Week 8: Lights and Birdies and Gels, oh my!

Hello, fellow lighting designers.
This blog is belated, but thanks to two emails from Lonnie it is here. Yay!
I would like to officially deflect from the lateness by talking about my load in for the week 9 one acts - we loaded in this past Sunday, had tech yesterday, and have our first dress tonight.
Load in was helped greatly by Yasmin, who kindly came in to help and guide in all the areas I had a significant lack of experience (thank you, Yasmin, you're awesome!).
We stayed pretty close to schedule, but because we had a ten hour day instead of twelve (surprise!), we got through a light cue-to-cue of one of the shows after programming/break instead of both. We caught up yesterday, and I also made a couple of adjustments to (hopefully) fill in the comparatively dark-ish spot that exists upstage center. With that hopefully resolved, one of the things I need to clarify tonight is the closing moments of the second show into curtain call.
I have learned that programming is mostly (re)learned (or just remembered) while doing, and that it's best not to question why the cyc lights suddenly start working after being stubborn for a few minutes. Picking cyc colors is not as easy as one might think. Stressed Lighting Designer is definitely a real state, and it doesn't so much reflect the process (which has been going pretty smoothly, I think), as much as the acceleration that occurs during tech.
Tonight, as I said, is our first dress, and I'll be getting feedback (from Lonnie). Fingers crossed that I'm not using too many lights. I'm liking some of the ways that my compositions are working (and I tried programming for source, then working in visibility), so... I'm excited. Nervous, but excited.

(I don't have a picture from the last two nights, but I will take one tonight and upload!)

Week 8: Focus and Tech Nickel Mines

This week I had to run a focus session as a designer and observe the designer during a tech rehearsal for Nickel Mines. These were both really easy to accomplish since I am the light board operator for the show. Starting with the focus session, designer Brady Jay King and I ran a simultaneous focus session. Since so much was completed the day before, there were only two electrics that still needed to be focused. He started from one side of an electric, and went instrument by instrument to the end with a E-Hang crew member. I did the same with Darrin Wade, and we were able to finish in a faster time than expected. The biggest challenge was learning Brady's systems and focus areas. Once Kristin Neu, the master electrician, gave me the purpose of each instrument, it was only a matter of finding the spot. Once in the spot, I didn't have any problems because I have run focus sessions before when I have designed previous shows. It didn't take long for me to pick up the focus area faster than when I first started. I did learn that designing for an unconventional space, non-proscenium or similar, it is all in how you section the stage and create your areas so they make sense to you. Very rarely will it be run by someone who is not the designer.

A few days later after the focus session, we had our first full day of technical rehearsals. Brady had not slept in who knows how long, but he was still able to manage getting his show programmed. I did everything I could to make it easier on him at every moment I could including knowing which channels he was thinking of using or not using. The moving lights are always the most fun, and I was surprising him with my knowledge of programming them. Whenever I got the chance, I would glance over at Brady, and I would see him looking at his cue sheet or having a conversation with the director, Andrew Palermo about whether or not the look was what they were both looking for. Overall, I think Brady has a good control over his emotions as far as getting frustrated or being rushed go, I didn't see him once get so beside himself that he had to leave or step away. He barely would even break when it was time for breaks. This can be both good and bad. It's good because it shows his determination and dedication to his work. It's bad because sometimes you just have to step away and clear your head and comeback with clearer thoughts, but I do understand sometimes you are just in the zone, and some people work that way.

Week 8: Canyon Light

The day before I left I promised Lonnie that I would go hiking every day I had off.  Now, it snowed like crazy on the first Sunday and we actually tried to go to Cedar Breaks but the road was really bad- so I'm granting myself that excuse, but other than that I have kept my word. Today we went on an absolutely stunning hike. There was literally no one else around and we hiked several miles along a creek bed and up through some canyons. The canyons started getting so tall and narrow that although it was mid day we were in total shade. Yet there would be places where the sun was shining directing in. Larry, one of the guys on the hike, mentioned  "the light in here must be constantly changing." I think that was a really kind of astute observation. The gap for the sun to shine is so narrow in some places that depending on the time of year and time of day the experience must be completely different. The places that find lights, like this little green tree, must be constantly shifting. Today it was of course just beautiful. The picture above shows a spot we climbed up to. It's really hard to tell scale with these pictures of massive rock- but if there were people in this picture they would look really tiny. I love the sun flare and the sheer power of the beam coming in through the top. The light in the shadow of the rock felt so cool and diffused and wonderful, and then whenever we hit sunshine the sunglasses went on and it seemed incredibly bright. 

Week Eight: UCI Fashion Show

This weekend I did makeup for an annual fashion show here at UCI hosted by the Fashion Interest Group (an on-campus club/organization). The first question I asked the designer I was paired with was, of course, what kind of lighting there was on the runway and models. I was shocked to hear that it was all dark. When I went into the room I saw that they were just going to use a low setting of the built in ceiling lights and these LED screens that were on the runway itself (shown in the picture).

I could not believe how anyone who knows light would willingly do this, unless they did not believe in the student designers enough to fully light the clothes on these models. Not only was the lighting absolutely terrible, but it completely skewed the colors of the clothing that the designers chose as a part of their design.

For example, picture to the right is one of the models I worked on. Her top is a gorgeous moss green color. The designer found a lot of inspiration in nature so her clothes were all colored earthy. In the picture her skin just looks orange and her entire look is reminiscent of oompa loompas. Not a pretty look if you ask me.

Week Eight: Natural light and photography

I am usually not one to post photos of myself, but I felt that I found little inspiration this week in the photos that I captured. I was randomly looking through photos on my computer and found this gem from a photo-shoot collaboration that I modeled for in January, and was inspired to elaborate on lighting from both the natural sense and the architectural sense.

When shooting this photo, I recall posing for long periods of time to allow for the photographer to find and grasp the natural light and the angle. There are so many ways that the photographer could have captured my position, but I thought it was clever that my friend angled the camera so that she could capture the position of light against the concrete wall. I am drawn immediately to this photo by the line cast on the pavement from the sun. I believe that the shadow and light separation truly compliments both the dominative and supportive strength that the concrete wall represents. The angle of the light plays a trick on the eye, and I believe that it makes the wall look bigger (taller and wider) than it actually is (it's only a handball wall). I also believe that the angle of the light played a huge role in making me look longer, more angled, more powerful, focused, and edgy. The angle in which the photographer captured this photo truly reminded me of lighting design:  a designer not only sets the tone and mood of the setting, but ultimately has the opportunity to build and establish a setting in the way that he/she wants the audience to see it, whether than means angling lights to make merchandise in stores seem more luxurious, cleaner, and supreme (I'm struggling with adjectives today), or angling lights to create a divine, celestial space on stage. What I am getting at is: ANGLE IS IMPORTANT in design because it makes objects appear differently (depending on the angle)!

This photo was taken in the early afternoon, and so the light seems warmer, which juxtaposes the harshness that the cold wall represents. The warmth of the light during this time of day not only adds color to me (as a model), but establishes a tone to the photograph. The warmth of the natural light in this photo adds energy and vibrancy that would not be the same if shot during a time when natural light is cooler.

Week 7: Ballet Folklorico and Nickel Mines Focus

This week I had the opportunity to be the light board operator for Ballet Folklorico de UCI an annual Spring dance recital. It was an interesting experience because I was working with a designer who did not have any prior experience in designing. Knowing this, I offered to help the designer by giving tips and general ideas that could help. The designer did not take my advice and instead proceeded to work alone. During load-in and tech, which was a total of 8 hours before the performance the next day, it felt like the designer was unprepared and unorganized since it took us so long to the easiest tasks. I felt as though the designer had thrown out all of my prior knowledge and acted like I didn't know what I was doing. I will say that there were some solid choices on color and some cues worked very well, but for the most part it seemed rushed and not completely thought out. I do apologize if I sound as though I am bashing the designer but I do understand that it was their first design and that is quite a bit of pressure. For what was given in the time allotted for the design, I think it was a design that worked. The dancers were visible and that's one of the main aspects of a design. 

Today I went to the first focus session of Nickel Mines where the designer Brady King and assistant designer Darrin Wade led two simultaneous focus sessions. It was interesting to see the way in which both lighting designers handle a focus. They both have their specific ways of leading focus; although, Brady and I have the same style of focusing I noticed. He asks for certain parts in the same manner I do. It's quick, audible, and efficient, and they both got more than half of the plot focused. Something I noticed while behind the board during focus was the way Darrin worked. He would ask for a glow on a fixture and either forget or just keep working without asking for the fixture at full. I would do it on my own at times and he would thank me for it, but Brady would ask for a light to be at full. It was an experience to witness both designers complete the same task in different styles, and I can't wait for tomorrow when I get to do my leading of a focus. 

WEEK 7: AQUARIUMS

I have always loved going to aquariums. Probably because I have such an affinity for water, be it the ocean, pool, river, a bath, I love it all.

This is something obvious, but lighting for aquariums actually is a thing! I noticed it especially at the Academy of Science in San Francisco. This photo to the left is an aquarium representing the coral reef off a Philippines Island. Above the water are these huge, bulbs that act as the sun. I noticed the bulbs were very cool feeling and does an amazing job recreating the quality of our great star. There was another aquarium that was lit dimly and green. The fish there were all darker, gray colors. I believe swampy or Amazon River marine life rather than ocean. The lighting in the reef helps immensely to bring out the colors of all the fish. AND THERE ARE SO MANY COLORS. It's really amazing to see them.

Week 7: Dusk in the Desert

I was lying in bed at about 8:00 one night last week, and I was so tired I was about to fall asleep, but then the most amazing stream of golden light came in through my window and spilled onto my bed. The cloud cover had broken just before sunset, and there was light everywhere.

Without a moments hesitation I grabbed my camera and headed out into the world. I have been waiting a while to start really shooting a lot. When I am anywhere new I like to get the know the place a little before I start snapping or the shots end up looking really touristy and un opinionated. Anyhow, this stream of light told me that this was the decisive moment to go capture this little world.

The light was just incredible. It seemed like every 2 minutes it would completely shift in color, angle, quality and intensity. I think the reason sunsets are so intense is that all of the elements are shifting at once. This is actually something for me to ponder with stage lighting. Which elements need to shift in the next cue to convey what I want to convey?

One moment it was beaming and gold and peach and within a few minutes everything was this intense purple and blue. (See below) What I find amazing is that the way things look completely shifts. (Of course, as it does on stage, it't just still kind of baffling.) It's not just the sky that changes- its the way everything else looks. Today we went to Zion, and on the way there it was overcast and we didn't really notice these pale cliffs- but on the back when the sun was lower, suddenly we could see all the detail in the rock and they colors were completely brought out. It was 100% the light that brought out their incredible beauty.

The funny thing is that I drove for as far as I could without getting on the freeway, and by the time it was dark I was literally right back at my apartment. I made a big circle. Small town!

Week 7: A Quote

Seeing as we were talking about color theory so recently, I wanted to share a passage I came across in my reading for a writing class this past week:

"And my mind is filled with the things I've learned, thing I never thought to wonder about the world. When sunlight falls through a chip in the studio skylight, bands of color fall on the floor, climb a little way up the wall. Sam told me how the rough edge of the chip separated the colors so that we saw them, but they were there all the time, in the everyday light around us. Then he picked up the blue glass dish that held the river stone and the dried rose petals, emptied those things into his cupped hand and asked me did I know why the dish was blue. I didn't know what to say, but it didn't matter because Sam was already explaining. He said that when light fell on the dish some of the colors, those invisible colors that made up the light, were absorbed by it. Fell into it and were trapped there, forever. But the blue part of the light, for some reason that I forget, bounces back to our eyes and makes us think that the dish is the color we call blue. I looked around the studio, looked at all the colors there, the dull red settee and the cushion on the cane chair, the sky-blue shirt hanging on the doorknob and the rich leather folders on the shelf. And I thought about the light falling on all of them at the same time, but each thing being different in what it took into itself, in what it would not accept, but flung back at our eyes."
- The Boys in the Trees, by Mary Swan.

The book uses light as a parallel a great deal, but I thought that passage in particular spoke to the magic of some of the things we have been talking about. As I work on colors myself, the passage particularly strikes me as capturing something of the scientific mystery. As I have recorded in my notebook from the first day of D157, in the wise words of Lonnie: "Light is magic, and that's okay."

Week 7: Rehearsal, Rehearsal, GOBO?!

Rehearsal with Sheron Wray's Insight Jazz Ensemble is every Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm. Without fail, every week, the sun streams in through the studio windows around the 6pm mark, and practically blinds us dancers as we attempt to practice various intricate/complicated/precise steps in several different pieces. We have a show coming up in the next two weeks, and have been rehearsing later into the evening to prepare.

I apologize for the bad quality of the (left) photo, I was attempting to snap this picture secretively so as not to disturb the rehearsal process, and so it is difficult to see what I will be discussing.  I love this photo because I am reminded of two really important factors in lighting design: texture and color. First off, I thought it was so ironic that we had just discussed color theory in our lecture on Friday, and just wanted to comment on how there is a rainbow in this picture (resulted from sunlight reflecting off the mirror) . When a prism spreads out the color in white light (which is the inclusion of all colors), a rainbow is formed (Lonnie,  I might want to set up a meeting time with you to make sure I really understand this). If you look further into the picture, you'll notice a cluster of sunlight formed on the marley. Although I couldn't snap the best picture of this texture, in the moment, it was absolutely stunning. This sunlit texture (that reminds me of a shuttered-off gobo) was created by mere coincidence and timing, but is so beautiful and adds so much dimension to the space even in its simplicity and natural state.  Because of this naturally created texture, I began to think about simplicity and nature in design. While I have little experience, I feel that if I were to design a piece, my design would at first be complicated and elaborate, and might be unclear to spectators. I am starting to realize that perhaps simplicity is key to further enhancing an audience member's entrance into the piece's world. Providing clarity through texture, color, and source is only possible when each element compliments another (is this correct Lonnie?), and sometimes, not all three elements are needed. While this is a budding thought (and really difficult for me to write about), I believe that the natural result of sunlight reflecting off of the studio mirror inspired me to think about design in a way that brings life to the stage in it's purest, sharpest, clearest form. I believe that simplicity and naturality (is that a word? for lack of a real term) are pivotal and establishes a sense of place (a setting), and further draws the audience into the space and allow each member to see the message/purpose/concept of a piece for an instant. When snapping the picture, I found myself instantaneously responding to the effect of the light, and felt drawn to the space. I believe that it is important that a designer thinks about human nature when programming (and plotting). As creators/artists, I've noticed that we often attempt to out-do/surprise an audience so as to bring a new and refreshing light to a piece, but I also question these motives. Perhaps the most relatable pieces are the ones that allow for the audience to instinctually connect to and understand the motive of the design (even if it is predictable, and not fresh or innovative).  Perhaps this simplicity will trigger an audience's human instinct most successfully and will allow for further entrance into a piece's dimension…  just a thought (not even sure if this blog post makes sense in textual form)? The second picture below is the same reflected pattern (just with dancers!). I believe that this picture is a great example of what I have been attempting to convey into words. Although Nicole is blinded with light, it is as if she has entered a completely different world than I have (I am standing in the back).

Week 6: Colorception

This is the third time I've studied color theory in class (50C, 157, and now), but somehow I still find myself surprised by the details (or, more likely, magic). Realizing things like the fact that a green shirt is actually all other colors but green, and that stage lighting is often both subtractive and additive is still something I have to wrap my mind around.

I've been thinking a lot about color, as it's getting to the point where I'm being specific in my design choices. Even though it's something I've obviously had ingrained in me for a long time, the specifics of what color does - how much it does - to convey feeling is still sort of astonishing.

Looking at the swatch-books is freeing, in a way, because it emphasizes how much choice I have as a designer. But, as all superhero movies teach us, with choice (and power) comes great responsibility.

Week 6: Colorful World

This weeks lecture was a wonderful review and testament to how well I can retain the information I learned from almost two years ago! I love color theory so much. A definite takeaway is understanding the how atoms, quantum physics, and science in general can explain what color really is. It really blows my mind when I think about how amazingly complex light is, and how we can manipulate it to do what we want. I remember from before we talked about how if an alien came to our planet, they would probably not be able to see the world as we know it. They would probably see foggy gravy of some sort because their eyes are not adjusted to the light in our world. It cannot receive light like we do. I also wonder if that is true for us going to other planets. What if there is so much there but we just cannot see them because our eyes are meant to see what we do in our world only?

I also wonder about favorite colors. How do we develop the colors that we are most fond to? That we love to see and be surrounded by? For example mine is white. I guess that's a cop out though because it is technically every color.

WEEK 6: WE ARE NOT IN CALIFORNIA ANYMORE

The past 48 hours have been perhaps the most insanely unexpected and strange. Yesterday I was biking in a sports bra in the sunshine and the today I was bundled up indoors drinking a "snowgarita" and wearing everything I brought layered on top of each other. 

When people said "snow" I'm thinking, you know a California style dusting of snow. This was not the case. Today was our day off from the theatre, and we planned on going hiking, but it was a downpour of snow for almost the entire day. Yesterday, I took this picture of the cliff that is right at the end of 200 street. (I feel bad that these are phone pictures, I expect more of myself... but I really like that they are compositionally identical.) So this afternoon after it stopped snowing I went back to the same spot and replicated the shot with this class in mind. (They are not filtered or color edited.)

The first photo has two really really different elements going on. The sky (brewin' up a storm in there) is so dynamic and full of different shades. It looks really layered and kind of dangerous. The sun was coming in strong and sharp from the left of the picture, and is casting all of kinds of shadows with the red rock and the shrubbery. The sun must have been coming in between clouds to get such intense shadows. The colors brought out in the rock and the land are just incredible. 

In the second photo, those shadows are basically gone. But these pictures were taken at the same time of day. The cloud cover/ more even diffusion caused this to happen. The whole feeling is so much more subdued. The palette becomes nearly white, the sky becomes more gentle and and the shadows disappear. Perhaps all too often we associate cold and dark with danger- and warm and bright with comfort. In this circumstance the snowy picture feels soft and simple and the former feels very energetic and dangerous almost. There is a lot of energy in the first picture. You can see the crags in the rocks, you can see the movement in the sky. 

Yet, after is snowed and the sun came out, it was SO BRIGHT outside. Burning your retinas bright. I think the snow just bounces all the light around into the world and everything is lit from so many more angles that normal. I thought about you guys all day. I will take a million more pictures and I promise you some quality ones soon. 

Love 

Claire

Week 6: C-O-L-O-R!

My mind is still blown from color theory class yesterday, so this blogpost may seem kind of basic/ beginner ….

I have never thought about color in terms of theory because it has always existed and I've never thought to question it.  I now understand that color comes from the way that light is broken apart when it hits a prism, and that sunlight is this main source of light. On the spectrum of color, ultraviolets, or black light, overexposes our eyes, and infrared "lies between the visible and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum" (I did further research, this is from nasa). I also learned that white light contains all color, and black is the absence of color, which means that grey and brown (although this is more complicated) are not colors. Primary colors include blue, red and green, and make up every color on the spectrum, which includes secondary colors. In lighting design, subtractive color mixing means selectively removing colors in order to display a certain color (if red, then green and blue are subtracted). In additive color mixing, two sources are needed to make a color that is a mix of two primaries.

Now that the basic facts have been covered, I have learned that a basic knowledge of color theory is vital to efficient design-work. The designer must have an understanding of how color is created so that he/she may make intelligent decisions when creating a plot and when ultimately making color choices. During the lecture, I began thinking about the value of lighting. If it weren't for lighting design, a piece would not be complete; lighting adds visibility, establishes the setting and mood, creates special effects, and creates a focus point for the audience, ultimately steering the audience towards the overall purpose of a piece. A designer must have a basic understanding of a color's transmission, saturation, brightness, etc. so that he/she can establish all of these aspects and further contribute to the value of a piece.  While I do understand that color theory is important to recognize and grasp, I believe that part of designing is acknowledging and forgetting these concepts, because color has an emotional impact on a viewer that color theory cannot particularly explain.  A designer has to be in touch with the way that color speaks: What does that color make me/the audience feel? What does that color make me/the audience think? WHY? Color is yet another rhetorical device used by a designer that contributes to the overall message of a piece, and compliments every aspect of design including costumes, set, sound, and movement.

Week 5: Footsteps and Christmas

This quarter I was given the opportunity to design one of the DCPs in the Nixon, and it happened to be the two one acts directed by Ryan Schwalm and Julianna Ojeda. They were The Footsteps of Doves and I'll Be Home For Christmas, written by Robert Anderson. I was excited to design shows I had never heard of, and I'm glad I could be a part of the production.

The first story in the show is The Footsteps of Doves, and it's about a married couple who have gone to a mattress store in hopes of buying a new bed or beds to make their marriage of 25 years last longer. After reading it several times, and consulting with Ryan we developed the concept of having George, the husband, the main focus of the story. There are parts of the play where he is alone on the stage so we made that seem like the audience is in his mind looking at what he is feeling about both sides of the argument, whether to go with the 54" double bed or change to two twin beds. On the side of the 54", I kept a warmer tone with a bit of a nostalgic look to show that was what he was used to, it was his comfort zone, which also implied sexual connotations. I did this by one special of a cool tone for visibility and a warm down with warm pipe ends to surround the bed. On the opposite side where the twin beds were I kept a stark colder look to represent the new, foreign as well as no more sex for George. It was achieved with cool downs and a cool special. As the play goes on, since George changes inside, the tones change to a more comforting look on the side that is foreign to him. I did this by keeping the previous look but added in some of the warm downs to give the two beds a more neutral tone.

For I'll Be Home For Christmas, I had a harder time finding something else to do with the play other than just visibility. It is a story of a family in the suburbs that talk about their youngest son going through puberty and exploring himself physically, to their teenage daughter and the possibility of giving her contraception, and finally about the husband's fidelity and the wife's attitudes towards infidelity. The play starts off with Chuck on the couch contemplating to himself and drinking beer after coming home early from work. I started off with a down cool and a front cool. A slow build followed to show the rest of the living room. When Edith walks in there is a slow build to show the kitchen which was a cooler look than the living room and it represented the two juxtaposing personalities of Chuck and Edith. throughout the majority of the play, after a short while there is an even slower build to fill the room to allow for visibility throughout the play. Within the last ten minutes, a letter is revealed from the oldest son who is away at college but writes to say he is leaving college. During the reading of the letter I took out most of the warmth of the rooms and only had a spot on Chuck on the couch in the living room, and another wider pool on the daughter, Clarice, reading the letter in the kitchen. After the reading of the letter, the spot on Chuck intensifies and the kitchen spot fades out, then a general fade to black leaving Chuck the last thing the audience sees as he sings "I'll Be Home For Christmas" with fade on him last.

The whole process was absolutely a learning experience and with the help of my graduate mentor, I learned a few things that I will remember for my next design. One is know the space you are working in and know how much light is takes to illuminate the stage without over doing it. Two is you have to work with what you have, sometimes there cannot be anything added so you make it work. Three is similar to two, but sometimes nothing needs to be added, I was able to use the same rep plot for my show no adds or subtracts only color changes and focus areas. The fourth is know what you want or experiment with things until you find what you want. Finally the fifth is be willing to stand by your decisions regardless what a mentor or instructor asks to change; however it is necessary to at least try out their suggestions, and if it is not to your liking then you change it back. This was my biggest learning experience because by the time the show opened it was not how I wanted it to be. My mentor asked me to make a pretty significant change on the night before open. I made the changes and was not satisfied with the outcome. The time between the transitions in Footsteps was originally five seconds for most of them, not all. I was asked to make them longer which I feel did not fit the mood of the play especially for one that was only less than thirty minutes long. I liked the jarring effect of having the cues visible on stage, one audience member asked an actor afterwards if the young woman in the play, the character Jill, was only a figment of George's imagination since the lighting gave a more dream feel rather than a transition from real world and inside George's mind. I'm not trying to put down my mentor at all since he did help me immensely, but this was one thing I should have stood up for which I did not.

Week 5: Photo Post, backlighting!

Sadly I was unable to attend this week's DCP! As You Like It closed today, this weekend went really well! I hope the DCP went well also!! I wish I could have seen Kyle's work, as I just love what he did with 39 steps. 

I have been doing a lot of self portraiture lately, because I find something kind of inherently feminist about it. There is no contract involved, and the gaze of the artists' is my own, and no one is objectifying anyone. 

I've been thinking a lot about backlighting, and the way it works on stage. It adds three dimensionality, and it seems a sense of romanticism, or just beauty. The day pictured below was at a gorgeous wedding, and the whole sense of the event was very romantic and rustic. The backlighting in this self portrait is perfect to accomplish that sense of romanticism. It also conceals the facial features a bit, making this seem very mysterious. 

The glowing halos around the subjects and through the branches I think are what make the light most attractive. Also, Another detail I am in love with in the bright open sunlight on the fern in front of Marlena's legs. The plant is much more in focus than we are, and adds one beam of harshness right into the picture. There is another brushstroke being used in just that one tiny spot. The look of the ground is soft and mottled but we know what the sun would look like without those trees because we can see one beam. 

Week 5: As I Liked It

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to see Kyle's designs in performance this week, but I did get to see the closing performance of As You Like It today. Having been there for part of tech, and having had Darrin explain much of his plot to me when I went to observe, I was able to better appreciate the ways that the light complimented the production.

Simplistic as it may sound, there was a moment shortly into the show where I made the conscious effort to look up and see what was being used - there were a lot of lights up there (my kind of show). I meant to ask Brady how many were hung for the show, but sadly forgot. I particularly noticed the lighting in the transition to the swamp there was a par that was cutting through the mist/smoke - a very powerful brushstroke.

Thinking about it afterwards, there was a lot of light - being a show largely set outdoors, the sunlight went a long way towards keeping the realism of the environment consistent. It's not that the lighting in those instances wasn't notable, but rather that I accepted it as a fact, as opposed to reacting in the same way I did to the firefly lights when I saw them for the first time. I wouldn't have noticed all those lights had I not been looking for them (or just looked up), because at no point did they feel anything but appropriate. It didn't hurt that they contributed to a little swampy warmth, either (although not as much as on the tech day, thankfully).

I also started thinking about gobos in a more subtle sense, as well as the more blatant leafy/window/statement patterns I'd thought about in the past. In the court, especially, there seemed to be subtle bar gobos that were a constant reminder of the restriction of the city. By contrast, the swamp's freedom felt even more unrestrained.

And now I go back to my conceptual magic sheet, because colored boxes are my friend. And then, after that, to make those boxes a reality.

Week FIVE: Coming to Terms

So Physical Graffiti is officially over. It's really ironic because most dance major 101's are ecstatic that they finished their 101 units after the closing of a show, but I'm not. I actually completed three extra units of 101 this quarter, and I wish I could do more! Programming/Operating the board for Physical was a really eye opening experience, and I've learned many things not only about lighting design, but about myself in this process:

I know I talked about this last blog post, but I would just like to reiterate how important it is to accept the messiness that comes with designing a show and creating new works. Nothing in a design is going to be perfect initially. There are many layers to designing, which includes A TON of collaboration, thought, and experimenting, and throwing out ideas is one of the most important techniques that allows for a designer to learn and gain new understanding about a present situation or piece. While I observed this behavior from both Martha and Naomie, I began to think that there is a fine line between getting messy in design and just being outright sloppy. This is not to say that Martha and Naomie's designs were sloppy, but rather that messiness is thought-provoking and experimental, and sloppiness is unfinished, lazy work. The reason I'm discussing this is because it is so apparent in ALL forms of design. I have had experiences with choreographers who do not want to get messy, and so they throw something on their dancers to fill up time, and the piece becomes sloppy, syrupy, unfinished, unresolved, whatever you want to call it, and the message never gets conveyed (but rather confusing). In lighting design, this is also true, and although I touched on this last week, this is where the difference between lighting a piece to light a piece versus capturing a piece through design are apparent. When lighting a show, designers must be cautious, and make sure that they are portraying a piece exactly how they must so that they assist the audience in grasping a deeper understanding of that piece's world and  ultimately the concept that is being presented. I was talking to a lighting grad, and they told me that if they don't understand the concept of a piece that they are designing, they make up their own concept and light the piece that way. I question this strategy(even as an inexperienced amateur). I think it is vital to a piece's survival that ALL designers find a way to grasp the original concept, build upon it in their designs, and let the concept resonate. If not, why light a piece? There has to be original meaning and thought in design: a piece should never become a 'get it out of the way' ordeal (what do you think Lonnie?)  Designers, I have learned (especially in this process), are a team, NOT a single entity, and it is the team's motive to communicate a similar message to the audience, and how they are going to collaborate to fulfill this task is the next step of the design process.

As for me, I think this entire process was eye-opening and extremely helpful for me as a performer.  I feel that I have been able to come to terms (title of this week's blog) with being okay with the unclarity that occurs in a design process. I've learned that concepts/work are/is sacred, that they must be respected even if a designer hates or disagrees, and everyone must work as a team to motivate and inspire the audience (get the audience to feel, that's art right?). This was apparent in many pieces in Physical Graffiti, and I was taken to another world (even as I was operating the board) where I could relate to, feel, and question some of these concepts. In other pieces, not so much, which made it clearer for me to figure out all of the above. As for my lighting interest: I AM FASCINATED! I think nervous because it is so new to me, but fascinated and inspired and excited!

Week 5: Winery

I went to Paso Robles over the weekend. This was at one of the last wineries we went to for a tasting and I was pleasantly surprised by the use and placement of this lamp.

It was in the middle of the day and this winery did not need this extra light because sun was flooding into the room from all four sides. But this light accented the painting so well. It pulls the focus of the painting to where the swirl of colorful smoke is centered. It also adds warmth and vibrancy to the red while keeping the blues cooler.

The shape of the lamp is really beautiful as well. The ellipsoidal shape is very artistic and uncommon in itself, so I really loved the placement of it being in front of this work of art.