Performance lighting director to production designer
A performance lighting director already meets 33% of what the production designer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.6/ 100
1 How much of what a production designer is expected to do is already part of a performance lighting director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the production designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A production designer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a performance lighting director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt designers’ work to the performance venue
- analyse a script
- consult with production director
- film production process
- manage budgets
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A production designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a performance lighting director background worth leading with.
- already held use storyboards communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design lighting communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held collaborate on costume and make-up for performances communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held work with the camera crew communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held work with the director of photography communication, collaboration and creativity
All 13 carried skills, including the 5 the production designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop design concept required
- still to learn develop the look of a production required
- still to learn provide input to collaborators to guide their work required
- optional, not held design props optional
- optional, not held develop a specific interior design optional
- optional, not held ensure visual quality of the set optional
- optional, not held make photographic storyboards optional
- optional, not held make set construction drawings optional
- optional, not held select costumes optional
- optional, not held draw design sketches optional
- optional, not held work with the lighting crew optional
- still to learn supervise costume workers required
- still to learn create production schedules required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held assess production needs to plan a production schedule optional
- optional, not held make film shooting schedule optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn analyse logistic needs required
- still to learn conduct research on trends in design required
- still to learn estimate duration of work required
- optional, not held arrange permits optional
- optional, not held search for a suitable filming location optional
- still to learn CAD software required
- still to learn use CAD software required
- optional, not held create set models optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a production designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse logistic needs practise this
- 02 develop design concept practise this
- 03 develop the look of a production practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue skill
- already held analyse a script skill
- already held consult with production director skill
- already held film production process knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held attend rehearsals skill
- already held collaborate on costume and make-up for performances skill
- already held design lighting skill
- already held lighting techniques knowledge
- already held photography knowledge
- already held use storyboards skill
- already held work with the camera crew skill
- already held work with the director of photography skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held arrange permits optional
- optional, not held assess production needs to plan a production schedule optional
- optional, not held create set models optional
- optional, not held design props optional
- optional, not held develop a specific interior design optional
- optional, not held ensure visual quality of the set optional
- optional, not held make film shooting schedule optional
- optional, not held make photographic storyboards optional
- optional, not held make set construction drawings optional
- optional, not held search for a suitable filming location optional
- optional, not held select costumes optional
- optional, not held draw design sketches optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held work with the lighting crew optional
31 held skills the production designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse the need for technical resources skill
- not needed by the target role artificial lighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess power needs skill
- not needed by the target role check material resources skill
- not needed by the target role cinematography knowledge
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role create storyboards skill
- not needed by the target role design an artificial lighting system skill
- not needed by the target role develop drama production process skill
- not needed by the target role draw up lighting plan skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role familiarise with personal directing styles skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role focus lighting equipment skill
- not needed by the target role focus stage lights skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up with trends skill
- not needed by the target role light a show skill
- not needed by the target role manage technical resources stock skill
- not needed by the target role operate a lighting console skill
- not needed by the target role operate lighting equipment skill
- not needed by the target role plan act lighting skill
- not needed by the target role prevent technical problems with lighting equipment skill
- not needed by the target role read lighting plans skill
- not needed by the target role rig lights skill
- not needed by the target role supervise equipment skill
- not needed by the target role supervise lighting crew skill
- not needed by the target role technical drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate artistic concepts to technical designs skill
- not needed by the target role use specialised design software skill
- not needed by the target role use technical documentation skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn CAD software required
Other moves recorded from performance lighting director
Common questions about this move
Can a performance lighting director become a production designer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A performance lighting director already covers 33% of what a production designer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 5 of which the production designer role treats as required.
What skills does a performance lighting director need to become a production designer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse logistic needs.
How hard is the move from performance lighting director to production designer?
Its learning distance is 67.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.