A light plot, lighting plot or just plot is a document like an architectural blueprint used specifically by theatrical lighting designers to illustrate and communicate the lighting design to the director, other designers and finally the Master Electrician and electrics crew. The light plot specifies how each lighting instrument should be hung, focused, colored, and connected. Typically the light plot is supplemented by other paperwork such as the channel hookup or instrument schedule.
Up until the development of computer aided drafting (CAD) programs, light plots were hand drawn or drafted on special drafting paper. Though CAD programs and hand drafting require different techniques and methods, the information is presented and used in the same way. In order to be effective a light plot must: