Lighting is a team sport. Designing the lighting for any event is a process that depends on a number of variables and answers to a lot of questions. The questions must be answered by venue employees, electricians, rental inventory managers and many more. Clients depend on us for a spectacular show. But designers depend on everyone else's support. Support from the Crew
When I work as a technician, I take a lot of pride in making sure every base is covered, no stone is left unturned, nothing forgotten. The biggest compliment I can get is when an LD comes up to me and says, "Thanks for covering my ass."
Designers are busy with countless decisions that have to be made, before and during the load in. I forget certain logistics all the time. I need to know that someone has my back and is also looking at the big picture. Rigging obstacles (such as a low flying chandelier in the path of the cable bridge) are things that I don't always catch in advance. I need the support of someone who has been in a particular venue to remind me that design changes may be necessary.
Lighting designers are often overbooked and can't be at two gigs at the same time. In these cases they require the support of an assistant LD, a person who can speak on their behalf. This is not an easy job, as the assistant is often asked to make "on the spot" executive decisions on behalf of their boss. Nothing is worse than an LD showing up on site to see that trusses or fixtures were hung in the wrong position. If you agree to be an assistant to an LD, you had better double check everything twice and ask every question, no matter how stupid you think it is. If things have to be moved because you guessed wrong, you didn't support your employer correctly.
Lighting designers have to take a lot of time to ensure they use the correct fixture for the correct illumination of an object. Figuring out the correct lens for various PARs and lekos takes time, often more time than I have, and I may screw it up. It's nice to know sometimes that someone is checking up on me. They may call and inform me that lighting a wide cloth with a medium lens PAR from 20 feet seems like it may work, but it would be more practical if I substituted a different fixture, such as a PARnel, in its place. Most designers will listen to someone they trust on these matters. Sometimes I will agree, sometimes not. But I do like the fact that someone has pointed out something that may save us time later. And I will certainly add a couple PARnels to the extra equipment list for that "just in case" factor.
Sometimes I can't think of the correct light I need for an application. Or I find myself scratching my head because I can't figure out the correct gel to make someone look good on camera. I don't know everything. I don't think twice about calling a colleague. Knowing I have the support of these people gives me a good feeling. They will have the answer to how to correct my colors for the camera. And it gives me an excuse to pick up the phone and catch up with him. I get questions every week from someone who needs support. When I can't answer them, I go to my Rolodex in my phone and scroll until I find someone who can.
Support from Vendors
Lighting vendors as well as salesman can often help me out. I may call just to ask them, "Hey what do you have in your inventory that can shoot a beam across a convention floor and still be seen 200 yards away?" They may say they have nothing. Then I call my friends at Inner Circle Distribution with the same question. They say, "Dude, we got this new fixture. It's a 700-watt ACL moving wash light that can do exactly what you want." Then I go back to the lighting vendor and inform them that I need this product. I got the answer I need from my friends, and then they get a sale from the lighting vendor who will supply me with the necessary fixtures. That's support for me in more ways than one.
There are a few things that I suck at. There are questions I can't answer, but that I get with every design. Things like, "How much truck space do you need? How much does all this weigh? And what kind of power requirements do you need to make all this work?" I need support, because whoever is asking these questions most likely wants answers today.
I know this guy named Dan Curley at Upstaging Lighting who has furnished me with some incredibly useful paperwork tools. One is a file that has the weights of every truss and light they carry. One has the power draws of every fixture on 120 as well as 208 volts. He has also provided me with a Vectorworks drawing that has all the standard boxes and truss sections in it, so I can play Tetris/Truck Pack all day long. Upstaging will gladly support me and have someone figure out all this stuff for me as well.
Support from Home
The life of anyone in our business consists of spending long hours away from home. Whether you work in an office, a shop, or on the road, chances are you have put in a lot of overtime. You've sacrificed time that you would have rather spent doing things with your family or significant other. Nobody ever writes about this. But the biggest support we have is at home. While on site, our job often demands our undivided attention. We need to think fast, work quickly and pay attention to safety. We sometimes fail to pay attention to our support system at home. This doesn't mean our job is more important to us than our families. It means that we are insuring it all goes smoothly so we can keep providing for our significant others the best we know how. I think it's a good idea to start and end each day by talking to your better half, before we get our day going or fall asleep at the end of it.
Not everyone is capable of loving someone who is not there every night. To those who know all so well what I'm talking about, thank you. You are a select few, and the best people I know, for putting up with what we do. Bob Peterson once said, "I didn't just marry a wife, I married Saint Marilyn." I am fortunate to be marrying a great gal who understands what I do for a living. MaryLou is an associate producer of corporate events, who writes scripts, edits videos and works several shows each year herself. This is on top of being a mother to our children and taking care of the million tasks it takes to run a household. When I am gone, we speak at least twice a day on the phone or over Skype. We are each other's personal support system. And I would be lost without her. I believe the majority of people in our profession depend on the support we get from home, and we never forget that.
