When the Red Bull International Freestyle Motocross competition came to the Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, lighting designer Eric Cathcart was there to make sure the lighting was up to par for the hi-def acquisition.
Although you can’t download lighting design from iTunes, in many ways it is a lot like music. So says up-and-coming lighting designer Rob Koenig. Koenig is the owner of World View Touring and he’s currently viewing the world and touring with Billy Idol. In this PLSN interview, Koenig tells us how music is like lighting design, why he prefers soft edge fixtures, and why he loves rock ‘n’ roll design.
“Buy me a seat at the opera house. I don’t care if it’s Mozart or Strauss.” —from “Take Me Out to the Opera”
Today, when most people think about opera (if they think about it at all), they envision an elegant night out with fancy clothes, jewels and a stuffy be-on-your-best-behavior attitude. That’s how it is in the movies, and even sometimes in real life.
You may have never heard of Cody Stoltz, but if you have, then you know why this young man is special. At 13 years of age, he absolutely loves lighting. While most people his age are still playing with their friends or dealing with the changes that come with transitioning to life as a teenager, Stoltz knows what he wants to do; he wants to be a lighting designer. He’s even saved his money and invested in his own lighting rig, and he’s an intern at New Orleans-based RZI.
When you’re young and bulletproof, the last thing you think about is what might happen should you become unable to do your job. But it’s something everyone should plan for. How will you pay your bills? How will you feed your family?
Before automated lighting, media servers, and LEDs, there were a handful of pioneering individuals who took truckloads of conventional lights and figured out how to rig them, power them, and run a show on the road. They borrowed heavily from the theatre industry and the school of hard knocks to put together the first touring packages. One of them was Bob See, founder and CEO of See Factor Lighting in Long Island City, New York. About 40 years after See starting working in the entertainment production industry, PLSN decided to take a look back at the genesis of the industry from a pioneer’s point of view.
In this month’s PLSN Interview, we get acquainted with Diana Kesselschmidt. The multi-talented lighting designer with a clever and sharp sense of humor tells about how she gained real-life experience in high school and college, why her professor thought she had gone off the deep-end and her most intimate design to date.
At the age of 23, Brian Sidney Bembridge moved to Chicago, the home of more than 200 small theatre companies, to try to make a name for himself as a lighting and scenic designer. After working on various small projects, he finally got his break in the local theatre community after he was invited to work on a film featuring a little green frog and his friends. He took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about how his naivety helped him make the most important decision in his life and what he’s learned since relocating to the Windy City.
Kieran Healy, LD for American Idol and other TV shows, doesn't just blast the set with white light, as the lighting for Fergie's performance in the CBS special, Home for the Holidays, attests.
What is a theatre consultant? What do they do? Who are their customers? For this month’s PLSN Interview, we spoke with Bill Conner of Bill Conner Associates, LLC. Conner studied under the father of modern stage lighting, George C. Izenour, en route to building a successful career in the field. In this interview, he explains the vital role theatre consultants perform in our industry and why the discipline deserves full-time attention.
If you think you’re not familiar with John Huntington’s work, you’re probably wrong. Those of us who have been in the industry for a while might remember his erstwhile contributions to industry magazines. Others may remember him from his time at Production Arts Lighting before that company was absorbed by Production Resources Group (PRG). But even those who missed that period quite possibly know his work by way of the hundreds of students who have passed his classes at New York City College of Technology or at the Yale School of Drama where he teaches entertainment technology. Or perhaps you have a copy of his book, Control Systems for Live Entertainment, the third edition of which was recently published by Focal Press.
Seth Thiesen has been a techie since he was in the fifth grade. At an early age, he worked for his church, helping to light concerts in an outdoor amphitheatre. After graduating from college with a degree in recording industry management, he returned to his calling at Heartland Community Church in Rockford, Ill. We caught up with Thiesen to discuss his work at the church, its growth since it was built a year ago, how it differs from others and why it’s important to enhance, not distract from, the message.