Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Teachers
Lighting operation guide
Teacher resource developed by The Arts Unit
A lighting system
A simple lighting system consists of:
power
lanterns
dimmers
cables
consoles.
The video 'How to series: Lighting for Theatre - the Basics' explains the basics of how a lighting system is connected.
How to series: Lighting for Theatre - the Basics
Duration: 08:22
Calculating power
When working with lighting, understanding electricity and how to calculate power usage is essential.
Power is dangerous. Knowing how much power each lighting fixture uses, as well as how much power is available to you in a circuit, is vital to working safely with lights.
The amount of power that is available is an important constraint on lighting design due to the number of lights and their brightness.
It is vital lighting designers and technicians understand how much power can be used safely.
Lighting terminology
Lamp or lantern - the stage lighting fixture made up of two simple components, a globe and a lens to determine the type of light it is.
Light accessories - additional equipment added to a lamp to create a specific lighting effect.
Lighting design - the creation of the atmosphere through lighting for a production, considering visibility, safety and the budget.
General wash - used for general purposes, it is desirable to provide what are called ‘washes’ of light. Washes are general, unfocused light designed to evenly light a certain area of the stage.
Specials or specific lighting – many times it is desirable to accentuate certain portions of the stage with light. This can have a very dramatic effect, but also can be used subtly.
Cyclorama lighting - a cyclorama is a large curtain or wall, often concave, positioned at the back of the stage behind the rear black curtains. They are useful as a screen for a colour wash or projection of gobos - they make an effective canvas for the lighting designer.
Scrim lighting - a scrim is a very specific seamless material - sharkstooth scrim. They can be used almost anywhere on the stage, rather than being relegated to the rear like a cyclorama. Scrims can be used to create silhouettes as they can be lit as translucent or opaque.
Pattern projection - projecting a light pattern on the cyclorama, stage floor or set through various lighting techniques, including the use of gobos. A gobo is a thin, circular plate with holes cut in it to create patterns of projected light.
Types of globes
Watch the video 'Globes' with Lincoln Gidney as he explains the different types of globes used in theatre lighting.
Globes
Duration: 02:39There are various globe types used in production lighting, including:
incandescent or tungsten
LED (light-emitting diode)
fluorescent
strobe.
Parts of a light
A stage lamp is made up of many parts.
Many of these elements are common to incandescent, LED and moving style lights.
The 3 videos '10 ways to use an LED par fixture', Follow spots in theatre' and 'Introduction to moving theatre light' provides more detail on each lights features and uses.
10 Ways to use an LED par fixture
Duration: 04:28Follow spots in theatre
Duration: 03:04Introduction to moving theatre light
Duration: 02:22Basic lighting operation guide
LED lighting control
If you are working with any type of LED lights you will need to have an understanding of DMX and addressing lights. The following 3 videos give a beginners insight into this process.
DMX lighting tutorial: What is DMX?
Duration: 03:15DMX lighting tutorial: DMX addressing
Duration: 03:21DMX lighting tutorial: DMX wiring
Duration: 04:20Addressing LED lights
LED lights need to be addressed when connecting them through a DMX cable to the lighting desk so it can respond accordingly.
The 2 videos 'DMX lighting tutorial: Hardware and software' and 'How to program DMX lights for beginners' provide further information about DMX addressing and how to use the lighting consoles.
1. DMX lighting tutorial: Hardware and software
Duration: 03:402. How to program DMX lights for beginners
Duration: 09:28Installing lights
Lights can be installed on permanent or portable lighting truss, as well as on the floor. When installing any lights for a production, there are common procedures to follow:
checking lights and power
rigging
patching
focusing
plotting.
The video 'How to rig a light' demonstrates the steps in rigging a light.
How to rig a light
Duration: 05:15Patching lights is the process of plugging in the lights and assigning how they will be operated – this can be done as hard or soft patching.
Hard patching is the physical plugging in of tungsten lights to a patch panel system and then connecting to the dimmer rack.
Soft patching is the process of addressing LED lights and then connecting to the lighting console through the DMX cable or splitter.
Focusing a light is the process of moving the light beam to the exact position on the stage required. This could be in combination with other soft-edged lights to create an even general wash on the specific position for a hard-edged spotlight or gobo pattern.
The video 'Goodstock Greenwich Theatre Get In' is a focus session as a time-lapse.
Goodstock Greenwich Theatre Get In
Duration: 00:33Plotting sessions are when the lighting cues are finalised and plotted for a production with the director, lighting designer, technician and stage manager.
The video 'How to Series: Plotting Session' explains the key information about a plotting session.
How to Series: Plotting Session
Duration: 06:15Colour is used to create mood and to highlight objects in a production. The positioning of the lights and choice of colour have a strong impact on achieving the required effect and mood.
The video 'Colour mixing' with Lincoln Gidney discusses additive and subtractive colour mixing.
Colour mixing
Duration: 03:25The video 'Developing a lighting design' outlines how to approach lighting for a script.
Developing a lighting design
Duration: 15:50