WYSIWYG (who is using this "professionally")

[landoncontrol]

"first post"

 

Hi,

 

Im a full time freelance Lighting Programmer working in the industry for over ten years and I am currently learning WYSIWYG. Though I am confident learning WYSIWYG will help advance my career, Im not quite how to go about using these skills in the industry.

 

Where is WYSIWYG used regularly? What part of the industry (I.e rock, corporate, theatre etc) is WYSIWYG most used? Would I have more opportunity as a full time employe or a freelancer to use these skills?

 

I am also starting to do my own shows for my own clients. Can WYSIWYG be an effective bidding tool?

 

If you currently use WYSIWYG regularly as part of your job, what type of position do you have and what kind of company do you work for?

 

In order to get the most benefit from WYSIWYG (in terms of monetary advancement), where should I focus my efforts?

 

Thanks,

Landon

[Grum]

I'm a freelance LD and use WYG regularly.

 

Knowing how to use the software is useful but only if you use it on a regular basis. I used to use it when I worked for an installation company to show what finished venues would/could look like (this could have been done in AutoCAD but I found it quicker and easier to do in Wysiwyg). Since finishing installation work seven years ago I've purchased my own copy of WYG and use it regularly for pre-programming, viewing WYG files that I've been sent and to help me when show my ideas to clients when I'm bidding for work.

 

I only work in Rock n Roll but I know a lot of people in the corporate sector use it when bidding for work (this has the advantage of producing all the required paperwork if the quote becomes a job. Sadly, there's not too much money in theatre in the UK so not many theatres can afford to keep a license up to date even if they can justify the initial outlay for the software.

 

Knowing how to use WYG is unlikely to help get you much work, in my experience companies that use WYG have their own operators (read one person in the office that gets given all of the WYG work because they know how to use it better than anyone else). Having said that, having a skill is never going o hurt and could come in handy.

 

Where this skill really helps is if you can afford your own copy of the software (and the annual subscription fee to keep everything up to date) this means you will always have access to the software which will allow you to use it to bid for jobs. This can really help when bidding for work with a new client it means you can show them what the show will look like if they go with your design and if you do win the job you'll not only have most of the paperwork you'll need but you'll also have everything you need to start programming the show which will cut down on your production time meaning you can make your show that little bit more detailed and you have the time to try out new ideas without a member of venue staff breathing down your neck because it's late and they want to go home.

 

I also use WYG occasionally on festival sites to give me more programming time when I don't have access to the lighting rig, this is especially helpful if you're doing a slot in the dark but you've arrived on site the day of the show and won't get to see what the rig will look like in the dark until your band goes on stage.

 

In summary, it's worth learning how to use the system but don't spend too much time on it unless you're going to use it regularly.

[landoncontrol]

Thanks Grum,

 

Thanks for your quick response. Though I got a lot out of your response I must say that my goal is not necessarily just to get "more work" but rather to get better work. Or a higher paying job (freelance or not). To elevate myself to a higher standard in the industry.

 

I feel that I have reached a plateau and I have taken on WYG as an attempt to step it up. I just don't know what the next step is.

[Grum]

I guess the answer to that depends on where abouts this plateau is. Learning WYG is a good step whatever way you want to go, any extra skill is. It's just a case of how much time you want to invest in it as opposed to something else. What sector do you currently work in? Where do you want to work?

 

You use the term "better work" to put that in to context in my world that would mean working for bands with bigger budgets working in bigger venues and putting more value on the production elements however in the corporate sector it could mean working with companies that have more employees and therefore want to have bigger parties and flashier (is that a word??) presentations.

 

In my world that means a being lucky enough to land a job with a band as they are getting bigger as happened to me last year, they got their first no.1 just as I started. They'd never had an LD before and realised how much difference it made to the show having someone who knows what's about to happen. Now 18 months on I've been all over the world with them and have hardly stopped to realise how busy I've been.

 

If you're mostly working for rental companies then you're only going to be able to go as far as that company so may be you need to look far a company that does the type of work you want to do? This could well mean taking a small step back in the short term in order to build your reputation with a new company before they give you the better work you're seeking.

 

Of course, I could be getting the wrong end of the stick and by better you could mean less physical or less demanding or more office based in which case I'm the wrong person to ask as I've always done my best to run as far as possible form these types of jobs.

[mac.calder]

WYG needs a fair bit of skill before it really pays off.. and you need the talent as well... I don't use visualisers when I am asked to pitch on jobs - but I have pitched against LD's that do, with a roughly 60% success rate. A pitch is not just pretty pictures it is down to what you quote, the price point, how well you listen to the brief, how much you believe in what you are saying etc etc etc.

 

As far as pre-production... it helps to some extent... sometimes... The paperwork thing is nice, I don't like the symbols it uses by default to be honest. I am sure it can be customised, but the majority of the FP's I have been handed that were WYG'ed I found a tad harder to read.

[landoncontrol]

GRUM(What sector do you currently work in? Where do you want to work?)

Well, I live in NYC and my work pretty much runs the gamut. I do everything from High End Fashion Shows, Large Corporate presentations, Wedding, Musicals, and Rock (usually festivals or one offs. I havent broken into the touring thing but I havent really pursued it up until now and dont really know how to). There are definitely better companies I could work for at this point. In fact I have only been here in NYC full time for a year. Maybe stepping down temporarily is what I should do. I just have a hard time imagining myself going back to full time.

 

I guess in my head I imagined that simply adding WYG to my resume would open doors for me.

[Smiffy]

As you are no doubt more than aware, the fact of this industry is that you open doors for yourself, nobody and no software is going to open doors for you. I've been using WYG in various incarnations for about 15 years now, only now would I say that I have it truly mastered. And then I see renders done by others and remain utterly awestruck at what they are getting out of their systems. It's a tool. No more, no less.

 

My WYG suite pays for itself.... just. I hope that it will make some profit too when I am back in the UK with the potential of a larger market than the UAE offers me, however I doubt that it will. It will continue to be a useful tool for me, and will get used on most of my shows. Whether I can justify to my clients in the UK the advantages of paying for the pre-vis side of things remains to be seen, however for me; the paperwork, quick calculations, and peace of mind over beam angles and coverage are enough to justify using the 'basic' design element of the software forevermore.

 

Cheers

 

Smiffy

[Grum]

Beaten to it by Smiffy.

[Ashley R]

I acctually prefer Capture over WYSIWYG. I found it to be easyer to pick up from the start and the way it worked was quite logical in my mind.

 

Great tool for showing people in advance what certin things they asked for will look before they really commit heavilly to one idea. and also helps clear my mind at some points in time as I take myself on a vertual tour of the basic set layout to see if things will work.

[landoncontrol]

So the basic consensus is that its just another tool in the tool bag. Well I seem to be getting the hang of it fairly quick so Im gonna stick with it. All my current employers seem to be pretty excited about it when I mention it but my guess is its because they have never had the opportunity to integrate it into there business. (like I said, Im looking for better work).

 

Right now the majority of my "design" work ( which is about 90% of my total work) involves me reusing one of a dozen employers same inventory over and over in random places with a days notice. We walk in the day of the event, set up, and I program an hour before doors. The other 10% is me as an L2 or lower for a gig that has a real plot created by a competent LD with some kind of CAD skills. ( I've yet to see wysiwyg used on a gig but that just might be from my "view" if you know what I mean) .

 

Every time I work one of those 10% gigs it reminds me that Im not really an "LD" yet. Don't get me wrong, I've done a lot of big shows that looked amazing, went super smooth, and I rock the HOG. But those 10% LDs got the gig because they are thought of as a "Designer". So if I add something like WYG to my repertoire it could help change current and future employers perception of my experience and roll I play in the industry.

 

When the day comes that I am able to get paid for just my design alone, I will know that I have made a big jump closer to where I want to be. Im not sure what the ultimate position is yet but when Im clearing 6 figures Im sure Ill be close.