Lighting

Question 1

Backlight

Answer 1

Light coming from upstage, behind scenery or actors, to sculpt and separate them from the background.

Question 2

Barndoors

Answer 2

An attachment which is fixed to the front of a lantern to cut off the lighting beam in a particular direction(s).

Question 3

Blackout

Answer 3

The act of turning off (or fading out) stage lighting.

Question 4

Board

Answer 4

The main control for the stage lighting.

Question 5

Burn out

Answer 5

A coloured gel that has lost its colour or melted through due to excessive heat in front of a lantern.

Question 6

CMY

Answer 6

Cyan/Magenta/Yellow - the three secondary (additive) colours of light which are used in moving lights for colour mixing.

Question 7

Cross fade

Answer 7

Bringing another lighting state up to completely replace the current lighting state. Also applies to sound effects/music. Sometimes abbreviated to Xfade Or XF.

Question 8

Dimmer rack

Answer 8

A number of individual lighting dimmer circuits built into a single case.
Consists of a single power input, a lighting control (DMX512) input and sockets to connect lanterns.
A dimmer rack can be set to respond to any control channel by setting its start address (known as “addressing” the rack)

Question 9

Fade

Answer 9

A fade is an increase, diminishment or change in lighting or sound level.

Question 10

Flood

Answer 10

A lensless lantern that produces a broad non-variable spread of light.

Question 11

Followspot

Answer 11

Usually, a powerful profile lantern fitted with its own dimmer, iris, colour magazine and shutters mounted in or above the auditorium, used with an operator so that the light bear can be moved around the stage to follow an actor.

Question 12

General cover

Answer 12

Those lanterns in a rig which are set aside purely to light the acting areas. The stage is normally split into a number of areas for this purpose, which can then be
isolated or blended together as required by the director.

Question 13

Gobo

Answer 13

A thin metal plate etched to produce a design which can then be projected by a profile spotlight. There are hundreds of gobo designs available - common examples are breakup (foliage), windows and scenic (neon signs, city scapes etc.).

Question 14

Lantern

Answer 14

General term for unit of lighting equipment including spotlight, flood etc.

Question 15

Lighting plot

Answer 15

The process of recording information about each lighting state either onto paper or into the memory of a computerised lighting board for subsequent playback.

Question 16

Lights up

Answer 16

1) Announcement that a section of the performance has begun
2) An increase in light level - usually a note by the lighting designer for her/his own reference.

Question 17

LX

Answer 17

Used by some as a shorthand for lighting.