A RevisedStandardGraphic

Languagefor

LightingDesign

PATRICK GILL,

C HAIR OF U SITT

LIGHTING GRAPHIC

STANDARDS

COMMITTEE

MOSt lighting designers andelecrricians feel that stan­dards in the nomencla­ture, characteristics anduse of stage lighting

equipment provide clear critetia fortraining and for professional use. Howev­er, in a large area like entenainmentlighting technology, the task of creatingsuch standards is both complicated andongoing. There are many areas wherestandards can apply, from lighting equip­menr manufacturers' specifications ro thesystem of communication betweendesigners and elecrricians. It is also diffi­cult ro determine how much detail roinclude in a standards statemenr.

The work of a previous lightinggraphics standards committee that culmi­nated in 1985 with the publication of thecurrent lighting graphics standardsenabled USITT ro offer a communica­tion framework for lighting design infor­mation that was acceptable ro the profes­sionallighting community as a whole.However, as in all areas of technology,rapid change usually dictates a resrrucrur­ing of guidelines. The currenr USITTlighting graphics standards commirreeincludes professional designers and elec­tricians from academic and commercialthearre. Ie became our task ro update theexisting lighting graphics standards byincorporating new technology, finding amethod of accurate scale represenrationof symbols, and providing more concisedrafring guidelines. Also, since it wouldbe cumbersome ro represenr all manufac­turers' instrumenr profiles on lightingtemplates, the USITT standard symbols

. . .connnue ro represenr generIC lI1strumentrypes.

A poinr ro srress is that young design­ers do emulate both the professionalswho rrain them and those whose com­mercial successes they adopt as role mod­els. In terms of the rraining and of theclarity of our indusrry practice, it isimportant that a common means of com­munication exist between all profession-

als that does not inhibit the developmenrof a personal style of graphic represenra­tion. The currenr committee endeavoredro solicit the opinion of all inrerestedlighting professionals in USITT by gen­erating and distributing a survey at the1991 conference in Bosron. What fol­lows is an assemblage of the committee'swork and the survey results.

THE LIGHT PLOT

A major reason for doing scale lightingdrawings is ro presenr a clear, consistenrand efficienr picture of the instrumenrsand how they fit into the represenredspace. All eleCtricians have tried ro hanglighting instrumenrs in places where thesymbol will fit on the drawing but thereal unit won't fit in the real space, or willjust fit but then can't move in the desireddirection for focus. Also, lighting draw­ings that are inconsistenr or that have roomuch information on them just confusethe process and waste time.

The light plOt is a horizonral offsetsection in which the cutting plane inrer­sects the theatre at whatever level givesthe most descriptive view of the instru­mentation in the Stage configuration.The only information clearly represenredon the light plot and (usually) nowhereelse is the actual position and size of theinsrrumenr. Even in a repenory situa­tion, accurate pictorial informationabout insrrumenrs is critical for standardhangs and for special designs or ro com­municate unusual rigging ideas.

[n the general description of the lightplot there are several items essenrial ro aclear understanding of the designer'sintenrions. These are the cenrer line,rransverse and/or longitudinal scales, aline-set index with designations, a repre­senration of the apron, the edge of theStage or the edges of the playing area, theinrerior walls of the stagehouse or of theflexible theatre space, all masking, allarchitectural and scenic obsrructions, theproscenium arch, the plaster line, the

TD&T 1991 FAll 61

smoke pocket or other architecturaldetails (in non-proscenium spaces) neces­sary ro orient the lighting design, eleva­tions of booms, torm ladders and othervertical positions, identiflcarion (nameand plan location) of lighting positions,identification of critical sightlines, identi­flcarion of lighring areas, the instrumentkey, and rhe titleblock.

The instrument symbols used onscale lighting plors should accurarely rep­resent the acrual size of rhe instrumentsand use a standard identification markfor focal length or beam angle. Instru­ments require adequate spacing in layoutto allow traverse during focus. Servo­opera red instruments should have theirrotation area indicated. The standardinformation on the plot rhar should beincluded with the instrument symbolconsists of an instrumen t number as anaid ro location, a symbol for attachedhardware (such as rem plates, irises, colorscrollers, top hats, barn doors, erc.), rhechannel, the circuir and/or dimmer num­ber or a space for rhe electrician to addrhe circuit and/or dimmer number, rhecolor norarion, a symbol for lamp axisalignment on PAR cans, and a srandardrechnique for showing "rwo-fers." Strip­lighrs should be shown acmal size in scaleand rheir noration should include rhechannel, rhe circuir and/or dimmer, asymbol for lamp axis alignment (whereapplicable), rhe color, and an indicarionof focus direcrion. The wanage and rhefocus nores are srill included on rhe stan­dard noration diagrams bu r for c1ari ryshould be kepr only on rhe hook-up.

The accepred designarion and num­bering of hanging posirions and instru­menrs in proscenium configurarionsinclude rhe following convenrions:Onsrage electric pipes should numberfrom downsrage to upsrage. Onsragebooms should number from downstageto upsrage. Box-boom or torm positionsshould number consisrently wirhin eachplot. All lighring posirions should desig­nate by srage direcrions. Front of house(FOH) ceiling posirions should numberfrom the apron to rhe rear of rhc house asshould FOH boom posirions, side coves,ladders or ports. Balcony rails shouldnumber from rhe floor to the ceiling.Pipe grids in "black-box" rypc thcatrcsshould number on the "x" or "y" axis ofrhc grid and lener on rhe opposing axis.

Non-conventional black-box lighringposirions should identify by compassdirecrions. Trim measurements should befrom rhe sragc floor or the deck to rhepipc wirh a nore on rhe plor to verifythcm that dcsignarcs "st:lgc floor" or"deck." Instruments on srage electric

62 1991 FAll TD&T

pipes should number from stage left tostage tight. Instruments on boomsshould number from top to bottom.Strip lights should label (using numbersor letters) from stage lefr to srage right.Acceptable locarions for titleblocks are inthe lower righr-hand or left-hand cornersor centered on rhe bonom of the plare.The instrument key is a very importantsource of informarion. It should mini­mally contain standard identiflcarions ofall instruments and devices shown on theplor and controlled by rhe lighring con­sole, the instrumenr manufacturer, thewanage (if rypical for insrrument type),and a representarion of rhe typical instru­ment noration merhod.

THE VERTICALLIGHTING SECTION

Vertical lighting sections should mini­mally contain batten and/or grid trimheights from rhe srage floor or the deck,with a note that designates from "stagefloor" or "deck," identification of light­ing positions including conflgurarionsfor trusses and bridges, a scale view of alighting insrrument in each position, anindication of where rhe section is cur, theapron or edge of rhe playing area, rheback wall of rhe sragehouse or rhe wallssurrounding rhe playing space, all mask­ing visible in rhe seCtion, all archireCturaland scenic obstrucrions including mask­ing, vertical audience sightlines, a sec­tional view of rhe scenery, an approxi­mare representation of the lengthsberween rhe clamp and the bortom of aninsrrumenr, a scale represenration of ahuman figure, and the titleblock. Verticalsections should also be in the same scaleas the plot. In proscenium theatres, verti­cal sections should include the prosceni­um arch and the smoke pocket.

SYMBOLS

(See pages 63-65.)

LINE WEIGHTS

The adopred line weighr standards are,for ink, a 0.010" to 0.0 I25" thin line anda 0.020" to 0.025" rhick line and, forpencil, a 0.3 mm rhin line and a 0.5 mmthick line. In rerms of compurer-aideddesign, rhese srandards are well wirhinthe paramerers of DM/PL and HPGLplotrers. Guidelines for object emphasisin drawings are rhar insrrument outlinesshould be darkest followed by architec­rural lines while the ser lines shown forlandmarks should be thc lighrcst. Also,instrument outlines and information

should take precedence over orner objecrsin rhe plot. Lettering legibiliry, ease ofuse, and rhe allowance of rapid execurionare the major arrributes of good lettering.For hand lettering, the single strokeGothic style in upper case meers rheserequirements adequately. In computer­ized drawing, legibility and consistencybecome the primary attributes in rhechoice of fonts.

COMPUTER-AIDEDDESIGN (CAD)SYMBOLSSTANDARDS

The symbols in this document are theproduct of a CAD program and shouldtherefore answer the quesrion of whetherthese symbols will work in a CAD envi­ronment. The ease with which more spe­cific symbols libraries are created on acomputer combined with the wish not toinhibit personal style should make theadoption and use of rhese guidelinesmore acceprable to the entertainmentlighring community.

FUTURE STANDARDS

As already noted, this process is andshould be ongoing. This standards docu­ment is not final and will continue to berevised as new technology and techniquesare discovered. According to commentson rhe lighting graphics survey, it appearsrhar the film and television area of light­ing graphics will need to be considerednext.

THE GRAPHICSSTANDARDS BOARD,LIGHTING GRAPHICSSTANDARDSCOMMITTEE

Patrick Gill, [ESNeil Jampolis, USAARichard elson, USAARob Shakespeare, IESWilliam B. Warfel, S/\AEric Schultz, lATSEJohn Tissot, SAAChris Watts, ABTT

Advisory members:

Dawn Chaing, SAAMark Stanley, USAA

Approved by the USJTT EWClitive Com­mittee, AliglISt 1991, Seattle, WA alld rec­ommended for adoptioll by the Board ofDirectors at (he \'(Iillter Bllsilless l\t!eetillgs,November 1991, Reno, NV

Servo-operatedprojector

Followspot

I

-~

Fresnel Spotlights2 panel 4 panel

Barn Barn Top HatsDoors Doors

aoo tJo 0

PAR Fixtures

CJ PAR 56

o PAR64

C PAR 38

[--J

Servo-Operated Instruments(with rotation clearance indicated)

3 11 Fresnel

6" Fresnel c::r:8" Fresnel c::r:12" Fresnel Q

Servo-operated Spotlights

Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights

c:-1 3.5" x 6" <=:1C71 3.5 "x8" ~ 7Jc:xJ 3.5"x10" CO:&J

( z] 4" Box Shape ( 3ct]~ 45"x6" ~

Cj 6"x9" C:=Jc=zJ 6

'1

X 12" c=zJc:::zJ 6" x16" c:::zl

C ~ 6"x22" C ~

[ Z] 6" Box Shape [ 30'J

( : <J 8"x7.75" ( : <J( : J 8"x9" (: J

( 7J 8"x10" ( ZJ( Xl 8"x11" ( X1( : § 8" x 13" ( :~

[ Z ] 8" Box ShapeI 30'J

( : J10'X12" ( :-JProposed USITT Lighting Graphic Standards

TD&T 1991 FAll 63

Peripheral Equipmentand Notation Symbols

o~ Color

o Scroller

EffectsProjecto

lOP ~~d:mProjector

ID' I I DissolveISSO ve. Unit

"Two-Fer" Intersection

...._.a Side Arms

PracticalSymbol

Special Symbol

FlangeMount

[>EB

o

Lensless Instruments

0 10" Beam Projector Floor Stands

gg0 12" Beam ProjectorSection

~lanO0 16" Beam Projector

C] o Dimmer/Circuit

10" Scoop Floodlight Symbolo Channel/Dimmer

(]Symbol

12" Scoop Floodlight Auxiliary Symbols

I I 0C] 14" Scoop Floodlight D 06" X 6' Strip I

8" x 8' Strip I

Single Cyc Unit

Double Cyc Unit

1.....---11 I~Triple Cyc Unit

Peripheral Equipment and Notation Symbols

-II.....-..- r- --1 ~Pipe-mounted Striplight/Cyc Unit

111..--------11 101Floor-mounted Striplight/Cyc Unit

r--------------------------~I ,L ~

Floor-mounted recessed Footlights

Quadruple Cyc Unit

Proposed USITT Lighting Graphic Standards

64 1991 FAll TD&T

Instrument Notation

ERS with an Iris Kit

ERS with a Single Lens

(fA,R FilamentOrienr.ation)

Color

------ CircuitlDimmer

Unit Designatiot

C? -------Channel/Dimmer

ERS designated by Degree

ERS with a "Gobo" (projection pattern)

Variable Focus ("Zoom") ERS

Striplight Notation

1. L 201 4. Rx552. Rx 65 5. Rx193. Rx 79 6. Rx37

ao ( zJao wJ(

aJQ::J ( • ]Q=JQj ( ]0

ao ( 0a 0 ERS with a Stepped-Lens

Followspot "Boomerang"

A Focus

201 Color A Focus

201 ColorInstrument Designation VNSP Lamp Type

Instrument Number1 Instrument Number

Lamp Axis Rotation

Wattage Wattage

CircuitlDimmerCircuit/Dimmer

6 Channel/DimmerChannellDimmer

Proposed USITT Lighting Graphic Standards

TD&T 1991 FAll 65

• KENNEDY CENTERANNOUNCES 1991ACTF DESIGN AWARDSDavid Humphrey, acting director ofeducation for the Kennedy Center, andDavid Young, producing director of theAmerican College Theatre Festival(ACTF), have announced the 1991national ACTF recipients of awards andscholarships at the Kennedy Center.

This year's winners of the Awards forTheatrical Design Excellence are bothfrom the University of Illinois, Urbana,IL. RuJan Wang won for the set design ofRoshomon and Kristin Jensen won for the

costume design for Roshomon. This awardwas established to give student designersnational recognition and the opportunityto exhibit their work at the KennedyCenter. As part of their award, the twonational winners visit New York City tosee studios of professional designers,observe production houses and attendBroadway plays. The national judges wereNew York designers Myrna Colley-Leeand Lester Polakov. The nationaladjudication of the American CollegeTheatre Festival's (ACTF) Awards forTheatrical Design Excellence took place atthe Kennedy Center on 26 April 1991.

The American College Theater

Festival was established in 1969 to

encourage, recognize and celebrate thefinest work produced in university andcollege theater programs; to provideopportunities for participants to developtheir theater skills and insight; and to

encourage colleges and universities to givedistinguished productions of new plays,especially those wrinen by students.

ACTF is a component of the KennedyCenter Education Department, which alsoincludes the Alliance for Arts Education,Educational Services, Kennedy Center"Imagination Celebration," NationalSymphony Orchestra Education Program,and Theater for Young People. m

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