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The Basics of Good Stage Lighting Design

Andrew Koch — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:52:08 +0000

The spotlight is one of the most iconic symbols of the performing arts, and just one of many tools at the lighting designer’s disposal. In this article, we’ll introduce some principles of lighting design and the ways they can enhance your production. How you achieve these effects will depend on your troupe’s experience level and access to lights and tech, but these basics will help you understand the “what” and “why” of lighting design.

What is stage lighting design?

Lighting design is a kind of blueprint for the show’s light fixtures. Just like a script tells actors what to say and choreography tells dancers how and when to move, lighting design informs your technicians how a scene will be lit.

Through cues, technicians mark how and when different lights will go on and off. Cues often hit at the beginning and end of a scene but could also occur when a character enters or leaves the stage, a musical number begins, or the main action shifts from one part of the stage to another.

What makes for good stage lighting?

At a basic level, your lighting should make it easy for the audience to see what the director wants them to see, and when done well, it is both practical and creative. A blog post by Illuminated Integration, an effects consulting group, highlights four roles lighting design plays:

Illuminating the stage: Allow the audience to see the actors, set, and props so they can understand the action on stage. For safety reasons, it also allows performers to see each other and their surroundings.
Highlighting different areas: Draw the audience’s attention to a particular character, action or sub-scene, or pan from one part of the stage to another.

Setting the scene: Enhance the setting to reflect the place and time a scene is depicting. Perhaps wavy blue lights to suggest an undersea environment, or a flickering streetlamp for a seedy alley. Also consider time of day: Is it evening or morning? Can the lighting help indicate that time has passed—a sunrise, or sunset?
Controlling the mood: Hint at the character’s emotional state or provide a suggestion for how the audience might be feeling. Warm, cozy light might convey happiness, but harsh strobe lights indicate danger or excitement.

In the first video of a webinar series all about lighting design, Electronic Theatre Controls (or ETC, a manufacturer of lighting equipment) adds a fifth role: composition. Theatre is an art form. Like other visual arts, lighting designers can use the tools available to them—texture, lines, colors, shapes and so on—to aesthetically frame a picture of the action on stage.

And, like other parts of a production, effective lighting design supports the wider show’s creative vision. Make sure you stay in contact with your director and consider how lighting will affect other aspects of the show: blocking, choreography, sets, sound, and costumes.

Tools of lighting design

The specific kinds of lights and the technology you use to schedule and deploy cues will vary by troupe. But these are some of the creative levers you’ll have available to you as you put together a light design:

Intensity: Bright lights are more revealing than dim ones and can help convey a tone.
Color: Many colors are associated with emotions—red for anger or passion, blue for sadness, and so on. Also consider how colors will interact with sets and costumes, and how they can enhance the setting (e.g., a warm orange glow to suggest a sunset).
Movement: How do you transition from one lighting scheme to another? Is the light static, or does it flash or come on/off at meaningful times? Does the light need to move to follow a character or some action?
Distribution: Does the light come from one source, or many? Is it directly above the stage, or at an angle? How focused is it?
Shadow: Consider where light won’t be. Is a character half in shadow because they’re withholding information or can’t be trusted? Can you use shadows to create texture?

ETC has a helpful guide to many of these elements. And you can read how one student lighting technician approached her role.

Example: The Phantom’s Reveal

Note that good lighting design doesn’t necessarily show everything on stage. Indeed, there may be times in which you want a certain character or action to be in shadow. Consider the filmed production of Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall.

During “All I Ask of You,” Raoul and Christine sing of their love for each other in conventional lighting. As they exit the stage, the Phantom appears from behind the proscenium arch, lit overhead by a bright light. Unbeknownst to the lovers—and the audience—he watched the whole scene from the shadows.

The lighting choice is both functional and thematic:

Functional: The change in lighting draws the audience’s attention to this unusual part of the stage, helping reveal the Phantom’s presence.
Thematic: The lighting is eerie, unexpected, and unsettling. And the audience sees the Phantom as he sees himself—brutal, mysterious, and bitterly alone.

Good lighting design requires thoughtful consideration of how to best use the properties of light to help the show. And it requires practice—get started!

Andrew Koch is a writer and editor from Cincinnati. He volunteered to hang stage lights in a community production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The post The Basics of Good Stage Lighting Design appeared first on Dramatics Magazine Online.

A Meteoric Rise in the World of Lighting Design

Patty Craft — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:58:50 +0000

Jack Cannon is the principal designer at the company he founded, Cann Light. Jack is just 20 years old and the youngest graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, which means if you’re a high school or early college reader, Cannon was recently right where you are.

So how has he built a career in the world of lighting design and what advice does he have for students looking to do the same? Read on as Jack shares his story and actionable tips to chart your path beyond the school stage.

Focus Delivers Results

Jack Cannon Headshot – Photo By Meredith Adelaide

At age 14 Cannon got involved in theatre and quickly “fell in love,” and realized he strongly disliked having to turn down theatre work gigs because he had to finish high school first. So Cannon graduated early in 2020 as a 17-year-old junior.

Even before he’d graduated from high school, Cannon was focused on his dream. “I taught theatrical design for the first time when I was 15, at the Illinois Community Theatre Festival,” he said. “At age 16, in January 2020, I taught at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival and the Indiana State Thespians Conference where I also adjudicated the [state] Thespian Excellence Awards.”

During the pandemic, Cannon completed his CalArts degree plus an associate’s in Business Management and Administration.

Seeing is Believing

Students experimenting with lighting design at the California State Thespian Festival Workshops – Photo by Cann Light

While not everyone knows so early in life what they’re passionate about, Cannon knew what he enjoyed and saw opportunities that became stepping stones to his current career. If you know it’s theatre you love but you’re still not sure what you want to do, check out this post.

At the end of the 2020 Illinois High School Theatre Festival where Cannon taught six workshops, a participating teacher told Cannon, “It’s one thing when an older professional comes in to teach. Students see what they can become in 30 years. It’s a whole other thing when a student sees someone who is literally their age; a working professional and teaching.”

That experience has led to much of his success in lighting design and has also led to countless other opportunities.

Jack Cannon’s Tips for Theatre-Industry Success

1: You Be You.

“The best advice I can give to students is to never let anyone put you in a box or try to keep you in a box. You have to force yourself to push boundaries,” says Cannon. “It’s the only way you can explore your art and the art form that you enjoy most.” So be brave enough to figure out who you are and courageous enough to bring a unique set of skills to the table.

2: Think Like a Business Owner.

“Another piece of advice is that you must learn the business side of entertainment. Art programs struggle to effectively teach the business of being an artist,” he said. “It’s important that you take the time early in your career to understand business management, client development, accounting, and contracts.”

3: You Must Network. Period.

NBC Universal Virtual Production – Photo by Cann Light

Cannon admits, “All of my work can be traced back to asking and having coffee with an industry professional.” Who you know, who knows you, and who knows what you can do, makes the difference in getting gigs. In a world full of so many choices, it’s human nature to choose someone you know – or at least think we think we know. Introduce yourself and talk to people at every gig you do.

Choose the social media platforms where your decision-makers are hanging out; you don’t have to have a profile on them all. Then present a polished, on-brand profile with clear and easy ways to communicate with you. Interact in a general way on social. That is, don’t leave your profile to gather dust from inactivity.

Go to trade shows and meet people; leave a positive impression on them along with a way for them to remember you and contact you. And believe it or not, email is still one of the most effective ways to connect with people. Grow your email list and use it wisely. Reach out via email with a clear reason for someone to respond and have a conversation with you.

Jack Cannon teaching lighting design at California State Thespian Festival Workshops – Photo by Cann Light

4: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

“Photography of your work is key. Start building a portfolio as soon as you have work to showcase,” Cannon says. Become friends with photographers that you meet, because it takes a special skill to capture the right image in a theatrical environment. Make genuine connections so photographers can also get to know you and what you’re trying to convey through your photography.

You can contact Cannon who said, “I’m open to everything and can be reached for engagements via email at education@cann-light.com.” Find him on Instagram and LinkedIn, too.

Patty Craft is a regular contributor to the Educational Theatre Association.

The post A Meteoric Rise in the World of Lighting Design appeared first on Dramatics Magazine Online.