Stage Lighting

The Purpose of Stage Lighting

The primary function of lighting in the theatre is to make the stage picture
visible, but the way in which the stage is lit will have a major impact on the
audience.

After the basic aim of visibility is achieved the lighting designer's aim is to
reinforce the overall dramatic impact of the production.
Considerations for a Lighting Designer
• Illumination – the audience need to be able to see the actors. This is often achieved with a
‘general wash’ – a lighting state (or picture, if you like) which covers the stage evenly. It can be
broken up into a number of areas which make sense in the show.

• Focus – lighting can help draw the audience’s attention to an important part of the stage (and
exclude less important areas)

• Atmosphere & Emotion – the colour of the lighting can convey the atmosphere of the scene
(cold / warm)

• Flow – A lighting change can punctuate the end of a scene (a sudden blackout, for example) or
can make a scene change much smoother by avoiding complete blackouts instead enabling the
next scene to start immediately in, for example, a tight spotlight until the stage is set.
Light can be changed in the following ways:
• Intensity – How bright the light is.
• Colour – The colour of the light is changed
using gel, a thin coloured high-temperature
sheet of plastic.
• Shape – Light can be shaped using barn
doors/shutters (generally used to prevent light
from spilling into unwanted areas of the stage),
or by using a gobo (a metal/glass/plastic disc
that projects a pattern on to the stage).
• Focus – Light can be focused in narrow or wide
beams, with a soft or hard edge to the beam.
 Gobos
These are metal inserts that fit onto a lantern to project as pattern or image
A gobo could be used to create a dappled lighting effect to look like the leaves of a
forest, or could be cut to create strips of light onstage which look like the bars of a
prison or windows:
 Direction of Light

Front light Side light

(provides good visibility) (good for showing shape and form)

Back light Top/Down light Up light

(will result in a silhouette) (can look quite stylised) (for spookiness!)
Lanterns
Flood - This is the simplest type of lantern,
consisting of a fixed beam of light, for either
lighting the cyclorama or backcloth and giving a
broad, relatively uncontrolled wash of light.

Fresnel – these produce a soft edge cone of light

adjustable from a spot to medium flood. The
beam can be shaped with a four-flap barndoor
(barndoors shape the light beam by masking part
of it) which effectively masks the flood to
medium spot beam.
Lanterns
Spot - has a hard-edged effect, used to light
characters or elements on the stage. Coloured
filters (or gels) can be used with this lamp.

Strobe - a rapidly flashing light, used for special

effects. It’s often used to give the effect of old
movies. It produces a jerky effect on the
movements of actors when used on its own.
Lanterns
Follow Spot - has a hard-edged effect, used to
light characters or elements on the stage.
Coloured filters (or gels) can be used with this
lamp. It can be moved to follow the actor.

Practical – these are light sources that do

what they appear, e.g. a candle, chandelier,
bedside lamp, neon sign.
https://scenicandlighting.com/article/the-lighting-design-process/?fbclid=IwAR26B033bx8kDk3oGBbnyp5PtVY1Mr_kyRB_XaboJbpCxJaZiZAWTM8qpSs
Stage Sound
All deliberate sound is part of sound design!
This includes:
Music (live or pre-recorded)
Sound effects (live or pre-recorded)
Amplification of sound effects, music and dialogue

The sound designer communicates meaning using sound to support the artistic vision of the
performance.
Sound can be used to communicate time and location.
It can also be used to bring out the emotions of a scene and create atmosphere and mood.
Sound might be used to start or end a scene or during scene changes to keep the performance flowing.
Sound designers are responsible for mixing sounds to make sure the whole audience can hear the
dialogue clearly. Sound and music must be balanced so that it is not distracting for an audience but
supporting the action.
Diegetic Sound
This means the sounds that are part of the world of the play – the sounds the characters
can hear (e.g. a doorbell ringing or dog barking).

These sounds might be pre-recorded (a soundscape of a beach with waves crashing,

seagulls and children’s laughter for example).

Other sounds might be made by actors offstage (an animal noise, door banging or
footsteps approaching for example).

Can you think of a diegetic sound effect used in Blood Brothers?

Non-Diegetic Sound
These are sounds that characters don’t ‘hear.’

They can be used to build atmosphere or tension.

Music that accompanies the scene (underscoring) might emphasise a particular

atmosphere or bring out emotion in a scene.

Non-diegetic sound could be used symbolically:

Can you think of a symbolic use of non-diegetic sound in Blood Brothers?
You could make a list of diegetic and non-diegetic sound that could be used in - or that are needed
throughout – Blood Brothers.

You should think about:

What sound effect/music is needed and whether is will be live or pre-recorded;

How loud or soft the sound effect or music will be – and does it grow or lessen in volume;

Whether microphones will be required to amplify voices over a sound effect or live/pre-recorded music this
would need to be balanced so everything can be heard clearly);

Exactly when a sound effect will be played and for how long;

Will the sound effect be played as a sudden burst or fade in/out?

Will there be any special effect put on a microphone such as reverb, delay, echo (reverb and delay put
Have a go at answering one of these questions using as
much of the technical language you’ve learned as possible.

1. Describe how you would use sound in this scene: P. 15-16 (the Bible
scene)

2. Describe how you would use sound in this scene: P. 63-63 (the Bus scene)

3. Describe how you would use lighting in this scene: P.15-16 (the Bible scene)

4. Describe how you would use lighting in this scene: P. 97-98 (the Prison Scene)