Since the human body is a plastic, three dimensional form, the same basic guidelines used for lighting any other three dimensional form apply when lighting the actor. However, particular attention and thought must go into determining the angle of illumination in relation to the actor's face and body, as this will be critical in determining and altering the visual appearance of the actor.

A great deal of the communication of the actor with his audience is accomplished through facial expression and body movement. This communication relies on effective lighting which will create visual patterns which conform with schemas which the audience recognizes as being human. The schema of the human body is determined by the way it is illuminated in natural daylight, i.e. at a 30⁰ to 60⁰ angle from above.

The most common angle of lighting an actor is 45⁰ (the light source is located at a horizontal angle of 45⁰ and at a vertical angle of 45⁰). This approach was first suggested by Stanley Mc'Candless, and has been adopted by the majority of lighting designers. Any drastic departure from the 'natural' actor's lighting angle, will affect the 'normative' schema, with a distinct visual result.

Such alteration of angles can contribute to the visual richness of different types of theatrical presentations. For instance, in dance sidelights are used to emphasize the body more than the face; in rock and roll the star is often endowed with a halo created by a strong low angle backlight.