Ravenbar
Active Member
I'm 37, and graduated with a degree in theater design and tech in 2008, although I've never worked in that field for profit. The director is the tech person for the school, and her husband(school superintendant) designs/builds/engineers the sets. My dayjob is as a equipment operator in a recycling plant.
I'm the lighting guy for the local HS's spring musical (for a decade+; design/tech/programming/board op all fall on me), although I've mentioned I'd like to move away from that role in the past year or 2, as I'm more a tech, and not a designer(and my colege experience with the Express/Expression systems and entirely conventional fixtures, left me nowhere near prepared for the LED system installed during the pandemic, controlled by an ETC ION xe console.; and I have been unhappy with my designs for several years(primarily because the new LED system leaves too many things set in stone in a conventional system(primarily color), but also focus and beam palettes for moving fixtures(we gained 6), and the complication of my mind working with a record everything type board(Espress/Expression), and moving into a type tracking board, which make it very hard to use my design with fader mentality, as lights I brought on via fader in the past scene for a quick fix remain on)); whilst working with a scenery dept and director that change things up until the last minute. The set is constantly morphing, and oj a show that opens this Thu, there are still scenic elements not spikes that I need to precisely aim lights at, and zero documentation, beyond a few pictures, as to what the set even looks like. That makes the lighting job a 10hr week during tech week, and I've already spent nearly that amount of time guestimating where lights need to be pointed, and focusing them, often to refocus them several times. I'm other words, a step back onto the tech support side of things may be in order, which preshow emails kind of indicated, but only to the point that our first show meeting was partially being put on the spot as to if I was too bored of it to continue doing the lighting, as I'd asked for an assistant and/or training(which was promised, but the provider couldn't fit it in) as the new system was throwing me for that much of a loop for the past few years.. I will mention that the year round shool person that handles the lighting can only identify a Propar, and has no idea what any of the other fixtures even are.
I've got a feeling a discussion post show is in order, regarding future shows. Prehaps they need to thing about bringing in someone else as the designer, whist I can guide them on the technical aspects of the system, and also handle the other toys of the show, such as the 5 fog machines(3 of the ChauvetDJ Geyser P7's and 2 Antari Ice-101's) in use this year. 2 days ago, I said I was more confident going into this show than I've been in years. After the first dress rehearsal, I'm less than confident I can deliver a satisfactory(to me) product. Much of which is the result of an extreme variety of "spots" on stage to light, often in between my designed zones; and for this show, a great number of 2nd floor set positions leave no way to light them,
I'm the lighting guy for the local HS's spring musical (for a decade+; design/tech/programming/board op all fall on me), although I've mentioned I'd like to move away from that role in the past year or 2, as I'm more a tech, and not a designer(and my colege experience with the Express/Expression systems and entirely conventional fixtures, left me nowhere near prepared for the LED system installed during the pandemic, controlled by an ETC ION xe console.; and I have been unhappy with my designs for several years(primarily because the new LED system leaves too many things set in stone in a conventional system(primarily color), but also focus and beam palettes for moving fixtures(we gained 6), and the complication of my mind working with a record everything type board(Espress/Expression), and moving into a type tracking board, which make it very hard to use my design with fader mentality, as lights I brought on via fader in the past scene for a quick fix remain on)); whilst working with a scenery dept and director that change things up until the last minute. The set is constantly morphing, and oj a show that opens this Thu, there are still scenic elements not spikes that I need to precisely aim lights at, and zero documentation, beyond a few pictures, as to what the set even looks like. That makes the lighting job a 10hr week during tech week, and I've already spent nearly that amount of time guestimating where lights need to be pointed, and focusing them, often to refocus them several times. I'm other words, a step back onto the tech support side of things may be in order, which preshow emails kind of indicated, but only to the point that our first show meeting was partially being put on the spot as to if I was too bored of it to continue doing the lighting, as I'd asked for an assistant and/or training(which was promised, but the provider couldn't fit it in) as the new system was throwing me for that much of a loop for the past few years.. I will mention that the year round shool person that handles the lighting can only identify a Propar, and has no idea what any of the other fixtures even are.
I've got a feeling a discussion post show is in order, regarding future shows. Prehaps they need to thing about bringing in someone else as the designer, whist I can guide them on the technical aspects of the system, and also handle the other toys of the show, such as the 5 fog machines(3 of the ChauvetDJ Geyser P7's and 2 Antari Ice-101's) in use this year. 2 days ago, I said I was more confident going into this show than I've been in years. After the first dress rehearsal, I'm less than confident I can deliver a satisfactory(to me) product. Much of which is the result of an extreme variety of "spots" on stage to light, often in between my designed zones; and for this show, a great number of 2nd floor set positions leave no way to light them,
