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You're looking for a way to add visual excitement to a church event, such as a children's program, a short dramatic skit, a choir concert, or a guest speaker. You could:

• ? Move beams of light across the stage area
• ? Keep the beams stationary but add a spinning gobo
• ? Light up the scene one beam at a time
• ? Focus on the choir, changing colors with various numbers and spotlighting soloists as they take the lead.

All of these lighting effects plus a whole lot more can be programmed into and operated from a single console, thanks to intelligent lighting fixtures.

Movable Lights
Intelligent lighting, also called movable lighting, refers to fixtures that offer multiple lighting effects. Even though movable lighting has been around for several years, particularly in concert halls, theaters, and auditoriums, it's now becoming more popular in churches to use in everything from morning worship and afternoon programs to Easter pageants and Christian rock concerts.

Early on, moving lights controlled the movement of a light beam through a special console designed for such fixtures. Beams of light projected different shapes, depending on a variety of gobos, and took on different colors, depending on a variety of color filters.

The moving fixtures of today still offer yesterday's functions; however, ease of operation has enhanced their overall performance, and new features are giving them a more high-tech look. Some of the new additions:

? Spinning gobos. A gobo is a small metal or glass disc that can be inserted into an intelligent lighting fixture. The pattern carved in the gobo will cut the projected light beam into the same pattern as the gobo.

Former models of moving lights held gobos, but the pattern was stationary when projected. Spinning gobos add movement to the beams. The rotating gobo makes the projected image rotate. Some moving lights will project two gobo patterns at the same time while rotating one. This is called gobo stacking.

Spinning gobos can be used to create subtle movement. For example, if the choir is singing "Let It Snow," a spinning gobo can create the effect of falling snow. A spinning gobo with a geometric pattern projected at an audience will make people feel as though they're in a time tunnel.

Custom logo gobos are also available. These are popular with churches and companies that want to project their logo onto smooth surfaces such as floors, walls, or screens. A spinning custom gobo is very interactive when shining on the floor of a church entrance.

Companies such as Rosco and Apollo offer precut and custom gobos. Standard metal gobos start at about $12 each.

? Color mixing. Colored filters placed in a color wheel change the color of the light that movable fixtures project, offering the flexibility to change colors almost instantly.

Note: The use of color in lighting is a bit tricky; merely changing the hue can make people think they're seeing something different. Color can also dramatically change the mood of a presentation. You may want to consult a lighting designer for suggestions on how to program color for your worship service or a special program.

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