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The History of Lighting. The 5 Stages of Lighting. Artificial Light Gas Electricity Concentrated Filament Spotlight Computers. Artificial Light. Greek Theatre - Late 19th Century. Greek Theatre. Starting around 500 BC Trilogies sometimes start at dawn and continue through till sunset.
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The 5 Stages of Lighting • Artificial Light • Gas • Electricity • Concentrated Filament Spotlight • Computers
Artificial Light Greek Theatre - Late 19th Century
Greek Theatre • Starting around 500 BC • Trilogies sometimes start at dawn and continue through till sunset
Miracle & Mystery Plays • 15th Century • Indoor (Probably Churches) • Surrounded Stage with Candles (First form of Stage Lighting) • Real Flame • Hell Mouth • Angels to Heaven
Elizabethan Theatre • 16th - 17th Centuries • Globe Theatre - Outdoors • Shakespeare referred to lighting in dialogue
Italian Renaissance 1600 - 1800 Moves Indoors for good
Improvements • 1566 - Serlio places colored bottles in front of candles
Improvements • Indigo Jones uses Reflectors to intensify light
Improvements • Floats • Mechanical Opaque Screens • Mechanical Dimmers
Disadvantages • Entire Theatre Visible • Dirty (Soot) • Not very bright • Very little control
Gas Lighting Late 19th Century
Advantages • So advantageous that it quickly becomes the norm • Brighter • Easy Maintenance • Gives CONTROL • 1st time audience is dark
Disadvantages • Very EXPLOSIVE
Electric Lighting 1879 Edison creates the 6W Light Bulb
Electricity • Very popular to Theatre Owners due to Safety • Installed in most theatres within 5 years (runs through old gas tubing)
Advantages • Low Maintenance • Cleaner (no soot) • Higher light intensities • Not as cumbersome
Adolph Appia Modern Stage Lighting has its roots in Appia’s theories
Plastic Expression A 3 dimensional actor moving in a 3 dimensional space
Concentrated Filament Spotlight • Filament tightly wound to provide a brighter light • A LOT BRIGHTER
Post WWII • Solid State Dimming • Transistors • Leads to the invention of the …
Computers • Advantages • Much more complex operations • Able to sync lights with sound • One button operation • Disadvantages • If your computer crashes you’re in TROUBLE • Eliminates jobs
Emergence of the Lighting Designer • Until 1930’s Lighting was done by the Scenic Designer or Master Electricians • As technology grew, Scene Designers would hire assistants to do the lighting • People began to specialize and eventually get credit • 1960’s Lighting Designers were given their own designation in the Design Union