The first time Scott Warner knew what he wanted to do in life was at a concert. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he’d find it somewhere around the front of house. After studying to become a sound engineer, he realized he really wanted to play with lights. Luckily, his best friend knew a band that could help him realize his dream.
PLSN: How did you get involved in the lighting industry?
Scott Warner: I had a little bit of money saved up for college and I decided to buy a light show instead — a bunch of PAR Cans. So I bought them and started working with local bands and clubs while I went to sound school. I was a sound engineer before I was a lighting guy. I was touring as a sound engineer in 1993, I believe. Matt Miley, who, over the course of 16 years, has become my best friend, was working at the 930 Club (in Washington D.C.) at the time, and he said I was a pretty good sound engineer, but I told him that I’d really like to do lights. He told me that Gwar was looking for a lighting designer — they were a metal band in the ‘90s that wore costumes and were theatrical— and that was my first major tour. Every since then, I’ve occasionally done some sound, but I’ve mainly been sticking to lights.
But it goes back farther than that, right?
When I was 12 years old, by brother took me to see Kiss at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. I remember pointing to the FOH position and I believe I asked my brother what they did. I don’t even remember what he said; all I know is that I wanted to do that. I finally played there, with Everclear, and I remember looking up at the area…from the position I dreamed about. I still have the Polaroid from that concert in my office.
What did you do after Gwar?
Everclear.
They were pretty big in the 1990s. What type of shows were you doing?
It was pretty much a moving light package, and my first experience with Vari-Lite.
Were you always a freelance designer?
Yes, but I did work for a club in Pittsburgh that is no longer around. They didn’t have a lighting guy, so I worked the door and ran upstairs to do lights for whatever band came in. I was lucky to have done some great shows. My favorite was Nirvana the day after Smells Like Teen Spirit aired on 120 Minutes, all white with a ton of fog. Best show I’ve ever done.
Now you have a company called Acme Design Firm.
I also have a company that I formed with Heath Marrinan and Justin Kitchenman called Done and Done Design that we formed get into more corporate design and trade shows.
All three of you have done a lot of work on tours.
Heath has been out with Green Day, Dave Matthews, and many other bands, and Justin has been Dolly Parton’s designer for years. He’s currently Taylor Swifts’ lighting director. We have different, diverse backgrounds. I’m more of the heavy metal/pop guy. But, we’re looking at doing more corporate. Heath’s main account right now is Video Games Live. They tour around the world, in arenas, to show people new video games. Justin is very good at ESP Vision, which I have no clue how to use.
You were recently in Europe. What were you doing over there?
The Pussycat Dolls’ second world tour. That was my first time taking out a pretty much all Robe rig. I’d been using Vari-Lite and Martin for years, and I decided to give them a try. I’m pretty happy with everything they’ve given me. I’m trying out the new REDWash — their new digital LED wash fixture — and I can’t say enough about them. I’ve got 36 of those in the rig and turning them on lights up the whole set. We’ve got an aluminum set and stage and it looks amazing for an LED fixture. It’s got a white LED in it, which is also amazing. I’m using the REDBlinders, too, which are basically LED Molefays. We also have 60 moving heads and everything else is LED.
Any conventional lighting?
We have (Martin) Atomic Strobes and some crowd blinders. It’s mostly LED and automated.
How would you describe your designs?
I try to be as much like Roy Bennett without ripping Roy Bennett off. [Laughs]. He’s my all-time favorite. I guess I meant: I’m trying to be as good as Roy Bennett without ripping him off. I’ve never actually even seen his shows, but I’ve seen the pictures and watched videos, and I love the way he uses primary colors. Personally, I’ve always used primaries — blood red, dark green, dark blue… I’ve been doing that since day one and I still do it today. Queen Latifah’s management sent me a Sade video to give me an idea of what they were going for. Not knowing who did it, my wife and I literally watched a few seconds and I turned the video off. My wife asked me why I did that and I replied, “That’s Roy; I don’t need to watch anymore, I know exactly what she wants.”
Doesn’t using LEDs lend itself to more saturated colors?
Yes, I’m pretty happy with that. I also love the quickness in changing colors; the REDWash snaps so quickly.
How have your designs changed from your early work to now?
I don’t want to say they still look the same, but I think I’ve always had a good reputation for a clean looking stage. I’ve had other touring companies come up to me and say, “Wow, that looks totally clean.” I never really knew what that meant until I saw shows that weren’t clean. And I don’t how that comes about, but I’ve just always been known for that. This is the second Pussycat Dolls show I’ve done and people have said, ‘On paper, it looks like you have no lights at all, but when you turn the rig on, it looks like you have a ton of lights.’
Do you think that sticking with one manufacturer for most of the rig is, in part, responsible for that clean look?
I think that helps out a lot — yes. The reason I always stuck with a manufacturer is, because for me, it’s about relationships. I have a great relationship with Vari-Lite, but I wanted to try something new on this tour. And so far, I’m very pleased with the people at Robe. They seem like they want to be your friend first and their support has been great. But yes, I think that working with one manufacturer helps achieve that clean look.
Do you rely more heavily on Wash or Spot fixtures for certain tours?
I tend to have way more spots than washes. Of course, the main reason is for the big gobo look and I like tight beams. It’s funny though, when I toured with all PAR cans, I always wanted medium bulbs.
Is there a new technology that would make your life easier you wish a manufacturer would bring to market?
My dream would be able to go into my office, click on a live feed from the arena and do lights from my desk, and two hours later, douse the lights, turn off the console and go upstairs. I’d also like to have a voice recognition system built into the console — push a button, and talk: ‘All spots: center, blue, no gobo, no strobe.’ I hate all of the tapping on the console, especially when you own one. You hate putting scratches on it.
Now that you’ve got together with Heath and Justin to form Done and Done, do you see yourself spending less time on the tour bus?
I would love to. I’ve come to realize that after touring for 19 years now, the thing I hate most, besides not being home with my wife, is finding a clean place in an arena to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, less time on a bus might equal more time taking my shoes off at the airport.
Where would you like to be in 10, 15, 20 years?
Running the coffee shop that I’ve been meaning to open since 1993.
