Gobo (lighting) - Use

Use

Gobos may be used, in connection with projectors and simpler light sources, to create lighting scenes in a theatrical application. Simple gobos, incorporated into automated lighting systems, are popular at nightclubs and other musical venues to create moving shapes. Gobos may also be used for architectural lighting, as well as in interior design, as in projecting a company logo on a wall or other feature.

A theatrical gobo may be made from either sheet metal or borosilicate glass, depending upon the complexity of the design.

Glass gobos can include colored areas (much like stained glass windows), made of multiple layers of dichroic glass, one for each color glued on an aluminium or chrome coated black and white gobo. New technologies make it possible to turn a color photo into a glass gobo.

In low budget theatre, discarded soda cans or pie plates can be used and patterns cut out with any cutting tool. The latest commercial technology enables finely dithered patterns which give the illusion of shading. In the UK, printer's Lithoplate was widely used as an inexpensive gobo substitute. However, these gobos tend to wear quickly due to the heat produced by a stage lighting instrument and are not viable for most venues.

Plastic gobos—With the advent of LED ellipsoidal spotlights, gobo manufacturers are making "LED Only" plastic gobos that can be full color (like a glass gobo), but without the delicate nature. These plastic "LED Only" gobos are new to the market, as are the lights they go in, so there is much about the durability and effectiveness that will vary from brand to brand.

In the past plastic gobos had been generally custom made—for when a pattern is needed in color and glass does not suffice. However, in a "traditional" (tungston/halogen) light fixture, these thin plastic films generally need to be used with special cooling elements to prevent melting them. A lapse in the cooling apparatus, even for just a few seconds, can cause an expensive gobo to be ruined.

A number of simple and complex stock patterns are manufactured and sold by various theatrical and photographic supply companies, or custom gobos from customer-created images can be manufactured for an additional fee. Generally the lighting designer chooses a pattern from a catalogue or small swatch book provided by the manufacturer. Because of the large number of gobos available, they are generally referred to by number, not name. For example, most manufacturers offer a gobo of a window, but they are all slightly different. So instead of calling it window, it would be identified as gobo xxxxx

Gobos are often used in weddings and corporate events to add a personal touch to the look of an event. With company logos, the happy couple's names, or just about any artwork turned into a projected image the possibilities are endless. Some companies can turn a custom gobo out in as little as a week. Common locations that custom gobos are projected in corporate/wedding situations are: the wall behind the head table, the center of the dance floor, on the floor in front of the main entrance, and the most dominant wall. "Stock" gobo patterns are also widely used for these event, often stars or water projected onto the ceiling to set a mood in the whole room.