Modern theatrical lighting is a dynamic and flexible tool used in the production of dance, theater, opera and other performance arts. Many different types of theatrical instruments are utilized in the creation of theatrical productions. In general, there are some basic principles of theatrical lighting.
While there are quite a few general theatrical lighting principles, there are no concrete, absolute rules to stage lighting. As with most creative projects or productions, only experimentation and a desire to find solutions from melding various ideas will result in a pleasing theatrical lighting display.
Some of the primary principles of theatrical lighting and brief explanations are as follows:
-Focus: directing of an audience's attention to a particular area of the stage or distracting the audience from a certain area
-Illumination: the simple ability to see what is happening on stage. Every lighting design must be seen to be effective. Another way of looking at it is: if the audience has to strain to see the characters or to understand the action, then they are missing critical content and the lighting should be adjusted.
Mood: sets the tone of the scene. Different color filters placed over lighting can have dramatic and drastic effects on the overall mood of a given scene.
Revelation of form: this refers to the alteration of perception in relation to shapes found on stage, such as three dimensional stage elements like props.
Plot: is a lighting event that may trigger or advance the action happening onstage.
Now we'll talk some about the various qualities of lighting. The three main qualities of focus are pattern, color and intensity.
Pattern is the shape, evenness and quality of a lamp's output. The pattern of light that a device produces is largely determined by three important factors. The first of these factors are the specifics of the bulb, the reflector and lens assemblies.
Various configurations and positions of the lens with regard to lamps, all contribute to changing light conditions and lighting demands. Various mounting positions for the bulb, different shapes and sizes of reflector and lens can all affect the pattern of light.
Color temperature of light is measured in kelvins. Gel color lights are organized by various systems that are maintained by the color manufacturing companies. The labels given to the gel color lights depend on the gel color used, but also the power level the lamp will be run at.
The tungsten filament in the bulb glows orange rather than white as the percentage of full power slowly runs down. This is what is known as amber drift or red shit. IN a 1,000-watt bulb at 50% capacity, will appear much more orange in color than a 500-watt bulb at full capacity.
The intensity of light is measured in both lumens and lux. For any given luminaire the design of the instrument, as well as the presence of gobos or color gels, the distance form the area to be lit, the neuro-optics of the overall scene and the power of the bulb are all taken into consideration when figuring the intensity of a light or lighting set-up.
