That time of year again, but not me this time!

[soundlight]

So it's about this time of year that I usually post the Bucknell Dept. of Theatre and Dance Open House Light Show. But, as you may have noticed, I graduated and am now in the working world (not that I wasn't working almost full time before, it's just that now I'm working at a real production company and don't have classes). So I'm not doing the shows any more. However my able and willing replacement stepped up to the ION this year and tackled the light show head on. Here are the results: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI8MS-QKchMt

His first rig sampled a lot of fixture placement from my last rig, just like my first rig sampled a lot of placement from the senior that did the light show a year before me. As the department gets more and more toys, the light show gets bigger and bigger.

He and I already went over an extensive breakdown of what was good and how to improve the show, but as always, creative criticism accepted. I'm not gonna say what I told him here, I want to see what others come up with.

I do have to say though that I now know that my final effort can and will be topped if he continues to improve rig design and cueing.

 

[Hacker]

Hello all,

I am soundlight's replacement at Bucknell University and new to Control Booth. It's good to be here, as I now feel that I have enough experience and need to be a member of a technical theatre forum. I look forward to exchanging and sharing knowledge with the masses!

~Hacker

 

[DuckJordan]

It seemed almost too symmetrical to me, while yes going with notes and beat of the song is nice what i find more enjoyable at least with light shows is when they tell a story, the biggest thing i would say is try to find someway to take out the symmetry in this and work more along the lines of telling a story in the song, specially with how many moving lights you have it should be fairly easy to try and tell a story using color and movement.

Just my 2 cents and no offense intended.

Love the choice of music and love the lighting show but take it out of the box once in a while okay?

 

[gcpsoundlight]

I agree with DuckJordan. It is a well done show, but it is a bit regimented. I have done similar things when programming with WYSIWYG. I will (try) to post some videos of them. Good effort, though. What lights were you using?

 

[Hacker]

Thanks for the advice. Here's the specs:

Filmed with a Canon T1i with an EFS 18-55mm IS

Control Equipment List:
ETC Ion (lighting console)
M-Audio ProFire 2626 (sound to live speakers and MSC to the Ion from QLab2)

Rig Equipment List:
6x High End Intellabeam 700HX
6x Rosco I-Cue Moving Mirror (in 19 degree ETC Source 4s)
6x Ocean Optics SeaChanger Profile (in I-Cue units)
3x Rosco DMX Iris (in upper I-Cue units)
3x Elation D-LED Tri-Brick
8x N/C Source 4 PAR with ACL Lens
10x Apollo SmartColor 7.25 in Source 4 PAR with ACL Lens
10x 150W T3 Mini-Floods (Mini-Blinders)
12x Ocean Optics SeaChanger Wash
1x DF-50 Hazer
1x Hazer Box Fan

 

[Pie4Weebl]

Here are some of my thoughts, some of them are more broad on lighting in general than just on your demo.

I realize it is just a demo/light show and not "actual" lighting, but could you picture a band in front of your lighting? No, you probably couldn't because it would be distracting to the point that it took away from the music.

For me, the real core to the programming lighting for me has been about limiting my choices and color pallets down, and pairing down gags so they become special when I use them. The single best lighting advice I have every gotten was from my TD in high school, he told me to "not blow my wad at the start of the night". If you show all the tricks you have right at the start of the show you won't have anything interesting left later on to use and while you may be bally-hooing your lights away, it won't be very interesting because the audience will have already seen it.

The best example I've seen of slowly upping the ante was the Daft Punk tour three years ago. Massive light rig, three layers of video screens LEDs, tons of gear! Do you know how the concert started? Just a chase in NC between two static lights. From there the LD built up through out the whole show, so he always had a new trick up his sleeve and kept the show interesting. It probably wans't till the last song/encore that he really pushed the throttle down all the way and his restraint made the show.

So with that in mind, when I design, I try to build worlds for each number. I try to pick a couple of moving light positions, one or two color pairings and maybe two effects I can use for a song. With that, each song looks like its own thing. I like it when I can look at a photo and tell exactly which number it is from.

Think of designing lights like cooking, you want to give your audience a carefully selected meal, on a plate, you don't want to shove a shopping cart of food at them simply because you can.

Of course, these are all just my opinions on lighting and your millage may vary.

 

[soundlight]

It seemed almost too semetrical to me, while yes going with notes and beat of the song is nice what i find more enjoyable at least with light shows is when they tell a story, the biggest thing i would say is try to find someway to take out the semetry in this and work more along the lines of telling a story in the song, specially with how many moving lights you have it should be fairly easy to try and tell a story using color and movement.

I'm all about staying on topic but I feel like any undergrad in the US of A should know how to spell "symmetrical" and "symmetry". Just sayin'. Also, I don't think symmetrical is the world you were going for - you want a more lyrical light show rather then a regimented, beat-based show. That's a better way to communicate the comment from my guess at what you're going for.

 

[Charc]

Programming mistake 1:48-1:49, eh? Eh?

I think first a congratulatory pat on the back is in order. I can say I definitely enjoyed your light show.

In many ways I agree with Pie4Weebl. This is not a piece that could backup a band. That being said Light Shows aren't meant to have a band and inherently are about spectacle.

"Busy" is definitely a word that comes to mind here. This, as others have noted has a lot to do with your progression. It doesn't feel like it has well plotted development. The finale didn't feel like much of one, and Pie4Weebl's comment about holding back is extremely valid (and something I'm working to incorporate myself).

In response to DuckJordan, I simply must disagree. As with any conversation about art, it's all subjective. But for my money I wouldn't use narrative as a crutch. Especially when we're talking about music which often doesn't have a concrete or logical narrative to begin with. Responding abstractly is very rewarding and can often be the best language [of light] to use.

To further respond to DuckJordan's comment that "while yes going with notes and beat of the song is nice" which seems to suggest you do not move with the music I have to again disagree, unless you are making conscious choices to move away from synchronicity don't make your light show a separate piece from the music.

Lighting always responds to something. It's always your reaction: to the architecture, the set, the sound, the costumes, the character, the music, the orchestration, and on and on and on.

 

[kendal69]

The light show was amazing.

What people often forget is who is LOOKING at the light show. Asking professionals in all areas, Photography, Glass Blowing, Sculpture, Automotive, etc.etc. will always give you a skewed critique of work that they are involved in and have a difficult time removing themselves from the profession and put themselves in the viewers eyes.

One example that drives my point home is, go to a professional photography site and look at some amazing photograph. The subsequent professionals will take apart the photo pixel by pixel and discuss the quality of shadows, the angle of the head, the background, the focus, the lens flare etc.etc. See, the professionals have a different eye than the lay person.

Now back to your light show. 99% of the people viewing your show will be amazed most don't even know what a moving light does so for them the fact that a light moves left to right will amaze them.

Coming here you will get a variety of opinions to help you learn, but you also must take a lot of the comments with a grain of salt because like I said professionals have a hard time thinking as an "average viewer".

Lastly do your art for YOU, if other like it great, if they don't too bad. After all they are still arguing about the angle of the smile on the Mona Lisa.

 

[DuckJordan]

I'm all about staying on topic but I feel like any undergrad in the US of A should know how to spell "symmetrical" and "symmetry". Just sayin'. Also, I don't think symmetrical is the world you were going for - you want a more lyrical light show rather then a regimented, beat-based show. That's a better way to communicate the comment from my guess at what you're going for.

Symmetrical actually was the word I was going for. For what I was refering to is the way you have your lights weighted, its the same on either side, its like looking at the same image flipped on the right from the left. Add some weight to your peice just like with paintings, drawings, and other forms of more physical art. Unfortunatly I did choose the wrong vocabulary when i said its great it goes with the music as it is a very easy to missinterpret my meaning. I meant that cool it all flashes within the beat but there is no story to go along with the music. Its good to have it in sync with the music but to only use the music as a form of metronome is very often too used concept. As with what other people have said while it was great that you had those technologies at your disposal work up to the finale otherwise its not a finaly just the end of the song.

To quote a former theater professor. "It's not what we see that excites us but our image of what is hidden that keeps us wanting more." He was referring to a feminine body of course, but it applies to all things not just lusting desires.

 

[mstaylor]

Duckjordan's comment about symmetry is not unfounded. Generally if a light moves on SL, then a sister moves on SR. This isn't in and of itself a bad thing but some asymmetrical moves would add to the visual appeal. Also vary the locations of the hits, you change gobos and colors but hit the same locations repeatedly. Make the move in the same place but cross them or vary the location.
You did a good job, just remember to not get repetative. Lighting is a trial and error art form. Build a rig and try different things and see what you like.

 

[derekleffew]

In the exercise, use:

• Intensity
• Color
• Distribution
• Movement

To provide:

• Selective Visibility
• Revelation of Form
• Illusion of Nature
• Composition
• Mood

 

[soundlight]

Think about this with the symmetry of the rig comment: it's much easier to make a symmetrical rig be asymmetrical in programming than it is to make an asymmetrical rig symmetrical in programming. Most of the OOH AHH looks are programmed symmetrically, people respond well to that. I've always found this to be the case.

My shows generally are very symmetrical, and almost all of my friends seem to have that same inclination. It's how organized minds that over-engineer things think, I guess. Making the show more lyrical and having a direction to go is something that Hacker and I talked about, though. Not breaking down every bit of the beat, but deciding what parts to focus on in order to make the show have direction and a place to build to. That's very important in a light show.

 

[mstaylor]

I completely agree the rig should be hung symmetrical. What you do with it after that is personal taste. I don't mind a completely symmetrical show but many want different visuals. In a couple of places you had outside groundlights then the next one in then off. Maybe go inside first then out and reverse it the next time.
Everything we are talking about are refinements not corrections. The nice thing about lighting is you can't be wrong, it's your design. You can be better, you can be worse or you can be stagnet.

 

[gcpsoundlight]

I agree completely. I made the mistake when i was new to lighting of suggesting that we hang some lights mom simmetrically and just about had my head cut off by the l d . But just because it is hung simmetrically does not mean that it has to be used that way.