Using gobos, rotation and prism well
A gobo is a small stencil inside a moving head that shapes the beam into a pattern. Add rotation and a prism and one head can give you many different pictures, as long as you use the three tools on purpose.
Three tools, three jobs
- Gobo: gives the beam a shape. It turns a blob of light into a picture on the wall or floor.
- Rotation: brings the gobo to life, even when the head itself is still.
- Prism: splits the beam into several beams. That fills the room and is mainly one for the big moments.
Think of them as separate layers. You don't have to use all three at once. A gobo with slow rotation often works better than everything together.
Where in the song?
Gobos don't have to wait for the finale. They work in verses and intros too, as long as they suit the music.
- Intro and verse: a calm gobo, with no rotation or slow rotation.
- Breakdown: a slowly turning gobo in a dark room is a lovely resting point.
- Chorus: a new pattern, and the rotation can speed up.
- Peak: prism, fast rotation and plenty of movement. This combination wears out quickly, so save it.
- Dinner and reception: at most one calm, static gobo on a wall or ceiling.
Which pattern?
Soft patterns such as dots and flowers suit romantic, calm songs. Hard, jagged patterns suit loud ones. Change the pattern from one song part to the next, and use different combinations in each song. Otherwise every song ends up looking alike, see Why variety matters.
Making sure it shows
A gobo needs a surface or haze in the air. Without haze you only see the picture on the floor and walls, no beam. More in Fog and haze.
Change gobos while the head is dark. A wheel visibly spinning through its slots looks sloppy. Dark heads are also the right moment for a new position.
Step by step
- Select the moving heads under “Set single fixtures” and choose the time range under “When”, for example the chorus.
- Tap a gobo under “Gobo, rotation & prism”. “open” means no gobo.
- Set “Gobo rotating” to “slow”, or to “medium” or “fast” for big moments. For the peak, choose a prism under “Prism”.
- Tap “Apply to selection”. Details are in Setting gobo, rotation and prism.
- For all heads at once: Effect lanes → “Master · whole show” → “Generator” tab → “Gobo for all moving heads (attribute cue)” → “Set gobo cue”. This only works if your project has Attribute Cues for gobos.
- For song shows, “Suggest a concept” proposes a gobo and rotation for each song part, and the “Variety check” shows whether there's enough variety.
- If your client dislikes a pattern, set it to “⛔ Never” in the show rules.
Questions
Sharpness depends on the distance to the surface. In a Static Look you set the focus under Gobo, prism & more.
The pictures come from the fixture profile. If it's wrong, read Missing gobo images.
No. Droplit doesn't offer what your fixture can't do.
More from “Lighting know-how”
- Colors that work togetherGood shows get by with few colors. Two main colors plus white as an accent cover most of a song. What matters is which two you pick and where they land.free to read
- Why variety mattersA show works through contrast. If every light runs all the time, everything ends up looking the same and the big moment gets lost. Dark, calm stretches are what make a peak feel big.free to read
- Building a song show: from intro to dropA good song show retells the song: it starts small, opens up in the chorus, takes a breath in the middle and saves the brightest moment for the end. Droplit builds this arc by itself. Once you know how it works, you can fix things with more purpose.free to read
- Lead your moving heads, don't just wave themMoving heads get noticed right away. If they circle all the time, the show looks restless. Well-led heads often stand still, change position with purpose and move when the music calls for it.free to read
- Uplights in the room: putting color on the wallsUplights stand on the floor and light the walls. They give the room its base color and often stay on when everything else goes dark. That makes them the foundation of every show.free to read