One of the key jobs of any automated lighting programmer or operator is to create and maintain the position of the moving lights. By utilizing console features such as palettes/presets these pre-stored positions are the basis of every look. Hopefully you know and understand the importance of palettes/presets already and know they should always be used in place of hard values for positions. Actually creating or updating these positions is an essential skill for any console programmer or operator.
Creationism
One of the first tasks prior to programming a show is to create position palettes/presets. I will often store many positions that I think will be essential to a show long before I arrive at pre-production. My process is simple — I record all fixtures at their default 50/50 position into palettes/presets, but name each according to the expected actual position. For instance, for a live band performing on stage, I will create positions called Singer, Bass, Guitar, Drums, Audience, Stage, Cyc and so on.
This process not only saves me time once I arrive at pre-production, but it also allows me to start building cues as I will already know in my head where each fixture will eventually point. Once I arrive at the venue (or start visualizing) I can simply update each of these placeholder palettes/presets with the actual positional data so that the lights are pointing correctly.
Sometimes the LD will suggest positions, or the script or set will make it obvious what is needed. Other times, it will be up to the programmer to determine the best positions. Quite often, these positions may not actually illuminate anything on stage, but instead be used to create “graphics” in the air with the beams of light. No matter the purpose, it is important to store your position palettes/presets and label them in such a manner that they are easily recognizable by name and/or location on your console screens.
Focusing In
The act of pointing the lights into the desired position is referred to as “focusing,” and it is important that the fixtures point to the correct locations. The tricky part is that from the console it can often be difficult to determine if the light is actually going to illuminate the actor, musician or set piece without having that subject stationary on stage while you position each fixture accordingly.
Although it seems it would be easy to just point each fixture at a given location, this does not always work out as expected. This is because the height of the focus is difficult to determine. For instance, if you are pointing fixtures at the mic stand for a band’s singer, you might just get all the circles of light aligned at the base of the stand. However, when the singer takes his or her position, he or she will only be lit from the knees down! This is why it is imperative to have something to help aim the lights at the actual location needed to illuminate the subject. There are many different tricks that programmers have used to solve this problem:
Mic stands with white towels placed on them
Mannequins or cardboard figures
White helium balloons
The LD or a lighting tech
Ladders
Stacked chairs or stools
Truss pieces
Over the years, I have found pretty much any item possible will work as a stand-in for focusing positions. I even have used low items for general wash type positions such as orange traffic cones, bottles or cans and spike tape.
Do It Yourself
Another nice feature of most modern consoles is the ability to remote into the desk with either a dedicated piece of hardware or a tablet, phone, or laptop. In these cases the programmer can walk the stage and point each fixture right at him/herself without having to view the stage from FOH. This is especially helpful on outdoor stages where the sun is shinning and making it almost impossible to see the positioning from afar.
Of course, there are times when you have to focus from FOH. I find that binoculars can help ensure that the fixtures are pointed in the proper location. I carry a small set with me and find it very useful on many occasions in addition to focusing.
Getting Down to Business
When it comes time to create or update positions, it is important that you understand where each fixture should be pointed as well as how to quickly focus the light. First, always follow the old school rule of “tilt first.” You should always adjust the tilt parameter first when positioning a light. Otherwise you may end up rotating it to an odd position resulting in a flip or long pan during movement.
Most consoles have a “highlight” type of function. When activated, this feature will turn on the selected fixture in open white. This makes the process of focusing extremely quick and easy, as you only have to select a group and hit next to cycle from one light to the next. Each time you hit next, the previous fixture will return to its previous state and the subsequent fixture will become a bright open white spot. Now you can position this unit and then move to the next in the group.
A highlight feature can usually also be customized allowing you to close the iris or choose to leave gobos in during focusing. Both are essential tools depending on the position you are trying to focus. As always, be sure to check your console’s user manual to determine the highlight options available. Many desks even have a “lowlight” setting that determines what non-highlighted fixtures should look like. I find this very useful as I can have each of the previous lights turn to a dark indigo color but remain on as a reference when building a palette/preset.
Staying Up-to-Date
Throughout the lifetime of a show, the position palettes/presets will probably need to be updated. A touring show will require this daily, while a one-off or theatrical production may only need positions updated due to small changes or fixture swaps. It is important that there is a reference document as to how the positions should look. This can range from a sketchpad to a spreadsheet to custom programs used to document focusing. I find simple digital photos a good reference too.
The process of updating palettes/presets will be different depending on your console, but some of the concepts will be the same. It could be as simple as record or as complex as an auto-update. Most consoles have an update button where you can have the desk automatically store changed positions into currently active palettes/presets. These functions are invaluable, as you don’t have to remember or think in the moment as to which palette/preset was stored in the current cue. However, I often use caution when performing auto-update functions to ensure that the desk is storing the data where I think it should be going.
Some touring productions will setup a special page with cuelists designed to assist in the daily updating of palettes/presets. These often activate looks and macros to ensure only the specified fixtures are updated and that nothing out of the ordinary is accidentally recorded.
Aim High
Focusing lights can be a very tedious task, but it is also an essential element of any automated lighting production. Take the time to think about what positions are needed for the show and be sure to remove un-used positions once the programming is complete. Make clever use of objects or technology to help you aim the lights and update the data. Focusing really should be a pleasurable experience as you are carving the basis for all the lighting looks. The next time you have to focus a rig, be sure to do your best to ensure all the fixtures are pointing to the proper locations.
