500 colours
and diffusers, available in Europe from stock.The new Roscolux range is different in two ways that are important to
designers:First, the colours are different from those in the existing ranges and they have a long history of use in
stage lighting. Roscolux colours have been the standard for American and Canadian lighting designers for 30 years.
Some have roots in Rosco’s original gelatine range dating back to 1910.Second, the technology used
to produce these filters is unique. E-Colour and other UK-produced filters are surface coated, i.e. the colour is
simply coated on a plastic film base. Roscolux is manufactured using a completely different process, deep-dying.
Clear polyester film is passed through a bath of heated solvent suffused with dye which penetrates into the base
film. Having been driven deep into the plastic, more extreme temperatures are required to cause the dye particles
to sublimate through the surface. As a result, deep-dyed filters are more resistant to fading on hot stage lights.
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Rosco continues support for Light Relief at PLASA06
PLASA06 saw Rosco’s continuing support for Light Relief with the presentation of a cheque for $3,762,
raised from sales of Light Relief Yellow 313, to Rick Fisher by Rosco president Stan Miller.
Introduced in late 2003, Light Relief Yellow 313 is part of Rosco's Supergel range of colour filters and was
developed with the help of Fisher, co-founder, along with the late Tony Gottelier, of the industry charity
that supports lighting designers with personal difficulties.
"What is so great about Rosco's support for Light Relief through Light Relief Yellow 313 is that it will continue
to support Light Relief for years to come," says Fisher. "That kind of commitment to the industry and the
people who work in it is what has always marked out Rosco.
"We in the UK really value Rosco's innovative way of helping Light Relief to answer the needs of people in the
lighting industry who fall on difficult times".
Stan Miller commented, "We at Rosco are pleased to support the work of Rick and his dedicated associates
at Light Relief. It's clear that #313 will be a popular Supergel colour in the years to come and our donations
will continue".
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Rosco Introduces Roscolux to Europe
Rosco announces the introduction of the first new range of theatrical filters in Europe since E-Colour+
became available in 1992.
The key word here is range. Colour filter companies have introduced new colours over the years…
but this is the first new range, samples in a swatch book of its own, in 14 years! The addition of Roscolux to
Supergel, E-Colour+ and Cinegel brings the total Rosco filter offering to almost 500 colours and diffusers,
available in Europe from stock.Roscolux, the new range shown for the first time at PLASA, is different in two
ways that are important to designers. First, the colours are different from those in the existing ranges and
they have a long history of use in stage lighting. Roscolux colours have been the standard for American and
Canadian lighting designers for 30 years. Some have roots in Rosco’s original gelatine range dating back
to 1910.And second, the technology used to produce the filters in entirely different. E-Colour+ and
other UK-produced filters are surface coated, i.e. the colour is simply coated on a plastic film base. Roscolux
is manufactured using a completely different process, deep-dying. Clear polyester film is passed through a bath
of heated solvent suffused with dye, which penetrates into the base film. Having been driven deep into the plastic,
more extreme temperatures are required to cause the dye particles to sublimate through the surface. As a result,
deep-dyed filters are more resistant to fading on hot stage lights.In introducing Roscolux at PLASA, Stan Miller,
Rosco’s president said: "Rosco has facilities around the world to serve our customers globally. However,
distribution of one of our filter ranges, Roscolux, has so far been limited to the US. But as designers expand
their working spheres and we all interact on a worldwide basis, the awareness of these colours has grown. To satisfy
designer specifications everywhere, Roscolux will now be available from stock at Rosco locations along with our
premium line, Supergel, as well as E-Colour+ and Cinegel."
US designer Ken Posner, currently lighting the Broadway production of Wicked for the West End commented,
"Roscolux always has an important place in the colour palette of my designs. The consistency and variety are what
make it so important to me. I’m pleased to hear it will now be available in Europe."
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Rosco Launches New Custom Gobo Service
Following the maxim that exceptional service is as important as perfect product, Rosco has launched a new custom
gobo manufacturing facility for the European market.
Rosco has a long history of producing custom metal and glass gobos. With the addition of DHA Lighting, the
UK’s leading custom gobo supplier, to the company last year, it has achieved a level of knowledge that
is unique in the market and is now set to take this one stage further.
“Both Rosco and DHA’s colour custom gobos have traditionally been produced overseas,” says Steve
Connolly who has been brought in as head of gobo business development for the new venture. “The service
is already excellent, but actually being able to manufacture such gobos on site at our facility in London means
that much of the margin for error that is inevitable when you employ the services of outside contractors,
such as shipping services, is more or less eliminated.”
Connolly’s involvement to the industry dates back to 1975 when he started working for the Sex Pistols and
The Clash. From there, he went to work in German television and can claim his 15 minutes of fame for being
the subject of Brit band The Passions’ one hit wonder‘I’m In Love With a German Film Star’.
His experience spans sound, lighting and publishing with a resume that includes working for SSE Hire and Vari-Lite,
where he single handedly ran the gobo department for two years, as well as setting up a publishing company where he
gained his grounding in image production. He was also a founding member of Projected Image, and as such, he is well
placed to take on this new challenge. “I was asked to carry out a feasibility study for Rosco’s new gobo
facility and I soon realised that they really mean business,” Connolly continues. “By establishing the
facility here in the UK, which has meant setting up a ‘clean’ environment and an optical laboratory, we
will be able to provide a 24-hour turnaround in most instances and have direct control. This allows us to adhere to
our own exacting standards. “The new facility will specialise in the manufacture of high resolution gobos, as
well as producing spot colour from a swatch of dichroics that can create a more saturated colour than CMYK is capable
of delivering.”
Plans for the future include further expansion and diversification of the manufacturing facility with the
objective that all developments improve turnaround, flexibility, and product still further. All of this bodes
well for the UK and Europe, as Rosco’s already exemplary service is about to reach even greater
levels of excellence.
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Rosco ImagePro™ – A Glamour of Romance, Mystery & Landscape Beauty!
The Rosco ImagePro was recently used by Matt Veitch in a production of Ibsen's play "The Lady from the Sea".
Described one of his contemporaries thus "there is thrown over the whole play a glamour of romance,
mystery, of landscape beauty". These are appealing words for a lighting designer says Veitch. This
particular production was lit for ArtsEd and directed by Christine Kimberley.
When asked why he chose the ImagePro Veitch said "The set designer had put together a design which was
very austere, abstract and two dimensional. I figured the lighting task fell into three categories. Firstly
to create and reflect the environment of the play within this stage setting, secondly to create locations
within this that would have their own identity and thirdly to provide the dramatic support the piece required.
My choice of ImagePro came out of the process of looking for solutions to the first category but actually
fed-through to all the others. I needed a light source that would help provide some further character to
the stage setting. ImagePro was a natural choice given what I'd heard of it. The slides (sourced from the
existing rosco slide archive) could provide scenic washes that displayed much more depth and texture than
standard and coloured/glass gobos. A production like this with a relatively limited lighting budget meant
that projection would previously not have been an option. For projection to work in this environment in the
way I was envisioning would have required multiple projectors and subsequent mounting/control issues.
Specifically, we couldn't have afforded it."
"ImagePro was quite simply the winning solution."
Matt Veitch trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London and graduated last year with a BA (Hons.) in
Technical Theatre, specialising in lighting design. Working freelance ever since he works across all sectors
of the industry continuing to learn his craft.
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Evoke Productions uses Rosco for the BBC
For the second year running evoke productions were approached to creatively brand the BBC Radio 3 Awards
for World Music. Using a combination of custom lighting, projection and effects evoke transformed the
exterior and front of house areas of the Ocean venue in Hackney for this high profile event.
Evoke used a mixture of moving and generic fixtures to create an ever-changing environment of custom
multi-colour and high definition glass gobos manufactured by Rosco. Also supplied by Rosco for the
event was a Horizon control system, their windows based PC lighting console.
‘With the challenge of having fixtures spread over 6 levels, three rooms and the also the exterior
of the building, we required a system that would allow us the flexibility to move around the space easily
while programming and to operate each group of fixtures and areas as separate shows running simultaneously.
Horizon allowed us to benefit from the convenience and compatibility of a PC based control system while
still offering us all the features of high spec lighting board. The other advantage was that we no longer
needed to find somewhere to hide a full size lighting board during the event’
To further avoid from the restrictions of a centralised distribution point evoke supplied single channel
Anytronics DMX dimmers at each location where tungsten projection was used. Other lighting effects provided
included sky trackers and custom internally-illuminated globes.
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