Sometimes you can get a lot of lighting bang for not a lot of buck. You don’t have to have a ton of moving lights to make a powerful statement. Here are some attachments and accessories to help you enhance your church lighting system.

Color Scrollers

Color Scrollers attach to the front of a lighting instrument and allow you to change the color from your lighting console. The scrollers pictured are the Smart Color from Apollo Design Technology. I own two of these and have been very happy with the way they perform. They are very quiet on the slow setting, and have an acceptable noise level on the fast setting. They are very easy to use, and very durable.

A color scroller increases the flexibility of a lighting instrument incredibly by allowing you up to 16 different colors instead of just the one gel frame. Backlight and sidelight positions benefit the most from color scrollers, as that is where you are most likely to have multiple different colors in one performance.

Gobos and Gobo Rotators

Gobos, often also called templates or patterns, are a great way to create scenery with light. If a scene takes place in an interior, you can use a window gobo to make it appear like the performer is standing inside looking out a window. Or you can use a series of leaf gobos to create a forest effect. For even more dynamic effects, you can add a gobo rotator, like this one from Apollo.

This Smart Move Rotator has selectable patterns of rotation and speeds. I use rotators a lot to create fire and water effects, as I can have two patterns rotating in opposition to each other, creating a gently or fast ripple effect. Couple that movement effect with the right gels and I’ve got either water or fire, depending on the colors I pick. Gobo rotators are a very inexpensive way to add movement to a lighting rig that may not be ready for moving lights. Gobo rotators usually have a speed control at the light, but some can be controlled through the lighting console.