Lighting

Question 1

Function

Answer 1

Making expression + emotions clearly visible

Creating mood + atmosphere

Complement/highlight set + costume

Show time + location

Communicate a message/ theme (abstract/symbolically)

Direct audience focus

Question 2

Front lighting

Answer 2

Well lit face
Not interesting, flat

Question 3

Side lighting

Answer 3

Leaves 1/2 the face in shadow
Dramatic yet naturalistic

Question 4

Backlighting

Answer 4

Create silhouettes

Question 5

DS high angle

Answer 5

Good angle for lighting the face + eyes
Less flat > front light

Question 6

Side backlight ~ high/low

Answer 6

Gives faces contours + a halo effect around the hair
High angle = longer shadow

Question 7

Downlighting

Answer 7

Obscure the face in shadow Dramatic

Question 8

Uplighting

Answer 8

Cast shadows under eyes + onto the backdrop (dramatic)

Question 9

High intensity

Answer 9

Bright/harsh/intense
Pale coloured set = light reflects off it
Too many/powerful = glare & details = bleached out

Question 10

Low intensity

Answer 10

Low/soft/subdued
White stands out the most when lit ( why flats+ drapes = black)

Answer 11

One light source = brighter than the others

Question 12

Colour ~ additive mixing

Answer 12

Two or more different coloured lights are aimed at the same surface
Primary colours aimed at the same spot theoretically = white light

Red + blue = magenta
Red + green = yellow
Blue + green = cyan

Question 13

Gels

Answer 13

Light colours preserve the naturalism of pictures ~ hues + tints are usually used

Question 14

Colour symbolism

Answer 14

Warm colours = red yellow orange
Cold colour = blue purple green

Can indicate time + location

Question 15

Subtractive mixing

Answer 15

Single light source is shone through differently-coloured FILTERS
Primary colours are created by evenly mixing two secondary colours ( yellow cyan magenta

Magenta + yellow = red
Magenta + cyan =blue
Yellow + cyan = green

Mixed together = black

Gels = a form

Question 16

Coloured Gels

Answer 16

LED lights emit coloured light ~ additive mixing

Gels + par-cans —> coloured light ~ subtractive mixing

Question 17

Complementary colours

Answer 17

Are opposite on the colour wheel + when adjacent to each other make each appear more vibrant

Go well together:

Red & cyan
Magenta & green
Blue & yellow

Question 18

Spotlight

Answer 18

Lights single characters or objects onstage

Highlights the importance of that person or object at that moment

• Fresnel spot – softer edge
• Profile spot – hard edge (sharply defined light)
• Follow spot – moving spotlight

Question 19

Floods

Answer 19

Clear, wide angled light
Can be used with gels
Used to provide large washes of light over the stage
The beam cannot be shape

Question 20

Strobes

Answer 20

Flashing light ~ used for special effects
Often used to give the effect of an old movie
Jerky effect on the movement of actors when used on its own

Question 21

Gobos

Answer 21

Inserted in front of a profile spot with a design cut into it.
This filters the light, creating a picture effect on the stage.
e.g.
• a window silhouette
• cut in strips = prison bars.
• used to create a dappled lighting effect

Question 22

Par-cans

Answer 22

Produces an intense beam of light

Question 23

Specials

Answer 23

Stage features – light producing objects onstage (practicals)

Fires, car headlights, TVs – all of these can house lanterns and be dressed to seem real

Light switches onstage

Question 24

Cyclorama

Answer 24

large curtain or wall, normally concave, at the back of the stage
Floods used to light. Slow changes in colour over a scene can create atmosphere

Question 25

Gauze

Answer 25

Lightweight backcloth. When lit from the front = opaque
Lit from behind = transparent – actors and set magically appear

Question 26

Shadows

Answer 26

use lights to project shadows onto a backcloth or screen behind the actors

Question 27

Timings

Answer 27

Crossfade (one lighting stage fades down, as another fades up)
• Snap fade – very quick (less than a second)
• Quick fade (1 – 3 secs)
• Slow fade (4 – 10 secs)
• Long fades can be as long as 30 minutes over a scene! (e.g. the light slowly fading at dusk)
• Blackouts

Question 28

Naturalist vs abstract

Answer 28

naturalistic design (as close to real life as possible)
abstract design (to communicate meaning symbolically)

Question 29

House lights

Answer 29

lights that illuminate the auditorium before + after the performance + during intermission

Question 30

Terminology

Answer 30

• Lantern = stage light
• Rig =where the lanterns are hung
• Profile adjustable spotlight giving a diffused light, created by the construction of its lens of ‘concentric circles’. Used to create spotlights. (hard edge)
• Fresnel lantern which can produce hard or soft light. Used with barn doors. (soft edge)
• Shutter device in lantern used to shape beam
• Moving heads Automated and offer variation
• Special effects lighting effects used to enhance a theatrical performance. (‘specials’)
• Wash a general ‘fill’ of light and colour across the stage. White or colour
• Dry ice smoke on stage (actually water vapour)
• Haze thinner than dry ice creates a ‘smokey/hazy’ effect in the lights