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)

Question 11

Key light

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 — NOT DARK COLOURS

Question 14

Colour symbolism

Answer 14

Warm colours = red yellow orange ~ e.g warmth hostility
Cold colour = blue purple green ~ calm, indifference

Warm/cold light 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 = lighting shining through the leaves of a forest

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

Types of lantern

Answer 30

Profile spot + fresnel spot + floods

Question 31

Types of effects

Answer 31

Gobos strobed + specials

Question 32

1. Lantern 2. Rig

Answer 32

1. stage light 2. where the lanterns are hung

Question 33

1. Dry ice 2. Haze

Answer 33

1. Smoke on stage 2. thinner than dry ice creates a ‘smokey/hazy’ effect in the lights

Question 34

Profile

Answer 34

adjustable spotlight giving a diffused light Concentric circles Spotlight (hard edge)

Question 35

Fresnel

Answer 35

produce hard or soft light. Used with barn doors. (soft edge)

Question 36

Wash

Answer 36

general ‘fill’ of light and colour across the stage. White or coloured