The cue sheet (held in front of our walk-in look) that I sketched together this morning to accomplish today’s #lightingdesign
Showing all posts tagged #lightingdesign:
The cue sheet (held in front of our walk-in look) that I sketched together this morning
Posted on June 9th, 2013
Production Design Software
Posted on March 10th, 2013
I'm often asked what software I use, and am probably long overdue at sharing this post. I'm answering this question from the perspective of my primary job - Production Designer at Kensington Church. *See below for more context if you're interested.
I'm a fan of OmniGraffle (Mac or Microsoft Visio if on PC) It's great as a basic 2D CAD with layers and everything; and its drag and drop simplicity of putting icons for people and set pieces into place is pretty fantastic.
The price point is also great, especially for multiple users.
Vectorworks is awesome, but is more (both in cost and complexity) than our workflow requires - especially with multiple users; most of whom are not "designing" but rather just laying out a plot.
There are many other programs I might consider writing about, but I'll leave this post with the above two mentions for now. Connect with me and I can share my workflow if you're interested…
*I design for our main broadcast location. We have 4 other campuses each with a TD who is responsible for figuring out how to take the central designed service and make it work on their stage, with their team and resources, and with whatever might uniquely happen at their campus that weekend. We move fast. At our location, we have at least 2 completely different stage designs every week…see: http://egwolfe.tumblr.com/post/6144545367/we-change-our-stage-with-a-completely-unique
Adapting a University Rep Plot
Posted on February 19th, 2013
Lighting Design
This slide is from my Lighting Training slide deck. It illustrates the importance of accurate, thought-out documents and the iterative process of designing at a university theatre for a theatrical production that I was brought in to be the Lighting Designer for.
The document on the left shows the rep plot they were using. Thanks to some great pre-production meetings (and the trust built with the university’s Lighting Director) I was shown much favor and adapted the plot to fit the ambitious creative direction that the producer and I wanted to pursue. The photo shows me in the final meeting with the house LD as he prepared to follow my plot and Purpose Sheet.
Good paperwork allowed him to lead a few of his students to hang/circuit/focus all lights in a 6hr shift.
The student who programmed used my cue sheet to program the show and adapt during rehearsals. I was given trust early in the process; and it was a privilege to give trust to her for the end of the process: The first time I saw my design outside of my head was at the premier of the show!
#behindthescenes Stills of Me Prepping #lightingdesign for Curtis' Show
Posted on February 14th, 2013
#behindthescenes still shots of our prep for http://davidandbathsheba.com/ #floatinggrid #lightingdesigner
Another KRock Lighting Design Moment
Posted on December 2nd, 2012
This fun moment of our KRock kids program was part of a #lightingdesign in which I used every light in the rep-plot. Aside from some clever focusing and programming, we didn’t add anything more than we use on a typical Midweek or Weekend. #maximizer
Dinner With A Perfect Stranger
Posted on August 21st, 2012
Scenic & Lighting Design
This was one of my earliest theatrical designs. It was a privilege to be invited to this project and bring the book to life on the stage. The following illustrates the process of creation:
- Read the script (still in rough version adapted from the book)
- Ideate with the Producer and Director
- Research Italian restaurants
- Sketch concepts
- Development and refinement
- Scale drawings
- Texture, paint, functionals, decor
- Custom table design tilted downstage slightly for audience
- Lighting Design
- Additions of floor and pillar
- Sign off on build process and finishing details like paint, texture, stain, electrical, etc.
- Transportation entire set has to transport in trailer, fit through standard doors, and setup/strike quickly for multiple venues
- Oversee setup and lighting focus
- Program lighting
Good Friday 2011 Production Design
Posted on April 25th, 2011
Kensington Good Friday 2011
For Kensington's Good Friday service this year, there was a powerful moment at the end where live poses portraying scenes from the crucifixion were revealed. Until that moment, the audience had been taken on an artistic journey from walking in to simple beauty with a simple stage containing only a decorated table, a piano and string section, some candles, and screen.
The screen was the key to the design. It was the focal point for a powerful video early on in the day. It also supported songs and teaching with graphics with lyrics and scripture projected on it. However if that was all that it was used for, we would've just used a standard video screen.
Our screen was a custom frame for a RoseBrand Gray Sharkstooth Scrim. The *frame was built out of plywood and wrapped in Burgundy Pinched Taffeta for color and texture. The interior dimension was 19' wide and maintained a perfect 16:9 ratio for projection.
Behind the scrim was a 32" high 20'x8' stage with a cross (capable of supporting an actor) that rose 10' above that. Scrim is a magical material. It behaves much like a standard soft good when lit from the front. However, with only a simple lighting cue, actors are revealed in a stunning way.
The trick to achieving a Renaissance inspired scene is less **light, not more...
The Good Friday service is really only the secondary event for the holiday weekend. Easter is trump. I had to design the GF set to work on the same stage as Easter's. Much of Easter's design lived upstage of the closed mid traveler. The rest was hidden behind a temporary curtain made out of strips of RoseBrand Black Duvetyn. The double intent was to create a black void of negative space to allow the story focal points to pop.
They did. It was a powerful service.
*The frames were shipped to each of our five campuses in trailers; and therefore had to be shipped in 4 pieces and assembled at each location. The scrim was then stretched over cardboard and stapled into place.
**Because of the tight timeline (only a few hours!) that our portable campuses had for setting up and programming we rented 4 Martin Mac250s for every campus. This allowed us to fine tune our cues (specifically the nuanced cues for the poses) at Troy Campus' rehearsal and send a cue sheet and photos to the campuses. This let them quickly program in those values and be 95% there.
***We used no haze for this service. That's very rare for us, as haze is a prominent part of our brand. I wanted to create a sense of focus on what was being lit, rather than the beams of light.
For Kensington's Good Friday service this year, there was a powerful moment at the end where live poses portraying scenes from the crucifixion were revealed. Until that moment, the audience had been taken on an artistic journey from walking in to simple beauty with a simple stage containing only a decorated table, a piano and string section, some candles, and screen.
The screen was the key to the design. It was the focal point for a powerful video early on in the day. It also supported songs and teaching with graphics with lyrics and scripture projected on it. However if that was all that it was used for, we would've just used a standard video screen.
Our screen was a custom frame for a RoseBrand Gray Sharkstooth Scrim. The *frame was built out of plywood and wrapped in Burgundy Pinched Taffeta for color and texture. The interior dimension was 19' wide and maintained a perfect 16:9 ratio for projection.
Behind the scrim was a 32" high 20'x8' stage with a cross (capable of supporting an actor) that rose 10' above that. Scrim is a magical material. It behaves much like a standard soft good when lit from the front. However, with only a simple lighting cue, actors are revealed in a stunning way.
The trick to achieving a Renaissance inspired scene is less **light, not more...
The Good Friday service is really only the secondary event for the holiday weekend. Easter is trump. I had to design the GF set to work on the same stage as Easter's. Much of Easter's design lived upstage of the closed mid traveler. The rest was hidden behind a temporary curtain made out of strips of RoseBrand Black Duvetyn. The double intent was to create a black void of negative space to allow the story focal points to pop.
They did. It was a powerful service.
*The frames were shipped to each of our five campuses in trailers; and therefore had to be shipped in 4 pieces and assembled at each location. The scrim was then stretched over cardboard and stapled into place.
**Because of the tight timeline (only a few hours!) that our portable campuses had for setting up and programming we rented 4 Martin Mac250s for every campus. This allowed us to fine tune our cues (specifically the nuanced cues for the poses) at Troy Campus' rehearsal and send a cue sheet and photos to the campuses. This let them quickly program in those values and be 95% there.
***We used no haze for this service. That's very rare for us, as haze is a prominent part of our brand. I wanted to create a sense of focus on what was being lit, rather than the beams of light.
Creative Director | Process Architect. Design Strategist. Leadership Coach.