Soft light fixtures are primarily used in cinematography and photography. The basic reason for this is that the light emitted out of these fixtures tends… Read More »Telegenic Soft Lights Can Reduce Squinting on TV
If you are a programmer tasked with using advanced fixtures like the A.Leda B-Eye (Clay Paky), the Shapeshifter (High End Systems) or the MagicPanel 602… Read More »Learn Advanced Fixture Functions BEFORE the Show
After a decade or so of touring, I’m eternally surprised at the sheer variety of problems that I get confronted with on the road. It… Read More »Dealing with the Unexpected
Anyone can falsely certify himself or herself as a pro on the Internet, and that needs to stop. Truck loaders can give rigging advice now.… Read More »Watch Out for Internet Truth-Stretchers
Visualizers are awesome, but you have to control them. Don’t let them control you. Because they are so fast, it is really easy to not… Read More »The Dark Side of Visualizers
What happens if the weather catches us a off guard? That happened to my team and I in December of 2009 in the Mojave Desert,… Read More »Agree on an Evacuation Plan Before You Need to Use It
A prominent LD has asked you to take over a gig for him as he needs to be home for the birth of a child.… Read More »You’re at the Gig with No Console. Now What?
In an effort to stay consistently employed since I left my last tour, I have been doing more work in the corporate/trade show end of… Read More »Corporate vs. Rock ‘n’ Roll Shows
At the Los Angeles Auto Show (LAAS), TLS Productions, Creative Technology and Christie Lites provided a new workhorse fixture — Elation Design Par 575s —… Read More »Auto Show Lighting Rigs Moving to New Fixtures
When it comes to media servers, I still use palette windows, but I find it tedious to have to sit there and store a palette… Read More »Share Console and Media Server Thumbnails
Working with pages is an essential tool for lighting programmers. I cannot imagine using a single page for most productions I am involved with. Whether… Read More »Keep Concert Playbacks Organized with Pages
I am often asked, “How many shows do you have going on?” And my default answer is “Always at least four”…I don’t mean four different… Read More »Keeping “Four Shows” In Balance