Week 3: Vegas Pulls You In

So this picture wasn't supposed to be taken, but we did anyways. WHOOPS. But how can you not, look at that lighting!!! Beatle's love was definitely a show that gives (pardon my language, and thanks Alyssa for this term) a massive lighting boner. 

From the very moment the show starts, you can already see how much detail the light designer went in to with every single moment of the show. They used a lot of gobos, mostly Lekos, and LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL SATURATE COLORS. The cuing was also very spot on. You can see in the photo above that lights with gobos were focused to make it look like there is a source in the middle of the stage that all the little shapes are dispersing from- I thought that was a really nice touch and something I'd like to experiment with. Also, in this picture, you can see some of the lights that are being used, mainly Lekos (it looks like, though they are so far I can't be too certain). There was one moment in the show that I could never forget because of the lighting and cuing- there were dancers that moved to the beat of the song rapidly and as each one made a move a light flickered on and off of them. It was absolutely stunning. I also really like the contrast in the stage lighting versus the house lighting that you can see in this picture. It fits the vibe of the show, but also creates that much needed divide from the show--or else, lets me real, you wouldn't want to leave. I could stare at this all day--or night I should say. 

WARNING: NEXT SECTION NOT FOR SQUEAMISH PEOPLE. 

While in Vegas, we also saw the bodies exhibit, which yes, is incredibly uncomfortable and creepy,

and yet still extremely interesting and awe filled. The lighting throughout this exhibit was very spot on. Some spots had lekos with gobos of cells in them, which I thought was a nice touch. But what really got me was the lighting for each section. What ever they wanted you to focus on was lit perfectly. For being a very creepy exhibit, they kept it very welcoming, making exhibit goers feel okay to look at these frozen-in-time body parts and humans. One section in particular had down lighting on all the individual vein and artery systems while being in a dark room. It was beautiful. This heart led us into this room--and I couldn't help but snap a picture. I'm happy to say the light was very successful in making us all feel like we could look at this exhibit with an open mind, and not be scared of it.

Week 2: The Feeling of Vegas, Baby

Ah Paris... Oops I mean Las Vegas. During our (Kelsey, Tanya and I) visit to Las Vegas, we stayed at the Paris Hotel--and boy was it just filled with interesting lighting! From the moment we got there, we were able to see that the outdoor lighting really hit you with their brand-PARIS. We arrived at night, so that was awesome to see how the different hotels each used light to both attract people into their casinos and give customers a taste of who they are as casino. Above is a picture of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel. The structure was lit from the inside, high lighting the intricate architecture of the structure. What they ended up successfully doing, as you can see here, is making the tower look like it was glowing. This structure looks totally different during the day, and I think the night lights really make the impact this casino is looking for. This wasn't the only hotel that did this wonderfully; others such as the Bellagio, the Flamingo and Caesar's Palace really used lighting to high light the architecture and show the customers their brand.

Once you set foot into these casinos, it's a different animal of lighting. Some were definitely more successful than others, like Paris. The Paris hotel has high ceilings and a sky scape on the ceiling as well. It also has a lot of character lighting, as you can see in the picture to the right. The light poles definitely add light for people to walk around in, but also fit the theme of the casino. The ceiling also utilizes lights that are hidden to high light the sky. The lighting in this casino was pretty darn successful--I distinctly remember my roommate saying "It feels so open in here!" all the time, and I believe this is both due to the high ceilings, but also to the care they took in lighting it appropriately. On the flip side, while Caesar's Palace is lit wonderfully outside, my friends and I felt super claustrophobic, and I believe this is partially due to the really dim lighting they have inside their casino.

Overall, this trip was very interesting as far as lighting for individual casino's goes. I believe that casino's that take more care in lighting both the inside and outside definitely make their customers feel more welcome. But people will always want gamble anyways, so there's that.

Week 3: Thoughts on Lighting in Lieu of the Colloquium

In our foyer hangs this light fixture. I put two red and green gels on it for Christmas, and I haven’t really gotten around to taking them down. Mainly because I don’t want to. Anyways, I think it’s really interesting how the lights don’t mix. As we learned, the human eye cannot distinguish between lights that are at the same angle, close enough together. This can be great for color mix, which did not happen. I just thought it was cool (as I did something like this for Halloween). Then I realized that I don’t know why the lights are doing this. Perhaps it is because they are little LED bulbs. Or maybe it is because of the cut of the glass. 

The glass is cut a at a light angle all around the pieces of glass. The separate pieces of glass are all at an angle from each other due to the curving of the metal that is between the pieces. It made me think of the curvature of the lens we talk about two weeks ago. I’m not sure if that has a direct relation to the lack of color mixing, but it has made me ponder. In the picture, you can see how the two lights are in a way fractured. Due to the structure of the glass exterior, I draw the conclusion that the light are totally at the same angle, or the light is at least fractured enough that it does not mix.

The above pictures of a cork craving my grandfather brought back with him from China. This setting was all carved from one piece of cork. When the sun was low enough, it shined through our french doors, causing a setting sun for the artwork. It was cool to look at it a little model. The shadows of the light are pretty accurate to what this scene would look like in the real world.

Week Three: Getting Pumped

This week I had my script treatment due. I really tried to look at all of the examples my mentor provided for me, and completely changed the format and mindset of my last script treatment (for 157). I now saw the play through the lighting designer's eyes instead of a performer. In acting, we try to stay away from emotions and choose action words to use in our scenes. But while creating a script treatment, we have to focus on the feelings that emerge within us while reading the play, and go off of those feelings to make the audience feel the same way. I had so many discoveries (good and bad) in trying to explain the right "feel" I had for my scenes. I learned to take the word "scene" and make it "world", what world do we want to live in through illumination during the play? I have been having so much fun collaborating with all of these amazing grad students in my production team. I am learning how to communicate through light even more!! The script treatment turned out very well, I was congratulated by my mentor and the director, and they gave me great feedback. I am ready to dive into a new version of my treatment and make it even stronger! Even so, this whole process still terrifies me, but I am learning and being encouraged to go with my instincts, they have been proven to be pretty cool. Believing in your art is always important, and this is a learning process!!

Alyssa!

Week Three: Plotting

In this blog we get to talk about whatever we want, so since my plot is due tomorrow I figured I'd talk about that. In the previous steps for my design, I've been cutting up my ideas and switching them around to be able to be the most effective with the least amount of lights. My system magic sheet only had about 15 lights, including specials. Now that I'm actually getting to plotting I'm adding area light and such, and it's throwing me for a loop. I don't totally understand why it would be good to "Two-fer" things. Is that for color mixing, or just hitting more of the stage at the same time? I don't see any benefit, unless there's a space issue. Am I missing something there? Thank God everything is there has the option of changing the degree, otherwise I'd be really under the bus.

What I'm learning though is that I really love what I'm doing. The collaboration between the directors and I is great and I'm so glad Martha is in my life, I don't think I would have made it this far otherwise. When adding in the down light wash, she asked what color I wanted and if I wanted two sets or just one. I chose to do just one set in lavender and I'm really happy with my choice because I feel like it will be best to support all three shows. She's really great about answering my millions of questions, and meeting up with me at random hours to help me find my way. Due to that, I feel really prepared and on track with my design! I'm happy that my shows are first because I got to give them undivided attention during break-besides my siblings jumping on my back asking questions while I was trying to type! I really hope that my shows are a success, but if not I'm still going to be satisfied because I've learned so much. Then I'll know what not to do when I design shows in later quarters!

Week two: brush strokes and shadowing tech

This week was a good refresher course on brushstroke and different qualities of light. I'm glad I had our class period before the tech on Angels in America, because I was able to follow more of the conversation. Stacie was trying to figure out what degree of light to use for the prostitute sex scene behind the set, and she was discussing the merit of a 50 degree vs. a 90. I understood it was because of the throw onto the floor with the limited space behind the set.

During class I really got a grasp on the difference between the Source 4 instruments and the others, I had always been confused with the concept. The more we went over about system choice the more affirmed I was with my project, having already picked my lights.  Now I could probably pick them all out if they were on.

Tech for Angels was really interesting, one of the main things I learned from observing was the director and designer collaboration. Gavin would ask if he could see a cue slightly differently, and Stacie had her cheat sheet to quickly  alter her previous design to please the  vision.  Some cues took more work than others, but Stacie always made Gavin's ideas her own while adding his needs. She didn't give up her artistic vision, which I really respected because she pleased everyone.

I could tell that Stacie was stressed. Who isn't during tech week? I'm happy she was the one I got to ghost, she held a  collected composure no matter what happened, even the trouble with the fluorescent effect. It's a frustrating situation, but she didn't give up on the idea, just told Gavin that they were putting it on hold. She did it so confidentially, I would have been really nervous to tell that to a director. She has a great decorum even when she's unsure, a quality that I am really going to emulate when I go into tech- Lord knows I'm going to be baffled just about the entire time.

I learned about attitude this time, whereas in focus I learned the technicalities. Both are equally important for a designer to be successful. Thanks Lonnie for making us go to these!

Week 2: Fersnel of my Heart

The fresenl is by far my favorite brushstroke. With that being said, most of the brushstroke lecture was review for me. I got to know them very in my plotting class, especially in regards to the idea of mixing them.

I’m surprised by how much was new to me (or I had forgotten) about the focal point of lights. It seemed vaguely family, and is something that I really should know. Hopefully I can get more tech experience before I graduate, especially since I was unable to help with Angels due to my illness.

One thing that was actually kind of cool about not remembering anything about the focal point was the trueness of the intuitiveness of light. My first instinct, when asked where the gobo would go for a clamp light, was to somehow attach the gobo in a way that would allow it to be several inches in front of the light fixture. Maybe it comes from having done several shows, working with lights in general, and/or focusing (especially with the cyc in the Nixon), but if I were in the position of needing a gobo for lights that don’t hold gobos, (and didn’t have this new found knowledge) I would keep putting the gobo in the space in front of the light until I got what I wanted (and then realize I need something bigger).

Knowing that the more curved a reflector is the closer the focal point is to the lamp is a good rule to know.
And the review about the 1 to 1 ratio for the 50 degree is something that will never get old.

I know in plotting we touched on the idea of coherency, but we didn’t give it a name. Again, it’s logical and intuitive. It’s like, if the photons were frosting, and the different degrees were baked goods, such as a 10 degree being a cupcake, and a 90 degree being a frosted cookie in the Guinness Book of World Records. (I’m still blown away there are lights that big).

My laptop doesn’t have the plug in for the virtual twin spin on GAM. Sad face.