Wise advice doesn’t necessarily take up a lot of space. “Brevity is the soul of wit,” the immortal Shakespeare remarked in Hamlet. “Please forgive the long letter, I did not have time to write a short one,” has been a quote echoed by writers throughout the ages.
Paul Normandale exemplifies this truism. He did so in his succinct answers he gave in his Lighting Insights profile we ran on him some time ago, and has remained true to that form here as he shared with us the five lessons he’s learned about lighting design.
“I know this is not what others have written in length or style, but it does perhaps reflect my thoughts quite accurately,” he told us at the time.
Normandale may be a man of few words, but his list of accomplishments stretches far into the horizon, as does his fearless pursuit of new ideas. “His forays into unbridled turf on his lighting designs are legendary,” our friend, the late, great Nook Schoenfeld, once wrote. This maverick approach is reflected even in his company’s name: “Lite Alternative.”
Oasis, Coldplay, One Direction, Fleetwood Mack, Robbie Williams, Beastie Boys, James Blunt, Kings of Leon, and Arctic Monkeys are just some of the artists that this award-winning designer has lit in his career.
The legendary UK designer has learned a lot of invaluable lessons from this experience. These lessons are so numerous that Normandale, despite his fondness for brevity, added a bonus point to this article. The content below may be brief, but the insights contained within it are many.
One – The darkness comes free.
Two – Be loyal to everyone and most will be loyal to you.
Three – Why use three cues when one good one will suffice?
Four – You are not in the band. You are merely passing through.
Five – In the worldwide scheme of things, it is about lights turning red and blue…nothing more
Bonus Point – The process of the scribble to fruition is the real moment: relish, savor, and enjoy.
