What a Lighting Plot Costs and What Moves the Price

Why lighting plots are quoted, not listed

Producers often ask me for a single figure for a lighting plot, and I understand why. A budget line needs a number. The difficulty is that two studios of the same floor area can need very different amounts of design time, because the work depends on what happens on the set rather than on its size.

A single presenter at a desk against a flat backdrop is a short job. A set with a desk, a standing area, a screen wall and a sofa for guests needs several lit zones that must match each other on camera. Each zone has its own key, fill and backlight, and each one has to hold consistent skin tones.

For that reason obychnyzo gives a written quotation after an enquiry through the contact page, and the prices page shows starting points for each type of job. Understanding what sits behind the figure helps you brief us properly and compare quotations fairly.

The sections below set out the factors that move the price, roughly in the order they matter.

The number of lit zones on the set

The largest single driver is how many separate positions a presenter or guest can occupy. Each position needs its own balance of key, fill and backlight, and each must blend with its neighbours so that a walk from desk to screen wall does not change a face from warm to grey.

A one-camera interview corner is a small plot. A news set with a main desk, a secondary desk, a standing position and a guest area is four plots that have to behave as one. The drawing time, the fixture schedule and the checking on camera all grow with each added zone, though not in a straight line.

I advise clients to list every position a person will stand or sit in during a normal programme, including the awkward ones used once a week. Those rarely used positions are where lighting is most often forgotten and later patched in a hurry.

• Count every position, not just the main desk
• Note any moving shots that cross between zones
• Say which positions are used daily and which rarely

Existing rig, ceiling and power

What you already own changes the work a great deal. A studio with a usable grid, working dimmer control and a sensible stock of fixtures needs a plot drawn around what is there. A bare room needs a fuller specification, with positions, rigging points, circuits and control all described.

Ceiling height and grid layout set limits that no drawing can ignore. A low ceiling restricts how steeply the key light can fall on a presenter, and that affects shadows under the eyes and chin. Where the ceiling cannot be changed, much of the design time goes into working around it.

Power is the other quiet cost. A plot that looks right on paper may ask for more circuits than the room has. Discovering that on the day of installation is expensive, so we ask for a note on the available supply and dimmer capacity before we draw anything.

Fixture choice and the running cost behind it

Fixture type affects the price of the design and, more importantly, the price of living with it. James designs plots with rigs a crew can maintain, which usually means a limited number of fixture types, spare lamps or modules that are easy to source, and clear labelling on the grid.

LED fixtures cost more to buy than older tungsten units but run cooler, draw less power and hold colour steadily over long programmes. Tungsten is cheaper up front and forgiving, though the heat load matters in a small studio. Neither answer is correct for every room, and the choice changes how much supply and cooling the design has to account for.

When we quote, we separate the design from any equipment purchase, so you can see what you are paying for our time and what is hardware. Hardware is bought by you from a supplier of your choice, and we advise on specification only.

• Fewer fixture types means simpler spares
• Heat load matters in small studios
• Design time and equipment cost are shown apart

Attendance, adjustment and handover

A plot on paper is not finished until it has been seen through the camera. Some clients want the drawing alone, which their own crew then installs. Others want us present while fixtures are hung, aimed and balanced, and that attendance is charged by the day because it depends on how long the rig takes to settle.

Skin tone is the part that takes patience. Different presenters, different cameras and different wall colours all shift the balance, so we check with the people who will actually be on air. A rushed adjustment tends to come back as complaints from the gallery a fortnight later.

Handover matters too. A short written record of fixture positions, levels and the intended look lets your own crew restore the set after a rig change. Asking for it at the quotation stage costs little and saves a good deal later.

How to get a quotation that holds

The most useful thing you can send is a plain description of the set: a rough floor sketch, the camera positions, the ceiling height, and a note of what lighting you have now. Photographs of the room help a great deal. With those, we can say in writing what the design includes and what would change it.

Tell us the deadline for the first programme as well, and who will maintain the rig afterwards. A set that opens in a fixed week leaves less room for adjustment, and a crew new to the equipment needs a simpler plot with clearer notes.

Once you accept the written quotation, we confirm the work in writing and issue an invoice payable by bank transfer. Cancellations and refunds follow the payment and refund policy. Nothing is ordered through the website itself: the first step is always an enquiry.

• A sketch of the floor and camera positions
• Ceiling height and available power
• Photographs of the room and current lighting