A lighting design magic sheet is a useful tool for lighting designers in the entertainment industry. It is essentially a visual representation of the lighting design plan for a particular production, such as a play, concert, or dance performance. The magic sheet is created by the lighting designer and serves as a guide for the lighting crew during the setup, programming, and operation of the lighting equipment. It includes detailed information about the placement, focus, color, and intensity of each light in the production. This information is typically presented in a grid format, with each light represented by a symbol or abbreviation. The magic sheet is usually created using specialized software or computer-aided design (CAD) programs that allow the lighting designer to easily manipulate and update the lighting information as needed.
Lighting Design – Paperwork
Purpose: A list of the lighting changes required during the show. The complexity of this will vary according to the needs of the show.
Example: Cue list for a drama
| Cue No. | Action / State | Page |
| LX0.5 | Preset. House lights and dim state on stage | 1 |
| LX1 | On clearance, house lights out and crossfade to light through window | 1 |
| LX2 | As Mr Jones enters, build state | 2 |
| LX3 | End of scene 1, check down to doorway as they exit | 4 |
| LX4 | Scene change state | 4 |
| LX5 | When set, general state for scene 2 – dawn | 5 |
| LX6 | Build state as sun rises | 5 |
| LX7 | Snap blackout | 8 |
| LX8 | Scene change state | 8 |
| LX9 | Scene 3 state | 9 |
The magic sheet is usually created using specialized software or computer-aided design (CAD) programs that allow the lighting designer to easily manipulate and update the lighting information as needed. These programs also often include a comprehensive library of lighting fixtures, allowing the designer to select the appropriate symbol for each light in their design. The magic sheet is an essential tool for the lighting crew during the setup and programming phase of a production.
2. LIGHTING PLAN (UK) known as the LIGHT PLOT in the US
Purpose: A layout (in plan view, from above) showing the individual lanterns, the bars on which they’re hung, their dimmer number, colour and any focus notes, drawn to scale.
The complexity of your lighting plan depends on how much time you have, who you need to communicate with, and the complexity of the show.
Preparing to draw the plan
Stage 1 – Once you have the cue list and a plan of the set, and have a clear idea of what is needed for the show and what the lighting needs to do, you can draw a pre-plan.
This is a roughly-drawn plan view of the stage, showing the areas that you’ve broken the stage into, and any pieces of set that need lighting. Use arrows to show where you want light to come from in each area.
Don’t worry about which type of lantern you want to use at this stage.
Stage 2 – The next stage is to draw a sketch of the rig, with arrows placed on lighting bars (or in other potential lighting positions) showing where you need lanterns. Again, don’t worry about types of lantern at this stage.
Stage 3 – Once all parts of the show are covered and you have lanterns in place to do all of those jobs, you can start allocating equipment to each job. Use coloured pens or other codes to identify which jobs are to be shared by a number of lanterns, so that you can see how many lanterns of each type you need. For example, the lanterns doing the general wash from a particular location should all be the same, to ensure it looks completely even. All of the hard-edged spots that appear on stage together, should be the same type / wattage of lantern so they look identical. The same applies for gobo washes etc.
By Hand or CAD?
In the days before computers, the options were limited. You had a number of different plastic templates to choose from, which contained many of the popular symbols. Drawing the plan involved marking out the lighting bars first in pencil, then drawing the symbols. Computer-based plan drafting has simplified the process considerably, and also automated much of the paperwork that is associated with a lighting design.
The standard software for theatrical lighting plan drawing is either Vectorworks or WYSIWYG. Both packages are expensive, and have learning curves. You can also use Capture software to produce a lighting plan. A more straightforward option is LXFree, which enables the production of a perfectly good plan for smaller projects.
MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON.
When drawing the symbols onto the plan ensure you leave enough space around the lantern so that when rigged, it can be focussed in the appropriate direction, and to allow the focusser to get their hands wherever is necessary.
It’s not necessary to be absolutely accurate about the angle the lantern should be pointed in, as that happens as part of the focus, but pointing the symbol in roughly the right direction will aid you (and your crew) in seeing what is what.
See Lighting Rigging Positions for more information on how to represent lanterns rigged on floor stands, bars and booms on a plan
Essentials:
Title Block
This box should be included, and shows the name of the production, the venue, the scale, your name, the date of the drawing and any revision number.
Key
Each symbol used on the plan should be shown, alongside an indication of the instrument it represents. You should use the correct ‘family’ of symbol on your plan. All profiles should use profile symbols, all moving lights should use moving light symbols etc, even if you don’t have access to the exact symbol for the fixture you’re using.
Gels
The Gel requirements for each lantern should be shown as a number within the lantern symbol. A lantern with no gel should have ‘o/w’ (standing for open white) written inside it. If you’re using Rosco gels, indicate this by writing R in front of the number. Lee gels should have L in front. This avoids confusion when mixing between the two numbering systems.
Focus Note
A Focus Note for each lantern should be written at the front of the lantern – this is a very brief indication to the crew (and a reminder to you) of the function of the lantern.
Example focus notes, with an explanation in brackets:
DSC POOL (downstage centre pool)
A (area A – part of the general cover)
B/L (backlight – coming from upstage)
CHAIR DL (downlight on the chair)
They can refer to the magic sheet to know the exact position and settings for each light, ensuring that the lighting design is executed accurately. It also helps the lighting crew to work efficiently, as they can quickly identify and locate each light based on its symbol on the magic sheet. During the performance, the lighting designer or the lighting operator uses the magic sheet to operate the lighting console. They can easily access the desired settings for each light by referring to the magic sheet, ensuring that the lighting cues and effects are executed perfectly. Overall, the lighting design magic sheet is a powerful and indispensable tool for lighting designers in the entertainment industry. It helps them to effectively communicate their design vision to the lighting crew and ensures that the lighting design is executed accurately and smoothly..
Reviews for "Behind the Scenes of Lighting Design: The Magic Sheet Revealed"
1. John - 2 stars
I was really disappointed with the Lighting design magic sheet. It was advertised as a comprehensive tool for designing lighting setups, but I found it to be quite limited in its capabilities. The interface was not user-friendly and I struggled to navigate through the different options. The sheet also lacked important features that I was expecting, such as the ability to import custom lighting fixtures. Overall, I felt like the product did not live up to its promises and I would not recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 3 stars
I had high hopes for the Lighting design magic sheet, but it fell short of my expectations. While it did have some useful features for creating basic lighting designs, I found it to be lacking in terms of advanced functionality. The preloaded templates were limited and I was not able to customize them to suit my specific needs. Additionally, I encountered some technical issues while using the software, which further added to my frustration. I would suggest looking for alternative lighting design tools that offer more comprehensive features and better user experience.
3. Mark - 2 stars
I was quite disappointed with the Lighting design magic sheet. It seemed promising at first, but I soon realized that it was not suitable for professional use. The sheet lacked important tools and features that I rely on for my work, such as the ability to calculate energy consumption or create detailed light plots. The user interface was also outdated and difficult to use. Overall, I would not recommend this product to other lighting designers who require a more robust and comprehensive solution for their projects.