Reaction Paper:

Science and Magic: Illuminating the stage with Lighting Design

Lighting is one of the features that are hardly noticed but has a big impact in our
daily life. Unknowingly, they create the magic that makes us appreciate the wonders of
our environment because lighting gives the visibility for the users to see the scenery, the
painting, the performance, or even the food on the table. They have the ability to give
users light in the darkest rooms and spaces, but there is another ability lighting can do
that have a bigger impact on the people that is hardly noticed by everyone. That is the
feeling and mood that lighting can do.

In a stage scenario, the actors are given a script for them to role play. Actors are
trained to share the emotions of their character as if the story feels real. But what gives
more intensity and feeling in the stage is the lighting. In the picture above, lighting gave
a different mood base on the chosen color of the lighting. It can be blue that shows how
the characters dream of their future, or red that gives intensity to the revolution being
played on stage. Not only that it shares feeling to the audience, but it gives a different
mood that the audience can relate base on the play. Another ability that lighting can do is
the focus it can provide to the people.
 Spot lights is one way to give emphasize to something that we want the people to
focus on. Art pieces are what museum gives emphasize for them to showcase. It is a
living proof of the culture and talent these artists can bring. Giving their pieces a spot light
for others to appreciate and to ponder adds focus that lighting can provide. In stages, it
is hard to give a talk for hundreds of audiences against one speaker, adding the spot light
boosts the audience’s focus. And this is not all of it, the placement of lighting, the intensity
of light, all of these has a great impact in emphasizing the stage, the art piece or the
design.
In architecture, giving importance to lighting can achieve a feeling of importance.
Lighting emphasizes the important features of the design and most of us overlook them
but what lighting can do to buildings is highlight the features and gives visibility in the
dark. From pathways and post lamps of our parks, to the interiors of the auditorium or
even our dining table where our family meets every day. Lighting is under appreciated but
that is alright, they are the supporting objects that gives focus and highlight to the overall
design. Although they are over looked, lighting should not be ignored for they can bring
magic to the design in terms of science. We should just see the bigger picture of what
they can do.