The ellipsoidal (also called a LEKO) is one of our most basic and widely used lighting instruments. These are mainly used on the beams (the pipes over the audience, accessed via the catwalks). Ellipsoidals have several important characteristics:
1. The reflector and lenses are set up to provide a well defined, sharp-edged beam of light.
2. The instruments are set up to "throw" light long distances.
3. The instruments have shutters which allow us to shape the light into geometric shapes, e.g., squares, rectangles, or trapezoidal type shapes.
4. Most ellipsoidals can hold "gobos," such as the one to your right. A gobo is a thin metal sheet into
which a pattern has been cut. The light shines through the gobo projecting the pattern onstage.
5. Some ellipsoidals have irises which allow us to enlarge or shrink the size of the light circle.
6. All ellipsoidals can accept a gel frame, allowing us to use gel (a plastic material used to color the light) to create different colors onstage.
7. We can adjust the focus of the light so we can have a pool of light with a very sharp defined edge, or we can soften it to allow for a bright pool with very soft edges.
8. Ellipsoidals come in a variety of sizes designed for different length throws.
