Follow Spots

What is a follow spot?

A Follow Spot is a powerful theater light used to 'follow' actors, stand-up comedians, singers, magicians, or other performers around the stage. They are operated by a human follow spot operator. Most follow spots use arcs or the more powerful xenon arc lamps to produce a sharp, white Lights.

Typically, a follow spot includes:

• A powerful lamp
• A manually focused lens
• A manual dimming device
• An "iris" to adjust the size of the spot / angle of the beam
• A color wheel or "boomerang" consisting of several frames that can be swung in front of the beam
• Sometimes a "sight" is added to the follow spot, so the operator can more easily aim down at the stage.

On certain follow spots, there is also the option to mount gobos.

Where is the follow spot placed?

Follow spots can, for example, be placed at the back of the theater and aimed at the stage at the other end of the hall. This placement can become problematic because the audience may be distracted by fan noise, or the spot operator speaks into their headset microphone, which is why there is often an attempt to place the spot as far away from the audience as possible. In circuses and sports, follow spots may be placed around the tent, covering both sides and the ends. For a concert, they can be placed in the "light tent" if the event, for example, takes place outdoors. Some concerts use professional spots on a professional rig downwards, but closer to catwalk spots in a catwalk layout in an amphitheater style. Elsewhere, spot placements are drawn in by the architect who designed the venue.