Klieg light
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[edit] Film
A klieg light is an intense carbon arc lamp especially used in filmmaking. It is named after inventor John H. Kliegl. Modern klieg lights use a tungsten-halogen filament. They usually have a fresnel lens or ellipsoidal lens. The carbon-arc source was so bright that it allowed film directors to make "day" at night, which also heralded the era of blinding actors – a term coined as "Klieg eye".
[edit] Stage
The trade name for a spotlight that was manufactured by the Kliegl Brother’s lighting company. In the early days of spotlights, the name became synonymous with any ellipsoidal reflector spotlight, another carbon-arc source or any bright source. Initially developed for film, the Klieglight was adapted to an incandescent stage fixture in 1911.
Although not completely certain, the tile of the first ERS often goes to the 1933 Klieglight, which was first used to light an outdoor pageant in New York. Century Lighting introduced their Lekolite in the same year.
The Universal Electric Stage Lighting Company, Kliegl Bros. Props. was founded in 1896 and grew to be the largest stage lighting company. The company closed in the 1990s.
Tradenames often become part of backstage vernacular. Leko, Klieg, "six-by", Source four, etc are terms all referring to an ERS.
[edit] See Also
- Actinic conjunctivitis - eye condition caused by overexposure to these lights
