The festive lighting for a whimsical Christmas light trail should appear effortlessly magical to attendees. Lighting Designer Declan Randall recently shared with us how much meticulous effort and precise control it takes to create that enchanting experience. Continue reading to learn how he used Rosco OPTI-SCULPT lenses to ensure that every beam of light was perfectly placed as he transformed the walking trail at Christmas at Bedgebury into a winter wonderland.
One challenge of Christmas trail shows is the multitude of competing light sources, which can cause certain areas of the trail to be visually lost. Declan needed to highlight some of the greenery and trees along the trail with precise beam control, minimizing light bleed. “Working outdoors and lighting trees, a lot of light can be wasted when you are lighting up a narrow trunk of a tree,” said Declan. “Being able to control light is the key role of a lighting designer. OPTI-SCULPT gives lighting designers another layer of control and light manipulation, adding more tools to our creative toolbox.”
OPTI-SCULPT narrows and stretches the beam to uplight tree trunks more effectively.
OPTI-SCULPT is available in eleven different patterns, allowing for circular or linear beam shaping for any project. “Using the 10°x40° filters, we achieved tight streaks of light that illuminated the entire length of the tree with minimal spill on the surrounding flora. When we started to run short of units, we used the 15°x35° lenses to widen the beams, enabling a single light to illuminate more of the tree and eliminate the hot spot in the center,” said Declan.
Lighting without OPTI-SCULPT (L) - Lighting more of the tree using an OPTI-SCULPT 15°x35° lens (R).
The benefits of using OPTI-SCULPT lenses extended beyond the visual impact; they also enhanced the quality of photographs for attendees. “The festive trails are highly photographed projects and cameras can be a bit unforgiving when you are taking pictures in dark areas where there are patches of high-contrast lighting,” Declan explained. “Using the OPTI-SCULPT lenses meant that the light distribution on the trees and walkways was more even – which made for better photographs and memories for the guests.”
Rosco OPTI-SCULPT lenses broadened the beam and removed the hot spots from the walkway
lighting -with very little light loss.
|
OPTI-SCULPT lenses provide precise beam control, creative versatility, and superior results – making them a staple every designer should have in their toolkit. “These lenses are definitely going to become a standard part of my design and specification for projects moving forward,” Declan exclaimed. “The ability to shape the light to emulate the PAR lamps of old is great, and you can do this easily with OPTI-SCULPT – and so much more.” |
If you would like to learn more about the lenses that Declan used to control the light for the Christmas at Bedgebury trail – please explore the OPTI-SCULPT product page on the Rosco website.
Lacey Colter October 31, 2024 Questions?
Marketing Manager - Film/TV/Broadcast: Lacey Colter has been working in the entertainment industry since 2015. She started in production before transitioning to a cinema lens manufacturer and now covers the film and television market for Rosco. She has spent years of her career interviewing a variety of industry professionals.