January 24, 2014, NAMM Hands-on-Training Zone, Anaheim—Dan Weingarten from CSU Northridge provided an introductory presentation to stage lighting. The course covered terminology and basic lighting concepts.
One suggestion was to consider the total light concept and find similar images as a starting point. By using prior work, you can get the look of a more experienced lighting professional. The lighting design should reflect the energy graph of the show; the highs, lows, and moods of the production. This energy graph is then used to determine set points for lighting changes. The graph should be smoothed before planning the lighting to keep from having the lighting distract from the performance.
The elements of lighting are intensity, angle, color, movement, and texture. Lighting angles and color are also used for fill lighting. For example, red indicates a strong or heightened emotional frame, purple is a mild color, and green establishes a baseline setting. As the lighting design comes into focus, the elements are integrated to determine appropriate fixtures.
The fixtures include pars for big light and color, fresnel for big, gentile light especially in film, and ellipsoidal reflector spots (ers) for precision. The ers are the most versatile fixtures and some are now available with automation for pan, tilt, color mix and gobo (stencils). The technology is changing for all these fixtures, so it is best to look up specifications on-line before specifying any specific fixture.
After identifying the appropriate fixtures, or finding what is in inventory, then develop a light plot and start refining the lighting plan. The refinements will include power and routing, dimmers, cables, light board, etc. Wireless controls can be convenient for hard to access and highly active fixtures, but make sure the wireless will work in the production environment. The cabling will always be a resource-intensive stage function.
Also consider newer technologies like LED lights. Although the fixtures are more expensive, the light sources have a longer life, are more flexible, and don't change color temperature with dimming. The LEDs are available in many form factors and may include focus optics and can be good replacements for fresnel lights. In an ers fixture, the LEDs are more useful. Many of the newer fixtures have wireless options, but the wireless functions have to be checked in situ to make sure the signals can get from the controller to the fixture. Many older buildings have poor RF characteristics due to the large amount of metal in the walls and building structures.
For haze effects, try to have the haze machine running as long as possible ( until the stage manager complains) to allow for light-beam evaluation. The haze effect makes the light beams visible, but the mineral oils make the stage and other environs sticky.
For big bands, one technique is to backlight the musicians to throw a lot of neutral light on the music stands. This also outlines the performers and moves them away from the background. Bright colored side lights give the performers more dimension and can be synched to changes in music.
Try to find equipment that will allow existing DMX and other legacy programs to interoperate with the newer equipment and reduce reprogramming time. The programs should be accessible across all of the equipment and for all programs. When considering new fixtures, try new equipment through rentals and short-term loans. This way you can see if the new fixtures will work with your existing setup.
