Light and color for the show

The design of light and color to improve the performance of a singer or actor or any artist is of absolute importance. As part of a show, be it a live performance, a movie, or a television program, the designer’s choices can make any event unforgettable or sink its quality, invalidating the efforts of all other figures involved in production. The decisions of the lighting designer (or director of photography) are those that give direction to the production. According to the presented content, these choices provide the aesthetic sense and the narrative path, mediated by experience. Few months may be enough to grasp the theoretical rudiments of the profession. Still, their successful implementation requires a sensitivity and a technical maturity that must be built over the years. This chapter will focus on specific entertainment sectors, namely the live stage and lighting for television and cinema, the variables and technologies involved, and some elements that differ from the much more well-known architectural lighting field. The aim is to provide an overview of at least part of what is sometimes defined as a niche sector. In reality, it represents a significant branch of color and lighting design, with varied and fascinating contents that must be known and valorized.