The most commonly know lighting instrument
Used to highlight and follow a single performer onstage
Require certain skillset to operate smoothly
Can have a variety of colors that can be inserted with the flip of a lever, as well as an iris, gate, dowser, and focus control

A versatile, compact, lightweight, and reasonably inexpensive lighting instrument
Excellent for top light, backlight, and general washes.
Most commonly used as a fill light

A fresnel lens maintains the curvature and prescription of a large convex lens in a much thinner version. The curve is stepped back toward the flat side at regular intervals. This is less expensive to produce, and allows more even heat distribution through the glass. This protects the lens from expansion and contraction. The trade-off is a fuzzier/softer field

F = Fuzzy/Fill Fresnel

Stands for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector
The body of a par can is nothing but a metal shell for the lamp, which includes a lens and reflector in it
A parabolic reflector produces a narrow shaft of light
The glass over the front of the lamp is divided into cells, which spread the shaft sideways

A par lamp is a lot like a car headlight
By putting different versions of the lamp into the instrument, the beam can be wide, medium, narrow, and very narrow

Turning the lamp can modify the orientation of the field however you want

Can do a lot, and can be very precise
Accepts gobos and irises, and have built in shutters for shaping and clipping the field

Ellipsoidals require a degree of maintenance and finesse; they are less easy to use than other types of instruments, and are slightly more expensive

Stands for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector
The body of a par can is nothing but a metal shell for the lamp, which includes a lens and reflector in it
A parabolic reflector produces a narrow shaft of light
The glass over the front of the lamp is divided into cells, which spread the shaft sideways

A par lamp is a lot like a car headlight
By putting different versions of the lamp into the instrument, the beam can be wide, medium, narrow, and very narrow

Turning the lamp can modify the orientation of the field however you want

Strip lights are units with multiple lamps which, through color and control, allow new colors to be mixed
Stip lights are good for lighting cycloramas, and are effective toplights
Strip lights can light a cyc standalone or in conjunction with cyc lights (Panels)

Strip lights are wired so that a single elctrical circuit can control a single color. In a tricircuit strip, it would be standard to have red on the first, blue on the second, and green on the third

Colors rely on distance to mix properly. Otherwise the colors will appear seperately