Sound and Light Technical Theater

What does a sound designer do What does a sound designer do? A sound designer is responsible for everything an audience hears during a performance. The Sound Designer may create sound effects, atmospheres, sonic textures and filmic ambiences that will create naturalistic and abstract worlds for the show's story, as well as aid the audience's emotional and dramatic connection with the performance. This might also include the use of props onstage or other offstage effects.   The Sound Designer may choose, edit and remix music; work with a composer to make original music; or work with live musicians in the theatre.   The Sound Designer may advise on how to best hear the performers, which may involve acoustic adjustments to the theatre and set, or the addition and configuration of radio and/or float mics for the performers.   The Sound Designer will design a sound system, bespoke to the specific production and auditorium, that will give the audience the best experience of the show.  

A sound cue card is a list that follows the script of the performance which indicates where what sound needs to be added. The sound engineer and the stage manager will each have this cue card.

A foley artist is someone who creates custom sounds for a particular performance

Stage lighting the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in this discipline. In addition to basic lighting, modern stage lighting can also include special effects, such as lasers and fog machines. People who work on stage lighting are commonly referred to as lighting technicians.

There are four qualities of lighting: 1) Intensity – how bright or dim the light will be 2) Color – yellow, red, blue, whatever color you can dream of. 3) Direction – objects and/or actors look different depending if they are lit from the front, the top or if they are back lit. 4) Focus and position – some times lights are completely defused sometimes it is a very clear beam and anything in between.

Gel: gelatine in front of a luminaire to alter the color of the beam.

A gobo  is a physical stencil or template that is placed inside or in front of a light source, to control the shape of the emitted light. 

Gobo templates

Accent Light: Illumination used to make something stand out Accent Light:  Illumination used to make something stand out. It may be done with intensity and/or color.

Backlight: Illumination on a subject from behind, causing a separation of the subject from the background, often creating a fringe of light around the subject. A luminaire that provides such illumination.

Direct Lighting: Illumination on a subject or area that goes directly from the front of the luminaire in a straight line to the subject or area.

Down Light: Downward illumination, almost perpendicular with the floor.

Fill light: Supplementary illumination used to reduce shadows, preventing them from appearing black. A luminaire that provides such illumination.

A lighting plot is a document that explains each light change, and when, during the production this change occurs. Both the lighting technician and the stage manager will have this lighting plot.

Wicked lighting