Basic Studio Directing

Studio lighting

Rigging and lighting a set is a time-consuming affair, so it is vital the lighting director gets a clear brief before he begins his work.

Rigging

The time it takes to rig lights will depend on the size and complexity of the set, and the equipment the lighting director is working with. Ideally the lighting rig should have great height, be fully motorised (so that each light can be brought down separately) and be a saturation rig (so that lights can be placed anywhere).

This isn’t necessary for all programmes. If you are using a permanent set you don’t need the flexibility to remove all your lights quickly, so motorising the rig may be unnecessary. Many news and current affairs programmes use relatively low ceilings with fixed ...