A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, 2nd Edition

199

Chapter 7

The Light Plot, Section,

and Support Paperwork

Packet

INTRODUCTION

The basic document of almost every lighting design,

and the basis for the initial paperwork packet, is the

completed light plot. Without the visualized graphic

of a plot, it’s almost impossible to define a basis for

the remaining information. The finished lighting sec-

tion is usually the companion document to the plot,

graphically showing how many of the lighting sys-

tems relate to one another, and how the components

of the light plot relate to the surrounding production

elements and the performance facility.

The graphic representation of the instruments

in the light plot often displays only a portion of the

information about each instrument. The detailed data

about all of the instruments comprise the lighting

database, which can be sorted into different reports,

collectively known as support paperwork. These

reports almost always include the instrument sched-

ule and the channel hookup, and may also include the

circuitry schedule and the dimmer schedule.

If elements on the stage change focus, color, or

channel identity during the production, color cards

and floor cards are created to direct and document

the progression of those changes.

The components of the light plot often need to

be reduced to a list of raw numbers defining the ele-

ments required to install the lighting package. The

cut color sheet lists the number of gels required at

each hanging location, for each color frame size in

the light plot. The template sheet lists the templates

required at each hanging location, for each template

holder size in the light plot. Manufacturer’s cut sheets

that were used while the systems were constructed are

still included in the back of the production notebook,

along with any manuals detailing information about

the use and configuration of the different electrical

devices and components of the lighting package.

THE LIGHT PLOT

The finished light plot is the map showing all of the

lighting instruments and electrical devices, their con-

trol assignments, as well as their relative hanging loca-

tions in the performance space. This version of the

plot serves to graphically communicate the number,

location, and types of lighting instruments used in the

production. It may also furnish information about

the color, circuitry, and focus of each instrument.

Though it doesn’t need to be as detailed as the scenic

designer’s groundplan, the light plot often includes

the spatial information about the architecture, mask-

ing, scenery in the air, where (and when) important

scenery or properties are located on the stage, and the

numbers and types of backdrops.

As the document’s creator, the lighting designer

has a choice about the amount of information that

is shown on this published version of the light plot.

The map can provide as much, or as little, informa-

tion as he or she sees fit. Some designers insist that

the less basic information shown on the plot directly

translates into the greater number of questions that

require an answer during the load-in. Others believe

that the graphic outline of the instrument, and its

unit number, is enough data to include on the plot;

more text makes the plot look messy, and the rest

of the data can be found in the support paperwork.