How Do We Use Color in Lighting? Part 3
Monochromatic Color Schemes
As you may have guessed, monochromatic color means that there is only 1 color at a time in the scheme. Now, when we put it into practicality, monochromatic color means that we will use different shades, lightnesses and saturations of a single color on stage. Monochromatic color schemes are very passionate and moving, and should generally be reserved for expressly passionate songs or scenes. Here are some example photos of monochromatic color schemes:
2-Color Complementary Schemes
Complementary colors are hues which are directly opposite of each other on the color wheel. These include red/green, blue/yellow, orange/purple and teal/amber.
These colors naturally look great together, and therefore are the colors that make up most holiday colors and corporate logos. Complementary color schemes are very balanced, and don’t really trigger specific emotions like monochromatic color schemes do.
Here are some examples of great complementary color schemes:
Multi-Color Methods
It’s worth mentioning that there are a billion different ways to combine colors together- the possibilities are endless.
- Triadic – Triadic colors are like complementary colors, but in a triangle across the color wheel. A good example of this is red, green and blue or cyan, magenta and yellow.
- Analogous – Analogous color schemes feature colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Think about green, yellow, light green, or teal, blue and violet.
- Warm / Cool – Warm and cool color schemes feature colors that – you guessed it – have warm or cool colors exclusively. Examples include red, orange and yellow or blue, teal and light blue.
- Rainbow – Multicolored madness. Some moving lights have a really fun multi-colored goboinside of them!
Now, that we’ve gone over all that education, here is the really exciting news:
There Are No Hard and Fast Rules- Use Color Where You Want!
The “lighting rulebook” would tell you that you need to always light people in white. Truth be told, people look good in white.
And while I agree with that point for your pastor and probably your worship leader, it’s not a hard and fast rule for all of the time.
The truth is, you need to light people the way that expresses the message of the church’s leadership, and sometimes, it’s okay to get a little artistic.
Theory – Color and Emotion
At this point, we’ve all heard that you light fast songs with red, and slow songs with blue. But what if you light a slow song with red, or a fast song with blue?
The rules also state that you can’t use green for front light, as it makes people look sick. But what if they are doing a cover of Flyleaf’s “I’m so sick”? Not such a bad idea anymore!
If you are starting from the entry level of using color in your lighting, you probably shouldn’t stray much from the “rules”(see above). The rules and conventional wisdom are a great way to learn and study how lighting works in your context.
However, as you become a more experienced lighting designer you will find you sometimes want to stray away from these rules, it can look great when you do.
Colors are different for every song, and it’s all about the interpretation that you feel, as long as your leadership agrees with your interpretation. Let’s not start any power struggles here!
Wrapping it up – Adding Color to Your Show
Hopefully, by reading this guide you’ve gained a few tips to add some color into the lighting scheme at your church, in your band or other show.
Starting out with a splash of color on a wall or as backlight can be a great place to start to begin to learn how color works.
Experiment from there, as you desire and see what works best for you. Don’t feel like you have to make everything in technicolor all at once, but it doesn’t hurt to try some new things!
