oli Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 hey can anyone give my a hand on my lighting design for my a level work!?! it looks like it is going to be a story about father/daughter relationships set in the 19th century! what kind of lights should I be looking to use and what effects? cheersoli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Hi Oli What kind of style is the piece in? Is it stylized, naturalistic, minimalist? I only ask as the lighting should reflect the general overview of the piece - if the production is going to have an arty, surreal feel to the piece, then I would be inclinded to do the same with the lighting - instead of having a General Stage Wash, I'd probably light the performers in pools (with 3 profiles, focused hard from behind, top and perhaps a 60? front light for some nice dramatic shadows on that face), which sometimes can help distingius between characters, relationships etc. Just an initial thought! Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oli Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 Thanx for that!! Its a naturalistic piece about a man who re-marries after the death of his original wife and then starts to see resemblances between his niece and ex wife. He gradually becomes more and more of a recluse until his older brother has to move up from london to take over the family business!!pretty poor really but then the actors in my group decided that as im only a "technician" I dont get to have a say on da piece!! I was thinkin of a quite dark dingy light with like you said lots of shadowy faces> Wht lights would you suggest for this? cheers oli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Dingy breakup gobos with split chocolate/green gell are a nice way of protraying interior victoriana.. How about bumping up the level of the scene every time the neice enters, literaly having her brighten up the room - could do the same with the ex wife as well if she enters... You could make that a theme if the director likes, have the level of stage illumination inversly proportional to his depression....... Just a thought. Have fun! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oli Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 thanx ever so much this is really helping me!!!you guys are a legends!! anymore ideas greatly appreciated!! oli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 pretty poor really but then the actors in my group decided that as im only a "technician" I dont get to have a say on da piece!! A common attitude. But if you each stick with your chosen route, you'll be the one with a real job while 99% of them work in a call centre or similar while "resting..." The real question is: what have you got? What's the space you're performing in like? Is it Pros Arch, in the round, open stage, etc? What lighting equipment have you got? How many dimmers? Do you have access to most gel colours or just a limited selection? It'll help us to help you if you let us know. Finally, read some books: the Francis Reid Stage Lighting book is good, and the Nigel Morgan. If you read fast - it's a big book) the Richard Pilbrow book Stage Lighting Design is great. See also the books thread pinned in this forum. You may be able to get them from the Library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex64 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Its a naturalistic piece about a man who re-marries after the death of his original wife and then starts to see resemblances between his niece and ex wife. He gradually becomes more and more of a recluse until his older brother has to move up from london to take over the family business!!pretty poor really but then the actors in my group decided that as im only a "technician" I dont get to have a say on da piece!! You must have some buggers in your group if they won't allow you to have a say on the piece! Like Bryson says what sort of size stage are you using and what equipment do you have? Let me know and I'd be happy to throw some ideas your way. PM me with any queries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techno_Monkey Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 pretty poor really but then the actors in my group decided that as im only a "technician" I dont get to have a say on da piece!! I had this problem in my A level drama wxam and I couldnt disagree more! I think you should point out (if its not to late) that you should be able to have a little input ino the piece so that you can also show off your talent. I believe you are marked mainly on your design, and the actors on their acting not the writting of the piece, I believe that part should be equal between yourself and the rest of the 'group' as you are not just there to light them! it is as much your piece as it is theirs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 pretty poor really but then the actors in my group decided that as im only a "technician" I dont get to have a say on da piece!!Ah yes I was in exactly the same situation 2 years ago while doing my A2 in Theatre Studies - I seem to remember a screaming match ensured my opinion was most defintely listened too. You have to make your prescence felt a little bit because if I remember rightly your given two grades, one on the overall piece (as a group) and then one for your own personal performance, so if it's crap, then it shows up on your grade too - which is a pain in the neck. For shadowy faces, you can't go wrong with a bit of footlight action - perhaps some Floorcans if you don't have footlight battens, with some depressing type gel in, perhaps a L204 / L156 split? then if you knocked down the intensity of the FOH you'd get a lit person, but a nice dramatic shadow on the face - depending how dramatic you want, raise or lower the intensity of the footlight to match. Experiment as well BTW, it'll help you gain a visual understanding of it all! Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris512 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I seem to have had a completely different experience with my AS level drama exam!!! luckily I got a chance to work with actors who had worked at my local youtheatre as well and they completely understood the role of the technican. when it came to our devised piece it was my orginal idea that we as a group worked off, but it meant that we all got great marks and still work together on projects! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oli Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 the funny thing is that one of the guys in my group has worked on the Secret Garden (RSC), Les Mis and on television so you would hope he would have a bit of respect!!ah well!!! the theatre space is basically a third of our theatre space so stage will be about 5m by 9m! I Have access to four dimmers, a few source4's parcans all types some p137' (crap). I also can order any gels etc from stage electrics and they are only like 20 mins away so it will get delivered relatively quickly. you guys are such a big help thanx oli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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