Interpret and plan lighting for theatre and live productions

This standard is about planning the lighting requirements for live productions.
You will need to interpret and plan detailed, accurate and practical plans to meet the design requirements and agree with other members of the team how designs will continue to be met within budget for the duration of productions.
 
This standard is for anyone involved in interpreting and planning lighting for theatre and live productions.

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1. obtain and use information about lighting designs and requirements for productions
2. clarify questions or issues with lighting designs with the person responsible for those
3. identify the technical equipment that will best realise designs, adapting specifications when necessary to comply with the budget
4. produce lighting plans tailored to take into account other lighting requirements within venues
5. produce schematic lighting plans to scale appropriate to venues
6. produce the lantern hanging, overall lantern, accessory and colour lists that are necessary to be effective
7. produce specifications and plans that are practical and achievable within budget and resource constraints
8. record and communicate lighting information to the technical staff
9. collaborate with relevant people to make sure lighting plans are consistent with legal, regulatory and organisational constraints
10. maintain an up-to-date copy of lighting plans
11. store plans in line with production requirements
12. adjust plans to maintain the integrity of designs and work within the limitations of all venues involved
13. establish clear agreement with creative teams to maintain designs during the period the production runs or when on tour
14. establish clear agreement with technical teams to maintain production resources during the period the production runs or when on tour
15. identify issues with proposed lighting plans that relate to relevant health and safety legislation
16. clarify and agree solutions to any health and safety or other issues with proposed lighting plans
17. recognise potential budget overspend, identifying causes and agreeing actions to deal with it
18. negotiate additional budget with appropriate people when necessary and realistic
19. monitor your expenditure and budget use, providing information to appropriate people when required

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1. where to obtain the brief and all production information
2. the effects of different stage formats on lighting design
3. who is responsible for designs and creative and technical requirements and how you will be kept up to date on any changes to design requirements
4. how to breakdown the requirements of lighting designs
5. the principles of providing clear lighting plans using standard symbols and annotation including the symbols, terminologies and conventions used for electrical, mechanical or electronic drawings and specifications including rigging, flies and automation
6. stage terminology such as upstage, downstage, stage left and stage right
7. the types of drawings used for lighting plans, how they interrelate, how to extract dimensional or statistical information from them and identify areas that are unclear or incomplete
8. conventions used in drafting lighting plans and other specifications and lists including the use of a scale rule, computer-aided drawing methods and visualisation
9. the physical properties of light and how these are controlled in terms of colour, angle, intensity, distribution, focus and movement in the venues for the production
10. the roles and responsibilities of creative and technical team members and the lines of communication
11. production, financial and resource constraints and deadlines, the quality parameters for the work and the flexibility around agreed constraints
12. legislation, organisational requirements and codes of practice considerations in the use of materials, processes, technology and the venues involved and how to carry out risk assessments of lighting plans for staff and audience
13. the range of technical equipment available, their use, effects, capabilities, strengths and limitations including tungsten and LED
14. how to identify resource requirements from lighting plans
15. formulas to calculate electrical load, the correct size of load cables including consideration for voltage drops in cable runs
16. the limits of linear load calculation made using formulas including Ohm’s law, and when to call on specialist advice
17. how to identify and deal with any special earthing requirements
18. reasons to consider phase segregation
19. three phase four wire supplies including triple pole neutral and earth (TPNE)
20. optimal DMX lengths and sensible practice relating to DMX runs
21. the reasons for balancing load where possible on a three phase supply
22. the importance of storing lighting plans securely and making them available to those involved

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3

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2028

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Current

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Original

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ScreenSkills

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CCSTTL6

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Technician, Assistant Technician , Technical Supervisor , Technical Manager, Head Technician, Theatre Technician, Stage Technician, Production Technician, Technician Crew , Lighting Technician, AV Technician

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interpret and plan; lighting; lighting designs; theatre and live productions;

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