Existing light shows
So to get a really god idea of the kind of thing I am after I have decided to look at imagery and video available online that demonstrates what I have in my head. As I regularly go to events I am used to the light shows and know roughly what is needed, but I need my audience to also understand what I am trying to achieve, albeit on a much smaller scale than these big events.
This show is just epic, and where as I will have no where near as much space to spread my lights across, nor anywhere near the amount of people there or in fact the budget and quality of the equipment they have in this video. At the end of the day I only have available to me what I can hire around Bournemouth, and as some of the lighting in this video is extremely specialist and high quality I just will not quite get the same effect. But as you can see, as with all my tests as well, beams strobes and lasers are always the most prominent and interesting for the crowd to keep entertained. Really really love the span of these lasers, the glitchyness, they are neither here nor there at any one point just jumping about to the music. This helps build up movement for the crowd too. They have a variety of colours available to their lasers, which is something to consider, but as I have already researched my lights I know I will only be able to get 2 colours max into the space I will be using. I’d love to try something on this scale one day.
Again this gives you a good picture of how the lasers move around each other creating atmosphere and an object for the ravers to concentrate on. I would get rather boring just watching the DJ so an accompanying light show helps take off that edge and loosen peoples inhibitions, once there is something to focus on people are not so bothered about being watched themselves. The beams are also an important factor, as they act to light up the stage a bit more, projecting the performance out towards the crowd. If there were only lasers the room would be too dark, so the beams also act as a sort of ambient lighting to wash over the experience, as some people are uncomfortable in the pitch black. Although you don’t want to be seen in a rave you still need to know you can see whats going on around you should you need to.
Here are some pictures of how I would like my lasers and lights to come out like, bearing in mind mine will be on a smaller scale and so be using less light sources, but its the effect and composition thats most important to try and replicate:
