Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - CA 274 D100

Lighting I (3)

Class Number: 4270

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Mon, Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Prerequisites:

    CA 185; or 30 units; or permission of instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Light is an essential compositional and storytelling medium in live performance. Students experiment with foundational lighting technology and systems, discuss lighting in installation and performance, and create small studio-based lighting design projects. The first of two courses in the Lighting cluster.

COURSE DETAILS:

CA 274 treats light as a practical medium for live performance. You will build safe habits, learn core equipment, and understand how power and data move through a rig. We emphasise paperwork literacy early, reading plots, channel hookups, magic sheets, and system block diagrams, so you can execute accurately in the room. You will develop ETC Eos fundamentals to patch, organise, and program clear, repeatable cue lists. Alongside the technical skills, we practise aesthetic thinking: articulating a concise lighting idea and mapping it to actionable choices in timing, composition, colour, and movement. Foundational Vectorworks tools support simple plots and paperwork that align with your show files. By term’s end, you’ll be ready to contribute on hang, focus, and cueing teams and prepared for more advanced work in Lighting II.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Identify and operate standard lighting fixtures, accessories, and support equipment.

  • Apply electrical and safety fundamentals, including power distribution, circuit planning, and DMX data management.

  • Patch, organise, and program an ETC Eos system using clear file structure, groups, palettes, presets, cue lists, and basic effects.

  • Read and use lighting paperwork: plots, channel hookups, magic sheets, and system block diagrams.

  • Use foundational Vectorworks tools to create clear, simple lighting plots and paperwork excerpts.

  • Collaborate during hang, focus, and cueing with clear, respectful communication.

  • Consider aesthetic choices of timing, composition, colour, and movement in different performance scenarios.

  • Analyse and troubleshoot common faults in lighting systems and control networks.

Grading

  • Projects 40%
  • Assignments 15%
  • Quizzes 15%
  • Participation and Attendance 30%

NOTES:

Module overview

  1. Foundations & Safety
     Build safe habits and shared vocabulary. Cover roles, workflow, stage safety, basic electricity, power distribution, dimming versus constant power, cabling, and labelling.

  2. Control & Fixtures
     Understand DMX addressing, universes, and basic fault-finding. Explore fixture families and optics (ERS, Fresnel, PAR, cyc, LED engines), beam/field angles, and photometrics; practise hang, circuit, and focus.

  3. Paperwork Literacy
     Read and use plots, channel hookups, system block diagrams, and magic sheets to execute work accurately. Annotate documents, plan circuits and addresses, and run cues from paperwork with consistency.

  4. Aesthetics of Lighting: From Idea to System
     Formulate a clear lighting idea tied to dramaturgy, then translate it into actionable parameters (angle, height, throw, colour, intensity, shadow). Express the idea as a repeatable system: positions, channels, focus notes, and magic-sheet symbols—ready to plot, patch, and cue.

  5. Eos Fundamentals
     Set up clean show files; patch and organise channels; build groups, palettes, and presets; create straightforward cue lists and basic effects. Emphasis on repeatable workflow and console etiquette.

  6. Colour, Systems & Moving Lights
     Discuss additive and subtractive colour, gels and diffusion, LED colour mixing, and colour temperature. Consider contrast, atmosphere, and perception in cueing. Design systems for bodies in space (front, side, back, top), add specials and toning, and get a first look at automated fixtures and parameters.

  7. Vectorworks for Lighting 
    Use foundational Vectorworks tools to create clear, simple plots and paperwork excerpts that align with your show file. Set up positions and Lighting Devices, apply label legends, and generate tidy sheets and address maps.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Technology & spaces

Work takes place in SCA theatres and lighting labs with Eos-family consoles. Expect regular hands-on time powering systems, addressing devices, reading and producing paperwork, and programming cues.

Policies & professionalism

Attendance: Lighting work is collaborative and safety-critical. Five marked tardies equal one unexcused absence. Every three unexcused absences lowers the final letter grade by one third. Communicate early about conflicts or illness.

Submission: Submit through Canvas unless specified. Use file-naming and versioning conventions provided in class.

Class technology use: Keep devices on task. A short break is built into each class.

Respect and professionalism: Contribute to a safe, inclusive environment. Disagreements should be evidence-based and handled constructively.

Academic integrity: Follow SFU policy. Cite sources for images, templates, and show files. Your work must reflect your own decisions and process.

Accessibility: Contact the Centre for Accessible Learning for accommodations. You can also let me know so we can plan support, I am happy to also discuss accomodations.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.