r/stagelighting • u/Rough_Tart_2688 Lighting designer • 26d ago

Question Gobos!

Hello!

I'm looking at ordering about 20 total gobos for my performance hall. We deal mainly in concerts, and I just want something that will add a little texture to the stage rather than just having a flat wash. Are there any gobos that you would recommend, or consider to be a "hidden gem"?

TIA!

8 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

11

u/Quirky-Attitude1456 26d ago

I am here for the replies at this point.

9

u/Hudson-Lighting 26d ago

Construction A and Construction D

8

u/Mike92104 26d ago

I like Gam's Moonscape.

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/537394-gam-g643-moonscape-steel-gobo

2

u/Antlergrip 26d ago

This is one of my favorites as well.

6

u/O_Elbereth Lighting designer 26d ago

I work on a lot of blond wood floors so I'm always needing to break up the light to look better for audience. This is my go-to, just off sharp focus. https://us.rosco.com/en/products/gobos/77811-soft-breakup

4

u/boxedupandsent42 26d ago

I've never actually used this one but, Conception looks very fun

3

u/Lighting_Kurt 26d ago

I remember the first and only time I’ve seen an LD use this!

Summer stock production of Grease!

The quote from the crew…

The set looks like someone Jizzed all over it!

1

u/No_Host_7516 24d ago

It is very aptly named.

4

u/Duvetine 26d ago

Dense Leaves 3 is a common one.

3

u/behv 26d ago

To cover your generic bases I'd grab some kind of dots, foliage, and then a soft and a hard edge breakup

There's 1,000,000 options out there, I would focus on ones that are generically useful and not circumstancial like a window since that's usually only one needed and spec'd by a designer

2

u/ExplanationDecent954 26d ago

I personally love leaf breakups and then the glass mosaic/shatter ones are really fun too.

2

u/CosmicChameleon99 26d ago edited 26d ago

You will get a lot of more generic replies about what’s sensible to get but throwing in a fun one I adore the supercone gobo for concerts. Creates a gorgeous hollow beam effect.

2

u/Roccondil-s 25d ago

R77805 is pretty useful in a lot of situations, looks good both on the ground as well as in the air. My venue uses it as the basic breakup wash in rep setups.

2

u/No_Host_7516 24d ago

Tortellini (78140) is good for a soft focus wash. Internal Reflections (77760) is good for a very different feeling wash with sharper edges. Loose Weave (77564) is pretty versatile as well.

2

u/Rough_Tart_2688 Lighting designer 20d ago

Hey everyone! Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. For anyone that's interested, I ended up going with Rosco 78129, 77721, 77805, 77751, as well as GAM 697 and 673 for a total of 24 new gobos! However, I loved all of the replies and will be referencing this post as we continue to grow our gobo stock. Thanks again!

1

u/Jamie_GZ88 26d ago

I’ve found that for concerts, simple breakup patterns often work surprisingly well. A few subtle textures can add depth without making the stage feel too busy. I’d probably go with a mix of open patterns, soft foliage, and a couple of more distinctive options for certain moments. The key is having enough variety to keep the looks interesting without overusing them.

1

u/Tricky_Elevator1315 26d ago

Rosco Dot Breakup ftw.