What Stage Lighting Planning Costs and What Moves the Price

Why lighting plans vary so much in price

People often ask for a single figure for a lighting plan, and it is a fair question. The honest answer is that the work behind a plot depends far more on the room and the programme than on the number of lamps. A small interview set with one presenter and two cameras needs a short plot and a brief fixture schedule. A multi-set studio that changes format between morning and evening needs several plots, cue notes and a careful look at power and rigging.

What stays constant is the output: a lighting plot, a fixture schedule and notes on how the rig should behave on camera. The time it takes to produce those documents is what we charge for. I would rather explain that clearly at the start than let a quotation arrive with a line that nobody can interpret.

This article sets out the factors that move the price, in roughly the order they matter, so you can judge your own project before you get in touch.

The size and shape of the space

Floor area and ceiling height shape the whole job. A low ceiling limits where fixtures can hang and how steeply light can fall on a presenter, which means more careful positioning and often more compromise to document. A tall, open studio gives freedom, but it also means more positions to plan and more throw distances to calculate.

The number of separate playing areas matters even more than the overall size. Each desk, sofa, standing position or walk-and-talk route needs its own key, fill and background treatment, and these have to sit together without spilling onto each other. Two areas are a modest task. Six areas, with cameras moving between them, mean far more drawing time and more checking of how the light holds when a presenter crosses the floor.

If you can send a floor plan, even a hand sketch with rough measurements, it saves a surprising amount of effort and keeps the figure closer to what we first estimate.

• Number of separate playing areas
• Ceiling height and available rigging points
• Whether the set changes between programmes

Cameras, colour and what the lens sees

A plot that looks right to the eye can still fail on camera. Sensors respond to colour temperature, contrast and flicker differently from people, so the camera system you use feeds directly into the lighting design. Knowing the camera models, the lens range and the intended exposure helps us choose fixtures that deliver consistent colour across every shot.

Programmes with strong skin-tone requirements, patterned backdrops or large glass and screen surfaces take longer to resolve. Reflections from monitors and glossy set pieces are a common source of rework, and each one needs a decision about angle or diffusion. Where a single camera shoots a fixed shot, the task is simple. Where four cameras cover wide, medium and close positions, every angle has to be checked against the same rig.

I treat these checks as part of the plan rather than an extra, because a rig that cannot be balanced across cameras is not really finished.

Existing equipment versus a new rig

Working with fixtures you already own is usually quicker to plan than specifying a new rig from nothing, but not always cheaper in the end. An inventory of mixed older fixtures, some tungsten and some LED, forces compromises in colour matching and dimming behaviour, and documenting those compromises takes time.

When a studio is replacing its lighting, the plan needs a full fixture schedule: types, quantities, positions, accessories, cable runs and control channels. That schedule is the part clients tend to underestimate. It is also the part that protects you later, because it gives anyone buying or hiring equipment a clear list to work from rather than a loose description.

Our fee covers the planning and documentation. It does not include buying or hiring the fixtures themselves, which are priced separately by whoever supplies them.

• Reusing existing fixtures: more matching work
• New rig: full schedule and control patching
• Hire for short runs: simpler schedule

Site visits, revisions and the final documents

A visit to the studio or venue lets us measure, check rigging and see how the room behaves under working light. It adds travel and time to the figure, but it often removes guesswork that would otherwise cause revisions later. For rooms we cannot visit, we rely on your drawings and photographs, which is workable for simpler sets.

Revisions are part of any real project. A reasonable round of changes after the first plot is expected and included in the quotation, and the quotation states how many rounds it covers. Larger shifts, such as moving a set to a different room, are treated as new work and priced as such.

The finished documents are a lighting plot, a fixture schedule and short written notes for the crew. We confirm in writing what is included before any work begins.

How to get a figure you can rely on

The quickest route to a clear quotation is to describe the programme, not just the equipment. Tell us the format, how many presenters, how many cameras and how often the set changes. Add the room dimensions, the rigging you have and the fixtures you already own. With that, we can usually respond with a written quotation that lists what is included and what would change it.

Enquiries come through the contact page. A written quotation follows, and once you confirm it we issue an invoice payable by bank transfer. Cancellations and refunds follow the payment and refund policy on the site.

If you are weighing up whether a plan is worth commissioning at all, the prices page gives the starting point for each service, and I am happy to talk through what your own situation would involve.