Planning Light Cues
Ultimately, the result of all of this preparation are the lighting looks that you put on stage for the audience to see. What choices will you make at each moment in the play in order to best communicate the ideas of the playwright, the director, the actors and their characters, and all the rest of the collaborators?
It is a good time for a reminder that while I am presenting these steps in a linear order, each part of the process overlaps each of the others. Each designer's process is different: Some designers don't like to commit to individual cues until very late in the process. Others may complete the cue planning process very early, and may use it as an analytical tool before even creating a systems and specials breakdown. This is one of those places that I'm usually doing a couple steps concurrently. Once my rough magic sheet is finished, I usually dive into creating the light plot, but I also start to think specifically about cues. This is another opportunity to read the play again, with individual looks and changes in mind, and is a place where I find nuances that I've missed in my previous readings. If I come across moments in the cues that are not yet covered in my systems and specials, it's not too late to make revisions to the light plot.
The complexity of cue planning also varies greatly from individual to individual. Some create a thick binder of notes on what systems and areas will be used in each cue. Others simply scribble a "Q" into the script at a certain point, and leave the details to the tech process. Most exist at some point between these extremes.
I will describe a few different approaches that you might take here. Take away what works for you, but squirrel away the other suggestions for when an altered approach to cue planning is right.
It is a good time for a reminder that while I am presenting these steps in a linear order, each part of the process overlaps each of the others. Each designer's process is different: Some designers don't like to commit to individual cues until very late in the process. Others may complete the cue planning process very early, and may use it as an analytical tool before even creating a systems and specials breakdown. This is one of those places that I'm usually doing a couple steps concurrently. Once my rough magic sheet is finished, I usually dive into creating the light plot, but I also start to think specifically about cues. This is another opportunity to read the play again, with individual looks and changes in mind, and is a place where I find nuances that I've missed in my previous readings. If I come across moments in the cues that are not yet covered in my systems and specials, it's not too late to make revisions to the light plot.
The complexity of cue planning also varies greatly from individual to individual. Some create a thick binder of notes on what systems and areas will be used in each cue. Others simply scribble a "Q" into the script at a certain point, and leave the details to the tech process. Most exist at some point between these extremes.
I will describe a few different approaches that you might take here. Take away what works for you, but squirrel away the other suggestions for when an altered approach to cue planning is right.
Seeing a rehearsal
It's possible that by this point in the process you may be able to see some rehearsals, especially if you're in an academic setting. You may have the opportunity to see a stumble-through of the play in person, or on video. If rehearsals have started, it is always worthwhile for you to see how the director and actors are crafting the production. You've made a lot of guesses, and had conversations with the director about how the production will be constructed, and seeing a rehearsal will help to solidify the choices that you have made up until this point.
In a professional situation, however, it is not uncommon for the plot to be due to the shop before rehearsals start. Many professional companies rehearse only for two or three weeks before going into technical rehearsals, and you may only have the opportunity to see a designers' run, sometimes not until the day before tech rehearsals start! In these situations, communication between you and your collaborators is even more important, so that the guesses that you're making about the blocking are as accurate as possible.
In a professional situation, however, it is not uncommon for the plot to be due to the shop before rehearsals start. Many professional companies rehearse only for two or three weeks before going into technical rehearsals, and you may only have the opportunity to see a designers' run, sometimes not until the day before tech rehearsals start! In these situations, communication between you and your collaborators is even more important, so that the guesses that you're making about the blocking are as accurate as possible.
Adding cues to your script
The first step to creating cues is to read through the script again. While I'm reading, I will have the set rendering or groundplan nearby so I can picture each scene and moment. I will start writing in cue placements at this point, but I don't number them yet. I will usually write a letter Q in the script at the points where I expect there to be a cue. I also jot down thoughts about cues as needed. If I'm working in a paper script, I use small post-it notes. In a pdf electronic script, I either use commenting or the sticky-note tools.
At this point, there are two different general types of cues for me:
Remember to include Q notations for all of those 'maintenance' cues at the beginning and endings of acts. The top of the show will almost always start with some kind of preset, and then house to half and house out. A common mistake that I see in young designers is that the 'lights up' on the first scene is LQ1, and they have to cram all of those pre-show cues into decimals. After you have seen a run through and are able to at least rough in most of the cues that are based on actor movement, you can go in and number your cues. Once the cues are numbered, you can hand off the cues to the stage manager. In some cases, it is adequate to give a copy of your script with the cues to the SM, |
Tips for numbering cuesEvery designer will have personal preferences for numbering cues. Here are some tips based on my own workflow:
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Cue sheet
The cue sheet is a document that is prepared with more detail than you might put into the cues when you write them into your script. This tool is useful as a design tool to give some additional detail on what happens in each cue, and this information might be for you as the designer, or it might be information that is directed to the stage manager in order to clarify how the cue should be called in production. Here is an example of the beginning of a cue sheet for The Whipping Man:
While every show is different, the cue sheet will almost always include these columns. Script Trigger is the what motivates the Stage Manager to call GO on the cue. In some cases, this will be a character's line (LQ12). For me, more often the trigger is on an action- a character's entrance (LQ6, LQ14), a sound cue (LQ4), or other physical movements. I will often include notes like "on first step" or "as they reach the edge of the stage". The more specific you can be here, the better, but I will admit that my Stage Managers often get a placement note that says: "Somewhere in here".
Cue action is more important for me as the designer (though it also has value for the Stage Manager). This is a little reminder of what I intend to have happen when the cue is called. It may have clues as to the area of stage to emphasize (LQ6.1), effects to use (LQ4, LQ10), or the movement of the cue (LQ4.1, LQ14.3).
Time is simply a guess as to what the time might be. This will be adjusted in tech, but it is sometimes helpful to have a starting point. I sometimes will include a Time column on my cue sheet, and other times will not. It all depends on how carefully I feel I need to pre-plan this aspect.
Notes is my catch-all column for additional information that I need to have at my fingertips. These could be notes for me, or for the SM. Maybe it's additional clarification for the placement of the call. If a cue is a full blackout, I always note that, so that we're prepared for the stage to go dark.
You will notice that I have included Autofollow cues in my cue sheet. The SM doesn't call these, so it's important to make note of that in the cue sheet. I will sometimes change the text to a different color or italics or something else to allow it to stand out as different (though I did not do that in this example).
I will also admit that I don't do a full cue sheet for every production. Especially for plays, in which most of the light cues are of the 'obvious' variety- at the beginnings and ends of scenes, for example, I will simply hand off a copy of my lighting script to the SM.
While every show is different, the cue sheet will almost always include these columns. Script Trigger is the what motivates the Stage Manager to call GO on the cue. In some cases, this will be a character's line (LQ12). For me, more often the trigger is on an action- a character's entrance (LQ6, LQ14), a sound cue (LQ4), or other physical movements. I will often include notes like "on first step" or "as they reach the edge of the stage". The more specific you can be here, the better, but I will admit that my Stage Managers often get a placement note that says: "Somewhere in here".
Cue action is more important for me as the designer (though it also has value for the Stage Manager). This is a little reminder of what I intend to have happen when the cue is called. It may have clues as to the area of stage to emphasize (LQ6.1), effects to use (LQ4, LQ10), or the movement of the cue (LQ4.1, LQ14.3).
Time is simply a guess as to what the time might be. This will be adjusted in tech, but it is sometimes helpful to have a starting point. I sometimes will include a Time column on my cue sheet, and other times will not. It all depends on how carefully I feel I need to pre-plan this aspect.
Notes is my catch-all column for additional information that I need to have at my fingertips. These could be notes for me, or for the SM. Maybe it's additional clarification for the placement of the call. If a cue is a full blackout, I always note that, so that we're prepared for the stage to go dark.
You will notice that I have included Autofollow cues in my cue sheet. The SM doesn't call these, so it's important to make note of that in the cue sheet. I will sometimes change the text to a different color or italics or something else to allow it to stand out as different (though I did not do that in this example).
I will also admit that I don't do a full cue sheet for every production. Especially for plays, in which most of the light cues are of the 'obvious' variety- at the beginnings and ends of scenes, for example, I will simply hand off a copy of my lighting script to the SM.
Planning cues for Musicals
The approach that you need to take regarding planning cues for Musicals is largely the same, but usually 'super-sized' in complexity over the descriptions above. Sometimes you will find that you need to prepare your script differently for a musical than a straight play. This is especially true for large dance musicals that include extended dance breaks inside the musical numbers. In the libretto (or 'book', in the parlance of Musical Theatre), you often have a line that simply says (DANCE BREAK) in which you need to fit in a dozen or more light cues. This is an area for which having a cue sheet is probably helpful. You can also cut and paste your lighting script in such a way that gives you extra space in these areas. Designers that read music will often cut and paste together a composite lighting script that includes the text from the libretto, and the music from the piano score. This allows you to be very specific, even down to the beat on which the cue should be called.
Musicals (and some Plays) also use Follow Spotlights. If I'm using Follow Spots in a show, on my cue sheet I will add columns for each spot, to record who the Spot is following, the size of the beam, color, and any other variables. If my Follow Spots are fixtures that are programmed into the light board, each 'up' and 'out' will already be associated with a light cue number. If they are manually dowsed by the operators, I may need to add additional lines in my cue sheet that are not numbered to include them. It is good practice to include all of the lighting changes in a single cue sheet so that you're always aware of everything that's going on.
One concept that is important to understand when designing lighting for Musical Theatre is the Button. At the end of many musical numbers, on the last beat of the music, the actors and dancers freeze in a pose (sometimes with jazzhands!). This final beat is often known as the button (I have also occasionally heard 'kicker', but button is much more common). From a lighting design perspective, you should punctuate this pose with a light cue that accentuates the pose. It's almost always a zero-count 'bump' cue that significantly changes the look on stage. It could be a color change on the cyc, a flood of bright front lights from the balcony rail or footlights, or all the front lights could go out, leaving only silhouetted actors on stage. Regardless of the choice that you make, it's not a moment to be wimpy- make a big, bold statement to emphasize the look, and give the audience no choice but to applaud wildly.
The button always happens in rhythm, and requires careful coordination between the board operator and stage manager to time it right.
A variation on the button is the button/out sequence. At the end of a number, you might bump to a button look on the last beat, and then follow into a blackout a beat later. The second cue should always be an autofollow cue, and you need to time it carefully in technical rehearsals so that it happens right in time with the rhythm of the piece.
Musicals (and some Plays) also use Follow Spotlights. If I'm using Follow Spots in a show, on my cue sheet I will add columns for each spot, to record who the Spot is following, the size of the beam, color, and any other variables. If my Follow Spots are fixtures that are programmed into the light board, each 'up' and 'out' will already be associated with a light cue number. If they are manually dowsed by the operators, I may need to add additional lines in my cue sheet that are not numbered to include them. It is good practice to include all of the lighting changes in a single cue sheet so that you're always aware of everything that's going on.
One concept that is important to understand when designing lighting for Musical Theatre is the Button. At the end of many musical numbers, on the last beat of the music, the actors and dancers freeze in a pose (sometimes with jazzhands!). This final beat is often known as the button (I have also occasionally heard 'kicker', but button is much more common). From a lighting design perspective, you should punctuate this pose with a light cue that accentuates the pose. It's almost always a zero-count 'bump' cue that significantly changes the look on stage. It could be a color change on the cyc, a flood of bright front lights from the balcony rail or footlights, or all the front lights could go out, leaving only silhouetted actors on stage. Regardless of the choice that you make, it's not a moment to be wimpy- make a big, bold statement to emphasize the look, and give the audience no choice but to applaud wildly.
The button always happens in rhythm, and requires careful coordination between the board operator and stage manager to time it right.
A variation on the button is the button/out sequence. At the end of a number, you might bump to a button look on the last beat, and then follow into a blackout a beat later. The second cue should always be an autofollow cue, and you need to time it carefully in technical rehearsals so that it happens right in time with the rhythm of the piece.