After college Lighting courses

[gregeye]

Hello all,

I am graduating from Shenandoah University next May with a BFA in Lighting Design. I did not learn much about lighting there that I wanted to (moving heads, LEDS, intelligent consoles, ext). I am taking a few classes this summer at production and rental companies to help with it but I want to learn more after I graduate. I really dont want to have to go to grad school because I personally think it is a waste of time and energy. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do or where to go? Classes, schools, ext.

 

[Footer]

Go get a job and become a magnet for learning. You have now figured out something that we have been spouting here for a long time... college does not teach you how to do your job, in theory it teaches you how to learn so you can continue learning to learn how to do your job. Go get a shop job and start from the bottom up. Work towards your ETCP. No point in spending more time in useless classes.

 

[MikeJ]

Do you know what part of the industry you would like to work? I assume you have some theatrical experience? You mentioned wanting to learn about Moving lights, programming, etc, so looking into corporate and music environments is a good start.

It is all about what you make of it. Unless you eventually want to teach, Having a degree only gives you a slight edge over the guy who poured your coffee this morning, unless that guy also moonlights at a wedding DJ company on the weekends; then you might be about even.

Do you want to hang lights, cable things, push boxes?

Do you want to go on site with paperwork in hand, and tell everyone else what to do?

Do you want to program and run shows?

Do you want to sit at a computer and do renderings, talk to clients/directors/etc?

Do you want to hang out with your friends and drink beer?

You can do all or some of these things, it just depends on your direction. Also if you are not doing the last one, then you are doing the other ones wrong.

 

[MikeJ]

If you are taking classes at production/rental companies, be on your A-game; the reason they do those classes is to train a pool of potential free-lancers and maybe pick out the one or two best people to come on full time.

Hiring in this industry based on a resume and an interview is very risky; you can never tell what their real potential is until you work with them. Teaching some classes, and then bringing people out on a few freelance gigs, lets them get to know you better, and avoids hiring someone, and then having to awkwardly fire them a month later, because it turns out they were and idiot. You can just stop calling a freelancer.

 

[chawalang]

http://stagecraftinstitute.com/classes/

If you have the money and the time you may want to check this out. I will go with what many have said before, get out there and start working. You don't really learn practical application in a university sad to say. I have a degree in theatre and if I had only relied on the knowledge I gained in the class room I would not be employed in this industry.

Schleeping cable isn't glam in any way but you have to work your way up and 92% of working professionals don't care where you went to school, they care about you doing the job right so you don't kill anyone or pooch up the gig.

 

[Lextech]

Knowing what you want to learn is a good first step. LDI offers some courses that may help you. They offer console training and at times have offered courses on moving light programming. Their schedule should be online mid July or so. The other good source of learning, depending on the local, could be your local IATSE. Some locals have classes and programs for new members and seeing how shows come together is a good learning experience.

 

[gregeye]

http://stagecraftinstitute.com/classes/

If you have the money and the time you may want to check this out. I will go with what many have said before, get out there and start working. You don't really learn practical application in a university sad to say. I have a degree in theatre and if I had only relied on the knowledge I gained in the class room I would not be employed in this industry.

Schleeping cable isn't glam in any way but you have to work your way up and 92% of working professionals don't care where you went to school, they care about you doing the job right so you don't kill anyone or pooch up the gig.

Checking it out online...looks intriguing. Have you been or know anyone who has?

 

[chawalang]

I have never been there or know anyone who has but I have worked with people who have taught there.

 

[KLM]

Checking it out online...looks intriguing. Have you been or know anyone who has?

I was awarded a free week of classes there, so I'm going to the lighting tech week this summer. I'll probably report back how useful I found it, just because searching on here for testimonials didn't yield a lot.