Every once in a while, we take on a gig where it becomes evident that we are dealing with someone who cannot handle his or her job competently. We witness some questionable decisions being made by someone in charge. It's politically correct to grin and bear it, as we work long hours to make the best of an errant design. In short, part of our job description is not to laugh, but just deal with the amateurism of what I call "the hack designer." The Right Way
I have worked side-by-side with some amazing designers. I have spent years honing my craft by watching others and learning how to do things the right way. This is why I like to teach people the proper way to design a visual production. I'd like to take some time to point out mistakes that I witnessed this year and how up-and-coming designers could avoid becoming a hack themselves.
A designer should put some thought into which fixtures are necessary for a particular gig. Before you design a lighting rig, you need to look at the big picture. Figure out where all the set elements will be placed. Pick which fixture types work best to light the subjects and work them in with various video and set elements on that show.
The Wrong Way
Last year I worked with some people on a tour that had a lot of video elements. The lighting designer had spec'd a bunch of moving light fixtures that weren't bright enough to compete with the wall of video on stage. Upon seeing the plot, I wrote the LD and suggested they switch to a more powerful instrument that may cut through and actually light the band from a 35-foot trim height. I was told that they had carefully calculated what would work, and they would like to use what they spec'd on the plot. So I did as told. Once they saw their first show, they realized they had made a mistake and needed to swap out all the hard edges fixtures for another type.
On another project, I had an LD place a lot of lights on a truss obstructed by video panels. The physical design was not well thought out in advance. Had this designer spec'd the proper fixtures and placement, they could have actually shot beams of light thru the low-res walls and gotten some dramatic effects. Once they realized their mistake, the LD came up to me and requested that I exchange all the hard-edged lights for fewer fixtures that were brighter but more expensive. This was not a problem, as you can do anything if you throw enough money at it. Of course, when the management got the bill from the lighting company for the overnight trucking of all the new fixtures, they were not thrilled. Neither were the techs who had to rewire, patch and re-address everything.
The Ghetto Way
Last year, I was sent a lighting plot to build for a touring act. The plot had all kinds of views of how precisely placed they wanted every truss and light. They even included a front view with a scale rule on the side so the lighting vendor could hang all the lights at heights specified. I got one of the best lighting crew chiefs in the world to construct this exactly as drawn, with clamps and pipes that were cut to order. One day before the guy was to put everything in the truck, the LD questioned, "Why are they using pipes and clamps to build this structure? They should make it out some wire rope and small pipes to my spec." The plot specifically showed a grid of pipes. The poor tech ended up working all night to change what was drawn and put the new hardware in the truck. When the LD saw the design hanging at rehearsals, he went up to this tech to inform them that it was all "ghetto" and he had hung it all wrong. The tech got out the plot and pointed out that he had built it perfectly to the dimensions drawn. The designer simply shrugged and said that we shouldn't pay attention to details and it was their prerogative to change everything on site. That defines a hack LD in my book. I learned a long time ago that whenever you give someone a drawing of your set or light rig, they would duplicate it. If you didn't want what you submitted, why draw it that way?
The Blame Game
I once worked with a band that had a full week of rehearsals with a lighting rig hanging in a building. It took a full day for us to iron out the rigging and make the whole light rig work. Then for three days we sat around twiddling thumbs while the LD tinkered around and didn't program a single song. Finally, the band showed up and wanted to see some looks. "Uh oh," we thought. The designer brought up a few looks and played some video back while the band played on the sound stage. As we sat off to the side and watched the band tell the LD they "just weren't feeling it," we realized we were in trouble. We had seen this picture before. When a hack designer is in hot water, they try to deflect the blame. They chose to say that they had no programming time because the lighting gear kept breaking and the crew couldn't make it work long enough to program anything. Sure, moving lights sometimes break and need to be roped down and replaced after being fixed, but that never stops any design team from doing their gig. All I could do was sit there and feel the tire tracks as I was thrown under the bus so someone could protect their job. This designer lost all respect from the crew.
I was bummed at myself this month. I designed a touring lighting rig when I realized that I had four fixtures mounted in some truss that were useless, as they were being blocked by scenic elements. I noticed this while in rehearsals, so lowering the truss and moving the fixtures took about an hour. My techs laughed when I apologized for not seeing this ahead of time. They said this was nothing. They had worked with hacks that moved lights around the rig for weeks before they were content. I was respected by these techs, and they just thanked me for doing this now as opposed to when the tour started.
So to avoid becoming a hack designer, there are some simple unwritten rules. Think before you design a light rig, and design it within your budget constraints. Choose the fixtures you really need to augment the other elements in your show. When you draw something on a plot, it will be constructed precisely to your specification, so know what you want before you ask for it. Take advantage of every programming minute you have so you're not embarrassed when the client walks into the gig. And most of all, treat your crew with respect and they will bend over backwards for you. Blame them for your own inadequacies, and you are nothing but a hack in their eyes.
