HOW UP-LIGHTING WORKS
The Concept-
Up-lighting is the art of painting with light to create a truly magical background for the most beautiful & well planned event. Uplighting brings your wedding or special event to life by capturing key focal points, architecture, corners & walls, & creates an inviting entertaining space.The secret lies in the style of lighting, where to place the lighting, and using it to enhance and boost the beautiful aspects of your event.
Lights are placed at floor level facing walls or element of room you would like to illuminate. Depending on whether you want a focused beam of light, a diffuse spread of color, or lighting entire walls, SHOCK & AWE Productions can suggest the appropriate lights for the job. Most clients want to add color to the room, or recreate an effect they’ve seen in pictures, magazine or on TV. We can help you put together a package to meet your needs & brainstorm the possibilities that fit within your vision and budget.
Up-lighting Fixtures
LED Lighting-
LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) are the latest in event lighting. They emit virtually no heat, have very saturated, deep colors & are easy to customize to the desired look. LED’s are made up of
individual red, green and blue (RGB) lights, that when combined in different intensities blend together to create just about any color imaginable. These fixtures are very lightweight, enabling
them to be used on stands, trussing, floor, & just about anywhere conceivable. SHOCK & AWE Productions uses LED lighting almost exclusively for events we provide up lighting for. These are the safest & most environmentally friendly lighting options because there are no safety issues & draw very little energy.
Traditional PAR Cans-
Traditionally the industry has used stage lights or PAR’s (Parabolic Aluminized Reflector) to uplight weddings & events. These are bright white lights that have a “gel’ or colored plastic film placed over the light. These lights are limited to one color at a time, but very effective in concentrating specific throws of light. They do run hotter than LEDs & burn more energy, but can create certain designs not obtained with LEDs.
Up-lighting Effects
Just understanding what is possible with up-lighting is helpful. Here are some basic effects achievable with up-lighting:
Color Wash-
The most popular effect is to provide washes of color or multiple colors around a room. They can either be set to a static color or fade through multiple colors at varying speeds. You may want a static color as guests arrive, & while eating dinner, but have the lights slowly fade through the entertainment portion of the evening if you choose. SHOCK & AWE can provide a DJ with sound suitable for your event as well!
Highlights-
A focused beam of colored light on certain aspects of the room adds a dramatic look! Having beams of light to add more focus to the cake, sponsor merchandise, columns or aspects of the
room may be a good fit. Focused beams of light on exits & entrances of the room is a nice detail.
Over Table Lighting-
Maybe you would like to add touches of colored lighting to each of the tables. With LED lighting we project colored light on their tables, to create a high-end atmosphere or elegant feel to the room.
Under Table Lighting-
This effect can look really great with a cocktail bar or tables. Having white linens on the table and placing a light underneath, can add a wash of color to make it stand out as the focal point or “head table”.
Dance Lighting-
LED’s can slowly fade through a number of colors, quickly change colors, strobe, or move to the beat of the music. Each of these effects may be nice for dancing. With a special controller we can operate & pre-program effects so the lighting will be exactly what you expect. SHOCK & AWE also has a complete selection of dance lighting to accompany our uplighting package.
Architectural Up-lighting
Lighting up the entrance/exit of the room or venue can be a nice effect for photos & guests. If you want a really unique look, we can place lighting on the outside of the venue, or LED lighting inside, which will give that “Cinderella” effect for all to enjoy!
