Stage Lighting: From Design to Realization Part 2

5. Lighting position

We also need to understand one of the basic concepts of stage lighting is the lighting position!

Where are we going to put the stage lighting?

This depends on many factors, such as the desired look, stage design, ceiling height, and the weight and throw distance of the fixtures.

Here are a few different examples for your reference:

• Single-point lighting

This is the simplest type of lighting arrangement, which actually imitates the sun!

It has the most natural look and can create dramatic lighting effects; also grabs the attention of the audience, but also gives a very flat two-dimensional look to those on stage.

Typically, when we do a single stage light from the front, the light is on the same axis as the lighting object and about 30° above the lighting object.

• Two-point lighting

This is similar to single-point lighting, but it provides a more three-dimensional appearance to the protagonist on the stage.

Typically, a beam of light is emitted about 30° from the uniform axis.

The second light is located behind the protagonist, usually the two lights are of different colors, giving the protagonist a sculptural appearance with multiple dimensions.

Note that light coming in from the back is usually 30°- 40° upward; about 60°- 70° off-axis, away from the viewer’s line of sight.

• Three-point lighting

Three-point lighting is a way to illuminate performers directly on the stage from the perspective of the audience.

Three-point lighting is an excellent choice for keynote speeches and public speeches.

The three-point stage lighting uses two lights in the front, about 45° off-axis and about 30° up.

Then place the third light in the back, approximately 30°- 40° up and 60°- 70° off-axis.

• Four-point lighting

When it comes to video, four-point lighting technology comes in handy.

The four-point light is exactly the same as the three-point light, and the fourth light is placed in front and coaxial with the main character.

But if there are three lights in front, we need to modify the intensity of each light line so that they work better together.

6. Light Colors and Textures

With the help of color and texture tools, lighting designers can greatly influence the visual effect and atmosphere of a work.

When illuminating a scene with lights of different colors, a lighting designer might use one of the following methods:

• Monochromatic

Monochromatic color schemes are limited to different shades of the same color.

This is a great option when wanting to keep lighting simple or to accentuate a color.

• Complementary

Combining some opposing colors is a great way to create contrast.

For example, blue and yellow or red and green can be paired.

But be careful not to stack complementary colors, as this can create cloudy tones.

• Tricolor

Lighting designers can use three different colors in the scene for more visual variety.

When these colors form a triangle on the color wheel, the color scheme is called a triad.

For example a combination of red, green and blue or cyan, red and yellow.

• Adjacent colors

By pairing adjacent colors (that is, adjacent colors on the color wheel), lighting designers can create lights that fade from one color to another.

• Cool or warm colors

You can also invoke a certain mood and color theme by combining colors of the same temperature.

For example, combining reds, oranges, and yellows can make a scene feel warm.

Not only do colored lights evoke the audience’s resonance with the scene, changes in the lighting color scheme can also be associated with themes or characters in the show.

For example, the lighting designer for Swan Lake noted in an interview that while the show’s color palette is predominantly white, when the swans are on stage, the lighting adds a touch of blue.

Textures are another great way that lighting designers can directly affect the visuals in a scene.

Lighting designers can change the look of a scene by using patterned gobos.

Even in some productions with minimal sets, textured lighting patterns can be used to create scenes where performers are in jungles, cities, outdoors on a starry night, or churches with stained glass windows.

7. Stage division

Lighting designers planning lighting for stage production is a complex process that begins with reading the script and extends to live performances.

After familiarizing themselves with the production process and understanding the character, plot, and scenography aspects, the lighting designer can start making plans.

Lighting designers first divide the stage into areas that require individual lighting controls.

Most productions will use the entire stage, so the lighting engineer will need to evenly distribute the stage, the simplest example is the middle and side sections on the left side of the stage and the right side of the stage.

For stages with sets, the gaffer needs to start with a simple, well-defined stage area, for example there may be a place on stage where the narrator will appear regularly to speak, or the soloist will stand during an orchestra concert Performance, that is what the lighting engineer needs to lay out first.

Every new work by a gaffer has to start from scratch. After the gaffer divides the stage by area, they consider each area from a color perspective, do some areas require manual control of color changes?

In some cases, gaffers group adjacent clips on stage, each with individual color controls.

In the early stages of design, gaffers often consider colors in terms of warm, cool, and neutral lighting.

If the colors are noticeably different in different areas of the stage, then you can start thinking about individual colors more specifically to bring the entire stage into harmony.

8. Hanging Lights

After understanding the lighting equipment and equipment, and the stage has been divided, the next step is to install the lights, and the task of installing the lights is best left to trusted professionals.

The most important thing to consider when installing lights is safety.

Professional lighting installers will often use lighting clips to attach the light to the steel pipe or truss, using a safety cable that wraps the truss and the clight’s yoke or handle together to further secure it.

All cables used for lighting should be run overhead as much as possible, and the conduit for the Internal Wiring Light Bar (IWB) should be equipped with an outlet so that the lights can be powered.

When cables need to run through the floor, it’s a good idea to create a grooved track for the cables to avoid tripping or hindering moving equipment.

The placement of the lights depends on how the designer divides the stage and the angle of the stage lighting they want to achieve.

There may be several sets of lights around the stage.

Note that some lights (like follower lights) do not need to be hung at all and can be placed in multiple locations within a theater or arena.

There is no exact formula for the lighting design process and who to collaborate on the production, as each piece is unique.

The lighting designer is an expert in stage lighting, but the director or others involved in the production can assist the lighting designer to get the most out of it.

The right lighting design can transform a great production into an unforgettable performance.

With the right angle, intensity, color and texture, light can enhance plays, concerts, musicals, dances.

If you want to find a suitable lighting team, you can put your requirements on our website www.ledsmaster.com, we will have professional designers to communicate with you in depth, and create an original lighting design customized for your stage!