Unit 1
History of Lighting:
The first know form of stage lighting was used in Grecian theatres. Their theatres would face south so that the stage would be fully lit throughout the afternoons. Naturally lit theatres were then used by the Romans, who built more amphitheatres as their empire expanded, eventually bringing roofless theatres to England. Artificial lighting was developed, and continues developing today, to allow theatre to be performed indoors. At first candles were used for stage lights, however these were very dim and meant that performers had a very limited amount of space before they lost their light. In Europe chandeliers were made to be suspended above the stage to provide more light. This worked but risked performers being burnt by dripping wax. The invention of limelight was revolutionary in theatre, as it meant that a brighter light could follow an actor on stage because of differently positioned lenses and reflectors. Electrical lighting has displaced limelight in all theatres and continues to develop to this day.
Technical lighting designers are responsible for liaising with many people within a production to design and create lighting and atmosphere for the show whilst also following certain criteria set to them by the producer, e.g. cost. Lighting Designers know how to make the best use of the medium of light, creating effects that can be changed to match the moods of scenes.
Pre-production:
The first thing a lighting director will do is read the script and note down any lighting ideas they may have whilst reading. Then, production meetings will be held with the director, stage manager and set/costume designers to discuss ideas for the show and to set deadlines. The LD will attend rehearsals to see how the stage is being used and at what times. He will also map out a plan of the theatres lighting positions and equipment so that he can make his designs without having any issues. On top of this the Lighting Director will also have a crucial plan of the set design.
Because lighting is a lot harder to express than other areas during the designing process it can be harder for the LD to share his ideas effectively with the rest of the production team. To aid with this reproductions or storyboards may be used to help visualise ideas. However, with the advancement in visualization software, Computer Generated Images can now be created to represent Lighting Designers’ ideas easily. A 3D Model can be created which can be lit and manipulated in the same way that sets and actors might be if they are on stage. It can also be easier doing this if any changes are made to the set design of positioning of actors because a model can be placed into the “computer space” with the existing design plans to see how they are affected.
Differences between roles for smaller and larger venues:
In a small venue lighting designers may not only be responsible for liaising and designing lighting for shows. They may also be responsible for hanging, focusing and patching lights. On top of this their team may only consist of 3 people and they will also have to take on the role of master electrician as well. The team of people will also programme cues and operate the light board during rehearsals and shows. Once the main responsibilities of the LD are finished they will take on additional roles to help with the easing of production.
In large venues, such as stadiums and arenas, a lighting designer's job become a lot more difficult. Because there are limitations to what can and cannot be used in larger venues LD's have to plan appropriately to what will be necessary and what extras they may like to include. Because of the size of some stadium and arena venues lights have to be bright enough for people to be able to see what is happening, but not drown whoever is performing in light. As well as this, restrictions will be in place on the size and height of the lighting rig. This often means that audience members towards the top of the venue will have a restricted view of the stage. Their team will also be larger. For example, the team of lighting engineers and designers for the 2012 Olympic Games had 37 people on it. Mapping out the space and how lights are going to be fitted is also harder. Because of the difficulty behind the designer’s process, they generally borrow ideas from previous events held at the venue, replicating the dimensions of the rig and which types of lights they will use. Typically, Movers are used in Stadiums as they can be set up anywhere and pointed towards the stage. This comes with extra work, however, because they take a lot longer to patch and cue compared to Fresnel’s or profiles.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting_designer
The first know form of stage lighting was used in Grecian theatres. Their theatres would face south so that the stage would be fully lit throughout the afternoons. Naturally lit theatres were then used by the Romans, who built more amphitheatres as their empire expanded, eventually bringing roofless theatres to England. Artificial lighting was developed, and continues developing today, to allow theatre to be performed indoors. At first candles were used for stage lights, however these were very dim and meant that performers had a very limited amount of space before they lost their light. In Europe chandeliers were made to be suspended above the stage to provide more light. This worked but risked performers being burnt by dripping wax. The invention of limelight was revolutionary in theatre, as it meant that a brighter light could follow an actor on stage because of differently positioned lenses and reflectors. Electrical lighting has displaced limelight in all theatres and continues to develop to this day.
Technical lighting designers are responsible for liaising with many people within a production to design and create lighting and atmosphere for the show whilst also following certain criteria set to them by the producer, e.g. cost. Lighting Designers know how to make the best use of the medium of light, creating effects that can be changed to match the moods of scenes.
Pre-production:
The first thing a lighting director will do is read the script and note down any lighting ideas they may have whilst reading. Then, production meetings will be held with the director, stage manager and set/costume designers to discuss ideas for the show and to set deadlines. The LD will attend rehearsals to see how the stage is being used and at what times. He will also map out a plan of the theatres lighting positions and equipment so that he can make his designs without having any issues. On top of this the Lighting Director will also have a crucial plan of the set design.
Because lighting is a lot harder to express than other areas during the designing process it can be harder for the LD to share his ideas effectively with the rest of the production team. To aid with this reproductions or storyboards may be used to help visualise ideas. However, with the advancement in visualization software, Computer Generated Images can now be created to represent Lighting Designers’ ideas easily. A 3D Model can be created which can be lit and manipulated in the same way that sets and actors might be if they are on stage. It can also be easier doing this if any changes are made to the set design of positioning of actors because a model can be placed into the “computer space” with the existing design plans to see how they are affected.
Differences between roles for smaller and larger venues:
In a small venue lighting designers may not only be responsible for liaising and designing lighting for shows. They may also be responsible for hanging, focusing and patching lights. On top of this their team may only consist of 3 people and they will also have to take on the role of master electrician as well. The team of people will also programme cues and operate the light board during rehearsals and shows. Once the main responsibilities of the LD are finished they will take on additional roles to help with the easing of production.
In large venues, such as stadiums and arenas, a lighting designer's job become a lot more difficult. Because there are limitations to what can and cannot be used in larger venues LD's have to plan appropriately to what will be necessary and what extras they may like to include. Because of the size of some stadium and arena venues lights have to be bright enough for people to be able to see what is happening, but not drown whoever is performing in light. As well as this, restrictions will be in place on the size and height of the lighting rig. This often means that audience members towards the top of the venue will have a restricted view of the stage. Their team will also be larger. For example, the team of lighting engineers and designers for the 2012 Olympic Games had 37 people on it. Mapping out the space and how lights are going to be fitted is also harder. Because of the difficulty behind the designer’s process, they generally borrow ideas from previous events held at the venue, replicating the dimensions of the rig and which types of lights they will use. Typically, Movers are used in Stadiums as they can be set up anywhere and pointed towards the stage. This comes with extra work, however, because they take a lot longer to patch and cue compared to Fresnel’s or profiles.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting_designer
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