Design I can't figure out how to light my set.

[fumb3l]

So as shown in the pictures i have a little bit of an issue when it comes to shadows. i have been trying for about a week now to light this set with out shadows casted on the walls and shadows on actors faces. Mostly what i have used Are Par64 and Lekos using combination of my catwalk electrics and i have two volleyball poles i can mount lights on that sit between two leg curtains or just behind the proscenium. stage left. I cant use one stage right because there is a wall on the right of the set which block line of sight for that volleyball pole. Im looking for suggestions for how i should go about lighting this. every light i have used cast a shadow and doesn't hide the other.

on a side note the middle third of the roof will actuly have a roof. leaving one third of the roof open on either side...

sorry for potato phone quality pics.

Help! =)

 

[carproelsofly]

Embrace the shadows!

As long as you have several angles into the area, the shadows will not be too dark. Add some slanty "artistic" shutter cuts, and maybe even a template, and the shadows will just become part of the texture of the light.

I'm guessing that the white is a base coat? If the final paint treatment has more texture to it, the shadows won't be so obviously artificial, which will also help.

If there are particular actors who hide from the light (resulting in a shadow across their eyes no matter where they are), gently remind them to be a moth, not a cockroach.

HTH,
Jen

 

[TheaterEd]

I agree with Jen on this one. This falls under the category of stuff that will bother the designer/director but not the audience. The more you can incorporate it into your design the better.

 

[Les]

Sometimes designers try to defy the laws of physics. The designer of this set is an example. That's not a bad thing at all, but there are certainly things that just will not work. Having a shadowless set with tons of overhead bracing is one of those things. Gotta pick one or the other but can't have both .

Edit: Inkies, birdies, or the Gam Stick-up (do they still make that?) mounted within the set might help a little. That's the only solution I can think of. Hanging more positions top/front/side might eliminate some shadows but may cause others to pop up elsewhere.

 

[robartsd]

As Les said, getting light incorporated into the set could help. You might have the underside of the roof painted white and use it to bounce a soft fill off of from behind the set.

 

[Ric]

Or try using a break up gobos in the fixtures you have onto the set. This will give odd/irregular shaped shadows which will not make the straight lines as noticeable.

 

[FMEng]

If that porch was real and facing south, there would be shadows, so why wouldn't shadows be appropriate on stage?

 

[microstar]

If it's an option, simply removing the center two posts would go a long way to taking away shadows from front light. I seriously doubt your center roof structure is going to weigh that much since it's not a "real" roof.

 

[lwinters630]

Try adding heavy defuser gel. Maybe hamburg frost or gam 10-30

 

[kicknargel]

+1 for using breakup gobos in the lights intended to light the set. I almost always light a set this way, for a dappled look, using various levels of sharpness or softness depending on the situation. Look around your environment – are the walls evenly lit? Probably not. It'll feel more natural on stage to have some "movement" in the lighting.

FWIW, I almost always use GAM 643 "moonscape" to light a set.