How to brief a lighting designer

Start with these five

If you send nothing else, send these. They determine almost everything.

1. Dates. Performance dates, plus get-in and get-out times. Availability is usually the first constraint.
2. Venue. Name and location, or the venue list if it tours.
3. The show. A running order, set list or script — even a draft.
4. What exists. The venue's rig and stock, or the supplier's spec if one is booked.
5. Budget. A range is fine. It shapes the design more than any other single fact.

Helpful, if you have it

• References — photos or videos of shows whose look you like (and ones you do not)
• Stage plan and dimensions, including trim height
• Crew: who is rigging, and how many
• Whether the show is being filmed or streamed — this changes the design significantly
• Any fixed scenic elements, video walls or band risers
• Who has final say on the look

Things worth deciding early

Is the show locked or does it move? A show that runs identically every night can be timecoded. One that changes needs to be built to be busked. It affects how the whole file is structured.

Is it being filmed? Camera wants more front light, less extreme contrast and careful colour choices. Designing for the room and designing for the lens are different jobs, and retrofitting one into the other rarely works well.

Who operates? If a house technician runs the show after opening, the file and paperwork have to be built for a stranger, not for the designer.

A good brief in one paragraph

"Two nights at a 600-seat theatre in March, get-in 9am on the day. Seven-piece band, 90-minute set, running order attached. House rig plus a small supplier package, budget around X. Two songs need a big moment; the rest should feel warm and classic. It's being filmed on three cameras for socials."

That is enough to quote accurately and start designing.