Functions of Stage Lighting

Outlined below is what we believe to be the main Seven Functions of Stage Lighting - every Designer should have their own variation on these, but here is what we feel makes a great piece of stage lighting.
  1. Visibility - If the audience can't see the actors or the performers, what is the point of the lighting design? This doesn't mean everything has to be lit but the main parts have to be visible.  You want to use lighting to draw the attention of your audience to the main action on stage.
  2. Mood - The mood is extremely important for the audience, it helps the audience understand the emotions portrayed in the performance. Many Lighting Designers focuses on mood too much and so visibility can be compromised.
  3. Aesthetics - Your design is also to make the set more appealing and striking to your audience, with the simple addition of a few more lights strategically positioned can make it more engaging for the audience.
  4. Punctuation - Make sure sections of the performance are met with punctuality aka the end of scene a quick blackout could give a sense of completion.
  5. Providing the Focus on other visual elements - Provide a focus on the other aspects of the performance such as the costumes.
  6. Composition - This is very similar to painting a picture but with light, you want to make sure that your lighting is well composed and that things like transitions across stage and scene changes flow well.
  7. Indication of Time and Place - Makes the play or event more realistic and convincing for the audience for example the use of ambers in the evening to symbolise the sunset or an LED Starcloth to symbolise stars at night.

Qualities of Stage Lighting

These following attributes of lights you can manipulate to fulfil the functions of Stage Lighting. 
  1. Intensity - the measurable amount of brightness emitted by the lamp
  2. Colour - what colour is right for the setting and the mood
  3. Distribution - where each light hits the stage
  4. Angle - at what angle does the light make contact with the stage
  5. Quality of the light beam - added effects such as diffusion paper, soft edges, gobos etc)
  6. Change and movement - change in the qualities above
  7. Added effects - light beams passing through extra media such as glass or smoke
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