Calderglen High School
National Four and Five
Unit 2 – Production Skills
LIGHTS
Pupil Name……………………………………………………………………………
Teacher………………………………………………………………………………….
Class………………………………………………………………………………………
Lighting Designer
The responsibilities of the Lighting Designer are to:
 Participate in a production meeting develop an understanding of the play as a whole
 Work with the directors to design the lighting for the performance
 Attend production meetings and liaise with the design team to ensure the lighting
design works with other aspects of design
 Assess the equipment available
 Book and arrange for hired equipment to be delivered if needed
 Create a lighting plot and cue sheet
 Rig and focus lighting according to the design (or instruct a technician to do this
according to your plans)
 Adjust and plot lighting at the technical rehearsal
 Flash through the lights before each performance to check the lamps and focus
 Operate lighting during the shows
 Strike the lighting rig after the last performance if appropriate
 Return loaned equipment
 Demonstrate an understanding of health and safety when operating lighting
equipment.
What is expected of you?
 The lighting rig available for use in this production role must consist of a minimum of
eight lanterns.
 A minimum of seven lighting cues and five states should be designed and used in the
lighting plot.
 The candidate should produce a detailed lighting plot and create a lighting cue sheet.
 The candidate should rig, or instruct the rigging of, the required lanterns, and focus
required lanterns with correct gels.
 The candidate should carry out pre-show checks.
 The candidate should operate the equipment on cue and at the levels specified in the
lighting cue sheets during the performance
Introduction
The first question we have to ask is what we need lighting to do. This is a fairly basic process
but one which must be remembered when one is using lights and building a lighting plan.
Lights are used to:
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Enable the audience to see the performers
Enable the audience to see the set
Create a mood
Inform the audience of part of the story and scene
Light the audience
Light Sources
In the beginning, there were candles, and not much else. They were a fire hazard and what
little light they did produce was extremely dull and yellow. Eventually, people began to burn
quicklime, producing more light (although this was still dull and green in colour).
Gaslights were more reliable, easier to control but even they were not very flexible and still
meant burning stuff in a theatre full of people. Not particularly safe.
In 1879, Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan demonstrated the first effective filament lamps to
the world. The process was simple: pass an electrical current through a very thin metal wire,
encase it in an ‘oxygenless’ environment to prevent it from oxidising and wait for the wire to
heat up to a temperature at which it emits light. Most theatre lamps still use this process
although other methods of light emission are used for more expensive lights.
Colour emission
Assuming we use a filament lamp, we need to know a little about the way it produces light.
The electricity passing through it is solely to heat the metal filament up; it is the temperature
of the metal which is all-important.
As the metal's temperature increases, it starts to emit infra-red, then red, orange, yellow, blue
and finally white. A hot filament will produce a small amount of orange light, giving the light
beam from the light a dull orangey red appearance. A very hot filament will produce lots of
red, orange as well as all the other colours in the visible spectrum, giving the appearance of a
bright white beam.
Ordinary house lights (60W-100W) run at relatively low temperatures, giving a fairly dark,
yellowy light. Theatre lights (500W-1kW) run at higher temperatures, giving bright, slightly
yellow beam whilst even more powerful lights are available that run at even higher
temperatures and produce a very bright, white beam.
Types of Lights
We have 3 types of lights in the Drama Department.
They are:
Profile Spot
A lantern giving a hard
edged beam of light
Fresnel Spot
A lantern giving a soft
edged beam of light
Flood Light
A lantern giving a wide
spread of light
Glossary of Lighting Words
Blackout
Slow fade to
Fast fade to
Snap to
Crossfade
Fade up/down
Flood
Gel
Spotlight
Focussing
Follow spot
Fresnel spot
LFX
Lighting Desk
Profile spot
Wash
Barndoors
G-clamp
Gobo
Pyrotechnics
Safety chain
Special effects
The acting area is not lit
The lighting/sound is faded out slowly
The lighting/sound is faded out quickly
Blackout is achieved instantly
To change from one lighting cue to another with no blackout in
between
To brighten or dim the lighting
Lantern giving a wide spread of light
Film placed in front of a lantern to change the colour of the beam
Beam of light created by a lantern for a person or place on the acting
area
Positioning the lanterns to get the desired lighting
Powerful profile used to follow actors around the acting area
Lantern giving a soft edged beam of light
The quick way to write ‘lighting effects’
Control board for lighting
Lantern giving a hard edged beam of light
The whole acting area is evenly lit
Adjustable metal flaps attached to the front of a fresnel spotlight for
shaping the beam of light
Clamp used to secure lantern to lighting bar or stand
Thin metal plate cut out in a pattern and placed in a lantern to
project pattern or shape into the acting area
Stage fireworks
Used to attach a lantern to the lighting bar for safety
Used to create a mood or atmosphere on stage e.g. strobe light,
mirror ball, smoke machine
Task 1
Assessment
Standard
1.1
The group you are working with are in the process of creating a drama.
You should meet with the group to discuss initial ideas and performance concepts.
1.
What is their drama about? Write down a brief paragraph to outline their story.
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2.
Detail the group’s initial thoughts about how the drama will be staged/produced.
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3.
In which period is the drama set? (e.g. present day, WW2, the future)
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4.
Does the group have any specific lighting demands?
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5.
What are your initial ideas about the drama in terms of lighting?
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6.
Do the performers have any initial ideas or suggestions about the lighting that their
characters might need for the drama?
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7.
What is the theme/message of the drama? Will this impact on the lighting required?
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Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Task 2
Assessment
Standard
1.2, 2.1, 2.2
What lighting is required for the drama?
In the table below write down the initial ideas for each scene in the drama:
Scene
Number
Lighting requirements for the scene
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Task 3
Lighting Plot
Assessment
Standard
1.2, 2.1, 2.2
The lighting plot is a plan view of the stage showing where each lantern is hung. Each lantern
type (Profile Spot, Fresnel Spot and Flood) is represented by a specific symbol which is
normally indicated on the plot. (See the Key on the right hand side of the diagram below.) Each light
is identified by a unit number generally placed within the symbol. Depending on the designer,
the colour, focus, and control channel for each light may also be listed on the plot.
Today most lighting designers create their light plots on a computer using a CAD program
such as VectorWorks. The instrument number, colour, control channel, etc. (called attributes in
CADspeak) are entered into the computers memory and associated with each symbol plotted
on the drawing.
You will draw your Lighting Plot by hand.
Lighting Plot Symbols
Here are the symbols for the 3 types of lights we have in the Drama Studio:
R
E
D
Fresnel Spot (with red gel)
Profile Spot
Flood Light
On the following page draw a Lighting Plot for the lights in the Drama Studio
Include:
The outline of the room including doors and windows
All the lights and gels
The dimmer boards and plug points
Your teacher will help you with this
Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Task 4
Assessment
Standard
1.2, 2.1, 2.2
Lighting Cue Sheet
A lighting cue sheet is an information sheet that details all the lighting changes in a drama.
A lighting cue sheet gives all the necessary information to the lighting operator to allow
him/her to make the correct lighting changes at the correct times in the play.
It is crucial that for the lighting operator to know the following:
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What cue number are we on?
What is the new lighting state?
When the change happens – precisely! They need to know the cue.
If the lights are faded in slowly or faded out slowly or quickly or a ‘snap fade’
immediately.
Here is an example of a lighting cue sheet:
Cue
No.
Cue
1
Start of the play. Actors in position
Full flood 100%
2
End of scene 1 freeze
Blackout
3
Start of scene 2. Actors in position
Stage right lit 100%. Stage left blackout
4
Mr Smith says “pick up the phone!”
Stage left lit 100%. Stage right remains lit 100%
5
Mr Jones says “see you tomorrow”
Blackout
6
Start of scene 3
Blue light 100%. Left and right floods 30%
Lighting State
Now create your own lighting cue sheet. Photocopy the following page if you need more.
Cue
No.
Cue
Lighting State
Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Checklist
Before the Performance
Assessment
Standard
Tech
Yes No
Dress
Perf
Yes No
Yes No
1.2, 2.2
Do all the dimmers, lights and lighting desk work?
Are all the lights in good order?
Are all the lights focused correctly?
Do you have a lighting cue sheet?
Do you have a back-up in case of emergencies?
Do you have a torch and a repair kit?
Health and safety issues
Are there any bare wires, trailing wires or unsafe lights?
Do all the lights have safety chains?
During the performance
Follow through lighting cues from beginning to end.
As one task is complete, prepare for the next.
After the performance
Did all the lighting cues happen correctly and on time?
Have you switch everything off and stored everything away?
Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Rehearsal Log 1
Assessment
Standard
1.3
Date of rehearsal:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Planned target for this rehearsal (What did you plan to do in this rehearsal in terms of your
production role?)
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Today in detail (Describe what actually happened during this rehearsal)
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Problems/challenges encountered (What problems did you encounter in this rehearsal when
undertaking your production role tasks? e.g. cast members absent, time, resources, changes to
the drama, group issues, realising your ideas practically)
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Solutions attempted (How did you solve these problems? e.g. Advice from others, independent
research, group discussions to move forward, changes you made to your ideas)
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Strengths (What would you say your strengths are at the moment in terms of undertaking your
production role tasks? e.g. giving lots of ideas, organising your resources/equipment to enable
these to be used effectively in performance, staying focused during rehearsals, experimenting
with voice and movement)
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Areas for improvement(What could you work on in terms of undertaking your production
role tasks? Anything above that you are not doing?)
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Overall what are the strengths of the group that you are working in while undertaking this
production role? (Are they well organised? Do they listen to your ideas? Do they discuss
changes with you? Are they working well as part of a team? Using rehearsal time effectively?)
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Overall what do the group need to work on in future rehearsals? (Any of the above that they
are not doing? What needs to happen to move the drama forward?)
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What is your production role target for the next rehearsal?
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Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Rehearsal Log 2
Assessment
Standard
1.3
Date of rehearsal:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Planned target for this rehearsal (What did you plan to do in this rehearsal in terms of your
production role?)
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Today in detail (Describe what actually happened during this rehearsal)
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Problems/challenges encountered (What problems did you encounter in this rehearsal when
undertaking your production role tasks? e.g. cast members absent, time, resources, changes to
the drama, group issues, realising your ideas practically)
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Solutions attempted (How did you solve these problems? e.g. Advice from others, independent
research, group discussions to move forward, changes you made to your ideas)
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Strengths (What would you say your strengths are at the moment in terms of undertaking your
production role tasks? e.g. giving lots of ideas, organising your resources/equipment to enable
these to be used effectively in performance, staying focused during rehearsals, experimenting
with voice and movement)
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Areas for improvement(What could you work on in terms of undertaking your production
role tasks? Anything above that you are not doing?)
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Overall what are the strengths of the group that you are working in while undertaking this
production role? (Are they well organised? Do they listen to your ideas? Do they discuss
changes with you? Are they working well as part of a team? Using rehearsal time effectively?)
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Overall what do the group need to work on in future rehearsals? (Any of the above that they
are not doing? What needs to happen to move the drama forward?)
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What is your production role target for the next rehearsal?
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Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................
Rehearsal Log 3
Assessment
Standard
1.3
Date of rehearsal:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Planned target for this rehearsal (What did you plan to do in this rehearsal in terms of your
production role?)
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Today in detail (Describe what actually happened during this rehearsal)
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Problems/challenges encountered (What problems did you encounter in this rehearsal when
undertaking your production role tasks? e.g. cast members absent, time, resources, changes to
the drama, group issues, realising your ideas practically)
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Solutions attempted (How did you solve these problems? e.g. Advice from others, independent
research, group discussions to move forward, changes you made to your ideas)
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Strengths (What would you say your strengths are at the moment in terms of undertaking your
production role tasks? e.g. giving lots of ideas, organising your resources/equipment to enable
these to be used effectively in performance, staying focused during rehearsals, experimenting
with voice and movement)
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Areas for improvement(What could you work on in terms of undertaking your production
role tasks? Anything above that you are not doing?)
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Overall what are the strengths of the group that you are working in while undertaking this
production role? (Are they well organised? Do they listen to your ideas? Do they discuss
changes with you? Are they working well as part of a team? Using rehearsal time effectively?)
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Overall what do the group need to work on in future rehearsals? (Any of the above that they
are not doing? What needs to happen to move the drama forward?)
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What is your production role target for the next rehearsal?
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Teacher Signature........................................................................
Date.................................