A set of lanterns for a particular production can be thought of as a palette which will achieve all the effects you and the director require.

Read Script and Discuss with Director
Decide what elements the palette will consist of. At this stage, there is no need to think about which lanterns you will use to achieve these ideas. The director, for example, has no wish to know which lanterns you will use for the downstage centre blue special; only that there will be one.

Watch a rehearsal or run through.
With the director sitting beside you watch and note actor positions and moves as relevant to the lighting. The director should let you know of any specific needs (I'd like a snap blackout here, this actor should be isolated, I'll need the whole of this part of the stage to go pink here) and you should note them also.

Produce the Cue List
Having gathered all the information about the actors from the run-through, and all the artistic and colour decisions from the initial talk with the director, you now work through the show noting each point at which the lighting will change. This is potentially the most creative (and hence important) part of the process as you bring all the elements of the palette together for each scene of the show. Again, exact details aren't necessary; this list is to assure the director that you've covered all the specific moments in the show that she/he's requested. You could also pop in a few extra ideas of your own, some of which will be rejected, but if a few are accepted, you'll feel great.

Cue List Example
- HOUSE LIGHTS AND PRESET ON STAGE
- HOUSE LIGHTS OUT
- BLACKOUT ON STAGE
- WHEN ACTORS IN POSITION, LIGHTS UP FOR SCENE 1 (Drawing room, sunny morning)
- AS BUTLER CLOSES CURTAIN, CHECK STATE DOWN A BIT
- END OF SCENE, CHECK DOWN TO AREA DOWNSTAGE RIGHT THEN FOLLOW ON TO DIM SCENE CHANGE STATE
- WHEN SCENE CHANGE COMPLETE, LIGHTS UP ON DOORWAY (DIM)
- AS CLIVE MOVES FROM DOORWAY, DIM AREA DSL IN HALL
- BUILD STATE AS LIGHT TURNED ON (VISUAL CUE ON CLIVE LIGHT SWITCH)

Draw the Lighting Plan
This is the point where the creative contents of the palette get translated into lanterns, using the cue list as a reference to check that the whole show has been covered.

Lighting Rig
The lanterns are hung in the rig, according to the positions drawn on the plan. The people doing the rigging don't necessarily need to know the creative effects being achieved by the lanterns, just that they are in the correct position. The lighting designer should do a quick check that the lanterns are still going to do the creative job - are they too close to where that bit of scenery will go, for example....

Lighting Focus
Lanterns are turned back into creative instruments, as the lighting designer instructs the team where and how to focus the lanterns, to achieve the ideas of the palette.

Lighting Plot
Using the Cue list as a reference, director and lighting designer decide which elements of the palette are used at each point throughout the production.

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Lantern+Colour+Position+Focus = Lighting