So why do we need lighting?
It seems like a simple question to ask, but how does one really answer that question? Perhaps a better way to phrase the question is:
These questions are best answered by considering the following concepts:
It seems like a simple question to ask, but how does one really answer that question? Perhaps a better way to phrase the question is:
- What are the goals of the lighting design?
- What do I need to accomplish in my lighting design?
These questions are best answered by considering the following concepts:
visibility |
One of the most fundamental questions of lighting design is: "What can the audience see?" However, its inverse "What is hidden?" is also crucial to storytelling. I sometimes will express this function as 'selective visibility'.
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focus |
The lighting design is one of the primary ways that an audience member knows where to look on the stage. Some compare the lighting design in live performance to the use of the camera lens in film. Lighting has the ability to 'zoom in' on a moment, or to say 'hey- look over here!'
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modeling |
This function allows the people and objects on the stage to appear to have three dimensions (which is important because they do!). This is often expressed as 'popping out' from the background, or 'sculpting'. If your compositions appear 'flat', explore ways that you can reveal the form of the people and objects on stage.
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given circumstances |
Lighting can help the audience understand where and when we are. Through careful use of lighting, we unconsciously know whether it is night or day, indoors or outdoors, what the weather is like, and countless other functions of setting. Through choices related to given circumstances, lighting helps to tell where we are.
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mood |
The inverse of given circumstances is the way that lighting can influence the mood of the moment. In short, lighting can help to tell us how the play feels.
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