After a short trip to Las Vegas, I have been slapped in the face by an existential threat. After several decades of feeling like the young gun on the crew, I am not as young as I once was. I am starting to feel the creep of maturity set into my bones. After sitting down at an MA3 with younger programmers, I could feel the tension in my body. I was plagued by the incessant internal monologues of “That’s not the way it should be done.” and “Why did they change that?” I realized that I am at risk of becoming a Tech Dinosaur. For context, I’m using the term “tech dinosaur” to describe a technician who is outdated or behind the times when it comes to technological advancements. I used to work circles around lighting techs who struggled to adapt to new technologies, had limited knowledge or experience with modern tech tools, or simply preferred to stick with outdated technologies. Now, for the first time, instead of pitying those people, I’m starting to empathize with them. We can either go the way of the dinosaurs, or we can strive to adapt. I want to go over how I have avoided extinction during four previous eras.
Permian Strand 520i
Without going into the prehistoric eras before moving light consoles, the first professional moving light console that I played on was a Strand 520i. The rig mostly consisted of conventional fixtures, but our showroom had 12 High End Systems Cyberlights. Before the 520i, if I wanted to make lights blink, I had to record each step and then re-record them into a chaser. Now, I could use up to 30 simultaneous effects from a total of 600 per show! In our showroom, the rep shows were already programmed by someone far more prestigious than I was. They used the moving lights effectively, but they never used the intensity or movement effects. After a few weeks of staying after the show and sitting down with the manual, I learned how to use the effects generator and implement the movements. I was able to convince my boss that I was ready to sit behind the console for one of the rare corporate events that filled the down time. When the client asked if we could do a ballyhoo on the red drape, my supervisor said that he’d have to call in four spot operators for that. I let him know that we didn’t need to do that, I can do it with four moving lights in the audience. At the time, that was all it took to prevent the asteroid from crashing down.
Triassic Wholehog II
Fast forward a few short years. A local vendor had heard that I was doing cool things in the showroom and wanted to see if I could help at a local boxing match. I really wanted to show off my skills and make extra money, but the problem was clear, they didn’t have a Strand 520i. They had a Wholehog II. I had never seen nor heard of such a console. It was like nothing I’d ever encountered. I told the vendor that I had never used it. He tossed me a manual and informed me that we had one day to load in and one day to program enough for a boxing match. I could stay as late as I needed, but I needed a show in two days. After my third attempt of recreating a now-famous look that I had seen on TV, I took all the moving lights and aimed them at the camera and started a rainbow chase. The vendor let me know how terrible it looked in the room but after seeing it on the program feed, he realized the power of such technology. I had to adapt quickly and learn the new console in order to stay relevant. Wholehog II became my console of choice for several years. It wasn’t until a young Matt Shimamoto saw me still using it on a corporate event that I realized I was holding on too long. On a show floor full of grandMA1s, I was the last one still clinging to the Hog. Shimamoto saw me using the wood-framed console and bluntly remarked “You’re going old school, huh?” That’s when I knew it was time to evolve again.
Jurassic grandMA1
I was uncomfortable leaving the Hog behind. The syntax was memorable, and my muscle memory was second nature. The MA1, on the other hand, was foreign and overwhelming. I would have to abandon everything I knew and go back to step one. I wouldn’t be an expert any longer, I’d be the novice. I’d have to ask other people for help. It’s scary to admit when we don’t know something. It’s tough to let go of old habits. But clearly, shows were getting too big for a mere four universes of processing. Even with an Overdrive the Hog just wasn’t cutting it any longer. I had to reach out to my good friend, Jay Ledane, and explain/admit that I needed to learn something new. Shortly after a training day with him, I was hired as the house Lighting Designer for the Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. With only a days’ worth of console time I was tossed into the tar pit to see if I could swim. Being in that sort of environment with constant demands forces you to learn quickly. I had to soak up the knowledge that I could form guest LDs, while sharing interesting tidbits that I had cobbled together. Sharing our collective knowledge made both of us better programmers. We helped each other evolve as a community.
Cretaceous grandMA3
The grandMA3 feels like something new. In my experience, the MA2 has been the industry standard for so long that it seemed like evolution had ended. It almost started to feel like there was no need to learn anything new. This platform does everything that we asked of it and did it well. But after this weekend, I have realized that I have felt this many times before. I was just younger and more willing to learn. As Bill Driscoll, the New England District President of Accountemps said, “Successful people never stop learning.” Continuing education and learning new techniques is the only way that us Intellabeam era dinosaurs can thrive in the modern era.
Modern AI
In the next era, consoles will be utilizing AI to learn from us. AI will be able to autopatch a rig, learn from previous programmers and even interpret client requests through voice recognition. AI learns and adapts exponentially faster than humans are capable of. Currently, these computers can’t program themselves after interpreting the clients’ wildest desires. AI, by itself, is not coming for our jobs, but someone who understands AI far better than we do is gunning for us. Staying on top of, and adapting to new technology as it emerges, is critical to standing out among other professionals. Allowing ourselves to fall into the La Brea Tar Pits of entertainment will only serve to allow future technicians to examine how we failed.
Reach Chris Lose at close@plsn.com
