How to get into the business

[lightingyoung]

Hi all,

 

I have been involved with light since I was 10, now am 17 and about to go to uni and study lighting. I apply for centre and Rose bruford but I was not excepted . this was because I am not very academic and I am very dyslexic. Do you feel that this will stop me getting a job in the further.

 

Many thanks.

[Jivemaster]

You will have great problems doing the academic work, even with PC and spell checkers etc. so degree level may offer you great challenges, as there is total dependance on written work for grades.

 

There is no reason why you should not approach a lighting career via the practical route, apply for a job as a cable coiler with a big company and try to grow in repute within the company, gaining experience along the way. The design, and "painting with light" aspects may well be within your skill range.

[mattyfish]

Don't ever loose sight of your dream job (sounds cheesy) just because you have dyslexia. I have dyslexia and I have to work hard at particular subjects to keep up but just gotta put extra effort in to make it work.

 

Dyslexia can be seen as a benefit, not a disability because our minds think in a more visual way, therefore are good at assessing particular situations, spaces etc. I know a consultant Dr that are dyslexic, doesn't stop him from doing his job. Richard Branson (not that I'm totally impressed with Virgin Media and Trains!?) is dyslexic. Leonardo DaVinci (perhaps a better example!) was also dyslexic.

 

Just don't ever see dyslexia as something that can not be worked round/used as an advantage.

[paulears]

To the best of my knowledge, none of the further and higher education establishments have a problem with dyslexia - however maybe if they could not read your application they might have decided you didn't try to sort it out - your post here doesn't quite make sense, so not being able to use the correct word is a problem pretty well anywhere. If you are not suited to academic study, that's fine - but RB isn't an academic centre, it's a very practical one?

 

Your post says you are about to go to uni - which one are you heading for - maybe we can give you some pointers. The good news is that most industry technical people don't find dyslexia a problem - it's more of an issue in a textual world like forums, than in work.

[DomB]

I am also very Dyslexic but it was not something schools acknowledged when I was as school, I was considered a slow learner or a trouble maker at school. It was not until I was 25 returning to college as a mature student that I was diagnosed as very dyslexic. It has never stopped me working or going back to college but you have to give yourself extra time to plan work and most colleges and university's can offer extra reading & writing classes to help you with studies.

 

So don't think of it as something that will hold you back, just accept it and find ways to work with it. Despite not being the most academic person I have learnt on the job and got a HND with some help.

 

 

DomB

[Pete McCrea]

Could you do a gap year seeking work in theatres/events and then try and get in next year, possibly with assistance from the relevant support bodies? That way you might well gain even more experience, and possibly improve your application process.

 

Ultimately you don't need a qualification in lighting to succeed. If you have the natural skills and ability, then the exeperience is worth just as much.

[nicfar]

Hi

Just joined the forum and I was hoping for some help.

I'm still at school and am hoping to go into a career in lighting design, operation and anything to do with the whole area of lighting. Having recently spoken to a local theatre technician I asked him for some advice in getting into the business. He said that doing a specialist degree in lighting design was not a very good idea and advised trying to find odd jobs and work to help integrate myself into the business.

 

So what I am really asking is has anyone got any tips or points on getting into this area of work.

 

many thanks

nic

 

Moderation: moved to training section where it's been added to a recent, similar topic - remember - Google is your friend

Moderation: ...and look at the FAQ. The very first FAQ entry is "I’m at school and want to get into the technical entertainment industry. Where should I begin?"

[Jonny DMX]

I would disagree with the technician you spoke to, it may well be because he did not do a degree in lighting design and therefore thinks they are of no use?

 

My advice, having been though the same process in my mind when I was you age, would be to get as much experience as you can. Help out at you local theater or amdram group and ask if you can join an out of school theater group, these types of groups are often crying out for young thechies to bring through the ranks. Do as much as you can and go out of your way to get involved. Although don't try and run before you can walk, I know we've all done it and its easy to do, but you'll get more respect and more work if you are prepared to listen and take advice from people older and more experienced than yourself.

 

I have recently graduated from Uni on an entertainment industry related course (although not strictly lighting 'design') and cannot recommend it highly enough. Again the key thing is experience and the more you have the better you will be. Don't think that doing a drama degree or even a lighting design degree and just doing the work that is required will make you a lighting designer or even qualified to hang the lights! You need to do the extra work that you can only gain from going out and doing the work. However having a degree is a great thing to have and you will learn a lot, meet a lot of people and was a very big part of me bing where I am today. I'm sure all of my colleagues from Uni will agree with and would recommend a degree course in a subject you enjoy - lets face it if you enjoy the work you'll be more likely to do it.

 

(by the way I did the Sound, Light and Live Event Technology course at Derby - PM Simon Lewis from this forum for any info. If you want a more theater lighting design based course then the Central School of Speech and Drama do a very good degree I hear)

 

Hope that is of some use, best of luck.

 

Jonny

[cedd]

I seem to remember the Guild Hall did a technical course that had very low student numbers (so you need to be good) but the course itself looked fantastic.

Alternatively the National Theatre (or was it the NYT? I always forget!) do a summer school for about 6 weeks (in the summer funnily enough!) which involves as far as I remember, staging a show at the end of it and getting tuition from professionals who are where you want to end up. Following the summer school you can get involved in productions throughout the year, in effect it's your induction, but is residential and seems like a good laugh aside of the serious theatre work. You have to audition (interview, but it's held alongside the auditions for cast members) and if the entrants from my region are anything to go by, if you know how to screw in a lamp, they'll lap you up! Take a nice portfolio of your work.

In the end I turned it down as my current "day job" turned up and couldn't be allowed to slip away.

 

Actually on that last subject, keep a record of everything you light. Photos, plots, scripts. It all makes up a nice portfolio showing exactly what you can do.

 

Whilst I am not dyslexic, my partner in crime (I'm sound, he's lighting) is heavily dyslexic. It does take him a while to get through his scripts but he takes them home, spends a couple of evenings infront of the telly flicking through and produces some of the best lighting in our region at the end of it. During the show he's queued by the SM so little reading there and interestingly, though I don't know what you'll find, he can read the LCD of the desk or the TFT monitor without a problem.

It won't be a barrier once you're in the job. It's just getting there via college/ uni that will take the graft, though it's hardly ever an issue as long as they know about it.

 

All the best

[svincent]

hi all

 

interesting subject you have here

 

I am 17 and dyslexic

im studying production at the BRIT school in croydon (accosiated with the BRIT awards etc etc)

production is a tecnical theater course where you provide tecnical support for all the other strands (music, theater, musical theater, dance) you do everything rigging, SM, DSM, LX, sound, set design, anything backstage we do it

 

they have great resorces for learning and its a free school ( the only free performing arts school I think)

all the tutors have been in the buisness for a long time for example our production maniger was the fly master for chitty chitty bang bang and has loads of connections

 

I'm still in my first year and already I've got work through them as a freelancer and stuff

 

I would reccoment it highly and from there places like RB and LIPA love you because its such a good cource

at the end you get a BTEC in the areas you want

 

its a collage age cource but you can join between 16 and 18 or 19 im not sure but its a great cource for experienced and unexperienced young technicians

 

click here for there website

 

check out the production bit and project 25 which is photos of what the school does and stuff

 

hope this helped

svincent :unsure:

[gareth]

It's been said before many times on this forum - and I'm sure someone would say it in response to your post eventually, svincent, so I'll go right ahead - there's a perfectly good spellchecker built into this forum, and being dyslexic doesn't prevent you from using it. And stuff.

[svincent]

Just to correct my earlier post on this its project 195 not 25

 

and yes Gareth I do realise there's a spellcheck and if you look at other posts I do use it but I'm afraid when I did my post last time and also this time I dont have a lot of time but wanted to have my say anyway .

 

I apologise for not using it and will do in future posts

[3pens]

I did a degree in Technical Theatre and on my first couple of freelance jobs I found that I was the only one who had.

 

The industry is changing as there are now more and more specific technical courses. I think that the non University route is a valid one and I know many people who have been successful without going to Uni. In my experience I made a lot of contacts whilst at University. As the Uni I went to have a very successful MA directing program a lot of my first designs were with those students. To be honest I don't think there is that much in it. If you want to be a lighting designer then I would recommend University. As Francis Reid said 'Lighting designers should not necessarily be people of great technical skill but they should be well read creative artists' or something along those lines. If you want to be a technician then perhaps an electrical qualification would be more suitable? I know lots of London Theatre's who would snap you up if you had a completed city and guilds qualification. Also many of those theatres offer aprenticeships.

 

Good Luck! There really isn't a right or a wrong way. As your still young pic a course that's non specific, you never know you might even find that you want to do sound or carpentry after a while. Choose a general skills course that can offer you the opertunity to try differant things. Or if your definately sure that Lighting is your speciality then look at the city and guilds course's.

[nicfar]

I did a degree in Technical Theatre and on my first couple of freelance jobs

 

Hi 3pens,

 

Would you mind specifying what course you did and where. Also did you find it easy to get a job after leaving uni?

 

Many thanks,

 

nic

[3pens]

I did a degree in Technical Theatre and on my first couple of freelance jobs

 

Hi 3pens,

 

Would you mind specifying what course you did and where. Also did you find it easy to get a job after leaving uni?

 

Many thanks,

 

nic

 

I went to Middlesex (which was very non specific and run along side the drama and theatre arts course). Middlesex has a really good graduates network. It really is who you know not what you know (so many people fail to inderstand this).

I took me about a year after graduating to get regular work. I also know classmates who are still looking for work. However Middlesex Graduates are working at:

 

The roundhouse

The Bush theatre (me)

The comedy Store (mostly Middlesex University Graduates)

DV8

ENO

The Royal Opera House (My housemate Ria)

The Place

The Lion King (at the Lyceum)

Jacksons lane

The Young Vic

The New Vic (me mate Pete)

Whitelight

Chickenshed

and loads of events companies

 

 

Thats just a list of the people I know in my year and the years above and below me.

 

 

It was not a specific course and it covered Props, Costume, Video including video editing, lighting , sound and construction.

 

We were just given the kit and a challenge and then we were very much on our own, Middlesex is what you make it although I suppose most University courses are as opposed to drama school tech courses where you are tutored and led by the lecturing staff.

 

That format did make me a very proactive individual which was very useful for finding work.