In times of crisis, communities look for symbols of hope. Tragedies also inspire us all as individuals to look for ways to help. Inspired by real world stories, below are three ways that those of us in the lighting community can use our talents to share hope, support and encouragement in our communities.
We have received several inquiries to make Custom Gobos for the COVID-19 crisis. Some gobos encouraged communities to stay strong, some thanked their local health professionals, and others were simply a reminder to just stay home. One example came to us from the teams at JRLX and Creative Live Control in Chicago. They used Rosco gobos inside ROBE MegaPointe and Spiider moving lights to project messages of solidarity with their local healthcare workers.
We are building on this movement by creating a number of Gobos for Hope design templates so that these projections of support and encouragement can be easily produced and projected far and wide. Our Gobos for Hope are Black & White Glass patterns that we are offering at a deep discount so that more of our customers and communities can share these messages of strength and hope that the world needs to see.
Click Here To See Our Gobos For Hope Designs
Whether it’s a gobo that encourages social distancing, thanks front line workers for continuing to work for our health and safety, or just reminds people that your venue “isn’t closed – it’s just taking an extra-long intermission” - projecting messages of encouragement, thanks and hope is one way that we in the lighting industry can create hope with in our communities.
Hines is a real estate investment firm with a presence in 205 cities in 24 countries around the world – including Denver, CO. One of the properties they manage is 1144 Fifteenth Street, which also happens to be one of the tallest buildings in the Denver skyline. Wanting to send a positive message of love and hope to their community, the Hines engineering team applied rolls of R343 Deep Pink to 72 LED strip lights that were placed in specific windows throughout the building, spanning several floors. When the lights are activated, they create a huge pink heart in the downtown Denver skyline that can be seen from miles away. The Hines Property Management team worked with Rosco dealer Theatrix in Massachusetts to get the perfect product for their application. Bruce from Theatrix took extra care and made sure that the rolls were delivered quickly enough that they could implement the pink heart in under a week.
“We chose the Deep Pink color because we wanted to send a bright and vibrant positive symbol of support to the healthcare workers and to the community,” said Hannah Teague from Hines - Denver. “We are so excited about how well this has been received in Denver and love how it turned out! We have received fantastic feedback and hope to have inspired others to create public displays of gratitude and togetherness for their communities as well.”
Other easy ways to create colored light in your windows include: laying a sheet of filter inside the troffer of your light fixtures, sliding RoscoSleeves over existing fluorescent or LED tubes in the room, or simply taping the gel right onto the window. You don’t have to be inside a multi-story building to have an impact either. Adding gels to the front window of your home or apartment is a wonderful way to show your neighbors a little love and add a little color to your block or neighborhood.
Cities and monuments around the world are lighting up to show support for their essential workers. Buildings in Detroit were lit up Red, White and Blue, and the Empire State Building in New York is pulsing red light to show essential workers and first responders that they are the heartbeat of America.
Famous landmarks around the world are also lighting up. The pyramids of Giza not only light up red, but they’re also using lasers to project messages of encouragement and Stay Home reminders, and the Eiffel Tower is lit up gold to thank the essential workers of Paris.
There isn’t an “official” color for the COVID-19 crisis – and that’s okay. You can light your building in the colors of your country’s flag or your city’s sports team. Take inspiration from the French and light your building in gold to show how much you value the essential workers keeping us safe; or choose pink like the Hines team in Denver and light up your building as a symbol of love and hope for your community. Whatever color you choose – we’ve got a filter to help you bathe your building in symbolic light.
Do you have an idea about how to use light to create symbols of encouragement, support and hope in your community? We want to hear from you! Email us with your ideas or with photos of what you’ve done: Spectrum@rosco.com. As always, we look forward to creating something brilliant together with you. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home.
Joel Svendsen April 09, 2020 Questions?
Marketing Director: Joel's Rosco career began in Rosco's Hollywood office in 1999 – first in sales covering the Western US and the Los Angeles Film & Television market, and then as Product Manager for Rosco's Film & Television Products. Joel's knowledge about Rosco's products and how they're used in each of our different marketplaces makes him well suited for bringing the stories in Spectrum to life.