Lighting Concept/Lighting Statement

When designing the lighting for anything, I've found it useful to discuss, in writing with proper syntax, spelling, and grammar, how I intend to use the four Controllable Properties (Intensity, Color, Distribution, Movement), and five Functions of Illumination (Selective Visibility, Revelation of Form, Illusion of Nature, Mood, Composition); to assist the Playwright, Director, and Actors, [and Box Office!] achieve their goals. Some would call this a "Lighting Concept" or "Lighting Statement." This is a process for lighting an Arthur Miller play, a pharmaceutical conglomerate's new product launch, a manufacturer's latest concept car, the latest mouse-created performing sensation, or the rock-star who has not had a hit in thirty years.

An old dead guy (Stanley McCandless) from Yale taught this seventy-six years ago, and another old dead guy (Howard Bay) from Brandeis refuted the Yalie's achievements in 1974. For those who suffer from insomnia, I highly recommend reading Feeling and Form, by aesthetician Suzanne K. Langer. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1953); and attempting to define "the space that exists beyond the mirror," "virtual time," and "virtual space."

The objective(s) of man-made lighting has not changed since our first ancestor told a story to the second in front of a fire.

More wise words on "the design process":
icewolf08;63390 said:
...I suppose one might consider my methodology for design to be "textbook" in style, but it works. This is a good question too, as, for the most part we stay away from telling people how a show should look in favor of encouraging the creative process.

To start any design, start with the script. Read it, then read it again and again. The first time you look at it enjoy it, and in the back of your mind think about the feelings and emotions that it evokes. As you go through the script subsequent times, look for any hints that the playwright gives you that can help with lighting such as time of day, location, time of year, period, etc. At this point I would start doing some preliminary visual research, mostly emotional response imagery. This will give you something to come to the table with for the first design meetings with the rest of the design team (director, scene designer, sound designer, etc.).

I also do a basic script analysis before going into the first design meeting. This includes locating the themes of the play, coming up with a basic plot outline, exploring subtext or the connotations of the play, etc. You may also want to get some notes down on the characters, and how they interact with eachother. This is a way to see how your reading of the play aligns with what the playwright is trying to convey.

The first design meeting should be the time to get the design team aligned to one vision and goal for the production. The meeting should hopefully be a time where all the members of the design team can voice their ideas, the themes they see, and what they feel the story is about. This hopefully will lead to a unified vision for the production. This may not be the same as the vision you had reading on your own, it may be a conglomeration of ideas rolled into one, or the director may say "this is how it is going to be."

Once you know where the team is heading with the script you can mold your ideas to work into the show. Now that you know where the director wants to go with the show you can start doing more specific research. If it is a period piece you might start by looking for images from the period if it is abstract you might continue looking for images that show emotional response. Find images that show the quality of light you feel fits, the angles or harshness, the colors, etc.

When you have figured out what the lighting needs to do for the show then you can start working out rough ideas for how you are going to bring those ideas to the stage. What is the motivational light source for each scene, what do you need to make it happen? Are you outside with the sun or moon shining, or are you under s streetlamp? Are you in a church with light streaming through stained glass? Once you figure out those things you can start setting up systems. Maybe you need a system of back light with crushed glass gobos to look like stained glass, or maybe pools of orange light from the streetlamps. I usually put in the systems that set mood and feeling first, and then work in the systems that you need to make sure the actors can be seen. At this stage through in everything that you think you might need, it is easier to cut back later than it is to add.

After you get the scenery drawings you can start to lay out lighting areas and figure out what kind of equipment you need to light in the set. This is where you will probably start pruning out ideas so that you can fit into the inventory/budget of the people you are working for. You may also have to rework ideas to fit the equipment on hand. Then you can put it all down on a plot and hand it off to the ME, show up for focus, and then be off to your next gig.

Unabashedly purloined from the SML:
There are exactly FOUR hard and fast rules for lighting.
(In order of importance):

1. Don't burn down the venue.
2. Use light to make it possible to see the performers.
3. Satisfy the Producer/Director/Artist.
4. Satisfy yourself.
In response to a question about how to light a subway car for a production of Godspell, the following advice was offered:
bbess;124327 said:
Hi! this is long, sorry ....
Seems to be plenty of good technical advice so far. I would like to suggest a different approach, you seem to have access to some good toys, and a good general knowledge, so forget about lighting the "stage" for a minute and let's design. Go for a ride on a real subway. Bring a digital camera, or a notepad or both. Bring the director! Any good design starts with a little research and can be fun too. I live in NYC so I've had lots of opportunities to ride the Subway.

How is the car lit? I've seen old style incandescent tube lights with fresnel like fluted covers, they were warm and sickly yellow, and shadowy. The current crop of NYC standards has a very green fluorescent, it shows the dirt and the scars and the blemishes of the cars and the people who ride. Newer cars have an icy blue tint to the indirect, high efficiency fluorescent. LED signage and message marquees are on display. there is always lots of flickering, strobing, chases and the light is changing all the time. When going from one power source to another, sometimes the light drops to only a bare minimum, sometimes emergencies come on. Stations and work lights flash by - each one a little different, sometimes the tunnels are all cobalt blue, sometimes yellow, red, sometimes the sunlight comes blasting through from some where above Sometime you see leaf patterns or grille patterns. Going across a bridge at sunset or early morning is like a 70's rock concert!

So what does your base subway car look like for this production of Godspell? Why did the director choose a subway car? Where's it going? Where along the ride are the important stops? Who gets on or off? Does it always go in one direction? Is the audience "in the car"? Is Jesus crucified at the end or does he hit the third rail? Oooh, Sparks! Is John the Baptist a squeegee man?
The play itself is wide open to creative thought, so you can have a field day with the lights. Anyway, my point is pretty clear, sorry about the length. Open your eyes and mind, study some real light (really look at it) and then figure out how your car is lit in the reality of the play and use your tools to build those looks.
Once you know why you're lighting something a certain way, how you do it is only a distribution of equipment. Forget lighting methods for a while, beyond a certain visibility, you have hundreds of ways to create mood. Any angle, color intensity, is valid if you know the "why". Don't put up a "texture wash" unless it's "the light coming through the forth wall windows in a particular station, don't have a "yellow wash" unless there's track work being done. Go through this process to get to your design. Then pull out all your design weapons and help sell this play. You'll be brilliant! :grin::!:

Wise words from one of the best lighting educators ever, the late Gilbert Hemsley:
The student's first lighting assignment is like having sex the first time. You can't really tell anybody where to put it; you've just got to get through it. When you get through it then you start dealing with it and getting advice from the side. Well that's not a standard Madison [University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Hemsley taught] reference. One of the things I do in Madison is to always let them use as much equipment as they can get their hands on and just let them overdo it for the first time. I'd much rather have them muck it up the first time. I let them come up with crazy ideas. They're all going to make it beautiful. And of course when they fall down I pick them up.

For a summary of the entire design process, see Lighting Design: Table of Contents, courtesy of Harvard.

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