Week 3: I have more fun when I scream.

First of all, I had a BLAST hanging out with everyone (Claire you were there in spirit) back to back for our field trips! Best field trips I've ever been on.

Anyways, so I was shocked at how many different positions of lighting designers there were when it came to theme park and architectural lighting, and all the types of lighting (i.e. facade, character, story/ride). It was fascinating to discover all the ways designers have tried to hide lights to make rides look and feel seamless, effortless. I never noticed before, especially on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride that for each lantern, there were two lights, one to light the inside of the lantern and one to light its surroundings. The latter of the light being hidden.

This trip has also reconfirmed the idea of how important it is to collaborate with fellow designers and that you are only trying to help one another. Space Mountain was a great example of how designers did not work well together, or consider one another at that.

The detailing at Disneyland makes the theme park remarkably successful. But even more than that, the creation of the different lands and how each land has its own feel, look, and theme. In another class, we had to discuss why the Lord of the Rings franchise was so successful to the point of having a cult following after the movies came out. One of the reasons why was definitely the cohesive creation of all the different "worlds" from elves, to hobbits, to dwarves, that made it such a visually, multi-award winning trilogy.

Then on the flip side to architectural lighting that we saw at the mall, I figured that the theme was still there, just a lot more subtle. It is after all, a mall, and the fact that the lights are focused on the items being sold with slight variations to characterize whatever name owns the shop provides the sense of a theme. There were wonderfully lit shops that knew exactly how to attract customers in and those that knew what type of customer they want to go in their stores. From the over bearing bright, crystal chandeliers which drew the money spenders, to the industrial and inexpensive feel of the affordable stores. The designers of the shops definitely needed a sense of "Why, what and for who am I lighting this for?" In general, probably the basis of themed lighting designers.

I would never have imagined how much light could make or break a ride, land, or store. Whether or not people are aware of it, they respond to it which makes lighting such a huge and important factor to any form of production.