The ABC of lighting design v.01

Reworking ‘the alphabet’ by Nick Hockley

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Nick Hockley this week, and he gave his thoughts on graphic design, structured as the alphabet. I thought this might be a good starting point for something similar on lighting, a lecture which I have been working on for quite some time.

This is version 01.

A is for academia, which is not important.
B is for the brain, learn how it works.
C is for clarity. Say what you are going to say with as few words as possible.
D is for DMX. Know what it does, it’s possibilities and it’s limits.
E is for effects. Know when to use them and when not to.
F is for fashion. If you hope to be a contemporary star, you need to see whats happening around you.
G is for gels. Learn some basic colours and their numbers for both Roscoe and Lee if your European.
H is for Haze. You will need it.
I is for ideas, have lots and lots and lots of them.
J is for jargon. Learn it. Know the difference between stage-right and camera-right.
K is for…
L is for lenses. Understand how optics and different principles work.
M is for moving light(s). Be careful.
N is for nerves. Get them under control.
O is for organizing. Cue-sheets, tracking-sheets and lighting plans. Get organized.
P is for programmer. Either be one or hire one.
Q is for question (everything).
R is for rules. There are none.
S is for smoke. You might need it.
T is for taste. It is irrelevant.
U is for the unexpected. Surprise us.
V is for video. Learn how to use it and how it is done.
W is for world. Go out there and see what others do.
X is for X-fade. Just do it.
Y is for yes. Say yes to everything.
Z…