{{Unreferenced, date=October 2007 David_%26_Kim_(2010-09-17_by_Ian_T

A spotlight (or followspot) is a powerful

stage lighting instrument Stage lighting instruments (lanterns, or luminaires in Europe) are used in stage lighting to illuminate theatrical productions, concerts, and other performances taking place in live performance venues. They are also used to light television s ...

which projects a bright beam of light onto a performance space. Spotlights are controlled by a spotlight operator who tracks actors around the stage. Spotlights are most commonly used in

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide vari ...

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

and large-scale

presentations A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Present ...

in which highlighting a specific mobile individual is critical. Spotlights are sometimes located overhead on

catwalks A fashion show (French ''défilé de mode'') is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fal ...

. In some theatres, they may also be located in the control booth or purpose-built "spot booths" in addition to the catwalk. Spotlights may be arranged in a variety of patterns for coverage. For example, they can be located to the back or rear of a theater and aimed at the stage in front of them. This location can become problematic due to the audience being distracted by fan noise or the spot operator speaking into their headset microphone. In circus and sports, spotlights may be arranged around the facility covering both sides and the ends. In a concert setting, they may be in a

front of house In the performing arts, front of house (FOH) is the part of a performance venue that is open to the public. In theatres and live music venues, it consists of the auditorium and foyers, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas. In a theatre, ...

(FOH) position, while other positions may have the spotlight upstage used as back or top light. Some concerts use truss spots on a truss downstage, but closer than catwalk spots in an amphitheater-style catwalk layout. In other places, spot locations are at the mercy of the architect who designed the space. Characteristics of a typical spotlight include: * A strong light source, often a

high-intensity discharge lamp High-intensity discharge lamps (HID lamps) are a type of electrical gas-discharge lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tu ...

with a high

colour temperature Color temperature is the color of light emitted by an idealized opaque, non-reflective body at a particular temperature measured in kelvins. The color temperature scale is used to categorize the color of light emitted by other light sources ...

. * A

lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

which can be manually focused. * A manual device to change the intensity of the beam, especially when an HID source which can not be electronically dimmed, is used. * An "iris" to adjust the size of the spot/angle of the beam. * A color magazine or "boomerang" consisting of several

gel A gel is a semi-solid that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state, although the liquid phase may still di ...

frames which can be swung in front of the beam. * Some sort of physical sight to assist in aiming is sometimes added onto the lamp by the operator. Some spotlights can be fitted with colourchangers to colour the beam or

gobo Gobo may refer to: Places * Gobō, Wakayama, a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan ** Gobō Station, a railway station in the city * Gobo, Cameroon, a commune in Cameroon Plants * Gobō (''Arctium lappa''), a biennial plant * Gobo (bur ...

holders to create a variety of effects. Most spotlights can be fitted with colour gels.

Gallery

File:Followspot.JPG, A spotlight File:Followspotoptics.JPG, The optics of a spotlight File:FSboomerang.JPG, The color changer or "boomerang" from a spotlight File:Super Trouper spotlight at The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.jpg, Super Trouper spotlight with color changer Stage lighting instruments