Part three of three of our interview of Richard Cadena, who sat down for talk with our own Ford Sellers, senior product development manager for CHAUVET. (If you missed it, see part one here and part two here.)
Part two of three of our interview of Richard Cadena, who sat down for talk with our own Ford Sellers, senior product development manager for CHAUVET. (If you missed it, see part one here.)
Six questions with Xavier Pierce
Lighting designer and owner of Xavier Pierce Design in New York.
1. How did you get into this field?
I was a dancer for about eight years, since I was 7 years old with Florene Litthcut Nichols Inner City Children’s Touring Dance Company in Miami. She had a son who was 10 years older than I was, who started apprenticing with the Miami IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) Local 477, while he was practicing dancing. He took me around on local lighting jobs to hang and focus lights. That was my first encounter, so to speak. During my first year of high school I had a really hard time adjusting and one of the teachers threatened to kick me out of an artistic program. A senior student who did lighting and technical theatre was leaving and nobody knew how to run the console or the lighting. So I told myself, if I learned the console and learned how to set up lighting, it would be hard for her to kick me out. I remember doing my first design; it was in a black box theatre. The florescent lights went out and I slowly brought up the R26 backlight – the look, the moment, the feeling was perfect. It was so intense that the hairs stood up on my skin. Here I was communicating an emotion only with my heart and a push of a handle. From that point on I never looked back.
2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
On the tech side, I think bigger, brighter LEDs across a wider range of standard fixtures. I can see an LED ellipsoidal. On the design side, I think there is going to be a wave of talented lighting designers (some are out there already) who are also experienced in video design, and who can put out a great product in the time it would take one lighting designer and one video designer to do it.
3. What is your favorite fixture?
If you asked me six months ago, I would have said the VL3000 Spot from Vari-Lite. It’s bright, it’s durable and moves very well. My favorite now is the VL2500 Spot. It has a great punch, size and cost. I had to change 18 VL3000 Spot lights to VL2500 fixtures and I was really concerned, because the show had been on tour for two years. But I had little reprogramming to do and in the end I was amazed.
4. What has been your favorite design/project?
I have two favorite projects. The first one is Drumline LIVE!, an international and national tour celebrating the rich history and style of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Marching Band (HBCU). I obtained my undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University, part of HBCU. This show just brings back so many colorful memories of good music and outlandish theatricality. Putting 40 marching band members from across the country on one stage is thrilling and electrifying. The second project is the grand opening of the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center. The creative team came up with a show that reflected the cultural diversity of South Miami-Dade. We used the theme of Hurricane Andrew that ravaged South-Miami Dade as an emotional backdrop to the show. The team was on the phone for hours, for two and a half months cultivating what the show was going to look and feel like. We were always searching for the truth of human suffering, asking ourselves, “How can someone rebuild from nothing?” It was terribly emotional. I was a teenager living in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit. It was an amazing experience working with talented artists and I was incredibly blessed to be a part of it.
5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
While I was working on the grand opening of the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, we had challenges coming up with the design concept. You could not tell where video started and where lighting ended. It was difficult trying to create a seamless fluid visual picture, with two minds. The solution was to work together with the video designer and to discuss during tech. The video designer put up an image and I layered in the lighting, making sure he agrees. We wanted to integrate both elements to see the difference between the lighting and the video. Video adds so much more to the composition, it’s like Chef Emeril Lagasse‘s famous tag line, “Let’s kick it up a notch.”
6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…the world without the Sun: dead, desolate, cold, unbearable; without growth and understanding.
We were pleased to have Richard Cadena at CHAUVET HQ for a three-day seminar from his APT class series. While here, Cadena sat down for talk with our own Ford Sellers, senior product development manager for CHAUVET. Here is part one of three:
Five Questions with Eduardo “Wady” Rodriguez
Wady is a lighting designer with more than 20 years experience in the industry and is well-known throughout Latin America, particularly in his home country of Argentina. Throughout his career, he has worked with Ricky Martin, Shakira, Calle 13, Juan Luis Guerra and more.
1. How did you get into this field?
I started my career in the ‘90s while working with a band named Soda Stereo, in Argentina. We used to tour throughout Latin America and the United States. Ever since then I have loved my profession because it gives me the opportunity to express myself through lighting.
2. What is your favorite CHAUVET fixture?
I like the Q-Wash 560-Z LED because I find it very original and practical. Also, the Legend 412 caught my attention. I think with a certain number of Legend 412 fixtures, you can create very interesting effects.
3. What were some of the projects you were involved in?
I have traveled and worked directly with Ricky Martin as set designer for his promotional tour. Overall, I have worked on his concerts for 16 years. Preparing for this tour was an extensive project. It took us two months of production and one month for the setup and programming. I had the opportunity to travel to more than 50 countries and gained so much experience while doing the thing I love most. In 1997 I worked on a different project for a Shakira concert. I currently work with Calle 13, a band from Puerto Rico known for its eclectic style and use of nonconventional instruments. I have also collaborated with Juan Luis Guerra from the Dominican Republic, and created the lighting design for his concert.
4. What has been your favorite design/project?
I really enjoyed working with Ednita Nazario, from Puerto Rico, during her “Soy” show, in May 2010. The great thing about this project was that I addressed each element of the show separately, but also looked at the overall picture, looking for harmony. The combination of music and lights reflected Ednita’s personality – her fragility, passion and great talent.
5. Complete this thought:
A show without lights is like… an iPod without headphones.
Six Questions with Thomas Aratanha Fonseca
Lighting Designer and Account Manager for Kor Media & Lighting
1. How did you get into this field?
I started as an actor studying at Uni-Rio in Brazil. When it came time for everyone to leave the theater so the stagehands could have the stage, I just wanted to stay. I loved being in the theater and ended up doing a little bit of everything. I started designing small productions for friends and before I knew it I had completely shifted my focus towards lighting.
2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
Because my focus is more in theatrical lighting, I would have to say an LED that could replace the ETC Source4. A fixture that is equivalent to a 575-watt or a 750-watt lamp and is quiet. Color temperature of LEDs is getting better and better. I think every theater, church, or production company would buy a fixture like it in a heartbeat.
3. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
I’ve worked quite a bit with the COLORado 1-Tri Tour. It’s great for backwash because of its tri-lensing as well as for incredible color mixing. Although it’s only a one-watt LED, it has great output and works perfectly for the theaters (where I mostly work) that have a trim of 21′ or less. Also, I’ve been truly impressed by the Clay Paky Sharpy. It has an incredible output and it looks great.
4. What has been your favorite design/project?
One of my favorite designs would have to be working for YoungArts and being part of the alumni show. We had to put together a show that included artists from all different backgrounds. There were performers such as, a ballet dancer and a visual artist, a classical cellist and a pop singer, or a film maker and a jazz sax player. If that wasn’t enough, we only had a week to create it from scratch, tech it, and perform it. It was a great experience.
5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
I suffered every lighting designer’s nightmare. After finishing lighting and teching a full performance, I came back the next day for a dress rehearsal and was told the board lost ALL my cues. I went crazy of course and almost killed my programmer, but the end everyone said that the cues looked better the second time around.
6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…A snail without a shell… SLIMY!!
Six Questions with Paul McElroy
Lighting/Audio/Video Technician for Caven Enterprises, Inc.
1. How did you get into this field?
I have been a lighting designer since 1997. I have always been interested in lighting—I was born with it pulsing thru my blood. To quote someone who has personally performed at our club, Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” truly stands true for my passion about lighting. I feel that lighting is an art form and I have always been amazed by it. Most people like the big items while I prefer to find the small hidden details. It’s the subtle things about a light show that i love.
2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
That’s so hard to say—there are a lot of LED fixtures coming out that I’m not really a fan of. I’m OK with still using my discharge lamps. I see the lighting industry taking the same path that televisions did in terms of taking the 3D route. I feel someone out there has a 3D light that they are just waiting to breakout and introduce to the world. I think it would be way cooler for crowds to see gobos passing over them in 3D than just projected on a wall or stage.
3. Do you have a favorite fixture?
Do I have to pick just one? It’s so awesome to see designers who use a mixture of traditional theatrical lighting with new moving lights. I find the blend of old school and new school to be truly amazing.
4. What has been your favorite design/project?
Station 4, a 24,000-square-foot club in Dallas is my favorite design project so far. The lighting grid moves in different positions so you can design a program in one position, and by the time you have moved the grid into a different position, the same program looks totally different. I have written a lot of programs for our console so no two shows are ever the same on a given night.
5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
Station 4 is an ongoing obstacle. The dance floor is square and our lighting rig is a massive circle, so essentially, I’m trying to make a circle fit into a smaller box. You have to get creative and make it work.
6. Complete this thought: A show without lights is like…
A show without lights is like a ski slope without snow. Lighting sets the mood for the entire show, and without light, nobody would be able to see it. When I run a light show, I like to set the mood and tell a story with the fixtures.
Six questions with Camron Ware
Founder of Visual Worshiper, VJ, Light and Projection Designer
1. How did you get into this field?
Started at a church actually where we had no budget and I had to get resourceful and creative with lighting and environment design. I would also travel and do one-off show where I learned the touring industry and now I have my own company that provides lighting and environment design.
2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
Brighter LEDs and more of them and the continual blurring between lighting and video. While those might be the obvious answers, it’s the reality. More efficient light and lamps that do more for less money.
3. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
I would have to say my 10,000 watt fresnel out of an old Disney studio – it’s amazing what you can do with one light.
4. What has been your favorite design/project?
Last year I lit Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a local private school that puts on big, quality productions. It was in the round and had about 300 students in the cast and crew. Aside from 96 ETC PARs, 40 moving lights and about 100 LED fixtures, my favorite piece was the LED light-up coat I built for Joseph to wear during the final bow. [Video below.]
5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
It’s less about technical obstacles and more about lack of budget or passion from the people in charge. Getting people to realize the power and dynamics of lighting can be tough when following creative dreams.
6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…just another day listening to the radio.
Read Camron’s review of the COLORado Batten 144 Tour linear wash light here.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat video: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaRI71DFZUw&feature=channel_video_title]
Six questions with Paul Wyse.
Technical Manager for Hampshire County Council and musician, based in the south UK
1. How did you get into this field?
Lighting was something I always did at school for shows and bands, I suppose as a side step to get dancers and singers to hang out with me! I couldn’t sing and piano at the time wasn’t a cool instrument so I thought doing lighting and sound would work. Ever since, I have worked in theatre and live music and love every minute of my job.
2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
In short I am keeping a very keen eye on the evolution of LED lighting and am looking forward to bigger and more powerful generic and moving fixtures. LED followspots maybe?
3. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
If you had asked me this before working in council theatres as a young technician, I would have said an ETC Source Four or a Vari*Light VL1000 or 2000. But after years lighting shows with basic equipment, I would say the humble PAR 64 has a lot going for it! Working in a theatre where they purchased PARs to work as washes, spots, backlights, sides, etc., trying to design a good, solid lighting rig for Les Miserables was a challenge. But it looked great! And with good use of gel, top hats and positions you can really work well with PAR cans. I think it’s a great test for new technicians because everyone can light a show and have it look great with plenty of moving heads. But if you achieve a breathtaking design, that is subtle and effective with PAR cans, Fresnels and profiles, you will think about basic lights first.
4. What has been your favorite design/project?
I would say my favourite lighting design would have to be a project I toured with called The Flying Monk. This was a very small-scare theatre show, but with an exceptional cast and production team, a lovely piece was created that worked in a 50-seat studio as well as a 400-seat theatre. During the tour, we would visit venues with very basic lighting rigs—no more than eight to 12 fixtures and a very basic lighting desk—right up to full-scale theatre rigs with moving heads. I have found the smallest venues to be the biggest challenge, but the most fun. I think the creativity of working in studio theatres and fringe festivals is still a great buzz for me.
5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
I would say teaching lighting design and operation has shown me some large obstacles for young designers. Often students and young technicians charge into lighting all areas of the stage in the three primary colours so that they can colour the whole stage. I believe lighting a show in a very Brechtian style, with minimal colour and effects, is creatively just as pleasing as throwing tons of colour and gobos or even moving fixtures at a show. Although it will have that “Broadway” factor, does it really support the production or does it change the feel of the piece entirely?
6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…A cup of tea and no biscuits!
Five questions with Chris Lisle
Production designer for Miranda Lambert CMT Revolution Tour 2010-2011
1. What was the overall vision, theme, or message of your lighting design?
The main goal of the design was to give Miranda’s show a look that complemented her musical style, but also conformed to two major criteria: budget and truck space. It definitely made me slow down and take a hard look at what elements I actually NEEDED versus those that I just WANTED. In the case of this project, I chose fixtures that I knew would give me the looks that I was going for, and were also affordable. Miranda definitely had the final say in which of the three designs that I submitted, but she is not a micro-manager – she wants those that are around her to do what they are paid to do. So once she chose the design, the rest was in mine and Aaron’s hands. She definitely had some input at rehearsals in terms of some looks that she wanted to do, but also let us be creative as we saw fit.
2. Why did you choose the products you did?
There are different things I like I about each of the fixtures that I chose, but in the end I look at what is going to do what we need it to do within our budget. I also like to choose fixtures that are road worthy and wont end up being a repair/technical nightmare for the techs.
3. What special challenges did you run into in this design?
The biggest issue we was time. We had 28 songs to get into the console in less than a week. There were a lot of long nights and coffee involved, but we pulled it off!
4. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
I became a huge fan of Legend 300E Beam fixtures on this tour. We use them on the floor to create aerial looks that punch through the color washes coming from the fixtures in the air. We found these lights to have great optics that allows a good concentrated beam of light. The effects wheel in them is great as well and allows for some great looks. From a technical end, these fixtures are very light weight and easy to manage!
5. What was the most rewarding part of designing this tour?
The most rewarding part of this tour was definitely seeing almost six months of work come to life. You look at a design on paper for months and months, then one day you stop by the lighting company and they have truss laid out, then the next week the truss is hanging, then a week later you are in rehearsals programming, and then the first night of the tour. It is my favorite part of the process on that opening night when it all just comes together.
Read more about Miranda Lambert’s tour here.
And watch this interview.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubj8PD8XyxU]