Lighting Design Principles
Definition
Lighting design composes the stage picture with light, and its aims are visibility, depth and focus. A common foundation, taken from film and photography, is three-point lighting. The key light is the main source; it reveals the subject and creates the shadows that define its form. The fill light, softer and placed on the opposite side, controls the depth of those shadows, and the ratio between key and fill sets the contrast. The backlight, from behind and above, outlines the subject and separates it from the background, restoring the depth that a flat front light removes.
The guide
Angle, colour and intensity direct the audience's attention. A bright, warm, isolated area of light draws focus to a soloist while the rest of the stage remains in cool, low light. Contrast between light and dark and between warm and cool gives an image its shape, and an even wash across the whole stage tends to flatten it.
For lighting performers on stage, the McCandless method, set out by Stanley McCandless in A Method of Lighting the Stage (1932), divides the stage into acting areas. Each area is lit by two fixtures placed about 45 degrees to either side of the subject and about 45 degrees above it, often in contrasting warm and cool tints, which models the face in three dimensions. The method is still widely taught, and designers adapt its angles and colours to each production.
The rule
A lighting design is built on contrast and direction, and the overall level follows from them.
Glossary terms
Sources
- Stanley McCandless (Wikipédia, pointeur secondaire) : A Method of Lighting the Stage, 1932 · en.wikipedia.org
- Illuminated Integration, méthode McCandless : zones de jeu, deux sources à 45° latéralement et 45° en hauteur, chaud et froid · illuminated-integration.com
- Three-point lighting (Wikipédia, pointeur secondaire) : lumière principale, d'appoint et contre-jour · en.wikipedia.org