LED Follow Spot Lights
LED Follow Spot Lights
Follow spot lights are a key component to the success of any show on stage. They illuminate a specific performer while keeping the audience’s eyes off the scenery, backdrops and other lighting system fixtures onstage.
They come in a variety of sizes and features. When selecting a follow spot, you should consider specifications such as throw distance, iris, color temperature and dimming capabilities.
POWER
Follow Spot Lights are a powerful tool for stage lighting. They are used to highlight specific actors and presenters with a tight beam of light. They are also used to create eye catching effects and add dimension and dynamics to the performance. Follow spot lights can be controlled manually or via a dimmer pack. Some modern followspots use a high power discharge lamp with built in mechanical dimming shutters. These are a great alternative to traditional metal halide lamps.
LED Followspots are portable and easy to set up and tear down. They can be powered by a standard dimmer pack or a power supply with DMX control. Some LED spots come with a built in CTO filter to lower the color temperature to match traditional tungsten halogen fixtures. They also have a mechanical iris for focus and a single gobo slot for projection.
CantoUSA’s bright modular, easy to use follow spots are perfect for schools, theater, professional theater, touring and houses of worship. They come with everything you need to start your show including a quick-change system for lens and iris. They are available in a variety of brightness levels to suit your venue and budget. Some feature manual LED Strobe Mobile Light zoom, 5 or 6 dichroic colors plus white, and mechanical dimming. They stay cool to the touch, are quiet and operate with very low heat output.
COLOR
Follow spot lights focus a beam of light on actors or props to highlight their movements. They also have other capabilities such as color changing and a shutter that allows the operator to control the movement of the beam. This can create a more eye-catching effect on stage and keep the audience’s attention on the action.
Whether you’re lighting a theatre, arena, concert hall or high school stage the quality of your follow spot is important. Our LED follow spots emit a tight, powerful beam and offer a choice of daylight white or rich saturated colors to suit your needs. They’re easy to set up and operate using a built-in CTO filter to lower the color temperature and provide a look comparable to traditional tungsten fixtures.
Ushio’s Sai-500 is a short and medium-throw LED follow spot that offers powerful daylight white output. Its 5800K color temperature shows costumes and backdrops as they were meant to be portrayed and is ideal for theatres, houses of worship, schools, and ballrooms. Its portable size and weight make it a great follow spot for touring productions as well. We also carry the award-winning GroundControl Best Boy LED family of followspots. Featuring a unique panel and handle design these units allow the operator to remotely control the pan/tilt, lens and shutter of the fixture.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature of a led follow spot light affects how much heat it produces, how bright the light is, and what kind of color it looks like. Choosing the right color temperature depends on the environment and activity you want to use the light for. For example, if you want your kitchen to look clean and bright, you should choose a white light with a low color temperature. On the other hand, if you want to be more productive in your office, you should choose a blue light with a high color temperature.
In addition to being more energy efficient than traditional followspots, LED follow spots offer a variety of additional benefits. They typically have instant on/off capabilities, which eliminates warm-up and cool-down times. They also have a longer lifespan, which reduces maintenance costs and the frequency of lamp replacements.
If you need to change the focus of your beam, most LED follow spot lights have mechanical iris controls that let you adjust the size of the beam. They can also be adjusted by DMX, which gives you more control over the lighting effects. This allows your spotlight operator to focus on tracking performers and cueing transitions, rather than worrying about the details of changing the light settings. This can make a huge difference in how quickly you can get the show up and running, so that your audience doesn’t miss a beat.
DISCHARGE
The discharge in LED follow spot lights is the light output from the LED package. This varies between different manufacturers and products, but is generally in the tens of watts range. In a LED fixture, the discharge is generated by an array of individual phosphor-converted LED packages that are controlled and powered by an embedded electronic driver. This allows the operator to control the output in terms of color, correlated color temperature and the power distribution across the spectrum.
This means that LED followspots can provide a much wider color choice, greater power efficiency and a longer lifespan than traditional discharge fixtures. They are also able to deliver more advanced control options and features to create unique lighting expressions.
The job of a follow spot operator requires a lot of skill and stamina. The Moving head light supplier ability to watch the stage and performers, listen to and act on cues, and keep track of all the gear is essential. Follow spot operators are often required to work long hours and attend technical rehearsals.
A good follow spot should have a manual zoom, 5 or 6 dichroic colors plus white, mechanical dimming, and iris control to give you the creative freedom needed for your show. The oZ from Robert Juliat is a powerful long-throw LED followspot that offers a full suite of professional features. It’s also compact, quiet, and easy to set up.