WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Drama: Designing Drama

Creative notes White light is very bright and quite harsh and hard. Simply changing the intensity of the beam is very limiting. To produce more natural or atmospheric effects, you need to add colour. The following suggestions are starting points for naturalistic lighting. • Straw gels give a natural sunlight effect. • Yellows and oranges create a warm, happy atmosphere. • Pale blue adds a moonlit quality. • Blues generally create colder and sadder moods. • Lavenders and lilacs are neutral colours and work well in balancing other colours for a subtle effect. As a general rule, it is best to use paler colours out front and darker colours from the sides or back of the stage. Intensity (brightness) Along with colour, changing the intensity of light is a powerful creator of atmosphere. The lighting desk gives you as designer control over how bright the beam is (think of household dimmer switches). Individual lanterns can be made brighter or dimmer using the controls on the lighting desk or board. It is usual to start at 70 per cent and then move up or down to create the effect you want. Be aware that taking the brightness below 20 per cent is likely to give too dim a beam. Coloured filters will also affect the power of a lantern’s beam, with darker colours creating a significantly dimmer light. TASK 1.10 Watch a short interior scene from a TV drama or film in which lighting is important. Concentrate on the effect of lighting in the scene and note the following. How intense does the light seem to be, in percentage terms? Do the light sources seem natural, artificial or a mixture? What angle is the dominant light coming from? What colour(s) does the lighting designer appear to be using? DESIGN TIP Always remember to consider coloured lighting alongside set and costume to avoid disrupting the desired overall effect. LOOK HERE You will find more information about colour in ‘Special effects in lighting’ on the following pages. A typically shadowy scene as Eleven takes a call in Stranger Things . 25 Chapter 1 Practical Guide to Lighting Design