Design Broadway Light Plots

10-15 pipes seems reasonable for a broadway sized production. Think about ideal angles of front light as you get further and further upstage (one to 3 electrics near the plaster line aren't going to cut it)

15 electrics for a Broadway "sized" show, OK - I'll buy that, just not in a Broadway house. 10-15 electrics probably NEVER happens, when it's a moderate or heavy scenic show.

Remember that these are typically early 1900's theaters, prosceniums of 40 ft wide ?, very little wing space with maybe 50 lines sets at most on 6" centers. VERY little room for scenery and less for lighting.

I recall reading assorted quotes from LD's, of 2-3 electrics, or 1, with stuff crammed under and inside flown scenic units. The cyc lighting I saw Donald Holder describe for Lion King took up all of 2ft. of depth and it was a HUGE fight for 6" of that, but the cyc was crucial to the look.

It's a a fair statement that moving lights have been a God send to Broadway for the efficiency it allows.

SB
 
SteveB makers a very valid point. It is all about space. Look at my theatre, we do very large scale productions and we have a stage that is as big or bigger than many Broadway stages. Our current show has 7 flown electrics, which is pretty standard. Two seasons ago when we did Les Mis we may have had 12 flown electrics. When you then look at a hanging schedule or a section ad you realize how close every piece of scenery is it is hard to imagine fitting any more lights up there. 6 inch centers between linesets is very tight.
 
True, I was referring to the show and not the broadway house. I know at our local University theater which frequently hosts touring groups has about 8 or 10 electrics plus box booms and booms.
 
I know this is an old thread, but in a conversation with one of the designers who's plot is listed at the beginning, I found out about a resource which solves a lot of the problems people have mentioned before (i.e. not knowing the WHY, etc).

Theatrical Lighting Database

It's got plots, magic sheets, design concepts, a few taped talks with designers, etc. The more people use it, the more likely it is people will donate their stuff and the more likely it is to get funded, etc. Check it out!
 
As someone who spends a lot of time looking at plots, I really wonder what you feel you get out it. For the most part people draft in the standard where the units are always in a 90˚ orientation to the hanging position. Look at the plots posted, all the info you get is template, color and sometimes purpose. I don't mean to be so cynical, but what do you do, look for the blue downlight system and say: "Hey look its a system of blue downlight"?

A light plot doesn't really tell you much except where to hang the lights and what accessories they need. It doesn't tell you WHY that blue downlight system is there. It doesn't tell you WHY anything for that matter. That is the big thing about design though, the WHY. It is about the choices.


Look at the plots posted in this thread, does it really show you any angles? Why does knowing what colors some other designer chose help you? When you design a show do you choose your colors because they worked for someone else or because they work for your show?

Now lets move on to instrument choice. Instrument choice is 80% technical and 20% art. Why? Well that system of 19˚ frontlight probably has to be 19˚ units to get the correct coverage. As a designer, you know where the position is, you know what you need the light to do, so you draw up your section from the light to where it hits, and you take out your protractor and say "ok, that's a 17˚ angle ideally, so I will put up a 19˚ since that is the closes match." However, the plot doesn't tell you why the designer chose to do his top wash with fresnels instead of PARs.


Note, that I am not trying to say that you shouldn't look at other people's plots for shows, but I think that you have to remember to take them with a grain of salt. You need to be careful that you are learning and not copying (i.e. "oh that worked for so-and-so, so it should work for me" OR "well so-and-so used 10 19˚ source fours for a front wash, so will I"). You also have no idea if the plot you have in your hand is the final that went into the show, things continually change through the tech process, but you may not actually have the final plot.

The plot itself is just one small part in the design process. Most of the art happens when the designer is sitting in tech writing cues (that is also often when things on the plot change!). Just remember that the plot is a tool, and knowing what someone else did is very different than know why they did it. If you can, the best thing to do is to talk to designers, have them walk you through the plot and the choices that went into making it and the rest of the show.



Gees guys. I think the kid just wanted to see a few BW light plots. Relax.
 
Gees guys. I think the kid just wanted to see a few BW light plots. Relax.

Uhhh, this thread is over two years old - and turned into an interesting and informative discussion with some excellent points raised. Was it really necessary to perform thread necromancy just to add a comment which didn't really add to the discussion?!
 
To add some relevant information to the original post, there is an online database and Lighting Archive sponsored by the New York Public Library which houses much information on a few of the older Broadway shows. This archive has light plots, hookups, and all kinds of paperwork plus a few interviews with designers.
This archive is a must read, as it shows how they did things before the advent of moving lights and other high tech gadgets!


Here is the Link

Enjoy!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back