Design A Lighting Designer's Tool Belt

[derekleffew]

Another quote, from one of my favorite books, Stage Design, Howard Bay, Drama Book Specialists, 1974. Long out of print, but look for it used.

Lighting folk accumulate too many pieces of paper. Frustrated engineers unable to find an excuse for flashing a slide rule, they make up for it with complicated documents. This pseudo-organization leads to chaos at dress rehearsal time. With a full compliment of actors, singers, dancers, musicians and stagehands in suspended animation, the light designer amidst his squawk box, headphones, and little beaver assistants with containers of coffee, is scrambling between blueprints, board diagrams, focusing charts, clipboards and cue sheets struggling to find one light and match it up with the one switch that turns it on and off. This gory predicament can be avoided by lettering all the relevant material on one thing, namely the plot. After the show is focused even the unwieldly plot can be transposed to a simple code on a piece of cardboard that folds into the pocket (with cues listed on the reverse side). Extreme example: the original Man of La Mancha plot was confined to one 3 x 5 inch index card--one side of the card, of course. That is just a different fetish, isn't it?

Of course, Bay is talking about a six piano-board musical and not a 26 DMX universe show with 200 moving lights, but the concepts remain valid. The designer should distill the paperwork to the minimum necessary to get the job done. He probably doesn't care if the lamp in the Leko is an FEL or GLC, or what universe the VL3000Spot backlights are on.

And then there's this: Virtual Magic Sheet.

 

[lieperjp]

Why do you need a wrench or circuit diagrams as an LD???

Why do I need a wrench? Because I do my own design, my own hang, my own focus, and my own programming, and the hang/focus is the only time I have an "assistant" who is usually just a friend willing to push me around on the scaffolding for an hour or two. Trust me, I would love to never have to carry around a wrench, but I love doing this and I'm not going to sit around and wait/beg someone to do it for me.

I also carry around or have near me markers, pens, gloves, legal pad, clip board, light plot, notated script, bottle of water/MD, and flashlight. Sometimes I have a walkie-talkie with me as well. When doing design I have my scene notes with me, usually the notes I take when going over the show with the director. When doing hang/focus I even have a light plot in my back pocket, a plot on my clipboard which is usually in my hand and an extra plot or two lying around.

 

[Esoteric]

Another quote, from one of my favorite books, Stage Design, Howard Bay, Drama Book Specialists, 1974. Long out of print, but look for it used.

Of course, Bay is talking about a six piano-board musical and not a 26 DMX universe show with 200 moving lights, but the concepts remain valid. The designer should distill the paperwork to the minimum necessary to get the job done. He probably doesn't care if the lamp in the Leko is an FEL or GLC, or what universe the VL3000Spot backlights are on.

And then there's this: Virtual Magic Sheet.

I love that book! I borrowed it from my college professor. That is what I have been saying and that is what our professors tried to instill into us. As little paper as possible that is needed to get the job done. Preferably none at all. I have done 100+ moving light shows with no paperwork at all.

I don't care if the if the back lights are two-fered into two circuits and then soft patched into channel 10 or if they are in individual dimmers and all soft patched into channel 10 as long as when I say "channel 10 at full" the back lights come on (the exception to this being if I specified that the back lights must be on seperate channels 10,11,12, and 13 but then I don't care if they are in circuit 1, 2, 3, or 4 or circuit 101, 102, 103, and 104). My ME needs to know this information so that he can trouble shoot it when channel 10 does not come on. But I could care less. Just like I don't care what channels the color presets are on as long as I can call the VL5000s in dark blue.

When I do a show I produce (as a designer) a cue sheet (so that the Director has an idea what is supposed to be going on and so I can move to the next step), some butter papers (which are just scenes laid out with directions and color of light for every scene and when overlayed produce), a plot, a channel hookup (so the ME knows how I want to control the show and what gels.patterns he needs), and a cheat sheet.

But everything except the cheat sheet gets left at home or in the car. The cheat sheet (note card) lives in my back pocket.

But great quote and awesome analysis.

Mike

PS I will NEVER NEVER NEVER have a rehearsal stop on my behalf. If it does it is a total embarrassment and means I did not do my job. Our professors told us no one should ever be waiting on us. If they were we got a good dressing down later about it. I can still hear my prof on those odd occassions when I have to say "stop, hold on one second". Man I hate that.

 

[lazor]

Does anyone out there use anything to help not to get blinded during focus as an LD?
I have a pair of low heat wielding glasses that I got from my artist sister. They work great to see the center of the light and allow me to not get blinded in the process. Just curious if anyone else uses something like that as an LD. Especially since I have heard that Source4's are not very good on the eyes if stared directly into.

 

[Esoteric]

Does anyone out there use anything to help not to get blinded during focus as an LD?
I have a pair of low heat wielding glasses that I got from my artist sister. They work great to see the center of the light and allow me to not get blinded in the process. Just curious if anyone else uses something like that as an LD. Especially since I have heard that Source4's are not very good on the eyes if stared directly into.

Don't look into the lamp, look past it into the reflector.

Or learn the fine art of back focusing (I never look directly into a light).

I never liked the welding mask solution although I know some LDs that do use it.

Mike

 

[waynehoskins]

Man, I typed out this really well-thought-out and logical reply before lunch, then came back and finished it, pushed Go, and the expired-token monster ate it. And I'm too lazy to rewrite it fully.

Short version: What I light most is high school theatre at a venue I know well. That and some community theatre. Nothing professional. So with that, I end up wearing a couple of hats. I do my own paperwork (though what paperwork I use varies). I draft my own plot. Sometimes I even hang a fair bit of my own plot. I do show up on hang days, because if I don't, invariably the students will mess something up and we'll have to redo it next week. I bring a wrench and copies of the plot and the color box, because invariably we'll need them.

I find that, though I do often draw up a cheat sheet, once I'm 15 minutes into cueing I have the hookup memorized. I'm always very systematic with my hookup: specials are in the 50s, 61 is always usually my first (logical) template, and the last number on the board is the house lights, and so on. By dress rehearsals when I take notes, I'm writing channel numbers.

For me, when the show goes into tech, I do bring the board printout (which for me is the ASCII file). That lets me look at what is written into a cue and make adjustment notes accordingly. Works for me, your mileage may vary.

I've often wanted a remote video node or even designer's console. One day...

 

[waynehoskins]

Does anyone out there use anything to help not to get blinded during focus as an LD?
I have a pair of low heat wielding glasses that I got from my artist sister. They work great to see the center of the light and allow me to not get blinded in the process. Just curious if anyone else uses something like that as an LD. Especially since I have heard that Source4's are not very good on the eyes if stared directly into.

Something I thought of the other month (and seems to work fair, what little I've tried it) is to focus the unit with it not at full. Run it down to, say, 3 -- bright enough for you to see what's landing where inside the reflector. Then once it's locked down, have the board monkey pot it up so you can see shutter cuts and spill and all.

Side rant: why do the truss monkeys at the high school never lock anything down? Grumble grumble.

 

[Esoteric]

Man, I typed out this really well-thought-out and logical reply before lunch, then came back and finished it, pushed Go, and the expired-token monster ate it. And I'm too lazy to rewrite it fully.

Short version: What I light most is high school theatre at a venue I know well. That and some community theatre. Nothing professional. So with that, I end up wearing a couple of hats. I do my own paperwork (though what paperwork I use varies). I draft my own plot. Sometimes I even hang a fair bit of my own plot. I do show up on hang days, because if I don't, invariably the students will mess something up and we'll have to redo it next week. I bring a wrench and copies of the plot and the color box, because invariably we'll need them.

I find that, though I do often draw up a cheat sheet, once I'm 15 minutes into cueing I have the hookup memorized. I'm always very systematic with my hookup: specials are in the 50s, 61 is always usually my first (logical) template, and the last number on the board is the house lights, and so on. By dress rehearsals when I take notes, I'm writing channel numbers.

For me, when the show goes into tech, I do bring the board printout (which for me is the ASCII file). That lets me look at what is written into a cue and make adjustment notes accordingly. Works for me, your mileage may vary.

I've often wanted a remote video node or even designer's console. One day...

I love remote video nodes (several theaters I design at have them), but we were forced to work without them for our first few shows in college so we could learn to function without them. Our profs used to say that as a designer we should be able to look at the stage and know which channels were on. So that during tech, even if I don't have a monitor I know when I am looking at a cue that channel 5 is on. So I tell the board op to put 5 on the roller and roll it up, or to add 10 points to its value, etc.

But I do love my ETC Net.

Mike

 

[Esoteric]

Something I thought of the other month (and seems to work fair, what little I've tried it) is to focus the unit with it not at full. Run it down to, say, 3 -- bright enough for you to see what's landing where inside the reflector. Then once it's locked down, have the board monkey pot it up so you can see shutter cuts and spill and all.

Side rant: why do the truss monkeys at the high school never lock anything down? Grumble grumble.

Hahahahaha!! Maybe they were never taught how to? ;-) I don't know why. Mine did, but that was the first thing I did. "Here is what I mean by lock it down :example:, if I find a loose unit your teacher will fail you."

Mike

 

[Footer]

Why do you need a light? What would you look at that isn't already committed to memory?

..........the script..........

 

[waynehoskins]

..........the script..........

Oh yes, I forgot. Mini-Mag for that. Ideally an older one with an incandescent lamp, not LED; the LEDs are bothersomely bright in a dark theatre. Littlites are nice, but the high school doesn't have them, and rarely am I sitting at a table or even the same place every rehearsal I watch, so the mini-mag it is.

Again, that's what works for me, your mileage may vary. If you're working a professional show, it will vary a lot from mine, what with the remote video nodes and designer's consoles and tech tables and good venues and all.

 

[Esoteric]

..........the script..........

Why does an LD need to look at the Script during tech?

Mike

 

[Esoteric]

Oh yes, I forgot. Mini-Mag for that. Ideally an older one with an incandescent lamp, not LED; the LEDs are bothersomely bright in a dark theatre. Littlites are nice, but the high school doesn't have them, and rarely am I sitting at a table or even the same place every rehearsal I watch, so the mini-mag it is.

Again, that's what works for me, your mileage may vary. If you're working a professional show, it will vary a lot from mine, what with the remote video nodes and designer's consoles and tech tables and good venues and all.

Hey now! Tech tables are hardly high tech. The first thing I did when I was TD of a high school theater was to build a tech table. Next to a Clear-Com headset it is the most important thing you can have (after all you have to have somewhere to put the monitor and your feet!).

Mike

 

[waynehoskins]

Why does an LD need to look at the Script during tech?

Mike

Hmm, you've got a point there. Most of the time the only thing I look at during a tech or dress, even at the high school, is the cue printout. Sometimes I'll have to reference the book (for things like "what cue was that back in Act Three when he says 'whore'?", or more often "when did I say that cue was supposed to fire?"). But most of the time, after the first dress, all I do with the script during a rehearsal is use its binder to put my board printout on.

My board printout has everything, including cue labels that I'm very insistent about putting in. In tech it's just an adjustment thing, for the most part. Sometimes add a cue, but most often it's a case of:
- have the SM call it earlier or later
- adjust intensities or times

The channel hookup doesn't change, the cue structure doesn't change. And usually I remember where I have cues anyway. If the SM calls it late (or the monkey presses Go late) I'm saying to myself already "fire the cue! fire the cue!" .. I don't know which number it is (sometimes), but I know that there's a cue that's supposed to do this that's supposed to happen now.

So adjust my answer:
- Mini-Mag for me to see my board printout
- Mini-Mag for the ALD (if there is one) to follow the book, if ever I need that

 

[Esoteric]

Hmm, you've got a point there. Most of the time the only thing I look at during a tech or dress, even at the high school, is the cue printout. Sometimes I'll have to reference the book (for things like "what cue was that back in Act Three when he says 'whore'?", or more often "when did I say that cue was supposed to fire?"). But most of the time, after the first dress, all I do with the script during a rehearsal is use its binder to put my board printout on.

My board printout has everything, including cue labels that I'm very insistent about putting in. In tech it's just an adjustment thing, for the most part. Sometimes add a cue, but most often it's a case of:
- have the SM call it earlier or later
- adjust intensities or times

The channel hookup doesn't change, the cue structure doesn't change. And usually I remember where I have cues anyway. If the SM calls it late (or the monkey presses Go late) I'm saying to myself already "fire the cue! fire the cue!" .. I don't know which number it is (sometimes), but I know that there's a cue that's supposed to do this that's supposed to happen now.

So adjust my answer:
- Mini-Mag for me to see my board printout
- Mini-Mag for the ALD (if there is one) to follow the book, if ever I need that

Thanks Wayne! Yeah, on my cue sheet it has the moment that the cue needs to be called, and the SM should have it in their book anyway. If it is late or early I take a note and give it to the SM after rehearsal. But there is no way an LD should be looking at a script during tech. I don't look at anything other than the stage (and occasionally my monitor) during rehearsal. But your mileage may vary.

Mike

 

[derekleffew]

... its time to take a look at your career and why you are at the hang, ...

See the following: http://www.thecolumbuslibrary.org/Genealogy Abe Feder/King and I/KING AND I039.pdf .

 

[Esoteric]

See the following: http://www.thecolumbuslibrary.org/Genealogy Abe Feder/King and I/KING AND I039.pdf .

*LOLOL* Derek is that one of yours?

Mike

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Well being as that plot is marked "Lighting by Feder" and is for The King and I, I doubt it is a plot produced by Derek Leffew.

 

[JChenault]

"The student's first lighting assignment is like having sex the first time. You can't really tell anybody where to put it; you've just got to get through it." - Gilbert Hemsley

Since you are mentioning Gilbert - he always believed that fresh flowers, fresh fruit, and Pistachio nuts were essential. If you want to understand his reasoning take a look.

Hemsley Lighting Programs - LD Interview

It's a long article, but it does a great job of talking about the people aspects of Lighting Desing.

John

 

[icewolf08]

This is a very interesting thread, and I have a few things to add. Let me qualify a few things first though. I am an ME at a large regional theatre, I was not a design major in school, but I can design, I don't do a lot of design, nor do I claim to be a designer, but I have been told that I design well. At our theatre about 98% of the designers we bring in are IA people, some known in larger circles than the regional theatre circle.

So, what does every LD bring with them and what do I get sent? How does our process work? I get sent the plot and paperwork about a week before hang. We do our thing, make hang tapes, figure out circuiting, cut color, pull templates, order anything we are missing, etc. During this process, if I have questions I call or email the LD to get answers. Now, trivial things like moving a light 3 inches so it clear a scenery pick line or the hanging iron for the raceway on the electric I know is not going to make a difference. If I have to change the way a light is hung (and in some cases "mess up the Aristotelean nature of the plot"....funny story there...) then I make a phone call. As an ME, I don't want the LD around at hang, probably for similar reasons that LDs don't want MEs making design choices. Having an LD at hang just gives them more opportunity to change things, make additions, and in general make life for the ME a PITA. If the LD didn't know where he wanted the lights in the first place, you are in bad shape, so making changes at hang often compounds errors instead of fixes them. This of course is all besides the fact that it is the ME's job to hang the show, I don't need an LD who may not have touched a fixture since college telling me (or my crew) how to do my job.

The LD gets into town usually the night before focus. If I haven't worked with them in a while or they are new to us I often meet with them prior to focus just to see how they want to proceed and to check in on how things are progressing. We never have LDs in the space before focus, most of them have other commitments that prevent them from being here more than they need to be. Now, every LD focuses differently, some use a magic sheet, some a cheat sheet, some just use the channel hookup or instrument schedule. Some will lay out a center mark for each area before they start, some just know, it varies.

So I suppose back to the real question of what an LD should have with them. For the most part every LD comes in with a laptop, script, paperwork, pens/pencils, eraser, swatchbooks, and now I have started to notice that many of them bring a hard copy of our inventory. Every LD I have worked with has their magic sheet out for tech and usually a copy of the paperwork just in case. Most keep the script on hand, but not always open, it is an amazingly useful tool when trying to talk to a director or SM about cue placement or what the director actually wants.

I have yet to have a designer come in with their own littlelite (or any table lamp) or with their own headset. This does not mean they don't own them, just that they feel they don't need them here. We provide every LD with table space, plenty of power, 3 littlelites, and a headset, seems to be just dandy. Really the only "tool" any of our LDs carry is a flashlight.

So there you go, a not-so-brief overview of how we work at a relatively large regional theatre.