Blog Series: Lighting Education

Inspiration is everywhere

One of my favorite questions to ask lighting designers is “Where do you find inspiration?”. As a designer myself, I can answer this question both simply and complexly with a one word answer – everywhere.

I can say this because I look at lighting as a natural occurrence rather than a technological creation. Light is everywhere. This seems like a no brainer, right, I mean, come on, of course light is everywhere. How else would we see? However, there is a more subtle reality at work here. Stick with me while I try to explain myself.

Think about natural light and what it is comprised of. The sun produces a vast spectrum of energy, of which a small sliver of that is visible light. Of that sliver, our eyes manipulate it in such a way as to allow our brains to dissect it into a visual representation that we can see as either colors, or a variation of white light. I say a variation because as we know, there are several different flavors of white light in nature. Think about this as well, what is the obsession with natural light. Why is it that several blog posts and Lighting Insights deal directly with natural light rather than manufactured light? Basically, it is because I firmly believe that we as humans are designed to see natural light as the energy that it is. Our brains crave it. We crave full spectrum light! Science has proved that sunlight produces vitamin D, which is an essential part of our vitamin consumption. Beyond that, natural light is the best inspiration to look to for us as lighting designers. Nature provides us with the most amazing canvas of colors on a daily basis. When you are done reading this, get up from your computer and go outside and look at the building that you just came out of. Look at how shadows fall across the windows or under the trees. Look at the way that the light is refracted off of a lake or even a puddle in the parking lot. All of this is simple ways of seeing inspiration for design.

Now, let’s take another step. This one is pretty cool. Go into a room in your home that gets the best sunlight. Turn on all of the lights and close the shades. If you are like me, you are in the process or have changed out to LED light bulbs (that’s right, I said light bulbs, not lamps, deal with it). Take a look at the paint colors on the walls. They are going to look a certain way based on the color temperature and makeup of your indoor light source. If you are using incandescent, your spectrum is pretty wide, if you are using CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), the spectrum is pretty narrow, and if you are using LEDs, then again, the spectrum is pretty narrow, but will still look better than the CFLs. Take a good look at the walls, the furniture, the floor coverings and whatever else is in the room. Remember the colors. Now shut off the light sources in the room and open the shades. You will notice that the colors in the room look completely different now. If it is a cloudy day, they might look less vibrant, if it is a sunny day, more vibrant. Why is this important? Because natural light is reality, and reality never lies. Our lighting design should be based on natural light where ever possible. It is our job to try to re-create these kinds of colors so that our shows mimic what our eyes crave.

So, last night I was at Church. My son sings in the choir, so I sit as close as I can to where he sings. Mass started at 5:00 PM and my seat faces the south stained glass windows. And I am of to the side and slightly behind the alter. Our church is set up in the round with the alter centered. About 15 minutes into the mass the sun shone through that glass like the ultimate single source directional light that it is. It illuminated that glass and every single color in it. There are reds, greens, blues, yellows, and every shade in between in the glass, and they all projected at once on the alter and choir. But it was not just the light that was produced; it was the shadows as well. Looking at the vestments of the priests and how the light and dark worked together to create dimension looked like something that you would see in a renaissance painting. The fact that it overpowered the house light and created so much dimension and drama was amazing. Not because it was Church and it was some kind of sign, but because it was inspiring to me and a look that I would love to attempt to reproduce. What was even better, was the fact that the clouds would occasionally diffuse the sun and mute the window to allow the houselights to take over again, which added to the effect. It was really something to see. I was tempted to take photos, but I knew that they would not do justice to how my eyes saw it. Anyway, it was very cool. This is one of the reasons that I find the natural light inside churches to be one of my favorite inspirations in lighting.

What are the takeaways’ from this? Well, you could say that I have an un-natural obsession with natural light, or you could get up and see how natural light could influence your design style for yourself. Either way, I hope that you do get up and go look around and see what inspires you and think about it the next time you are making layers of light. Using multiple colors to light a stage, or people is totally natural. Using different levels of light in your front, side, and back lights is perfectly acceptable since natural light is anything but flat

Let this thought rattle around inside your brain for a bit….Is natural light the composition of the visible spectrum, or does the visible spectrum come together for us to create the white light that our brain sees?

The future of the lighting industry is in our hands. That seems like a big responsibility, and it is, but together, we can make sure that the next generation of lighting professionals is ready to face the challenges of entertainment lighting as we move evermore forward into the digital age of lighting.

For those of us in the 40+ portion of the industry, we all remember the world before DMX. A lot more cable, clunky control systems, and dimmer racks that went on for miles. With the advent of LED and the Windows based lighting controllers, that all changed. Now, when I hear someone say that they can focus a par can rig in no time flat, I have to think to myself, “Yea, that’s great, but when is the last time you saw an all par can rig?” The truth is that the skill of being able to focus a par can rig is now almost part of our history. That is like saying “I know how to use a telephone style patch board”. Many lighting professionals today have never seen one of those old 2 scene preset consoles that we used to use that had those old systems. Again, it’s all history. BUT HISTORY IS IMPORTANT!!! and by mentoring the people coming up in the industry, we can make a positive impact on the future, so when we retire, we know we have left it in good hands.

I am not suggesting that we should force people coming up in the business to learn how to use a Kliegl Brothers 2 Scene Preset lighting system. The amount of asbestos in those old systems alone would be deemed an environmental hazard. I am suggesting that it is important to talk about them because the idea of how they ran is still relevant.

Let’s take patching for example. Now patching is almost always done one to one. This is to say, that there is one channel per circuit, or one channel of a fixture personality to one channel of DMX. It’s all done virtually on the console now. It used to be done physically on the side of the stage. Someone physically assigned pin (output circuit) 23 to dimmer (channel) 6. If this was the only channel assigned to dimmer 6, that was dimmer per circuit. However, most people used multiple circuits on a single dimmer so that they could maximize the amount of lights that would be controlled by a single dimmer. This meant that no matter what, when I raise up channel 6 on the console, dimmer 6 would bring up whatever lights were plugged into it. Why is knowing this important? It is important because if you can visualize the physical track that your channels take when you set up a system, it can help in system design and trouble shooting. Learning how patching works from someone who has physically patched fixtures will show you the value of understanding how your system layout actually works.

Now, back to the par can guy. Why is it important to be able to focus par cans quickly? The same reason it is important to focus anything quickly. Time is money. Learning how to focus lights from someone who has done it for a long time can be a big advantage. They know the tricks on how to find your best light, even during a daytime outdoor focus call quickly and effectively. Trust me, that is a great skill to have.

So, OLD GUYS, the next time someone asks you for your help or advice, don’t just throw them the line “I learned it the hard way, welcome to the game!” take a moment and actually help the person out. And by the same token, YOUNG GUYS, listen to what the experienced guys are telling you. They have a ton of life experiences that you don’t. Let the lessons they learned the hard way make your life a little easier. Trust me, you will have to learn enough things the hard way yourself.  This is a collaborative business and there is room for everyone!

Whenever I pick up my gig bag, I always think to myself, “I need to pack less stuff”. The truth is, over the years, I think I have done a pretty good job of making sure that I only take what I need.

Depending on the gig, I make sure to pack well, but not over pack.  Having too much gear can be as much of a pain as not having enough gear.  Too much gear means that there are items you have to account for that you did not even use.

Indoor gig –

Essential Tools –      These are all tools that I know I can’t live without on a job site.  These are all things that everyone should have in their bag.

Crescent wrench

Razor knife

#2 long handle Philips head screw driver

Flathead screw driver

Flashlight

Side cutters

Small multi meter

Dental picks

3 – 5 pin turn around DMX cables

Allen Keys

Tape Measure

Sharpies

Pen / pad

DMX tester

Show paperwork (plot, patch, gear list, ect.)

Optional Tools –  These are tools you might want to take just so that you know you have them.

Truss tools – I say optional because they should be provided by the gear supplier, but if you have your own, that is never a bad thing. Just make sure that they have your name engraved on them.

Triple tap – When you get to the FOH, you might need to plug in more stuff than you have outlets for and this will save you having to go look for one.

Essential electronics –    In order to do my job, I know I have to have some blinky lights and gadgets.  Here are the ones I can’t live without.

laptop, I pad or Surface style computer – I like the Surface because it has a USB port built in and I can easily plug in any of my USB control platforms into it if I have to. It is also really lightweight and small.

Thumbdrive with your show file on it – Sorry, but this is a must have. Always try to have your patch done before you get onsite. This will save you massive amounts of load in time.

Charging plugs – Laptop, Phone, ect. You will need them.

Phone – goes without saying, but throw it on your checklist anyway.

Single universe lighting controller – many lighting control companies have single universe dongles that are relatively inexpensive and can run a universe of DMX, or more depending on the controller. This is a good way to have some backup to your show.

Personal stuff –  This is all creature comfort stuff that I have in my bag to keep me comfortable during the day.  I know that at some point I am going to need all of this stuff.  Not having to go and find this stuff when you are on site will save you time and stress.

Aleve – Not just for the headache you might get, but for the body ache you know you’re going to get

Ear plugs – to help you avoid the headache you might get, also, because hearing is important and does not get better with age.

Gold Bond – no explanation necessary

Spare Socks – this is an absolute must for me. If I forget every other personal item, spare socks is one that I refuse to live without. Dry feet are essential. After load in, I change my socks. Foot comfort is one of those things that you forget about until your feet hurt.

Spare t-shirt – If I have to work FOH during the show, I never wear the same shirt I had on during load in. I know it will smell and most likely be dirty. I am representing not only myself, but the person who hired me to do the job. I need to look presentable.

Deodorant – see the above

Cash – not all roach coaches take credit cards.

That pretty much covers the indoor gig. With this gear in your backpack, you have a pretty solid gig bag to get you through your day as a lighting guy. We all have the things we can’t live without, and this is my list. When it comes to outdoor shows, the only things that change are some additions personal items that I bring with me:

Toilet Paper – With the combination of the roach coach and the porta potty, having your own will save your….

Wet wipes – see the above.

Sunglasses – due to the fact that everyone in our industry is part vampire, they are essential.

Sunscreen – see above

Bug spray – did a gig over the weekend and wished I had some. I had to borrow from the sound guy. Borrowing from the sound guy is embarrassing.

Full change of clothes – and even an additional extra pair of socks. The reason for all of this is because if it rains, you need a change of clothes. Sitting in wet clothes is the worst way to spend a day.

Towel – you never know.

Also, make sure that the company that you are working for is providing a tent for front of house. There are a few reasons for this. The biggest is that it will protect you from the sun or rain depending on the day. Also, it is impossible to see the screens on your lighting controller in direct sunlight. You need some kind of shade to make that possible.