Intro to Lighting Design Lesson Plan/Unit Plan Components

Standard(s): Unit/Topic/Theme(s): Essential Question:

Introduction to Lighting EQ: What is lighting design,
N/A Design what are the basic elements
of lighting design, and how
can it enhance the
production?
Student Learning Targets: I can
I can identify the principles of composition and analyze theatre designs to see the
principles at work.
I can describe the Functions of Stage Lighting and see how they affect the body
onstage.
I can distinguish between the attributes of light that fulfil the functions of stage
lighting.
Lesson Activities: (i.e.: introduction, ways to activate prior knowledge, content, and
specifics of the days lesson)
Introduction (0:30)
o Good Morning
o Introduce Yourself
Activating prior knowledge (5:00)
o Halloween/Scary Lighting with a Flashlight:
Talk about telling scary stories at Halloween and how people hold the
flashlight under their heads when they are telling the story. What does
this achieve? Why?
Have students get out the flashlights on their cell phones. Have them
play with angles of light on the face? What does each angle do?
Connect to Lighting Design.
Basic Principles of Composition (10:00)
o All art forms including writing, acting, painting...and, of course, lighting
design fall subject to the principles of composition. The principles should be
applied with flexibility; in art, there is always the danger of becoming overly
academic and strangling creativity with theory or over analyzation.
Unity: The creation of a stylistic plan or concept to which all elements of
the production or design conform. Note that while there may be an
overall concept for the production, each designer will establish a
concept for his or her own design discipline. Ideally, this concept will be
rooted in the overall production concept; otherwise, the principle of
"unity" is violated.
Harmony: The sense of blending and unity obtained when all elements
of a design fit together to create an orderly, congruous whole. Note that
for some productions, disharmony is appropriate.
Is there a difference between Unity and Harmony?
Unity is achieved when each element of a design fits in with the
overall concept of the production. It is defined by how those
elements relate to the production as a whole. Harmony, on the
other hand, is defined by how those same elements relate to
each other. (Show the Duck Pictures)

o Harmony AND Unity:

o Unity ONLY:

o NO harmony OR unity:
 Contrast: The juxtaposition of dissimilar design elements. Note that
elements can contrast with each other and remain harmonious. The
Tony Award winning set and lighting designer David Hays once said
that, "The primary tool of any form of design is contrast."
Variation: Too much uninterrupted harmony is monotonous.
Is there a difference Between Contrast and Variation? (More Ducks)

Contrast:

Variation:
Balance: The arrangement of the design elements to bring a sense of
restfulness, stability, or equilibrium to the design
Proportion: The harmonious relationship (in terms of size) of the parts
to each other and to the whole. Physical beauty in humans (or anything
else) is largely based on proportion.
Emphasis: Directing the audience's attention to a specific place.
o Can you see these elements on the set for Radium Girls?
Functions of Stage Lighting. (15:00)
o We can break Stage Lighting down into seven basic functions. We use the
functions to serve the goals and objectives of the design.
Visibility: If the audience can't see the actors, everything else the
lighting designer does is a waste of time. Studies have shown that
visibility affects our ability to understand spoken speech. This doesn't
mean that the audience must see everything all of the time; a German
director named Max Reinhardt once said that, "The art of lighting the
stage consists of putting light where you want it and taking it away
from where you don't want it."
Mood: (or "atmosphere") "Mood" is the evocation in the audience of the
appropriate emotion. Many designers err in paying attention to mood to
the point where visibility is sacrificed.
Composition: The act of painting a picture, in this case, with light.
Plausibility: Sometimes called "realism", but that's not always accurate,
since not all plays - and certainly very few ballets, modern dance
pieces, and operas - are realistic. It's the same quality that Stephen
Colbert refers to as "truthiness".
Reinforcement: What are we reinforcing? Everything.
We reinforce the playwright's text: In A Midsummer Night's
Dream, Puck has the line, "And yonder shines Aurora's
harbinger," meaning the dawn. The lighting designer can
reinforce this by providing the first rays of dawn.
We reinforce the work or the set and costume designers:
o We might use colors that flatter or complement those
used by our colleagues, Creating Unity and Harmony in
the design.
o If the sets and/or costumes are sculpted and lush, we
might light them so as to highlight their 3-dimensionality.
Revelation of Form: Decide on the level of 3-dimensionality you want
the audience to see. In some productions, you might want a "flat" look;
in others particularly in dance you might want a more sculpted look.
A case could be made that revelation of form is part of
composition or mood; however, it's important enough (in some
productions, at least) to be a stand alone function.
This is the function achieved when we played with the angles of
 light with your cell phone flashlight.
Punctuation: The blackout at the end of a climactic musical number!
The slow fade to black... A crossfade between scenes
o Go through several of the looks in Radium Girls to discover the Functions of
Stage Lighting at work.
Qualities of Light: (7:00)
o Attributes of light that can be manipulated in order to achieve the functions of
stage lighting
Intensity
Color
Texture
Distribution: Essentially, where the light hits the stage and from what
angles. If we have a blue light hitting the SL side of the stage, and a red
light hitting SR, that's a matter of distribution. If we flood the whole
stage with an even wash of blue light, that's distribution. If we have an
actor isolated in a tight special, that's distribution.
Movement: Any change in any of the other three qualities.
o Go through Radium Girls Cues and discover the qualities of Light in use.
Lighting Fixtures (7:00)
o Designers choose different lighting fixtures to achieve different qualities of
light.
Ellipsoidal Instruments/Lekos
Gobos/Gobo Rotators
Parabolic Aluminized Reflector
Fresnel
LED Instruments
o Look in the air to see some of the lighting fixtures and how they help support
the goals and objectives of the design.
Closure: (involves students; revisit essential question) Materials and
Resources:
(4:00) Pull up a final look from Radium Girls and Discuss how Duck Pictures, Radium
the Principles of Composition, Functions of Stage Lighting, and Girls Lighting
Qualities of light are used in the design.

Vocabulary to be
Taught: (include, with
Literacy Integration: definitions, in Lesson
Activities section)
Reading: Found in lesson Activities
Writing:
Speaking/Listening:
Media/Technology:
Other Content
Areas:
Skills for Success:
List Differentiation Strategies: Creativity
Collaboration
Problem-solving
Critical thinking
Explain