WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Drama: Designing Drama

Identifying and documenting lantern groups You will need your lighting plot and script (or detailed performance notes). TASK 1.15 1 Go through your script and identify the distinct groups in your design. Aim for the building blocks. You might find it useful to group by area on the stage or colour, tone, special effects, for example. 2 Give each group a number. You are likely to have between four and ten groupings. Limit the number to the amount of master channels on your lighting desk. 3 Select a group to start on. Use your lighting desk to bring up individual lanterns in that group. Keep experimenting until you are happy. You could also make some lights brighter or dimmer to achieve the balance you like. 4 Write down the channel numbers of all the lanterns in the group. Add intensity levels as a percentage as necessary. (F means ‘full’: 100%.) For example: Lantern groupings Group 1: General cover Group 2: DSL (house interior) Group 3: sfx (camp fire) 3 (F) 5 (70%) 11 (F) 3 (70%) 8 (F) 21 (40%) Key light – 6 (variable %) Creating your lighting cue sheet This document is your ultimate guide to operating the lighting for your production. It plots precisely which groups are in use for each cue along with their intensity and the timings involved. TASK 1.16 1 Lay your script, groupings chart and a cue sheet template around your lighting desk. If you have software for storing your cues, bring it into action. 2 Starting at the beginning of the show, work through the production cue by cue and scene by scene to build and chart each lighting state. 3 Check that cue numbers are clearly and correctly marked in your script so that the operator can track approaching cues. You could add ‘6a’ and ‘6b’ and so on later, if needed. 4 Continue to fill in your cue sheet until you have plotted the entire production. LOOK HERE Go to www. illuminatepublishing.com for a detailed cue sheet example. DESIGN TIP Note that blackouts are a cue in themselves. So are all transitions. DESIGN TIP Make separate notes on why you are making decisions. These will help you to analyse and evaluate your design. Chapter 1 Practical Guide to Lighting Design 33