MFA Lighting Design

[rgkelle]

If I get my MFA in Lighting Design - can I guarantee myself a job constantly at some level enough to sustain myself? Chicago Area.

[Pie4Weebl]

as someone who is about to graduate, I can safely say, there is never any guarantee of anything.

[chris325]

Particularly in the lighting design industry, there is definitely no guarentee that one will be able to get a job in the industry right after graduation. Especially with the way the job market is today.

[xander]

Personally I do not have a Masters, so take that how you will. I am going to give you my personal opinion, which I can't really back up with any hard evidence, but again, take it how you will.

I think that this industry is 75% who you know and 25% some blend of how good you are/personality/how well you sell yourself. My feeling on grad school for this industry in general is all completely relative. If you have a good sized and varied portfolio/resume and have made connections with a large number of working professionals by the time you have finished undergrad, you probably don't need to go to grad school. This is may not be the case for many people. So, grad school is the ideal place build up your portfolio, use your school's/professors' connections, and build your own connections in the community you are in. Design and network. Design and network. Design and network. You are not paying tens of thousands of dollars for nothing. Opportunities are much harder to find when you are expecting them to pay you.

My $.02
-Tim

[Footer]

I will start this by saying I do not have my masters. I am planning on getting it at some point, however now is not the time for me.

If you are not getting the type of work you want to have right now or you are not getting any work, then go get your masters. If you have a portfolio, it is possible to get your masters and have the school pay you a stipend to live on. You should only pay to go to the top schools.

A masters degree guarantees you nothing. A bachelors (BFA, BA, BS, whatever) guarantees you nothing. School is there to build a resume', portfolio, and contacts. That is it. The piece of paper really does nothing for you. You are what you make of it. Bad designers have come out of the top programs. Good designers have come out of bad programs. You are what you make of it. Nothing in life is given to you. If you want it, go and get it.

[icewolf08]

If I get my MFA in Lighting Design - can I guarantee myself a job constantly at some level enough to sustain myself? Chicago Area.

All a degree will guarantee you is less than five minutes of fire when it gets cold out. There are plenty of people in this industry who are successful who didn't even complete and undergrad degree and there are plenty of people with advanced degrees who are not successful at all. Whatever degree you have is just a piece of paper which, unless you can back it up with a body of work that interests someone enough to hire you, is meaningless and will not guarantee you anything.

What will guarantee you work is just getting out and working. Get in as an assistant to a lighting designer, take any and all gigs that come your way, make friends, build a portfolio, and get your name out there.

[Pie4Weebl]

I guess a more important question, what kind of lighting do you want to do?

[rgkelle]

I'm leaning towards dance/concerts/live theatre. Not so much into the corporate/opera scope of things. Any suggestions of midwest schools as well?

[Grog12]

I certainly have made a living with having one.

[SHARYNF]

I would vote for getting experience even if you have to do it on a volunteer basis. It is correct that connections help and experience in a non school environment always seems to count for more than in school. I guess possibly the issue is that a school environment is just "different" you have a different organizational and operations structure.

Sharyn

[JChenault]

I pretty much agree with Xander re how you make a living as a free lance designer. You certainly need a level of competence in the field, but even if you have that level you will fail unless you have the personality type to network and schmooze.

If you want to be a free-lance designer - a couple of recommendations.
1 - Get to USITT and sit in on the workshop by the Hemsley foundation that brings in a range of established lighting designers. They will talk about how they did it and how they made it work.
2 - Consider graduate school as a way of making yourself more competent, and establishing your network of people who know your work. Try to find a school with one or more working designers who take their students with them when they light shows away from the school. Use these opportunities to build your network.
3 - If you are not the kind of person who can meet someone once and remember their name and make them like you, you will probably fail as a free lance designer.


And finally - It is likely you will not succeed as a free lance designer. Most who try fail. Ask yourself if you want to make a living as a designer, of if you want to be able to design lights. It is possible to do a lot of good work in non LORT houses, community theatres, etc. You can't live on it, but you can do a lot of work if you want.

In my experience, most folks who get an advanced degree in lighting design give up and just go do something else, and never light another show in their lives. Most of the folks working in the smaller venues are either folks who are self taught and usually lousy, or folks who see the smaller venue only as a stepping stone to larger and more lucrative gigs.

If you don't get enough work to support yourself as a designer and end up with a day job - consider that you can still do a lot of creative work in lighting if you want to.

[SteveB]

When you're tired of making very little money for a lot of hours worked as a freelance, it's time to TEACH !. At that point and when you are applying to some small college in Podunk, you will NEED an MFA, as you won't even get called for an interview, unless you're that years Tony award winner. Last years winner without an MFA need not apply - tenured professors on the interview commitee are funny about things like that...

SB

[fx120]

Almost all of the people I have met with a MFA are teaching high school/ college technical theater.

Read that as you like.

[Footer]

When you're tired of making very little money for a lot of hours worked as a freelance, it's time to TEACH !. At that point and when you are applying to some small college in Podunk, you will NEED an MFA, as you won't even get called for an interview, unless you're that years Tony award winner. Last years winner without an MFA need not apply - tenured professors on the interview commitee are funny about things like that...

SB

There are also many LORT houses that will do the same with your resume' if you don't have an MFA. Theatre people like educated people. People with MFA's like people with MFA's. Its not a rule, but it does happen....