A piece of
metal with a pattern cut into it, placed between the
lamp and the first
lens in a
theatrical lighting instrument. Gobos may be bought pre-cut, with images of
clouds,
trees,
stars,
windows, or vaguely random patterns (``break-up''). They can also be custom-
cut. The result is the casting of a particular shadow on
actors,
set and
stage.
The simplest ingredients for a gobo are an aluminium pie tin and an X-acto knife.