4/16/13 It's all about the LIGHT! - Introduction to Stage Lighting It's all about the LIGHT! Introduction to Stage Lighting Instruments, Electricity & Welcome to the Introduction to Stage Lighting online website. This site is to Cables/Connectors be used as an additional source of information for the Introduction to Stage Entertainment Industry Lighting course held at Valencia Community College, East Campus taught by Creative Design for Theatre Sonia Pasqual. Lighting History & Intensity Control The course syllabus and calendar for the current semester is available via Lighting Design the course homepage or you can download the file from below. Basic Stagecraft If you choose to download it from your atlas account go to the course Additional Information homepage for the Introduction to Stage Lighting section which you are in now, TPA 2220. You can download it at anytime to view, there will be a hard copy of the lighting syllabus outside my office door for anyone needing to view it if they are on campus and can not access atlas. The information gathered on this site is produced by Sonia Pasqual. All other information has been credited to its source and is only used as a visual aid for my students. Sonia has been involved in the art of theatre and entertainment since 1992. Her knowledge and information comes from her experience and growing up in the theatre world. She has worked in theatres across the Greater Central Florida, North Florida, and New York City. Her work and experience also extends into the theme parks such as Universal Studios 97-99, and Walt Disney World 04-Present, while at Disney she has played several roles. The most exciting roles as a Disney cast member for Sonia is pyrotechnics, off course being on the Global Lighting Design Bench and working as a stage technician (lighting, video, and camera operation) for Magic Kingdom and the former Pleasure Island in the night clubs and other positions as a temp. production planner including resorts and downtown Disney boardwalk. Sonia runs her own lighting company, Sfumato Design Group, LLC where she and a talented group of designers collaborate designs, consultant and or handle the technical and coordinating aspects of the entertainment industry. CLASS SUMMER A - 05/10/2010 to 06/21/2010 Mon-Thur 2-4pm class 2-164D "You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney itsallaboutthelight.weebly.com 1/13 4/16/13 It's all about the LIGHT! - Introduction to Stage Lighting WELCOME to Introduction to Stage Lighting with Sonia Pasqual. In this section you will learn the overall purpose and approach to lighting for the stage. Let us begin! Entertainment / Theatrical Lighting: Entertainment and or Theatrical lighting is used to E N H A N C E the scene. The lighting should pull all the aspects of the stage together. It is not just enough to illuminate the actors, set, costumes and props, the lighting should allow the whole piece to be embraced and supported. For example, parts of a set may need to be subdued, or certain props and costumes may need to be enhanced, and the actors must be seen in a proper relationship to their background and surroundings. Therefore, all objects that appear on the stage needs to be in balance and the light should focus in on the picture that needs to convey the sense and feeling to what the audience is viewing. The lighting should NOT, distract or be non-supportive to a scene. Only unless that is the purpose the director wants to achieve. KEY NOTE: The lighting should pull all the aspects of the stage together. (Photo above credited to: America's Next Top Model Photographer, Tyra Banks. Photo below Jeffrey Smith.) itsallaboutthelight.weebly.com 2/13 4/16/13 It's all about the LIGHT! - Introduction to Stage Lighting Basic functions of stage lighting: Stage Lighting Revealed, page 15 of textbook - read the text information on this topic as assigned in the course calendar section of the syllabus. Material from the text, WebCT, labs and lecture will be presented in the the in class exams. Additional breakdown and lecture information below: 1) Selective visiblity: The #1 function of light is to see, to illuminate, to make visible to the nake human eye. The audience should see only what the director wants them to see. Lighting will help to FOCUS the audiences' attention through (the eye) only to certain areas, performers, props and or a set piece which may be the main focus or the emphasis in that scene. The key purpose to "selective visibility" is that the audience is only viewing one thing at a time and not everything which may cause them to miss the importance of that scene. The lighting for a production can act as a camera, as it cuts to ONLY what the director wants the audience to see at any given moment. 2) Mood: (defining a mood: a mood is triggered by a particular stimulation or event). Therefore, lighting is intended to create moods and emotions in a scene that will only reinforce that particular moment, which may include the actor, actress, and special objects as its assisting reinforcements. The mood helps to direct the audiences' emotions so that they may feel what the director's motivation of the performer to portray and or convey, through words, actions, etc. 3) Composition: The entire stage is intended to have cohesiveness relative to the scene. The lighting is intended to emphasize the flow of the story. Therefore, the lighting helps to structure and form the scene and set. The composition of the light, forms and directs the eye which manipulates the thoughts of the mind and set the picture of that scene. The composition therefore creates the entire perspective and forms an overall perception by using light. 4) Revelation of form: The lighting is intended to make the performers, scenic elements and the props appear three dimensional against the other set pieces and the overall background. Revelation of forms uses light to allow the performer, set and or objects to be ENHANCED or accentuated. The enhancement can be in its natural form or in an abstract way (depending on the director's vision). To reveal the form of a character is to help accentuate (emphasize or to intensify) its body (shapes, curves, non-curves) in order to be appealing, grotesque, taller, shorter, wider, the desired look. The purpose of revelation of form is to SHAPE an object with light. 5) Reinforcement: This function of lighting is to help the theme or purpose of the scene by using light that contribute to the overall feeling or mood. By reinforcing the theme the lighting is supporting what the scene is trying to convey to the audience. (Photo below credited to: America's Next Top Model Photographer, Tyra Banks. Photo below by Rob Jones of Jesus Hopped the A Train, lighting by Sonia Pasqual) EXAMPLE: Photo demonstrates - Revelation of Form revealing the form of the model and her clothing, Composition as the eye is directed to the model, her figure and surrounding environment. The lighting from above the water acting as a back light adds to the reinforcement of drama and yet floaty airy feel of this photo, which also the colors helps to define. itsallaboutthelight.weebly.com 3/13 4/16/13 It's all about the LIGHT! - Introduction to Stage Lighting Controllable qualities of light: 1) Color: Color is the key to creating the mood or directing the emotion of a scene. The use of hues and saturation in the stage lighting helps to convey what is going on, about to happen, and or to redirect the emotions of the audience. * (In textbook the color is part of what creates Form - - the variety and contrasts in both intensity and color when it is used throughout a scene, found on page 15). 2) Intensity: This is the amount of light or brightness that is transmitted by the light. The intensity can range from a dim glow to an explosion of light. This is what gives theatrical lighting its dramatic effect and look. For example, think about you are trying to see a romantic mood on stage. In most theatre's for safety reasons using real candles is a no no. So the set a romantic seen you will not have the stage lighting at 100%, all bright, as that does not set the mood for romance. Using the light at 35-40% a lower intensity can more set the mood for a romantic scene. Especially, if you are using colors such as varying hues of pinks to light reds. * (In textbook the color is part of what creates Form - - the variety and contrasts in both intensity and color when it is used throughout a scene, found on page 15). itsallaboutthelight.weebly.com 4/13 4/16/13 It's all about the LIGHT! - Introduction to Stage Lighting 3) Distribution: The physical location of where the instruments are placed. This also relates to how many instruments are being hung, the type of instrument used and the instruments beam size. The location of the instrument placement is important to how the light will illuminate an object. So placing the light at an appropriate angle and location will effect the way it cast light on to the object, helping to shape the object and create more drama or less drama (depends on what is needed). 4) Movement: All of these other properties can be intensified or diminshed with the introduction of movement.