Introduction
At concerts and theatres stage lighting is used to create different effects.
In this activity you will use your research skills to find out:
- how different colours are created by mixing light
- how coloured light affects what we see
- how stage lights are used to create different effects
- how to combine lights to create special effects.
You will use your literacy skills to produce a fact-sheet to give to amateur-theatre groups to help them plan their lighting schemes.
Task
You will produce a fact-sheet for people who are planning lighting effects for a concert or production.
Your fact-sheet should:
- state the primary and secondary colors of light
- describe how to create different colors of light
- explain how the appearance of objects changes under different colored lights
- be made from a piece of paper
- be suitable for people with no scientific knowledge.
Process
Step 1
Research the following topics:
- primary and secondary colours of light and what happens when they are mixed
- how different colours of light are produced
- how coloured light affects the appearance of objects
Step 2 (extension)
Find out how stage lighting is used to create other special effects. For example, research the difference between spot-lights, flood-lighting, and back-lighting.
Step 3
Plan appropriate sub-headings to structure your fact-sheet and decide what important information you want to include.
Step 4
Make your fact-sheet.
Sources
Primary and secondary colours
This website explains how coloured light mixes to make secondary colours.
https://sites.google.com/site/scienceofcolour/how-colors-mix
Coloured light and filters
This website contains a lot of detail so look at the pictures. It explains what primary and secondary colours of light are. It explains what filters do to light and there is a table showing the colour of objects seen in different lights. You will need to follow the different links to get to all of the useful information.
www.cyberphysics.co.uk/topics/light/color.htm#addition
Stage lighting (extension)
This website explains the difference between different types of stage light and how effects can be created.
Evaluation
You have now made a fact-sheet to give to amateur-theatre groups to help them plan their lighting schemes.
Look at the questions below and check whether you have met the brief.
- Have you stated the primary and secondary colors of light?
- Have you stated the combinations of colored light that are used to create
other colors? - Have you described how filters affect the color of light passing through them?
- Have you described how colors of objects appear to change when you see them in colored light?
- Is your fact-sheet made of one piece of paper?
- Have you used language which can be understood by people with nonscientific knowledge?