HELP NEEDED ASAP SERIOUS

[tomsocool]

Hi guys,
I am doing a practical assesment for my exams. I am the only person in my theatre studies set entering under Lighting Design... but i need your ideas and help......

I am putting the show on in an extremely small theatre 30ft by 30 ft i expect. Basically it is fitted with a 12 way dimmer and plugs on two bars. So far i have made some steps at design which include the addition of 2 bars 3 12 way dimmers a larger desk and some lights. THE PRODUCTION I AM LIGHTING IS A MID SUMMER NIGHTS DREAM. Equipment is not really a problem as i work for a lighting company who will supply pretty much anything. Smoke, moving lights, different desks, profile,fresnel, led , uv , flood you name it. Has anyone lit this show before if so PLEASE GIVE ME IDEAS....
This has to be the best thing ever and really show a good technical ability...

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP UR GREAT!!!!!

[digitaltec]

I did the lighting and set design for this show in my youth... 7 years ago.

Given that it is set in the woods for the most part. I used alot of blues, some greens, ambers's straw, etc. i would use some breakup gobo's, tree's. A low fogger or lower atmospherics is cool for this show to make it seem dreamy.

For front light I would use Source Four's. Maybe some 36's depends on your throw distances. I would throw a few Source 4's for gobo's and specials. other then that wash the rest of the stage like no other with PARNels.

More and more shows are being done with all Source 4's. they just use different degrees.

In terms of a console. ETC, Strand (Don't like Stand but most do).

Were you planning on going moving lights cause if so I could come up with that bt them you would have to get distro's and such. Let me know what your vision is and we can go from there.

[tomsocool]

Sounds great. Some of those ideas i was already thinking of myself. Definetly the low fogger. I was going to provide the gobos across the backdrop with my profiles that i already have. What are sour fours? I could go moving light. I dont know if you have heard of the Martin DC1 but they produce a twinkle light i thought perhaps this in green reflecting off the low fog. To provide general light in blue, would i put up white and blue or what... this is my problem i have technical knowledge of lighting as i have worked alot as a rigger but my design theory is not very good, i need to understand the simply things e.g. I want to make it look night time like - do i put up white and blue fresnels....im confuzuled!!! HELP!.... errm moving would be good if you have any kool ideas!!!!!!!

Thnx

[propmonkey]

i did this show a few months ago. i used green and blues for back lighting(we did our in the round) i used leave break up gobos for the forest i also used to gobo rotators for some scenes. overall i used ambers, no colour blues, and a few pinks.

here are some pictures. if you want i can send you the channel list and some of my notes from the show.

http://www.sdb.k12.wi.us/memorial/theatre/midsummer.htm

[ship]

Read the script four more times, read a book on basic lighting, than design what you see for the stage. Also, what has the director and or exam specified as intent? One does not design all by oneself. This is a collaborative type of effort. What has worked for one stage and director or space won't work for others.

Lots of pattern effect to go with paint, some juxposed coloring of forest verses castle/city scenes. More juxtiption of the fantasy verses reality scenes. Coordination with the costume designer to make things pop and magical, lots of movement meaning a fully lit stage even if atmospheric in being night often. Necessity of a clear defined daylight verses night time viewing of the stage.

Remember that haze and fog does not clear so well short of powerful fans and these scenes move fast between fantasy and realisim as it were. Perhaps as opposed to haze one might go more with heavily saturated scenes for some sets of instruments and less so for others.

Beyond this if for a grade or design is what you feel as a designer and what the show needs. You can as a designer take this show under water if you wish, could take it on the moon if you wish.

Ideas from us should not be needed, this if for a grade is in part what you are being graded on - that extent to which you can as a designer, design the show by way of your own intent.

Hope it helps to design this. Ideas? Never needed to ask for help in them before so I must not understand. I hope you do where I'm coming from by way of stating this self sufficient intent as a designer.

[tomsocool]

I have a huge number of ideas just thought if anyone else had other cool things they did they could have some input?! Thank you though for your help very informative.

[ship]

What's the set and stage like?

In the round, thrust or procenium?
Wing and drop, atmospheric, stylized?

Lots you can do with a cyc and scrim especially if more wing and drop based. Much would depend upon the set and the director's intent for ideas.

[MSwan]

You say you don't have a lot of design theory knowledge. This will help with that:

Designing With Light by J. Michael Gillette ISBN1-55934-527-6

I have the 3rd edition and it is less that 250 pages but covers all the basics (it was a required book at NC School of the Arts when I was there).

[ship]

Gillette is a good book, that's where I started learning light from granted probably a much earlier edition.

[gafftaper]

The first huge question is what is the director's setting? Midsummer is one of those really timeless Shakespearian shows and it is often placed in wildly different times and places. Before anyone can begin to offer good ideas we need to know the setting.

I just finished a production of Midsummer that closes this weekend. In our situation the Director wanted, Athens to be a cold town where everyone is in black, white, and metallic. The Fairies are a sort of mix of gypsy, hippie circus performers... and when we went into the woods the set is filled with tons of multicolored pillows. Performed in the round, my lighting has cheese cloth with lots of colored lights over the center of the stage so that the woods are wildly colored from above.

One suggestion I can give you to think about. We decided to draw a distinction between the real world and fairy world with lighting. Creating two very different looks that change back and forth as we go through the middle of the play. Every time a fairy enters the scene there is a change to the realistic lighting of the real world. When the scene has no mortals in it it's lit dramatically different than the real world. It's an idea that could get out of control easily, but done carefully, it looks good.


A fogger is an interesting idea for the woods when Puck is getting everyone lost to set things right near the end, however, you need to be careful as it isn't long before you are back at the palace for the play performance, and you don't want fog still hanging around then. Be careful if you use a dry ice fogger because you will have actors who go to sleep in that scene and we don't want them to all pass out because of the CO2.