Once you know what lights you have available, you need to decide where to position them in the lighting rig. We refer to the positions that we hang lights in as the ‘lighting angles’ and there are five basic lighting angles that you are most likely to use in your show. The lighting angles refer to the light’s positions relative to the actor.

1. Front light
2. Back light
3. Side light
4. Top light
5. Up light

Since visibility is our primary objective, this article begins by looking at the angles that offer the best visibility, and how variations on the position of the light introduce shadow and how that achieves other objectives.