I want to be a lighting designer

[Techiegirly]

I have been a general stage tech for the past 10 years now. I'm ready to dive right on into just one aspect of theatre and move up the ladder. Of the last 8 employers I've handed my resume to I have been singled out to be their electrician. At first I was let down because I had been focusing my skills as a carpenter and scenic painter, heck I spent 3 summers doing summer stock focusing these skills but once I got put on gigs as elects. constantly one after another I just got used to it and like it better.

Any way, long story short...I am wondering what I need to know, become most familiar with to be a lighting designer? Any books or web sites you can recommend? I already have a working knowledge of hang, focus, how to change a lamp, own a c-wrench, memorized a few gel colors, I know how to do all of the basic things like for instance I run the light board for a long time running show at a childrens theatre. I want to know what it takes to be a designer.

Thanks!

[Van]

Do a search here on CB for recomended reading, or Books. There have been several extensive threads dealing with "good books" for Youngins to read. It also never hurts to ask questions when you're on a job. Use you instincts as to the best time to ask the questions, but I bet if you start to chat up a few designers they'll share with you a few pointers that will help you better understand why you're pointing those lights where you are pointing them, and why you're hanging them where you are hanging them.

[Techiegirly]

Asking questions and chatting up LD's is defiantly something I've learned to do. I'm pretty shy when it comes to asking questionsI always think my questions are stupid.

[meghan]

I have that problem to. I usually think of a question to ask or i don't understand something perfectly and I would never ask anything about it because I would feel dumb.

[ship]

Tough to do, three main ways I can think of for doing it, but also remember for every one of you each year there is literally hundreds of other "want to be a designer" types - I was one once also, and I do so still, just not as the primary focus of my career. Good to chase the dream but be realistic in balancing the wait for making it one's career and living verses what one would like to do but is not realistic in paying the bills now or perhaps even with sticking with it the few years it will take.

Often done the route of assisting someone else for a long time and taking over their projects, than getting their projects time is not available for. PLSN - Nook the LD frequently over the last year has also had a few articles on this becoming a designer concept.

Highly recommended is the book by James L. Moody, "The Business of Theatrical Design" ISBN: 1-58115-248-5. Not about design persay like Payne's "Scenographic Imagination" book ISBN: 0-8093-1850-4 - no matter what type of design, more into what you need to know about keeping your taxes straight and paying the bills. This and perhaps some business classes in college are also perhaps necessary to take if you wish to becoeme a designer. Believe me, them non-deducted taxes add up at the end of the year - this even if you lost money on the show wait until you owe still more to the government. Very important book.

Me... Started out to become either "A world famous designer" or "the grumpy old man of the theater." The former mostly as ambition - nothing I like more than sitting at my drafting table. That's also what it really does say on my resume for career ambitions. While early after college I got some pay gigs for LD or Set Designer at times after my name got out there - word of mouth and work done, most often such jobs were linked with me also constructing or hanging what was designed without or with limited help. Certainly not what a "proper" designer would be doing and what takes even more time still for the pay.

Still, that's what is often going to be expected early on as your name gets out there and what level of pay + engaugement you are asked to do work for is within what you are doing. Expect the extra time necessary and even at times even more time still to troubleshoot and fix stuff just to make your artistic intent function.

That's a free lance type of world. Another possibility is to go the working for type of thing where you work for a company, it has designers, you assist them and in time if helpful to them, you become their assistant, than after that a designer on your own. Possible, take time and effort.

After that is the ellusive pro-deisgner assistant type of way. Often best to find such a deal by way of a college program that helps you with contacts with pro-designers needing a assistant. With time you would have your own projects and be able to become a designer under your own name.

Never made this career ambition myself. Over time, I went designer to carpenter to lighting tech to now more flying a desk than anything else. Still design stuff, not what I imagined. Often you will find that between now and 10 years from now your career will also change - happens to most people. Be ready for it in having more than one field of study - not just to have a fall back, but to broaden your horizons as a designer.

After that, as said, very difficult to make it to a career in designer - that one out of a hundred person that knew the right people or was remembered by them, was in the right place and time in being available, all stars lined up etc. didn't have personality clashes that hurt you later etc. Lots of stuff just standing in the way of becoming a theater tech person as opposed to office pogie, this much less LD or designer in general.

Go for it if you can, set the world on fire, but remember that everyone of preceeding generations has also had that ambition. Be realistic in the attempt. Set your goals, cover your bases, set up your game plan, and if after time it is not realistic, have that fall back or at least time in the future where you switch to another method of making the attempt. Nothing says that in becoming a designer, for a few years you cannot work say the free lance store front theater market a few years, than switch roles and apply to a famous designer to become their assistant, or get a job at a lighting or production company in a normal position and work your way up to designer as a change in method for becoming one. It's an option.

More than anything else is to keep your relations with everyone you meet good, your quality the best you can and have hope. Can be done - every year there is some new designers that can make a career out of it but it is much similar to becoming an actor for a living. Good luck, but what a ride in the mean time working out for you or not.

[Logos]

Meghan and Techiegirly. I don't know about others but if you ask me a question so that I understand that you genuinely want to know and are not playing games I will always answer the question in as much detail as I have time for.
There are no stupid questions there can however be stupid times for a question and you need to learn that.
Asking while we are in the middle of a long complicated hang and focus can be wrong. Asking over a cup of tea or a cool sherbert during a break can be right.
You won't learn if you don't ask.

[jonhirsh]

Originally Posted by Logos

Asking over a cup of tea or a cool sherbert during a break can be right.

You Aussies know how to do breaks right Sherbert lol nice. All we get is a cup of sludge (Coffee) and a Brick (some form of stale bread like product).
JH

[Logos]

We have a lot of really nice brands of sherbert. But it must be drunk icecold.

"Its unpleasantly like being drunk.
Whats unpleasant about being drunk?
Ask a glass of water."

[avkid]

Originally Posted by Logos

We have a lot of really nice brands of sherbert. But it must be drunk icecold.

Huh?
Language barrier problems again.

Tony, have a look at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherbet_%28U.S.%29

[jmabray]

When I teach console training, i usually start out by saying:

There is only one stupid question. It's the one you don't ask.

If you are trying to learn something that usually comes across in the way you ask the question, and usually no one will stop you from asking the question.

So go for it. Ask the question. The worst thing that can happen is someone tells you, "no" and you are no worse off than you were before.