We can’t allow the quality of the show to suffer just because technology allows us to achieve certain things. Ultimately, in every case where lighting and video is used in a production, it must be decided how both aspects will be integrated into the show, and then it can be decided whether or not one person should be responsible for wearing both hats, or whether the production as a whole would benefit from dividing the two roles and allowing techs to focus on each aspect individually. There are no easy answers because no two shows are alike. There are programmers who are experienced in video and can easily handle both roles. Those programmers are keenly aware of balancing video and lighting in a show, and therefore, the show will have a cohesive look that is sometimes harder to achieve when you have separate personnel running each aspect of the show. If the communication between the lighting team and video team isn’t well-established, the end result can be disastrous for both aspects.
– From Vickie Claiborne’s Video Digerati column in the January issue of PLSN
