The scenographic concept of the show incorporates all of the physical aspects of the production into a unified visual vision. Thus the scenery and the lighting, as well as the costumes, make-up, mise-en-scene, and sometimes even the sound, have to be developed within this framework. Scenery and lighting have a great deal in common, and close collaboration between scenery and lighting designers is of the utmost importance, since the contribution of the lighting to the composition of the
stage
picture is essential.
The lighting designer will have to pay special attention to aspects of the scenery such as color, brightness, surface texture, the shape and plasticity of the scenery, and the use of projected scenery or special effects.
Lighting effects in Job, by Donald Oenslager.
He or she must study the sizes and relations between scenic elements, and note scenic details which will need special lighting. Getting acquainted with the scenery will also lead to better comprehension of the overall visual style of the show.
It is extremely important to maintain fluent collaboration and a healthy working relationship between the lighting and scenery designers, enabling them to enhance the dialogue between their two artistic domains. The same goes for the relationship between the lighting designer and the other artists on the production team, and the lighting designer must endeavor to learn as much as possible about their ideas and plans for the show.
Some major common issues for scenery and lighting need special attention: brightness, coloring, plasticity and spatial three dimensionality.
A model at a scale of 1:50 showing the prison
scene
from the opera Mary Stewart.
