Lighting/Rigging

What am I lighting?

Looking at 'the setting, the arrangement of the properties, and the grouping and costumes of the actors. These are basic elements that present definite conditions to be blended together, by the distribution of light'(McCandless, 1958 p 39). A lighting plan will show where each light will be and a lighting plot will be used to record the intensity you want. 

Cabling

Lanterns may be rigged at a considerable distance from Circuit dimmers (CD), a patch panel provides flexibility in lighting installation as it allows any lantern on the rig to be patched to any CD.

A control board is linked to the dimmers, which allows the precise adjustments of lights.




 Quality and Colour 

To create the desired size, shape, texture and colour the light must be focused, this can be done by adjusting the orientation of the lanterns.




There are a variety of Lanterns used in stage production all of which produce different effects:

Profile Spot

Wash Light

LED/beam light

LED batten 

Rigging

“Rigging is the process of placing every lantern in a rig according to the lighting plan”(Palmer, 2000)

Types of Rig:

Scaffold

Fig 1


Truss
The vertical bars on the eqipment shown below are known as BOOMS and these provide rigging  positions at the sides of the stage.

Fig 2


Grids

Fig 3



Steps of basic rig:

Lanterns  are connected to the rig by a Yoke and G clamp hooked over a metal bar.

Fig 4                                                        Fig 5                                            Fig 6


The safety chain is attached over the lighting bar and under the yoke.

                                                             Fig 7