Creative Energy

soundlight

Well-Known Member
I just got out of teching 8 pieces for the head of the dance department here for our Choreographers' showcase (the mini-concert in the blackbox). Each of them only had one cue, but I have never felt so much creative energy about to explode in one place. I was running the design off of 24 subs on our express 250 in the space, and there was an incredible design vibe exploding in the space. I had strong feelings about his pieces, and I created those feelings on stage. It was amazing. It was easily the most visceral design experience that I have ever had. I can't wait to design one of his full-length pieces in the big show senior year!

I just felt that I had to share this because it was such an amazing experience. I had never thought of lighting design as a "visceral" art until now. I just felt the emotions as he told them to me. I didn't just hear what he was telling me and translate it, I really felt this crazy creative connection that just worked. And all the cues are so friggin awesome!
 
Congratulations Buddy, sounds like a great day. There's no greater feeling than taking the artistic image in your head and sharing it with a live audience... enjoy the show.
 
that's the thing that will later become the "itch" for you if left too long in not doing so, or allow you to wake up at zero dark thirty in the morning in "seeing your design in a dream" than having to get it out at least on paper. This or getting it out in reality, if necessary, staying up days on end to get it all done sufficiently. In effect, it's why we do theater, the next theoretical step for you is in getting beyond you getting the essence and seeing what essence you felt for the design in the eyes of those of the audience that if even for a moment get it and feel the exact same notion as you did. That's when the world is all one.... your design, your vision, the moment just right with talent, script, audience aligning just right with your vision and everyone collectively getting as seeing what you were thinking for if even a split second of time that concept of it all coming together.

Balance it with tunnel vision as to specific detail of your vision and design verses the overall concept for getting it done however. Strive to balance this overall concept with your own health and well being also. At some points you have to cut or remember for next time some concepts that would be ever so perfect but have to be saved for next time the situation comes up or after opening night in changing if vastly important but not feasible. Main goals first than refinement second so what is "Magic" as the second step beyond your drive and energy gives you the thrill. Once you see the Magic in the eyes of the audience, you get even beyond the creative engergy of your concept becoming reality. Just a few perfect moments and the rest of the show as per your design and sufficient as the next goal. Somewhere in the audience in seeing the show, during the best part of your design you look about in the audience and get a feeling that both by way of the talent carrying the show and your design helping... the audience is totally there and really totally there. That's beyond a for you great thing going that creative energy to as it were "get it out" as if expelling the design from your system in an almost religious type of way, what the audience sees later for you will than become even more a concept of quest for rewards. Beyond for you did it work out, what did the audience see in my design in helping push over the top the scene if even moment of it? Since you design in effect to help what the audience sees, that's afterwards a gauge and totally reliant in study upon the talent your lighting helps but does not live without. At times even if perfect in lighting, if the talent it helps is not there the lighting will even hinder their performance.

As a designer, you have to balance whats feasible with your vision and essence of the force as it were. You now Jedi Knight - you feel the force. Keep it balanced between the good and the burned out bad however Luke.

Ah' the magic of what you design coming to life, yep a cool thing that is a cool thing, that's the art in what you do in liking it. Next step, how does it read on others?
 
Soundlight: I know that feeling all to well. I once did a blackbox where I had 12 instruments, and had no idea what was coming. so I basically did improv lighting to fit the scene and each individual little shift in attitude. I have to admit, that was the most fun Ihave ever had behind the board. It is like a designer's orgasm or something. to add beauty and feeling, so control the minds of the audiencs with them barely realizing what is happening, to do it all right then and there with no planning. That is beautiful.

Ship: That was... difficult to read, stream of thought usually is.
 
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Ship: That was... difficult to read, stream of thought usually is.

Get used to it. But once you can decode his posts, your technician knowledge base will grow exponentially.

So ship, when are you going to get around to writing a book? Some of your posts on here would be a good starting point!
 
I hate those nighttime ideas, I always get them but never remember them.
 
That's what a sketchpad is for. Draw them out in concept, have your gel book handy (I currently have three rosco books of various vintages laying about my desk), mark down some colors.

Scan it in to your computer in the morning, and use something like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop or Gimp to make it in to a nice sketched rendering.
 
So ship, when are you going to get around to writing a book? Some of your posts on here would be a good starting point!

I've been bugging him about the book in P.M. but the big guy's shy. That's ok, I'm slowly collecting my favorite posts and some day we'll get Dave to let us open the "Ship's Greatest Hits Archive" here on the booth.
 
Sorry about the hard to read post, working too many hours of late to other than initial post withiout much editing. Besides, editing for me normally works in reverse. Rather than making it shorter, it makes it expand.

Funny a book is mentioned... no not by me, instead by one of my mentours. Just sent him an E-Mail tonight in fact reminding him that he needs to write his book. Mine's mostly what I observe in connecting the dots to the extent I understand, for him, he lived important history and knew all the key players. This much less, while I might seem to be grumpy at times, he has the true status of "Grumpy old man of the theater." Such people need to write books on their experiences. This in a other way than the Betham and Reid autobiographies were produced. Boring...! Like a sentence or two per page on average of something of interest beyond I went and did X show, than moved onto Y show. Or up the street from this place was a little bar one really should visit. Guys developed modern stage lighting, yet their books made it difficult to get inside their heads so as to understand them. On such heavily edited books of a curiously similar format, stream of contisiousness will have been more better in getting inside their heads and understanding their concepts or what motivated them.

X=Y in format by way of book or answer doesn't flush out the answer or kernel of knowledge. I admidt that I don't always read long replies if not holding my interest either. This or I at times tend to wander on.. and on. None the less for me at least it's a fully flushed out point that's often the best read.
 
So after this i went to sleep last night and dreamt up a whole lighting idea for our play. But sadly being that it was a dream it was neither practical, but i can't remember most of it now either :p
 
I hate those nighttime ideas, I always get them but never remember them.

Those crazy nighttime ideas, that i can never forget. I get ones from being near a crash, yet i can never get the full image. Oh yea, here is another one, i had this dream that became reality, deja vu, a dream 10yrs before the day it happened.
 
I love that feeling. I also love doing a show manuallt through subs. During tech for Ragtime, my friend took half of our ETC 48/96 and I took the other half plus the two MAC 700 Profiles we rented. Controlling those with four arrow keys and a touchpad is a pain. We basically sat for half-hour periods of boredom, with one minute priods of frantic light changes interspersed randomly. It was great. I loved it.
 

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