Help?! Lighting Design.

[bull]

Ok, so I am currently an Assistant Stage Manager and Lighting Designer for my schools performance of Into the Woods. The thing about it is I am usually just a Lighting Technician, I have never designed before in my life, we open in 11 days, our set isn't half way done, and our lighting design is, well, nonexistent apart from ideas. I love lighting, I think I can pull it off, but I have never done this before. Also, instead of just the traditional Into the woods, we're doing two versions, the Traditional and a "Pop Culture" version. Can I get some help, advice, prayer, anything? Thanks guys, I guess I'm just doubting myself, but I really don't know what I'm doing, it should look awesome though, with the ideas I have right now, although the whole fact that I don't currently have a script, kinda hinders my ability to design. Well, If anybody has ever designed, or worked, Into the Woods, could give me some tips, I would really appreciate it. Thanks Guys!

[mstaylor]

I can tell you most won't give a lighting design ideas but they will help you pull off an effect or explain whole to get a certain look. Nothing will happen without stage size,lighting inventory and type of lighting board.

[ScottT]

Kinda an unwritten rule that we don't just hand out designs... If you tell us the effect you're looking for sure we can help you out, but we aren't in you space, can't feel the atmosphere or even talk to the director.

Having said that, that's exactly what I'm doing now (except I've got 3 weeks). Pick up a book, read it, then post a question on how to achieve an effect. We really can't do the design for you but try asking the director what he is looking for, and start from there.

[bull]

Yea, I'm definitely not looking for a design, I would never ask for that, nor would I want it. I was just kinda ranting, cause I'm kinda nervous and a little worried... the lack of time being most of the worry. Not really sure what I was asking... I'm ridiculously sick right now, and kinda babbling nonsence. Sorry.

One problem I am having right now though, Is that, well we have a 27 line rigging system with Four electrics for lighting over the stage. The set designers placed the large row of trees on line set 24 and 25, the fourth electric, used to light the cyc is on line set 23 and the cyc is on line set 26, I can uplight the cyc with some strip lights that I have in stock, 4 to be exact, but for effects and downlighting, I have no clue what to do. I have already discussed this with the set designer, and they said that the trees are not moving. This is a kinda ironic situation, because I am also the rigger, but I had no idea that they had placed them there until 2 days ago. Anybody have any clues for a solution... or anything? Thanks.

[hstech]

Here are some photos of a past production I did years ago.
Into the Woods
Think about the overall look you're looking for. Dark? Magical? Shadowy? etc...
These photos show a lot of patterns (gobos) and smoke. Careful with the smoke. Two shows later we set off the smoke detectors. They "Fixed" them between productions.

[Nate1714]

Here is what you should do...Read the play think about how it makes you feel and what images go into your head. Now think about how those can be represented on stage. #1 rule of lighting is dont burn down the venue...close to that is the lighting MUST completment the script. Talk to your director and try to work out a overall vision and how your lighting could make that happen.

[themuzicman]

Without knowing the distances from lineset to lineset this is a hard problem to answer.

I will assume the linesets are further spaced the farther Upstage they go, Why not then move the Cyc to lineset 27, move your cyc lights to lineset 26?

(Also, do you have permanent lighting positions, or drop electrics?)

[Esoteric]

Also, I can not comment on how to do this, but you could dead hang a pipe from the grid if you had room and run cables from your 4th electric to create a temporary 5th electric.

Mike

[bull]

We don't have room to dead hang a pipe, and moving the cyc is not an option either

the lines are roughly 3 feet apart... give or take

[rochem]

Here are the production photos of our production of Into The Woods a few weeks ago which I designed. I'd be happy to answer any questions you had about how I did anything specific. Having said that, however, the director had a very unusual interpretation on the show, and it was done in thrust, so my design probably wouldn't be appropriate for your production.

You said you don't have a script yet? Get one. Now. It's the single most useful tool you have to design a show. As I'm very musically inclined, I also like to get a copy of the score and listen to the recording of the show over and over to inspire me. ITW is an amazing show to design, just because of the intense emotional depth. An excellent lighting design will understand the emotional depth of the show and work to reinforce this to the audience.

Even without a script, you can safely assume that there will be some scenes in the woods. What do the woods look like to you? In my design, I used a lot of gobos projecting various leaf patterns to simulate light breaking through the trees. I used a lot of different fill angles, colors, and templates to simulate the wealth of colors and intensities that would be bouncing back off of the leaves, the forest floor, the trees, and everything else. There are a number of happy, joyous scenes in the woods, but there are also some dark, ominous scenes. What comes to mind when you think of a creepy forest? Try to break down this image in your head and figure out how to convert each light source in your head into a physical color, angle, and template (if applicable) on the stage. Having trouble envisioning what a forest looks like? Grab a sketchbook or notepad and go for a short walk through the woods near your home (assuming you are fortunate enough to have woods near your home). Sketch or write what you see and try to remember as much as you can. Now go back at 1 am and look how dark and shadowy and textured the woods have suddenly become. When I was preparing to design Into The Woods, I spent an entire night in a forest by my house, watching a beautiful sunset, the slow transformation of day into night, the deep cold harsh shadows of midnight, the first hints of dawn in the sky, and finally the sunrise as the warm tones first begin to break through the trees. Not saying that you have to go camping out in the woods to design a show, but you really want to be replicating the natural world on a stage using your choices of color, angle, texture, intensity, and form.

As for the cyc problem. A big part of theatre is collaboration. If the set designer put trees somewhere where it impedes your ability to light, you need to sit down with him and try to come to a compromise on how the problem can be fixed. Unfortunately, since you only have two weeks before opening, he's probably so deep into his design that it's impossible to change it now. What if you rear-lit the cyc? I've actually prefer this over front-lighting a cyc, assuming that it's a seamless cyc of course. Place your cyc lights on pipe 27 and point them downstage so they light the back of the cyc. If that doesn't work, a last-resort possibility might be to light the cyc from vertical booms on the sides. Many large shows will have cyc booms which sometimes hold vertically mounted strips to light the cyc from the sides. While these are generally used in conjunction with light from the top and bottom, you might be able to get a decent-looking wash combining that with your ground row.