A work call, often several hours long, when the designer stands on stage, usually with a focus chart, and calls out instructions one channel at a time while an electrician on a ladder or lift makes adjustments. Common commands include hot spot here, flood it, shutter off the proscenium and lock it off. A well-organized focus call is quiet, systematic and keeps the board op bringing up channels in plot order.
Focus call starts at 8, bring the lift, the side lights on the first boom need the most work.
Also heard as
- focus
- focus session
Related terms
Hang and focus
The work of installing every fixture on the light plot, then aiming and shaping each one for the show.
Leko
Theater slang for an ellipsoidal reflector spotlight, the hard-edged fixture with shutters and a gobo slot.
Board op
The person who runs the lighting console during performances, executing cues on the stage manager's call.
Fresnel
A soft-edged spotlight with a stepped Fresnel lens whose beam can be adjusted from spot to flood.