Lighting Design Key Terms

Lighting design – The concept that a designer creates to provide light on stage to support the mood/atmosphere of the play.
Light plot – The map that shows where all the lighting instruments are placed and where they will be lighting.
Lighting grid – Up above the stage, it’s the system of bars and electric that power the lights.
Lighting board – The control panel that powers the lights; when they turn on/off, at what intensity.
Cyclorama – The large white ‘sheet’ at that back of the stage that can be lit or projected on.
Back light – Lighting from the back
Side light – Lighting from the side
Top light -Lighting from the top
Front light – Lighting from the front
Footlight – Lighting that is placed on the floor in the front.
Spotlight – A single source of light focused on a single subject.
Fill light – Light source that add lighting in and around the set/stage/scenery – they ‘fill in’.
Wash – A large group of lighting that can ‘wash’ the stage in light that you can bring up at once together.
Lighting angle – The angle of the lighting instrument in relation to the subject; usually 45 deg.
Gobo (or pattern) – A pattern (in olden days it was a circle of metal) that blocks light to give you shape onstage.
Gel (or color gel) – The color that you want the instrument to throw onstage (or light onstage).

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