Intelligent lighting boards are popular ways for lighting technicians to control LED effect lighting and standard stage wash lighting as well. This type of lighting uses standard three- or five-pin DMX cables that are normally used to connect microphones to mixing boards. You can chain intelligent lights together and get an entire line of lights doing the same thing at the same time. The helpful thing to remember about intelligent lighting boards is that most of them can be programmed. Trying to find the exact setting on an intelligent light during a show can be difficult, but if you take the time to program your intelligent lighting board then you can create visually pleasing effects on the fly.
If you have ever seen a lighting control center you may notice rows and rows of sliders that are used for the intelligent lights, and then you may also see banks of buttons all in a row with LED indicators to tell whether the button is being used or not. The bank of buttons are normally on/off lighting controllers, and they do what their name says they do; they turn lights on and off. These kinds of controllers can be good for effect lighting such as strobes that just turn on and off, and they can also be helpful with stationary spot lights that just go on and off when needed. You can also get foot pedal boards that allow you to control on/off lights from the stage.
Choreography is not limited to dance routines; it can also be used when programming a light show. The easiest way to use lighting boards is when you know what effects you want and you understand what cues are to be used for certain scenes. Take the time to choreograph your light show so that you will know exactly how you will need to interact with your lighting boards when the show is going on. Being prepared can help reduce mistakes and increase the quality of the show.