Working as an automated lighting programmer, you have a great view of many things going on all around you. From FOH, you can see the load-in, show, audience and more. As professionals, it is important to voice our concerns regarding safety, ethics and personalities. Sometimes, the best thing is to keep your mouth shut, but most often it is best to speak up and share your concerns. The recent news of various industry accidents (rigs crashing, people falling, audiences trampling) has again highlighted the importance of paying attention to details and expressing concerns as needed. Safety First
First and foremost, you should always be thinking about safety on a show. Whether in a theatre, an outdoor stage, nightclub or touring gig, it is important to assess the situation and alert others if you see a potential problem. Recently, a number of rigs have crashed to the ground for various reasons. I don't know if these accidents could have been avoided, but I would hate to think that someone noticed something and never spoke up. Take a moment to look at the rigging and determine if it looks safe. Talk with the production manager or rigger in a calm manner to express your thoughts.
You should also consider your own safety. Is your front of house a safe and secure area? If the FOH is a scaffold tower, does it look well supported? I have seen all types with various methods of access to the lighting level. The best are proper scaffold stairs built in the structure. The worst case is that you have to climb the side of the tower and over a rail to get to your console. While I have done this early in my career, I would have to decline to do so now without a proper harness and safety restraint system. No gig is worth dying for, and a 20-foot fall can easily kill you. I did walk away from a gig once when the promoters of a rave refused to put barricades around my FOH area. After repeated requests for the barricade and the first initial push of the crowd on my back, I brought down the grand master and went to the promoter's office to explain why I would not be continuing to operate the lighting.
Further thought and planning should also be in place to protect the show and the audience. When you are operating a show, do you have a quick method to illuminate the stage and/or audience areas in white light? Would you be ready to react if something goes wrong? In mid-July, the singer Pink was injured when the flying gag for her finale went horribly wrong. She was dragged off the stage into the audience. The entire show came to an abrupt stop. Everyone on the staff had to respond to the accident and do their best to ensure a quick response to the situation. Search YouTube for "Pink Accident" to see for yourself.
Over the years, I have had to respond to many different emergency situations while operating at FOH. Unexpected circumstances such as falls, bomb threats, pyro mistakes, power outages, dangerous weather and crowd riots have all occurred during various shows. Because I have been aware and prepared, each of these situations was handled in a professional manner to ensure everyone's safety. Recently, while working on a rock tour, the production manager came to FOH during the show and asked us to stop using the strobe lights because someone in the front row was having seizures. I immediately parked the strobe lights at zero to ensure that they could not come on again during the show. The medical personnel were able to remove the person from the venue with no further complications. Luckily, the production manager spoke up and requested the strobes be turned off. It is very important for a lighting programmer to be ready to respond to any emergency.
Ethically Speaking
Ethics are important in any industry, and it's no different with ours. When you have strong moral convictions to do the right thing, you should speak up when something is going wrong. For instance, our industry has seen an increase in knock-off fixtures and consoles sourced from overseas. Most of these are direct copies of products from major manufacturers. I consider these products to be illegal – in violation of patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property safeguards. If you are working on a production that is provided with flagrant knock-offs, I would suggest that you speak up and refuse to use them. They are probably taking money away from our industry and polluting the good name of the real manufacturers. However, many programmers find themselves in a tough spot, as they would rather work a gig and earn money than stand up against these counterfeit products. I know many programmers and designers who have placed clauses in their contracts or on their plots stating that non-licensed copies of lighting products are unacceptable. This is an important first step in notifying the client of your convictions.
Furthermore, ethics often come into play when working with video content. As a programmer, you may be asked to playback content that the client does not have the rights to use. For example, I once had a band's designer ask me to rip some movie clips from a DVD. They wanted to play these clips during a specific song. I refused to do so, as it is illegal to use content in this manner. I explained this to the band members and they understood. They often see their music used without their permission, and we eventually found some content that the band had rights to that worked just as well in the song.
Speak Up for Yourself
Stress often causes people to behave in an extreme manner. I was working with an LD recently who was under a great deal of stress. Usually we have a very good working relationship, but on one show, he was rather harsh and uneasy to work with. After a few days, I felt something needed to be said about the situation. I took a moment to express my concerns and let him know that I did not appreciate being treated in this manner. He explained his stressful situation and admitted that he was taking it out on me. He apologized profusely. and we were able to continue with the show without further problems. Had I not spoken up, he might not have realized how out of control he really was. I was actually inspired to speak up because another programmer had once told me of a similar situation he was in. So please (as with any relationship), keep the communication going between those you work with so that conflict and confusion can be kept to a minimum.
Make Sure You Are Heard
Automated lighting programmers are an important part of any production team. It is important for us to speak up when we see dangerous situations, unethical practices or unkind personalities. We should use our voices to express concerns so that we can keep problems for ourselves and others to a minimum. If we sit back with our mouths closed, then we will see more accidents, more illegal fixtures, and more bad working relationships. So speak up and tell others of your concerns for the better of your show and the industry!
