Well I mean it makes sense you dont need moving lights to make it snow, and I would guess most places would not require you to use one method or the other...
However, the hardest thing about doing it by
hand is if you dont have the right stuff to do it (straightedge, triangles, t-square, the right kind of pencils and paper, a
compass and
templates, and a drafting table), it can cost as much as a drafting package to get all the things you need. Also, if you are going to
hand draft, you better have all your
plot done right and VERY neatly when it gets to me, and have to be ready to
send full new plots for changes and whatnot. I hate it when LDs bring in a
hand drafted
plot that is smudged, drafted too lightly, lacks proper
line significance,
etc. Seriously, if you have not taken a drafting class and cant for a while, download LXFree or another free program, and use that. And spend some time to make it neat.
[rant]
Seriously. Do LDs really not get enough training in how to make pretty drafting that I end up getting a
plot that I cant read? When your using VW or any other program, I cant stand it when the scenery, architecture and lights are all in the same
line weight, color,
etc. Everyone needs to take drafting classes so as everyone else can read the
plot quickly and efficiently.
[/rant]
So let me agree and disagree.
The OP is a HS student who seems to be just starting out in lighting.
IMHO someone just starting out and wanting to learn design needs to design lights, not produce pretty paper. You don't want to have anything get in the way of your design ideas / concepts. Get some gridded tracing paper and a straight
edge. Get some #2 pencils, and an eraser. If you want to splurge get some
templates with various fixtures. Use these simple tools to figure out what you want to do.
If you are in HS ( or just starting out ) you will likely be hanging the show yourself. The goal of your paperwork should be to clarify in detail what you intend to hang, what colors you use, what circuits and dimmers you plan on. This is a planning document for you, not a communication document to other people. If you have folks helping you, you need to produce
clear enough paper to have them help you effectively. Again until you are doing larger shows, you can probably do this quicker with a pencil and paper than any computer program on the market.
Now once you are not the guy hanging the show, the paperwork suddenly has another goal. It is to communicate clearly to your electrician what you want done - and to do that without having to ask you any questions. It all needs to be on the
plot and supporting paperwork. So if you are asking shiben to hang your show, you owe it to him and yourself to be very
clear, precise, and clean about what you want. Should this be
hand drafted or software - your choice. Probably depends on the size of the show and what tools ( software or drafting tools ) you have available.
Re the rant.
I am blessed with the opportunity to be part of the Hemsley Lighting Portfolio Review each year and I get to look at a lot of plots by graduating students. Some are wonderful and
clear. Some not so much. ( One of Ken Billington's oft heard comments is that you only need to dimension the
plot if you care where the lights will be placed ) The students who get hired as assistants are usually those who can produce
clear, precise, and easily readable paperwork. None of them are
hand drawn. Most ( I think all) of them use
VectorWorks. Interestingly enough - last year some of the best drawn plots were from North Carolina School of the Arts. My understanding is that for the first year or two of their training those students are not allowed to draft on a computer. The instructor believes ( and I agree with the sentiment ) that you learn
line weights,
etc best when you start doing it by
hand.
Now I admit I'm old school and learned to draft by
hand. I do my drafting with a computer nowadays. But I believe that my designs are better, and my drafting clearer because I learned how to do it by
hand. It just involves a different part of the brain.
