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May 2008

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Moving beyond the role of mere technician, lighting designers are artists who must help tell the story

by David Martin Jacques

In the early part of the 20th century the great American theatre artist Robert Edmund Jones stated that the role of the lighting technician is not to light to stage, but to “illuminate the drama.” At the time, the idea that these technicians have an artistic role in the theatrical process was considered quite audacious. Jones’s teachings fundamentally changed how people thought about lighting designers, and since then this philosophy has guided lighting designers in their proper role as theatre artists.

What did Robert Edmund Jones mean? As lighting designers it is our primary duty to assist the actor and director in telling the story to the audience. It’s as simple as that. All drama, whether it is Biblical or theatrical, consists of an individual or a group of people telling a story to an audience. The actors fill the role of the story-tellers, and it is our job to support the actors in this story-telling.

Lighting Design Development
So where does one start on the path of story-telling with light? The best place is always at the core of the story: the script. Whether it is a simple parable or a complex epic, the drama is usually presented to the director, actors, and designers in written form. Although it is important to note that the power of drama is in the spoken word and that drama is meant to be seen and not read, a thorough reading of the script is the obvious first step in understanding the story.

I advise my students that the first reading of the script may be the most important step in the design process. This is the first opportunity for the lighting designer to “connect” with the true message of the story. This connection is what I call the designer’s “point of view.”

The point of view is the designer’s personal connection with the story. All good stories have a universal appeal, and this should be apparent to the designer. In order to connect with the story, lighting designers must find a personal link in their own lives that relates to the story. In addition to creating a starting point for the production, the point of view will also create a personal artistic and humanistic commitment to the production. This is the beginning of the process of artistic development.

After the discovery of the designer’s point of view, the collaborative process begins. All the members of the artistic team meet several times and discuss the overall production concept. Although the director usually takes a lead role in this process, the set, costume, sound, and lighting designers are important contributors. It is through this collaborative process and design meetings that new discoveries about the drama are made.

From these discussions an overall design concept is formed and agreed upon. It is imperative that all the members of the artistic team sign-on to this concept and keep it foremost in mind. It is also important that communication between the members of the artistic team never breaks down. Good communication will ensure that the production maintains its “artistic unity.”

The lighting designer then takes the production concept and in collaboration with the scenic and costume designs, develops an overall lighting “approach.” The approach is the way that the lighting designer communicates the production’s point of view to the audience.

Many elements go into the development of the lighting approach. First, the lighting designer must incorporate the functions of light: selective visibility, creating mood, creating focus, creating modeling (revealing three-dimensional objects), and most importantly, supporting the drama.

When discussing lighting for drama, selective visibility is probably the most important function of light. In most cases you cannot hear the actor if you cannot see the actor. After-all, the actors are the ones telling the story. This does not mean that you light the stage in a bright, boring wash of light. It is important to note that to create light you must also create shadows. It is in the contrasts of light and shadow that effective visibility is created.

Like selective visibility, focus depends on both light and shadow. Focus is used to direct the audience’s attention to characters and important areas of the stage. In addition, you can use selective focus to distract the audience’s attention away from areas of the stage you do not want them to notice.

It is easy to see how creating moods can relate directly to lighting for drama. It would be foolish for the designer to fight the overall mood of the scene. For instance, if the overall mood of the scene reflects hope, it would make sense for the lighting atmosphere to support this mood. Chances are the designer would use direct strokes of light that utilize clear or light colors. If the mood is somber and depressing, the designer would follow suit by using deeper colors that invoke a feeling of sadness from the audience.

The same can be said for light and shadow. Creating darkness can be a very powerful approach for sad and somber moods. Shadows can project feelings of apprehension and mystery … whereas strong, direct light can invoke feelings of security and clarity.

In supporting the approach the lighting designer uses all the qualities of light. This includes intensity, direction, shape, color, texture, and movement. In supporting the production approach, movement may be the most powerful quality of light. The lighting designer not only creates atmospheres for the individual dramatic moments in a production, but develops a dynamic design that “moves” from moment to moment. This is what I call the “flow” of the design. Dramas do not exist in a static world … they flow with a composition that is not unlike a musical composition. Therefore it is a good idea for the lighting designer to create a flow chart (or time line) for the overall lighting design over time. This flow chart can take the form of a series of sketches called “storyboards.

In Practical Application
So how does the lighting approach work? Let’s say that you are creating a lighting design for a Christmas pageant that tells the story of Jesus. The artistic team decides that the drama should highlight Jesus’s teachings and his love of all people. The point of view for this production could be “The love of Jesus includes all people.” The approach could be to communicate to the audience that the personal connection between Jesus and everyone who has contact with him is emphasized. In following this approach it is important for the designers to create a world that enables this message to come through.

So instead of creating an elaborate realistic set, the set designer may keep things very simple by creating simple platforms without walls so that Jesus and the people are the most important objects on stage. The costume designer may use fabrics and colors that reflect the individual characters’ personalities. When Jesus interacts with them they are seen as individuals instead of “a part of the masses.” The lighting designer may use strong focus cues that highlight the individuals when Jesus makes contact with them. This picks the individuals out of the crowd.

Color could also be used to support this approach. The lighting designer could light all the crowd scenes with a strong wash of a single colored light. This would unify the crowd as a group listening to Jesus.  When Jesus moves into the crowd and pulls someone out, the lighting could become very white and stark, illuminating the personal moment between Jesus and the individual.

Intensity could also be an effective tool by incorporating a wash of light that illuminates the crowd with a very general intensity. When Jesus pulls someone out of the crowd, the rest of the crowd darkens and Jesus and the individual are highlighted in a very intense light.

Movement can be used to make a strong statement in picking out the individuals. The flow of cueing makes the designer’s approach more apparent (and more powerful) to the audience. The speed of the cues from the general crowd atmospheres to the selective atmospheres of the individuals is crucial in the affect of the cue on the audience. Remember, the faster the cue, the more obvious the cue. Discretion must be used when assigning movement and speed to a cue. You want the audience to “feel” the cue, not be distracted by the lighting cue (which in turn pulls the audience out of the story).

Finally, the designer should always be open to changes in the drama. Good productions grow and evolve. It is the designer’s responsibility to allow the lighting design to grow with the production. The ability to make instantaneous changes is what really excites me about the art of lighting design.

Remember, when lighting for drama the primary role of the lighting designer is to support the actor in telling the story. Always keep your point of view in mind throughout the entire process. In addition, continue to question how your design choices are supporting the story. The moment that you start noticing the lighting is the moment that you are distracting the audience from the story.

David Martin Jacques is a professional lighting designer and consultant. He has designed hundreds of productions in the United States and throughout the world. David also consults on new worship facilities and renovations. He serves as Head of Stage Design for California State University Long Beach.   Email David Martin