Lighting Design Resources

[LightTech]

I'm looking for some great books/films/websites about stage lighting. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Grog12]

Do a quick search there's quite a few lists on this website...

Including http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/4346-lighting-books.html

 

[LightTech]

Do a quick search there's quite a few lists on this website...

Including http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/4346-lighting-books.html

Thanks for the link. I will check some of those books out.

 

[Grog12]

Bah heres the link to the Collabrative Article which I remembered after I got done with work today. Its a much more thourough list.

 

[Kelite]

While NOT meant to replace conventional reading and designing a theatrical set, the following playbooks suggest useful colors and gobos for a variety of performances. Many teachers have been and continue to be shuffled within academia, some who have had little to no prior design experience. The Apollo playbook series is intended to 'prime the creative pump', if you will.

Selections include:

A Streetcar Named Desire (The Apollo Playbook V.3)
Arsenic And Old Lace (The Apollo Playbook)
Barefoot in the Park (The Apollo Playbook V.3)
Cat on Tin Roof (The Apollo Playbook)
Death of a Salesman (The Apollo Playbook)
Of Men and Mice (The Apollo Playbook V.3)
Streetcar Named Desire (The Apollo Playbook)
The Apollo Playbook Vol. 2 (The Apollo Playbook 2)
The Crucible (The Apollo Playbook V.1)
The Diary of Anne Frank (The Apollo Playbook V.1)
The Glass Menagerie (The Apollo Playbook V.1)
The Miracle Worker (The Apollo Playbook)
The Odd Couple (The Apollo Playbook)

These FREE playbook guides may be found at: Apollo Design | Downloads (There are two pages of Playbooks, so be sure to click the second page to view or download the desired .pdf)

 

[NevilleLighting]

First, I applaud you LOUDLY for looking for books. I keep trying to get my students to actually learn something outside that classroom on their own and I keep telling them that if they don't others will pass them by. You will be one of those "others".

My top recommendation is Rosenthal's "Magic of Light." I also recommend Steve Shelley's "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting." Jean Rosenthal's book is out of print and very expensive to buy. If you're a college student your library may have a copy. Steve's book is a very detailed guide to designing a show, nuts and bolts spelled out. I wish that this had been there when I graduated.

 

[LXPlot]

" I also recommend Steve Shelley's "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting." Steve's book is a very detailed guide to designing a show, nuts and bolts spelled out. I wish that this had been there when I graduated.

I second Steve Shelley's book, and I'd like to add in Francis Reid's "The Stage Lighting Handbook." It's in paperback and much smaller, and serves as an excellent book to get you to the point where Steve Shelley's book is fairly comprehensible. Even if you don't need any catch-up to read Mr. Shelley's book, Reid's book is still good, especially as a reference material, as it has a lot of info on how to light different types of stages.

If you a really remedial book on theatre technology in general, "Technical Theatre for Non-Technical People" serves as a very good starting point, and it's a very funny and enjoyable experience as well.