Rosco Spectrum: I am guilty of using favored colors in repetition – I freely admit it. As lighting designers, where do we find inspiration for new colors? For me, it’s been seeing the Rosco Color of the Week posts on Rosco’s Facebook Page. I’ve been taking the feeling of the colors from the highlighted work and trying to find a way to match them in my designs. They also give me great ideas for different color combinations and contrasts I’ve never considered before.
7 comments:
Inspiration can really come from anywhere. I found it really awesome that the lighting designer got his color inspiration from color filter pictures. It’s odd and random but makes a lot of sense. I was really excited to see how he took the color combinations from the color filter post and transferred to his lighting designs for productions. The side by side pictures gives insight into how he morphed those colors and made it a cohesive lighting design. However, what I found the most interesting in the article was how Wilson said: “I’ve been taking the feeling of the colors from the highlighted work and trying to find a way to match them in my designs.” While it’s important to extrapolate the aesthetics of the color combinations, the feeling evoked by it is also important to note down. The colors have to match the emotional intensity of the scene or whatever that is going on with the actors on stage. Potentially, you could draw inspiration from any image that has great use of color!
If I have a vague idea for a project, but am unsure of how to get started, or get out of a sticking point, I personally love to look at what other people have done with similar ideas and mediums. I think that these Rosco Colors of the Week photos are very helpful, because in my experience with the very small amount of lighting design I have done, it is hard to gauge how a gel color will look like on stage when just looking at the piece of translucent plastic. These photos give an accurate portrayal of how the light looks in an environment – as seen compared with the designers photos – and therefore are very helpful for designers trying to figure out is a gel is right for them. I guess a caveat here to using images and other’s examples of work as inspiration is that you must make sure that you are not copying their work, because then that is copyright infringement.
Personally, I am a big fan of Rosco brand gels when it comes to non-LED fixtures. It is what I was taught to use in high school. I had no idea that there was a Rosco Color of the Week including source images with a gel color somewhere in the picture. I am now following the hashtag on instagram and facebook so I can source some inspiration from them just as the author of this article has. While he did not necessarily always stick to the exact gel that Rosco had as their color of the week for his work, he took that color and found matching colors. Due to the fact that the gel is sourced from a larger scale image, some inspiration came from the overall image, not just the specific gel. I look forward to being able to use the Rosco Color of the week in my future lighting designs.
Color palettes are some of my favorite things to look at. There are few things more satisfying than scrolling through a catered catalog or album, knowing each palette will be pleasing to the eyes and there will be a wonder in every thumbnail. Color has the potential to elicit emotionally charged reactions when applied with a tasteful hand; that is what makes lighting design so interesting. Second only to scenic design, lights are what I pay the most attention to in a production. They create atmosphere where scenic (in a box set, at the very least), and often sound, cannot, such as season and time of day, such as energy and emotion, such as emphasis. I have not the multi-track mind nor the knowledge to design lights in all its grandiosity or its subtlety, but I do so enjoy seeing them unfold, and more so enjoy hearing the origins of an artist's inspiration for their design.
I am so fascinated by color. I love studying color relationships and how one color affects another. My favorite design strategy is the use of complementary colors. They are a great way to show contrast in a storyline because complementary colors, such as red and green, "cancel" each other out when mixed. Because I admire these color relationships, I tend to use complementary colors quite often in my designs. This article is interesting because it offers a great way to expand my color palette. Colors are known to evoke emotions, and because of that, it is natural to have colors that are our personal favorite. If I need to express sadness, I think of grays and dark blues. If I need to express happiness, I think of highly primary colors. However, if I need to express peace, I think of pastels. However, these impulsive thoughts of colors may not fit the characters and story I am designing for. By giving myself an outlet to remind myself that other colors exist beyond the ones I frequently use, I can better translate the themes and characters' emotions through my color palettes.
It's really no surprise that this designer takes inspiration from Rosco's color of the week. More likely than not, that was the purpose of the initiative from the very beginning. Rosco posted the pictures to draw people in the moods and hues of their gels. It's all just a marketing tactic. The fact that is article was written at least proves that Rosco's plan worked. It inspired beautifully saturated designs that were created with other Rosco gels if not the precise color referenced. Having now seen and subscribed to the Rosco color of the week it's really no surprise that it's inspired such beautiful work. The pictures use of line, color, and aesthetic creates an enviable atmosphere that begs to be repurposed and spread. Inspiration comes from everywhere. Whether you base your show on a color palette or the cross-section of a lime it's all the gateway to amazing art.
I had no idea that this existed, but I find that it’s a really great concept. In high school, we used Rosco gels and I always found myself going towards colors that I have used before for a couple main reasons. First, it was what we had in inventory, but more importantly it is what I was comfortable with. It’s always so interesting to see how different types of gels are used and what applications they are being used in. It is also great to step out of your comfort zone and these pictures that provide visual examples of the actual gel make that easier for the designer to do. This may seem like a very trivial social media movement, but I really do think it could help inspire a lot of designers who might not know that this exists. It could help to create some really amazing designs and could help with designers trying some new techniques and styles.
Post a Comment