SceneMaster Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Hi, I've been ringing universities/colleges that do Lighting Design courses and they have mostly said that there requirement is ART! (a few do technical lighting but this is more the equipment design and not the actual show design which is what I want to do even thought I find this interesting I am useless at the conventional art subject you do at A level and GCSE as I can't draw and really have no interest in art. So how come they ask for this? I know lighting is an art but so is Drama and Music. How can art help you in lighting design apart from being able to draw you ideas. Conventional art at my level will only really teach you one useful thing to do with lighting and that is color mixing. Doesn’t Technical Drama count for anything and the fact that examiners have seen your work and said they like it (they have at one point been directors who we are all working for). My point is that that to get to do lighting design at a course you have to be artistic but you can be artistic without art (even though it is a good indicator that you are artistic but all my shows in the past have looked good and been artistic and that is not just my view) Can any one suggest what I should do to get onto a course which will teach me how to become a Lighting designer (even though it has to come I think naturally to any person thinking of doing lighting which tit does for me) without art as a requirement? Maybe the technical lighting which doesn’t ask for art will teach design as well as the technical stuff? And if I did this course would still be able to become a LD. People who haven’t done art as a subject for GCSE or A Level and are or have recently studied Lighting Design in the view of becoming a LD may be able to help me. (I also know of the Tea making way but I would really like to got to university and get a degree in Lighting Design) Any help will be appreciated. :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Hi Scenemaster. A requirement for Art seems slightly odd. Which institutions have you been looking at? Are you sure you're not looking into the Theatre Design courses. These are generally for people who want to go on to become set designers, costume, etc. I've put together a list of all the technical courses available - here. One of the courses, Rose Brufords, is an actual Lighting Design course, with the others taking various titles from Stage Management to Sound, Light and Live Event Technology. All of them will include aspects of lighting design. Don't forget that its sometimes useful to have skills other than directly "lighting design" ones - if you were working on a small scale tour, you might have to rig and plot your own show. I'm sure others will agree that someone who knows a little about all the theatrical departments will be much more employable than one who claims to be a master of one area. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 You certainly do not need to do a course in Lighting Design to become a lighting designer. The concept of a specific course in lighting design is a relatively new idea. Very few (None?) of todays top designers did specific courses. I'd say most either did general Stage Management / Technical courses or not even that. They learnt their skills by assisting other LDs. I would certainly agree with Peter that (in my opinion) you are much better off with some all round skills. It's not just small scale stuff where you'll have to get you hands dirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I did art and was able to do it almost entirely through photography, which was actually very useful for lighting. Although I suspect an art qualification is a useful thing to have, I'd be very suprised if any institutions demanded it for a lighting design course. There is a little bit of life drawing on the LX course at Rosie B, and a very occasional need to storyboard designs for projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmonk Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Don't forget that its sometimes useful to have skills other than directly "lighting design" ones - if you were working on a small scale tour, you might have to rig and plot your own show. I'm sure others will agree that someone who knows a little about all the theatrical departments will be much more employable than one who claims to be a master of one area.I would just like to make aware that the Lighting Design Course at Rose Bruford( as it is the only Lighting Design Degree available in the UK ) does include all areas of Lighting, including Rigging, Operating, Programming, Designing, Drawing Plans, Wysiwyg and Visualisation, Elevations etc... You also interact with the other program areas ( such as SM and Scenic Construction ) and the oppertunities are there to help them out. I know its been said before but before anyone suggests that a Lighting Design Degree doesnt do any of these I jus want to make it clear that LD's at Rose Bruford dont soley do Design... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SceneMaster Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 Don't forget that its sometimes useful to have skills other than directly "lighting design" ones - if you were working on a small scale tour, you might have to rig and plot your own show. I'm sure others will agree that someone who knows a little about all the theatrical departments will be much more employable than one who claims to be a master of one area.I would just like to make aware that the Lighting Design Course at Rose Bruford( as it is the only Lighting Design Degree available in the UK ) does include all areas of Lighting, including Rigging, Operating, Programming, Designing, Drawing Plans, Wysiwyg and Visualisation, Elevations etc... You also interact with the other program areas ( such as SM and Scenic Construction ) and the oppertunities are there to help them out. I know its been said before but before anyone suggests that a Lighting Design Degree doesnt do any of these I jus want to make it clear that LD's at Rose Bruford dont soley do Design... I have to disagree with the part that says that it is the only course in the UK offering all aspects of Lighting as others I've been looking into do as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmonk Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 No SceneMaster, I said that Rose Bruford College is the only Educational Establishment that offers a BA Hons Degree in Lighting Design ( a degree in lighting design ) in the UK, and I think you will find that it IS the only Educational Establishment that offers a BA Hons Degree in Lighting Design in the UK. If you know of any other establishments then please feel free to correct me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac500 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 The use of art in the Rose Bruford course isn't just to enable you to draw your design/ concepts out. It opens your mind to a new way of thinking about composition, depth, colour and shadows. It is really useful to have that section of the course to open up your mind for a new way of thinking about design as a whole. You don't need to be a top artist, I certainly am not however just as long as you try your best in whatever you do as long as your happy with it then other peoples opinion doesn't matter. Michael B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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