Ask Alfred
Pop Goes the Stage Set

Alfred offers some sound advice on how to create an effective, eye-catching stage set for a mobile DJ or band performance that will leave you looking professional – even in the absence of fog or haze.

We all know how crucial smoke and haze is to creating an atmosphere for our audiences and for making our lights pop. But where does that leave us when it comes to venues where smoke is restricted or events where it’s deemed inappropriate? How can we create an effective stage set that stands out and looks professional? (Even when we aren’t performing…)

Capable of transforming any room and enhancing any atmosphere, black lights are used by lighting designers, stage productions and mobile entertainers to offer audiences and customers new levels of excitement, often when used as décor- or flood lighting as part of their light show. Halloween parties and haunted houses go without saying, of course, but there are loads of other great uses for UV – both as part of a permanent install or part of a mobile lightshow. Black lighting can be found at white parties, glow parties, school dances, and is even starting to trend at weddings. It can also be utilized in a number of permanent installs: glow bowling, fun centers, laser tag and miniature golf can all benefit from UV lighting. Not only does it appeal to the younger clientele that they target but also creates atmosphere and pizazz, appealing to customers no matter what their age.

Before we consider the types of lighting to use or how to make the DJ booth look sleek and professional, I think it’s worth considering the layout of the stage. Where have you set up your booth? (Or is there a designated booth?) What about trussing, speaker stands and T-bars? The trick here is to think symmetrically. Symmetry appeals to people because it looks neat, sleek and professional. Having a truss pillar with a 3 Sixty 2R mounted on top on one side of your booth but not on the other is going to look strange and incomplete; like you’ve forgotten some part of your setup (even though the 3 Sixty 2R is an incredibly effective moving head!)

In fact, truss is another important aspect. Why not enhance your truss pillars with sock covers and light them from inside using ‘lie flat’ fixtures such as the 5P Hex or one of our WiFLY par cans? This will enable you to ‘warm’ your truss, lighting it in a range of colors – you can choose which depending on the requirements of your client or audience. These ‘glowing pillars’ will be eye-catching for your audience, even when you aren’t on stage playing music. What’s more, it looks professional and, using the right colors, super-sleek.

A similar material used for truss socks is found on one of our new products – the ADJ Mobile DJ Façade – which consists of a lightweight metal frame and four scrim material panels, designed to clean up your DJ setup by offering a uniform, professional look. Just like your truss pillars, the ADJ Event Façade can be lit from within, and bars rather than pars work better here, as lighting the panels across their whole width is essential to getting an even, effective glow. Linear fixtures such as the WiFLY Bar QA5 or the dual-unit VBar Pak are ideal for this; with an approximate length of 20” these units sit perfectly inside the Event Façade along the width of each panel, while their varying colors and wide beam angles allow you to illuminate the scrim to great effect.

Bars are great for this role, but cool effects can also be achieved by using LED dot and GOBO effects, which will cover the scrim in attention-grabbing patterns and vibrant color. The Event Façade can also be kept clean and damage free thanks to the included carry bag, which holds the four panels when folded down.

The final aspect of your stage setup to consider is your lighting. We’ve talked about lighting your truss and booth skirts, but what about washing the stage or performance area? Once again, the 5P Hex, as a multi-purpose fixture, is ideal for this role; its five HEX-LEDs (made up of Red, Green, Blue, Amber, White and UV), 30-degree beam angle and smooth color mixing capabilities will enable you to immerse large areas in dense hues of ultra-bright color. While the 5P Hex can be used as a static wash, your stage set will be more visually active if you allow the unit to cycle through its built-in programs to provide slow-changing color washes. The color provided by the 5P Hex can also be infused with UV for cool, luminous effects – all adding originality and energy to your setup. In fact, you’ll be amazed at the new palette of colors that the 5P Hex can produce due to the infusion of UV!

It’s also worth bearing in mind how striking the par fixtures that you decide to use are. Opting for a unit with a soft beam angle and a diffusion filter, so you can offer a softer, more dispersed wash effect, is a wise idea. The perfect example is our Ultra Hex Par 3, which offers a relatively soft 40-degree beam angle and includes a gel frame for using optional diffusion filters.

These are all ways in which you can improve you stage set when smoke and haze isn’t an option – and it’s always worth being prepared for the times when it isn’t. Keeping your setup smart, symmetrical and intelligently lit will keep you looking professional while also grabbing the attention of your audience – long before you even set foot on the stage or behind your booth.

- Alfred Gonzales is the ADJ National Sales Manager  

For more information Contact ADJ:
U.S. Office - Tel: 800-322-6337/+1-323-582-2650 • Web: www.adj.com