On Stage Lighting takes a break from the modern distractions of LEDs and media server software, gets back to lighting design basics and takes a look at Richard Pilbrow’s book: Stage Lighting Design – The Art, The Craft, The Life.

Pilbrow’s book was first produced in 1997 and was recently published in the UK by Nick Hern Books in paperback for the first time. At under £20, it’s now affordable to impoverished lighting design students (and jobbing LD’s). A pioneer of stage lighting design, the modern lighting controller and commercial lighting hire business, Pilbrow recently won the 2008 Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award. During his long career, he has also guided quite a few proteges who went on to become innovators in their own right.

Stage Lighting Design… brings together lighting techniques and history with autobiographical passages that give us an insight into Pilbrow’s world. Personal sections are spliced together with the thoughts of other Lighting Designers. As the title suggests, the focus is lighting design as a profession, Pilbrow’s own being rooted in the traditions of theatre. In the modern world of concerts and trade shows, digital lighting and media projection, an understanding of lighting design for the theatrical stage is still highly desirable. I still think of theatre lighting as the best form of the art for the purist. The book also occasionally leans across to remind us that the essence of lighting design is not about equipment schedules, fixture specs or control system networks but simply about light.

Lighting Design Principles

The first section concentrates on the principles of lighting a stage, angles and other design considerations. Similar information is presented in other stage lighting books (the bulk here reproduced from RP’s original book, Stage Lighting Design) but here the basics are laid out in a more conversational style. Less mundane reference, more a conversation with a seasoned pro. Some illustrations help the reader to understand certain points but this book is not a graphical how-to in a “Stage Lighting For Dummies” style.

Stage Lighting History

History may be thought of as boring by a 24/7 Facebook generation. Who cares what ancient control boards looked like? A console built 5 years ago seems like an ancient relic today. For a beginner, the history of theatre architecture, angles and equipment serve to increase our understanding of the origins of convention. Conventions, not rules.

Most shocking when presented on the page, is the rate of change in lighting technology in the last 100 years. Descriptions and images of ancient lighting equipment, used in another era, make strangely compelling reading. The listing of more “modern” (1990′s) consoles toward the end of the book gave me a personal trip down “memory board lane”.

Although written over 10 years ago, the differences between the US and UK in training and professional status of the lighting designer don’t seem to have progressed as quickly as technology. An ongoing point of discussion in UK is the business of training stage lighting professionals and their career prospects on graduation. Much of the advice given in our own Stage Lighting Education series related to technical work and employers advocated hands on experience over a strict formal education. The discipline of lighting design is one that could benefit from some academic study and this book has some good material.

Lighting Designer Life

Throughout Pilbrow’s writing, The Life of a professional LD is a strong theme. His own experiences are added to by short interviews with fellow pro’s that intersect the chapters. Andrew Bridges, an LD with many years experience of “Industrials” (what they call corporate gigs in the US), strikes a contemporary chord with me as he mentions writing the equipment inventory without knowing much about the show. A glimpse into the world of commercial event production. The reader also gets a peek into real plans, schedules and other lists – the kind of thing that fascinates the enquiring mind.

Technical Reference

Stage lighting designers have to understand the technical aspects of the craft as well as the art. The last section of “Stage Lighting Design” is concerned with quick reference – colour theory, angles and calculations and the photometrics of popular equipment. This is necessary information that is a common factor in most stage lighting handbooks. The data is well laid out and explained.

These technical chapters can be dipped into in a more haphazard manner to the first two sections, which are best read in order – the way the author intends. The anecdotes, histories and interviews create a pleasant cue list that would be spoilt for the reader jumping scenes in random order.

The Future

Pilbrow’s career has spanned decades, an era that defined many current lighting design principles.
But he suggests that the “lightpen” is taken up by the new generation of innovators with the mantra that “there are no rules”. He admits to making many of his methods up on the spot and you get the feeling he is urging you, the reader, to do the same.

The book is dated in the more “modern” parts by the equipment and the way it was used, even in 1997. Designs that include a “saturation rig” of conventionals supplemented by some intelligent fixtures (with the apprehension that the Var*lites might all go wrong in a minute) are less that contemporary now. Today’s lighting designers are in the fortunate position not to have to think of their rigs in two halves – conventional and intelligent. Pilbrow and the others do mention both the possiblities and limitations of intelligent lighting, many of which are still true today.

Is this book worth buying?

If you believe in learning from pioneers with pedigree, Richard Pilbrow is your man. For the aspiring lighting designer, the wealth of knowledge and the insight into this strange profession are invaluable. Reading this enjoyable book, you might be filled with thoughts of following in the footsteps of the great LD’s that parade past. We are reminded, however, that earning a living as a lighting designer in theatre is not easy. The Lighting Designer is an artist, after all, and must expect to be paid as one.

Reading this book again, as a “grown up”, I found the show stories enjoyable and luvvy characters in show business faintly familiar. The smell of dusty theatres rekindles the flame and inspires.

As a book on the mechanics of lighting a stage there are others, but this one describes the major factors well enough. Stage Lighting Design doesn’t tell you exactly how to light your school play or how to patch a dimmer (as someone who writes on the subject I can’t imagine a book that covered every aspect of the trade in complete detail). This book is about being a stage lighting designer. If that’s a profession that appeals to you, Stage Lighting Design – The Art, The Craft, The Life tells it like it is – or rather, was.

How it will be may be up to you.

PS The book has also been re released in the US and is available at Amazon.com

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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• DMX Book Updated + other DMX512 Books
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The comprehensive DMX book “Recommended Practice for DMX 512: A guide for users and installers” (phew) by Adam Bennette has been updated. On Stage Lighting looks at the new edition plus some other DMX books.

Updated DMX stuff

On 2nd edition of his book on DMX, the author Adam Bennette is quoted

“Users who only require a simple DMX system, without any of the new features, may still use the original advice in the first edition of this booklet if they wish. However, systems set up in that way may not be upgradeable in the future. “

What’s that all about? Since the original specifications of DMX512 and DMX512-A there has been some development. Remote Device Management (RDM) is a system that allows the lighting user to control things like fixture settings remotely from a console or other device. The control is sent using the existing cores of a DMX cable, but the “hubs” of DMX equipment need to be able to cope with bi directional communication. Many new DMX fixtures, splitters and consoles are compatible with RDM to enable future expansion. So basically, some new stuff that may eventually filter down the stage lighting tree.

If you are keen to find out about the latest DMX practices from this book, you can buy it from PLASA in the UK (following the LSI bookshop link) or USITT in the US. If you aren’t quite ready for that and just want to get the basics, read on.

Are there any other books about DMX?

Modern books on stage lighting cover the basics of DMX stage lighting control. You can read the important stuff in our DMX Stage Lighting… article. There are a few books available that cover lighting control systems and DMX more extensively.

Control Systems for Live Entertainment ( Focal Press) by John Huntingdon

An extensive book with a fairly high brow explanation of control systems, the use of standards plus DMX, AMX, RDM and other protocols. If you are serious control system boffin, this book is for you – if you just need to know which end of a 5 Pin XLR shoots the juice, probably not.Also available in the US at Amazon.com

Practical DMX (ET Press) by Nick Mobsby

This DMX book includes a bit of lighting control history, DMX system equipment and set up plus some information on networks, ethernet and the future. The book is an easily read introduction to DMX for the beginner with enough scope to be of interest to you if you already know a little bit about lighting control systems. 4 stars at Amazon.Also available in the US at Amazon.com

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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• Books On Stage Lighting – 5 Of The Best

Learning about stage lighting sometimes seems a mystery to those who are just starting out. Lighting design and technology can seem like black magic with all it’s strange terminology and jargon. Learning all about stage lighting is best done in a variety of ways, not least hands on experience in theatres or concert venues. Reading books on stage lighting is a great way to study the theories and practice as well as learning new stage lighting terms.

Here are five of the best books on stage lighting that have been chosen by On Stage Lighting as having their own unique qualities and would be useful to anyone wanting to learn more about the subject. These books have all played a part in the lighting education of the On Stage Lighting team at some time.

The Stage Lighting Handbook by Francis Reid (6th Edition)

- Francis Reid’s book has been the foundation of many lighting designers education for many years. Demonstrating the theories behind designing lights for the theatre, it has been updated to include information relevant to the modern world of lighting while still retaining all those simple lighting principles that will never change. The Stage Lighting Handbook is probably the most “famous” book on stage lighting design that there is. More reviews…

Verdict: An absolute “must read” for anyone interested in learning, and progressing in, stage lighting. Also available in the US at Amazon.com

Lighting And Sound (Theatre Manual) by Neil Fraser (Phaidon)

- This book is part of the excellent Phaidon Theatre Manual series which are all well worth looking at if you have a passion for learning about “backstage” stuff (I owned the whole series when I started out!). Lighting And Sound is split into two parts covering the two different subjects and gives you an excellent grounding in the basics of theatre lighting. Lighting design principles are well explained with some nice illustrations and there is a useful glossary of theatre terms. The sound section gives you a good introduction to theatre sound although if you have a little experience, you will probably want to get a more in depth guide.

Verdict: The book is just right for anyone taking their first steps in technical theatre and is the best “introduction” book. Also available in the US at Amazon.com

Concert Sound and Lighting Systems by John Vasey (3rd Edition) (Focal Press)

- Concert Sound and Lighting Systems is a great way to understand the particular subject of lighting for live music shows. The “rock and roll” scene, as it is still known, has history and techiniques that have grown up outside of theatre lighting design. It also has different problems and solutions. This book does not pretend to be a guide to the first principles of lighting design, but explains the techniques and processes involved in lighting live concerts. Particular attention is given to aspects of touring and quick set ups and introduces an important part of temporary stage lighting systems – rigging. Concert Sound and Lighting Systems shows you techinques that are also highly relevant to modern award shows and coropate events.

Verdict: If you want to learn live concert lighting, touring events or corporate shows, this book has loads of useful information that you just don’t get in a theatre lighting manual. Also available in the US at Amazon.com

Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving Light in Theatre, Live Perfo……. by Richard Cadena (Focal Press)

- This book has a ridiculously long title, but maybe for good reason. Intelligent Lighting has been a huge driving force in lighting for the entertainment industry for quite a few years now. Where it was once a weird luxury, it is now as much a part of stage lighting as a 500w fresnel. The crossover between theatre, live shows, concerts, television and corporate events means that the lighting design boundaries now blur. Automated Lighting? Everyone is doing it.

Despite the march of moving lights into everything we do in the lighting industry, not many of us have taken the time to write a comprehensive book on the subject. It seems such a huge undertaking to even try to cover this exciting subject that has made the art and technical aspects of stage lighting SO much bigger. Richard Cadena knows his stuff and his book is a brilliant guide to moving lights, design concepts and just the business of using all these funny “waggly mirrors” and “nodding buckets”. In the modern world of lighting, you have to know this stuff too.

Verdict: Great to understand the subject of intelligent lighting and progress further in the brave new(ish) world. Also available in the US at Amazon.com

The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook by Brad Schiller (Focal Press)

Programming “the desk” in stage lighting is now, more than ever, a special skill. In the old days, when you only had to worry about dimmers, the skill came in remembering how to get your “memory desk” to boot again after you had moved it to the stalls for the lighting plot. With the prevelance of automated lighting things have got a lot more complicated. The modern programmer must not only know how their lighting console behaves but now make lighting design decisions, organise their data efficiently and understand how each model of their intelligent fixtures works. Add to this the “we’ve got no time to program” ethic that most shows (well, the ones I work on, anyway) seem to run on today and you soon realise the range of skills needed to program and control automated lighting.

Brad Schiller is a professional moving light programmer with an impressive CV. The Handbook contains lots of useful tips on programming, organisation and design. Importantly, it also explains exactly what it is like to work as a moving light operator and how the role fit’s into the modern show. There is also some interesting advice from many other well respected operators in the industry and his diary as a programmer for the Sydney Olympics really brings the whole subject to life.

Verdict: If you think that you might be interested in working in this field this book gives you an accurate idea of what it is like. It also will help you with your own programming, even if you are working on smaller shows. Also available at in the US at Amazon.com

I hope that you have found this article useful and, by the way, we don’t have any links with Focal Press. They just publish a lot of stage lighting books.

Don’t forget to pass it on using the links below.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob