What We Do in the Shadows: 5 Facts About Lighting Design

What We Do in the Shadows: 5 Facts About Lighting Design

Lighting design is one of those aspects of live entertainment that is not intended to be noticed. I know that’s a strange statement. In film, everyone looks exceptional in each scene because a lighting designer knows all the ways to highlight the actors' best features. 

In huge concert halls, television sets, or in large luxury homes, a lighting designer lives in the shadows and makes absolutely sure every lamp is in place, and color temperature is just right to achieve the desired results. Subtlety is key, which is why you often only notice the lighting when it's really bad. Lighting technical and often scientific. It’s mysterious, and it can make or break the entire design.

Here are some very simple facts about lighting design:

-There’s a notable amount of overlap between lighting design and other production pieces like set design, stage direction, and camera work. In fact, many lighting designers often assist with those aspects, so it helps to be knowledgeable about all areas of production design.

-The important thing to remember is that you're a designer, not a technician—meaning you'd better have a clear, artistic vision every time you take on a project. 

-If you’re using colored light or gel, make sure the surface that you are illuminating (like a room, or just a single wall) is white or close to a white shade, otherwise the colors from the light will interact with the color from the surface you are lighting and things won’t look the same.

-If you like warmer, more natural looking light choose lamps that say “Warm White” or “Soft White” on the boxes. One step further: This is also known as 2700K-3500 Kelvin (sometimes written out 27K, or 3K, or 35K).

-If you like cooler, more modern looking light choose bulbs that say “Cool White” on them. One step further: 4000-5000 Kelvin (4K or 5K).

-Fluorescent gets such a bad rap. It actually makes skin look super smooth, because unlike most sources it doesn’t have a single point of exit (called a point source) that creates weird shadows. Early fluorescent bulbs didn’t show true colors very well, so the skin looks sick. These days that’s not a problem as much.

-Frosted incandescent bulbs also make your skin look great. The frosted coating offers some diffusion that helps smooth undesirable details and spread the light evenly. Clear bulbs are sent straight from the devil himself to make you self-conscious. 



So you see, there's more to being an LD than just figuring out where to place a bunch of lights, which is why the average salary is a respectable $52,000 per year. Lighting design is just one aspect of production, but all those production elements have to work together. 

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