Sometimes automated lighting programmers are asked to do more than just program lights. Many productions involve video elements, special effects, audio triggers or other unique components that are triggered from a lighting console. Recently I have been involved with several productions that utilized methods of combining presentation software (PowerPoint or Keynote) and lighting to save money, reduce staffing, or simply to be creative. There are many methods to combine technologies and with today’s economy, producers are always looking to cut back and save cash. Sometimes these procedures work very well and other times they can create a large amount of additional work. Either way, it is important for automated lighting programmers to be aware of the options for combining their console and presentation materials.
Working With a Big Budget
Large corporate events utilize PowerPoint presentations for their CEOs and other presenters to share information with the audience. Because the CEO’s presentation must look as professional and well organized as the CEO himself, these events usually hire a specialist to maintain and operate the PowerPoint presentation. I have worked on some events where a technical person will sit backstage and manage all the PowerPoint files for the entire show. The feed from his/her computer is fed through the video switcher to the video screens. Usually the presenter is given a clicker to advance slides, however the clicker does not actually control the PowerPoint file. Instead it will flash an indicator at the specialists’ area telling him/her to advance the presentation. In addition, the specialist will follow a script and know exactly when to advance the slides. In this way, the presenter can relax and know that if they forget to advance a slide the PowerPoint will advance as planned.
In addition, throughout the pre-production, the PowerPoint specialist can modify or update the presentation as requested by the CEO. Usually during a rehearsal the CEO will ask for a few changes to the slides and the specialist can immediately update the slides or upload new slides. Of course, having a dedicated PowerPoint specialist to maintain and operate the presentations is a huge expense and not all corporate events can afford this luxury. The least expensive option is to have a computer on the stage that the presenter operates. However, this leads to complications when the presenter has computer problems or is not skilled at operating the software. Usually corporate events will find another solution involving the production staff.
Digital Lighting to the Rescue
Today’s digital lights offer a multitude of options for productions. A lighting company can supply a digital lighting package that can easily replace many video functions. For instance, I have seen productions where digital lights are used as the primary projection method and are used for playback of various sources, including PowerPoint presentations. In fact, I work with a venue not far from my house that employs two digital fixtures for just this purpose. It is a drive-through animal park that has an events center in the middle. I always enjoy driving out through all the animals to get to the gig! Their digital lighting fixtures project stock imagery, but they are also wired for video input. They can send signals from a local computer or DVD player directly to the fixtures. This means that if their customers want to play a DVD, they simply call up that cue on the console and insert a DVD into the nearby DVD player. Furthermore, they can switch to their computer and send the output of a PowerPoint presentation to the fixtures. In this way, their lighting operator is also controlling all the video elements from a single console and with simultaneous lighting cues. This method works well for them; they do not need to have a video staff, yet they still can provide their customers a professional lighting and video presentation.
What About Media Servers?
In some areas of our industry, people are using media servers to serve images from a PowerPoint presentation instead of running it directly from a computer. While this can save some money upfront, it is often filled with more complications than is necessary. I was involved with a show that had six presenters, each with their own PowerPoint presentation.
The crew chief suggested that we export the PowerPoint presentations to jpegs and then upload these images to the media servers. The crew chief did not trust PowerPoint to run well during the show and thought the media servers offered less risk. However, this crew chief knew little of automated lighting programming and did not know all the complications he was creating with his suggestion. I tried my best to talk him out it, but he was insistent on trying it.
So we went down this road, for a bit. Each of the six presentations had about 30-40 slides, and of course many of these presentations would not be delivered until the dress rehearsal. This meant that the crew chief had to export each presentation to jpegs, labeling the images accordingly, upload them to the servers, set DMX address, and provide me with the relevant file and folder information. Then I had to build cues to create transitions from one slide to the next. While I could program the simple cuing rather easily, this now meant that my cue list for the show would increase by over 200 cues. Furthermore, I would be responsible for advancing the slides during the presentation by watching for a signal that the presenter wanted to go to the next slide.
Further complications developed as the presenters wanted to change or update their presentations. The entire export and upload to the servers had to occur again, thus slowing down the rehearsal. This process was costing large amounts of rehearsal time, and was affecting the integrity of the entire production. Ultimately, the director put a stop to this plan and we switched to a computer running PowerPoint under direct control of the stage manager. The production was then able to work perfectly even with wasted time and money on media servers and their programming.
Control on a Budget
The simplest method I have seen for controlling PowerPoint (or other applications) from a lighting console is the Rosco Keystroke. This is a USB device that connects to a computer and also to a DMX line. With some simple configuration you can have a specific DMX512 value send keystrokes to applications on the computer. So this means you can make a flash key or cues on your console that advance slides, load files, etc. This is a great unit that allows seamless control of most any application from your console.
Anything Can be Done
Automated lighting programmers are very smart people who will always come up with a method to enhance a production. We can use our consoles and our programming abilities to assist with PowerPoint presentations and other related effects. However there are also times when we must consider the effect on the entire production and determine the best method for all involved. When working with presentations, be open to new ideas while also realizing what is possible given time and budgetary restraints. Look for new creative methods to expand your contribution to a production, and most of all, have fun with all that you do.
