Focus on Fundamentals

The modern age of lighting has brought us many advances. Along with DMX and new light sources, there are new ways to measure and index the amount and quality of the light that those light sources produce. Measuring light output is pretty easy.  Grab a light meter (or download one for your smart phone), point the light source at the eye of the meter (or camera of your smart phone) and look at the measurements.  You will see a bunch of numbers come up — the mathematical computations of certain values that make up your light source.

When I was in high school, like many of us, I was in the AV club and did lighting for all of the school shows. I guess that would have been my first exposure to convergence. The idea of using multiple disciplines of technology to create an onstage experience started back in 1988 for me. Even then, we were attempting to use slide projectors for some of the images in our shows (pretty high tech for a school in a town with only one traffic light).

In my travels on Facebook, I happened upon J.R. Clancy’s “Scary Rigging Photo of the Week” page. The (anonymous, to protect the guilty) pictures there capture gasp-worthy rigging situations — rigging setups so obviously dangerous it’s hard to believe they even happen; and yet they do. It cemented even more firmly in my mind the value of a good rigger. But how do you know who is a good rigger? Well, an obvious answer is someone who is been certified in rigging by an independent, accredited organization. I had heard about the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) in rigging, and seeing those photos made me decide to take a closer look.

For several years now, the entertainment lighting industry has been inundated with LED technology. Even though over the past eight years we have seen a diametric shift from any bi-pin style lamp bases towards LEDs, I still say that we are just scratching the surface of the possibilities. But I do think that LEDs are beginning to transcend their infancy. I finally feel like the “Baby On Board” sign can be replaced with “Chip On Board.”

Imagine a place where someone works a normal job Monday thru Friday, oftentimes working more than 40 hours and sometimes not enjoying what they’re doing. Then, when Friday evening rolls around, they grab a bite to eat and head to an auditorium to invest their entire weekend in volunteering and serving something they are crazy about. It’s definitely not describing the life of a union stagehand or a freelance LD.

As the use of video increases in live entertainment, so does the need for fresh and unique digital media content. When a production team is given a project requiring media, there are basically two options for acquiring it: buying it or creating it. In this article, we will take a look at some of the tools digital content designers use to create the eye candy that gets displayed on all of those LED walls and projection screens.

Transcending the Odd Walls that Separate Lighting and Set Design for Live Performance and TV/film.

As designers, our practice is diverse. We design sets and lighting for television, theatre, film, events, museums and public spaces. The challenge is remembering what mindset we need to use at any given time, allowing for the possibility of crossover when appropriate.

As people who work the day-to-day of concert, industrial, theatrical and television, we sometimes forget we to need to take photos to help capture our work.  It is important to show our work in the best way possible.  Detailing a design in words can only go so far; visuals help to explain what we accomplished. These days, websites and social media are great places for potential employers to see and learn about us. Our next gig might be a click away. We don’t always have the luxury to have someone capture our work. But we can learn to improve our own photography skills.