One of the first “rules” of lighting design I remember is that it is about “putting light where it should be and taking it away from where it shouldn’t” Seems fairly obvious, but its a problem that, like many simple things, has a great deal of depth to it.
What does it mean to “Put light where it should be?” Clearly the first aspect of this is to light the performers on stage. But these performers exist within some context, they are in an environment, so the environment must be lit. Sometimes this is as simple as lighting scenery, other times it has to do with more subtle things like toning and sculpting their bodies in a certain way.
Taking light away, is also not so clear cut. Sure, sometimes you just need to turn all the lights off on half the stage, but more often the work is much more subtle. It is about illuminating parts of the stage in such a way that while the performers are visible, they are not the focus.
Ultimately, lighting is about focus. Just like a photographer or cinematographer, the work is on focus and depth of field. Often the whole stage must be lit, in some way, but certain areas must have focus over others, and then all that shifts.
Like cinematography, it is a form that only truly exists in time. As the work changes emotionally and dramatically, so too must the light shift and change to the myriad demands of the stage.
Tags: composition, design, focus, light, practical theory
Relit
Been missing your wonderful insights about lighting design. Congratulations on all your work and thanks for putting up some notes about design itself again. Keep it coming.
Shift Of Focus
This is so true. When I was training in theatre lighting design, our tutor used to keep asking me “where is the focus now?”. Having plotted the basics states and scenes, we then went back through and plotted many subtle cues. These cues were not obvious to the audience, or even the director, but they shifted focus as the scene progressed. Keep up the good work. http://www.onstagelighting.co.uk/
Good write… I ask your permission for copy it. thx
Glad you like!
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