Feeding the Machines

Early in my career, I was working at a theatre as one of the house guys. We had a tour come in and use our space for pre-production. It was the first time I really got to watch a touring show prepare for the road. I remember sitting with the LD (I don't remember his name) and watching him program the conventional lights. He also had about six moving mirror fixtures with a dedicated controller. He explained an important principle that he tries to remember as often as possible.

The caterpillar lives a simple life crawling around tree branches and munching on leaves. When ready, the caterpillar enters a cocoon and then transforms into a beautiful butterfly. The natural wonder of metamorphosis completely changes the creature from one form to another.

I am fortunate that, as an automated lighting programmer, my work takes me all over the world, although I rarely program in my hometown. Travel has its ups and downs (pun intended), and you must learn to make the most of your time as you travel.

Automated lighting consoles are filled with unique features to assist in the programming and organization of a show. Some consoles have exclusive features unavailable in other desks, but all consoles share many of the same principles and features as well. One feature that is commonly found on automated lighting consoles is called "groups."

I am very pleased to have been working as an automated lighting programmer for over two decades. I have learned many skills over the years related to lighting and I have also learned quite a lot about business. Most automated lighting programmers do not have a single salaried position, but they work for many productions each year.

Automated lighting fixtures are very complex little robots that dutifully follow the commands given to them by savvy automated lighting programmers. Some people refer them as "intelligent lights," however the fixtures contain little intelligence and usually rely on the programmer to send them instructions. Without us they would just sit there and do nothing!

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and learn about the latest and greatest protocol to take the lighting industry by storm.  It’s not DMX, it’s not Art-Net, and it’s not ACN.  No, I am talking about ANSI E1.31.

I find automated lighting programming is always lots of fun as I am a self-admitted “lighting geek.”  However, all programmers find there are times when it can be tough to get our juices flowing when working on a show.  Whether it is programming yet another song (they all sound the same after a while), working with the same rig over and over, or just doing too many gigs back to back, we all find ourselves stuck in a rut at some point in our careers. 

Sometimes automated lighting programmers are asked to do more than just program lights.  Many productions involve video elements, special effects, audio triggers or other unique components that are triggered from a lighting console.  Recently I have been involved with several productions that utilized methods of combining presentation software (PowerPoint or Keynote) and lighting to save money, reduce staffing, or simply to be creative. 

I have written before about how certain tools of the Internet have been useful to the automated lighting programmer, but recently I realized just how important YouTube is to our profession.  The Internet has come a long way in recent years, and now surfing the web at high speeds is commonplace. 

In the mid-1990s, automated lighting consoles started to incorporate effects engines.  With the single press of a button, a ballyhoo or color cycle could be created, eliminating the need to spend a long time building positions and steps of a chase.