Personalise the site

Choose your exam board

This filters set texts and takes you to the right written-exam guidance. You can change it at any time.
⚠️ Board lens: This page supports AQA, Edexcel and CCEA. Set your board (top-right) to tune the exam language and focus.

Lighting Design

Shadows, interrogations, and cold prison bars

Current board: Not set
"The Golden Rule: lighting in The Crucible is a battle between concealment and exposure. Use harsh cold intensity for court authority, and dim creeping shadow for paranoia."

Lighting State Simulator

Concept 1: The Hearth & Shadows

The big idea: domestic scenes should look fire-lit and private, so paranoia lives in the darkness at the edge of the room.

🔥 Warm gels & low intensity Use straw/amber gels from low side angles to mimic firelight. Keep intensity low so the room feels isolated and vulnerable.
🦇 Creeping shadow Directional light creates long shadows that ‘hide’ the invisible crime. The audience senses danger just outside sightlines.

Lighting Terminology Bank

Gobo

A stencil in a profile lantern. Bars gobos in Act 4 can trap characters in shadow without needing physical set pieces.

Cold / steel-blue gel

Removes warmth from the stage. Useful for the court and jail to show the absence of mercy and human softness.

Harsh top-lighting

Directly from above: eyes sink into shadow, faces look skeletal. Interrogation lighting = exposure and intimidation.

Practical light

A light source visible in the set (candles/lantern). Grounds 1692 realism and makes shadow feel earned.

📝 Exam Builder: Lighting paragraphs

Board-aware model paragraphs linking lighting choices → meaning → audience impact.

Click “Draw a model paragraph” to generate a board-aware response…
📜

Synopsis & Journeys

From whispered rumours to the gallows.
🕰️

Context & History

1692 Salem, Puritanism, McCarthy allegory.
🎭

Characters & Acting

Status, control, and ensemble hysteria.
🗺️

Key Scenes & Proxemics

Forest / farmhouse / courtroom / jail staging.
💬

Themes & Quotes

Reputation, fear, authority — performance-led.
🎨

Design Elements

Set / lighting / sound / costume.