Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Effective stage lighting not only lets the spectators
see the action of the play but also ties together
all the visual elements of the production
It also helps create an appropriate mood and
atmosphere that heighten the audience’s
understanding and enjoyment of the play
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Controllable Qualities of Light
Learning how to see—to understand
how light shapes and modifies
people and objects—is absolutely
essential in learning to understand
lighting design
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Controllable Qualities of Light
Distribution
Intensity
Movement
Color
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Controllable Qualities of Light
Distribution
Distribution refers to several elements
The direction from which the light approaches
an area, actor, or object
The shape and size of the area that the light is
covering
The quality of the light—its diffusion and clarity
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Controllable Qualities of Light
Intensity
Intensity is the actual amount, or level
of brightness, of light that strikes the
stage or actor
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Controllable Qualities of Light
Movement
Movement can be divided into three general categories
The timed duration of the light cues
The movement of onstage lights
The movement of an offstage light source
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Controllable Qualities of Light
Color
Color is an extremely powerful tool of the designer
The judicious use of appropriately tinted light can
assist the audience’s understanding of and
reaction to the play
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Functions of Stage Light
Visibility
Stage lighting needs to make everything on
stage clearly visible to the spectators
The number of lighting instruments and
other sources used to light a scene, the
color of those lights, and their directions
and intensity, all affect visibility
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Functions of Stage Light
Selective Focus
Selective focus means directing the
spectators’ attention to a specific place
The primary method is by manipulation
our instinctive response to light
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Functions of Stage Light
Modeling
Modeling is the revealing of the form of an object
through the pattern of highlight and shadow that
is reflected from the object to the eye
The distribution and intensity of the light will
determine our visual understanding of that object
Direction is the primary element used in modeling,
although it is also affected by intensity,
movement, and color
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Functions of Stage Light
Mood
Creating a mood with light is one of the easiest
and most difficult aspects of stage lighting
Within the parameters of the production concept,
stage lighting is usually designed to enhance the
mood of the play as unobtrusively as possible
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Designing with Light
Varying the direction of
light affects the face
of an actor
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Designing with Light
Surrounding an actor with
a number of light sources
provides the potential for
modeling with light
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Designing with Light
Key and Fill
These terms are frequently used to describe
the relationship between the direction and
relative intensity of light striking objects
Key light is the brightest light on the scene
Fill light is used to fill the shadows created by
the key light
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Designing with Light
Psychological Effects of Light
The concepts of good and evil are often associated
with light and darkness
When a scene is lit with dark and murky shadows,
most people instinctively react with a sense of
foreboding
The direction from which light strikes an object has
a direct effect on our perception of that object
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related Paperwork
The Light Plot
The light plot is a scale mechanical drawing that indicates
where the lighting instruments should be placed
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Lighting Section
The lighting section is a scale
drawing that isn’t really a
sectional drawing
It is a composite side view
drawing that shows the position
of lighting equipment in relation
to the set and the physical
structure of the theatre
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Legend
A legend, or instrument key, provides
complete identification information about
each instrument used on the plot
The legend should also contain an
explanation of the peripheral information
that is associated with each instrument
symbol
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
Instrument schedule—
a form used to record
all of the technical data
about each instrument
used in the production
The Legend
Instrument Number
Each instrument needs to be assigned an
identification number so that it can be
cross-referenced with the instrument
schedule, or hookup sheet
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Legend
Focus Area
The focus area for each instrument is
identified by a large letter placed in front
of the lens housing the symbol for that
instrument
The letter corresponds to the same letter
that identifies a specific lighting area on
the light plot
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Legend
Circuit Number
The circuit number identifies the stage
circuit into which the lighting
instrument should be plugged
This decision is left up to the master
electrician
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Legend
Dimmer Number
The dimmer number identifies the
specific dimmer that will control the
instruments
This decision may be left up to the
master electrician
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Legend
Channel Number
The channel number identifies the
control channel to which the
dimmer will be assigned
This decision is left up to the master
electrician
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Legend
Instrument Color
The instrument color number refers
to the specific color media that
will be used with that particular
instrument
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Light Plot and Related
Paperwork
The Instrument Schedule
The instrument schedule is a
specification sheet that contains
everything you need to know
about every instrument used on
the production
Also known as the hookup sheet
All of the paperwork required in
lighting design can be generated
with computer programs
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Image of Light
The image of light is a picture or
concept of what the light
should look like for production
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Image of Light
The Lighting Key
The analysis of the image of light to
determine its controllable qualities is
not just an idle intellectual exercise
The lighting designer codifies that
information to create the lighting key
The lighting key is a drawing that
indicates the plan angle and color of
the various sources that illuminate
the image of light
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Image of Light
The Lighting Key
Acting and Lighting Areas
A lighting area is a cylindrical space
approximately 8 to 12 feet in diameter
and 7 feet tall
To achieve a smooth wash of light
throughout an acting area, it is
necessary to overlap individual lighting
areas by approximately one-third
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Image of Light
The Lighting Key
Acting and Lighting Areas
A lighting area is a cylindrical space
approximately 8 to 12 feet in
diameter and 7 feet tall
To achieve a smooth wash of light
throughout an acting area, it is
necessary to overlap individual
lighting areas by approximately
one-third
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Image of Light
Layering
A lighting design exists in times as
well as space
Creating a temporal development in
the lighting design requires that
some method of creating that
time-based element be designed
into the light plot
Layering is primarily an
organizational tool that designs
layers of light
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
The Image of Light
Designing Lights for Thrust and Arena
Stages
It is not significantly different from designing for a
proscenium theatre
The only difference is the location of the audience
It is the lighting designer’s responsibility to light the
stage so that all of the spectators are able to see
the production well
In arena staging, the instruments are hung closer
to the actors
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Drawing the Light Plot and Lighting Section
The lighting designer needs drawings and files from other
members of the production design team before he and she
can start to draw the light plot
In addition to sketches, models, or photos of the scenic models,
the LD needs the following:
Ground plans of the scenic designer
Sectionals of the scenic design
Scale ground plan of the stage and auditorium
Sectional of the stage and auditorium
Layout or, and specifications for, the stage lighting systems of the theatre
Accurate inventory of the theatre’s lighting equipment and rental budget
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Drawing the Light Plot and
Lighting Section
Determining the Sectional Angle
The sectional angles of most lighting
instruments is usually somewhere
between 30 and 60 degrees
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Drawing the Light Plot and
Lighting Section
Selecting Instrument Size
Lighting instruments provide
beam and field angle
templates that are simple
triangular, scale, acetate or
cardboard templates that
contain the throw distance
and the beam and field
angles of the light emitted by
each instrument
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Rehearsal and Performance Procedures
Electrician’s Cue Sheet
The board operator’s bible
Contains the primary operating instructions for every
lighting cue
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Rehearsal and Performance
Procedures
Recording Dimmer Intensity Levels
There are two methods of recording
lighting cues
Electronically—electronic cue storage
allows you to electronically store the
intensity levels of each dimmer that is
used in each cue and the time
associated with each cue
Manual or preset—a preset sheet is used
to record the intensity levels for each
dimmer during major shifts in lighting
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Rehearsal and Performance
Procedures
Designer’s Cue Sheet
Also known as the cheat sheet, it is a
form that identifies the function of the
lights associated with each channel or
dimmer and provides a space for
recording intensity levels
These sheets should be kept in a looseleaf binder so cures can be easily
added and deleted
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Rehearsal and Performance
Procedures
Lighting Rehearsal
The lighting rehearsal is devoted to setting
the intensity levels and timing for each
lighting cure
The lighting designer, electrician, stage
manager, and the director are the only
people needed at this rehearsal
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Rehearsal and Performance
Procedures
Technical and Dress Rehearsals
Changes and adjustments to the timing,
content, and positioning of lighting
cures are normal during the technical
and dress rehearsals
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.
Chapter 12: Lighting Design
Rehearsal and Performance
Procedures
Instrument and Dimmer Check
Several routine equipment checks
should be conducted before each
technical or dress rehearsal and
each performance
All dimmers and instruments need to
be checked to determine that they
are functioning properly
A check sheet can aid in this
process
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.