A few notes I use for workshops, covering the basics to begin with, and some thoughts about what lighting should achieve.
Reasons for lighting (state the bleedin’obvious, and you have your own ideas I know, but it’s worth starting on the same wavelength)
this applies to visual performing arts, gigs a bit different
1a: to see the performers. e.g. if lighting a night time scene it needs to seem dark but still be easy to read people’s expressions
1b: to show off the set
2: to locate the action, e.g. night/day, interior/exterior, warm/cold, wooded glen, church, tower block
3: make it easy on the eye (literally and metaphorically!)
Reasons for lighting (state the bleedin’obvious, and you have your own ideas I know, but it’s worth starting on the same wavelength)
this applies to visual performing arts, gigs a bit different
1a: to see the performers. e.g. if lighting a night time scene it needs to seem dark but still be easy to read people’s expressions
1b: to show off the set
2: to locate the action, e.g. night/day, interior/exterior, warm/cold, wooded glen, church, tower block
3: make it easy on the eye (literally and metaphorically!)
Audience entrance to Wind in the Willows, Westacre
4a: Within 1, 2 + 3 to create atmosphere and mood and to manipulate emotions, much like background music in films
4b: again within the others to establish style, genre e.g. Gothic, Film Noir, comedy, Naturalistic, Rock
Balancing all four is the skill and point of lighting.
4b: again within the others to establish style, genre e.g. Gothic, Film Noir, comedy, Naturalistic, Rock
Balancing all four is the skill and point of lighting.
Keylight: Light from the supposed source e.g. sun, moon, electric bulb.
Fill: In the real world light bounces off walls, floors etc. In a theatre a shadow is very dark unless you lift it with a complimentary light to the keylight, from a different angle, in a different colour and at a lower intensity.
The angle of keylight on an object makes it interesting to look at. The balance of keylight and fill allows the effective visual projection of emotions.
Fill: In the real world light bounces off walls, floors etc. In a theatre a shadow is very dark unless you lift it with a complimentary light to the keylight, from a different angle, in a different colour and at a lower intensity.
The angle of keylight on an object makes it interesting to look at. The balance of keylight and fill allows the effective visual projection of emotions.
Lighting angles and a few gel numbers you can learn and use to impress (all numbers Lee filters).
Backlight
On its own for silhouette.
Essential in a wash. Visually, separates actors from the set by creating a halo so stage picture looks 3D.
On its own for silhouette.
Essential in a wash. Visually, separates actors from the set by creating a halo so stage picture looks 3D.
Angled Frontlight
Often keylight. Makes faces beautiful/expressive
Colours most often stocked by venues: 103 straw, 104 deep amber, 151 gold tint (warm), 117 steel blue, 118 light blue, 174 dark steel blue (cold), or open white
Muglight (flat frontlight)
Use sparingly. Too much flattens the features, bleaches out expressions and looks boring. Too little and actors’ expressions are not visible.
Can be useful for eliminating hotspots/dark patches.
Uplight
Sinister. Actors cast big shadows on set
Sidelight
On its own looks dramatic. Used in modern dance as it casts a shadow down the centre of whatever you’re looking at, drawing the eye to the outside of limbs.
Brings up haze more than other angles
Toplight
Does what it says on the tin. Useful for eliminating shadows on the floor. Creates a halo in a similar way to backlight.
Often keylight. Makes faces beautiful/expressive
Colours most often stocked by venues: 103 straw, 104 deep amber, 151 gold tint (warm), 117 steel blue, 118 light blue, 174 dark steel blue (cold), or open white
Muglight (flat frontlight)
Use sparingly. Too much flattens the features, bleaches out expressions and looks boring. Too little and actors’ expressions are not visible.
Can be useful for eliminating hotspots/dark patches.
Uplight
Sinister. Actors cast big shadows on set
Sidelight
On its own looks dramatic. Used in modern dance as it casts a shadow down the centre of whatever you’re looking at, drawing the eye to the outside of limbs.
Brings up haze more than other angles
Toplight
Does what it says on the tin. Useful for eliminating shadows on the floor. Creates a halo in a similar way to backlight.
Lanterns Adjustable beam angle: (can be made bigger or smaller)
Profile spot: Hard or soft edged
Generally used F.O.H. for wash or anywhere for specials.
Follow-spots are a movable profile.
Generally used F.O.H. for wash or anywhere for specials.
Follow-spots are a movable profile.
Pebble Convex (PC): Between profile and fresnel,
Fressnel: Soft-edged
The most common lantern in a wash, especially over stage
Fixed beam angle:
Parcan: Between fresnel and flood
Flood: Mostly used for lighting cycloramas
Also
Birdy: mini parcan
LED floods/parcans/fresnels: latest development in lanterns (last 5 years). Can be any colour, no need for gels. Slightly bland light, but useful in the right place.
Moving heads/intelligent lights do all sorts of wonderful things, with a variety of gobos, colours and effects. Introducing automated movement to light.
Effects projectors, gobo rotators:Project moving clouds, waves, fire etc
Fressnel: Soft-edged
The most common lantern in a wash, especially over stage
Fixed beam angle:
Parcan: Between fresnel and flood
Flood: Mostly used for lighting cycloramas
Also
Birdy: mini parcan
LED floods/parcans/fresnels: latest development in lanterns (last 5 years). Can be any colour, no need for gels. Slightly bland light, but useful in the right place.
Moving heads/intelligent lights do all sorts of wonderful things, with a variety of gobos, colours and effects. Introducing automated movement to light.
Effects projectors, gobo rotators:Project moving clouds, waves, fire etc
Gauze
Light on the front from the right angle hides what's behind, light behind reveals it. Can be used for startling effects, revealing ghosts, action in another place, or here, Santa!
Creating a Look
In the same way as a composer will use idées fixes and return to the same melody in different forms during a musical or opera, leitmotifs can be used in lighting on stage or screen. Always at least one, up to a four or five main and several minor ones if they’re contrasting but complimentary. Tie in with set/costume design and the production style as a whole.
Examples: Traffic: blue for America, orange for Mexico,
Shameless: greenish yellow streetlights alternating with cold northern sunlight,
Chicago: bright washes or flashes contrasting with film noir style (extreme lighting angles with no fill from opposite angle, so creating strong, sexy shadows),
Oh What a Lovely War: bright and cheerful pierrot vs cold, stark tableaux; gaslight; moody sidelit cabaret or backlit silhouettes.
We Will Rock You: crossed parcans
Newsnight interviews: straw frontlight and steel blue backlight
What every director should know
Primary colours of light are red, blue and green.
Red should be used sparingly as it does strange things to actors’ skin tones.
Different skin tones and face-shapes will light very differently
The stage looks different viewed from behind the soundproof screen in a control box in the gods or at the side of stage so the desk is best moved to the centre of stalls or circle for the audience point of view when plotting. If impossible, find the best position where you can still talk to the programmer easily.
When plotting it’s generally best to keep it simple, try taking lights out before adding.
The eye works by contrast and comparison. If you want stage left to be brighter, darken stage right first.
A bright state following a dark one will appear even brighter and vice-versa.
Same for colours, a blue state following a white state seems bluer.
Alternating specials and general cover works well for this reason, it keeps the eye interested, because it is not working too hard on focussing on the action.
A lantern at a low level goes redder, and darker at the edges first, effectively narrowing the beam angle.
Dark coloured or dimly lit sets appears smaller, light or bright ones bigger.
In the same way as a composer will use idées fixes and return to the same melody in different forms during a musical or opera, leitmotifs can be used in lighting on stage or screen. Always at least one, up to a four or five main and several minor ones if they’re contrasting but complimentary. Tie in with set/costume design and the production style as a whole.
Examples: Traffic: blue for America, orange for Mexico,
Shameless: greenish yellow streetlights alternating with cold northern sunlight,
Chicago: bright washes or flashes contrasting with film noir style (extreme lighting angles with no fill from opposite angle, so creating strong, sexy shadows),
Oh What a Lovely War: bright and cheerful pierrot vs cold, stark tableaux; gaslight; moody sidelit cabaret or backlit silhouettes.
We Will Rock You: crossed parcans
Newsnight interviews: straw frontlight and steel blue backlight
What every director should know
Primary colours of light are red, blue and green.
Red should be used sparingly as it does strange things to actors’ skin tones.
Different skin tones and face-shapes will light very differently
The stage looks different viewed from behind the soundproof screen in a control box in the gods or at the side of stage so the desk is best moved to the centre of stalls or circle for the audience point of view when plotting. If impossible, find the best position where you can still talk to the programmer easily.
When plotting it’s generally best to keep it simple, try taking lights out before adding.
The eye works by contrast and comparison. If you want stage left to be brighter, darken stage right first.
A bright state following a dark one will appear even brighter and vice-versa.
Same for colours, a blue state following a white state seems bluer.
Alternating specials and general cover works well for this reason, it keeps the eye interested, because it is not working too hard on focussing on the action.
A lantern at a low level goes redder, and darker at the edges first, effectively narrowing the beam angle.
Dark coloured or dimly lit sets appears smaller, light or bright ones bigger.
And to conclude, the rules of get-ins:
LED parcan lighting through camo netting
1 Everybody goes where they'll be most useful.
2 Lifting's never about strength, it's about technique.
3 People carrying something have right of way.
4 You work faster with a cuppa inside you.
2 Lifting's never about strength, it's about technique.
3 People carrying something have right of way.
4 You work faster with a cuppa inside you.