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“is it possible for a performer to control there own lighting and what


jamo.21

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Hey, I am posting this up here to see if you could help me. I am currently studying lighting programming and I am doing research for my Dissertation. The question that I am writing about is, “Is it possible for a performer to controltheir own lighting and what impact does that have on the performance andtechnical and creative team? “. So I am asking if any one has every thought about, looked in to or tried this, even if they someone or somewhere it has been tired or used. Any information into this would be really help full. either post your answers on here or email me directly on jamo.21@hotmail.co.uk Thank for you time.

cheers

james

 

 

 

 

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It's perfectly possible and plenty of people do it quite successfully - I know one Abba Tribute who tour a load of Robe kit and the piano player doesn't actually play - it's on track, and his white stage piano contains a control, which he plays while singing live. I have to say it works fine - the lighting is always musically sensitive and is always very tight. The problem comes when the reason for performers doing it is simply cost. A floor panel with a few step through pre-programmed states isn't in the same league. You also need to consider that not all performers can actually play and prod at the same time? I know how to play the drums, and I've got two drum kits in the studio - but I'd never call myself a drummer because I cannot do different things with all my limbs. I can't dance either! So if I play the drums, I suddenly notice my left foot stopped. Starting it again makes something else stop! Can somebody singing an intense ballad remember to stamp on the third switch from the left at the start of the instrumental section? Some will be able to, some won't. When I read music, I have to concentrate. No way I can cope with doing even simple tasks at the same time.

 

My concern would be that depending on circumstances, having a performer operate lighting while performing could compromise their performance?

 

There are also practical reason why it's difficult. Floor boards are not mobile, so are more suited to fixed musicians - so the keyboard player maybe, possible the guitarists - however, anyone who's style is to move around, or dance or whatever cannot be in the correct place to trigger the lights. It also means pre-programming for any floor controlled use - my Abba example is one where he can have direct manual control and do wonderful things on the fly - fade times and effects can flow as maybe the chat lengths change, or to cover mistakes - like an extra chorus unplanned, or a guitarist breaking a string and not taking a solo. Step through lighting can never be this fluid - especially when it goes wrong.

 

Economics dictates it will happen, but it's limited. Where you have a band with a click track - do you give the start button to the MD or the sound man? I always give it to the MD because then it will be timed musically - pressing go on cue isn't always right!

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It also means pre-programming for any floor controlled use - my Abba example is one where he can have direct manual control and do wonderful things on the fly - fade times and effects can flow as maybe the chat lengths change, or to cover mistakes - like an extra chorus unplanned, or a guitarist breaking a string and not taking a solo. Step through lighting can never be this fluid - especially when it goes wrong.

 

The down side in Paul's example is that you get freedom to light but you fix the music as the piano is pre-recorded. I think I would prefer to see/hear a band where they can play live even if they are limited to pre-programmed lighting states.

 

 

I have worked on shows where at some point the cast have had lights, either hand held or on their hats, that they use to light themselves or other members of the cast and so they could be said to have control over the lighting.

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Mr Hippy is quite correct! However, it does rather depend on the cast. Godspell was my very first show when I became a teacher, and the bathroom pull switches soon became props and we let the lighting op do it. Rather ruins my line that the cast can work the lights. Some could of course, but others were simply incapable of pulling a string on cue!
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In my world of Amateur theatre, if an actor does some action that is supposed to have a technical reaction, then I'll link the two together. So light switches work. Most recently the director said "that door opens out to a howling gale", so when the door opened, you heard the gale. Of course, I have safetys and overrides, and its all cuelist driven to make sure that wrong things cant happen...
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If by the actors controlling the light you think in a more artistic way, you can do very clever things using position mapping and triggers with software such as Isadora, so as a perfomer moves around a space different things can happen with light. This is more performance art than theatre, but would sometimes come in useful in dance.
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While I was at Uni, a couple of students asked if they could do something similar and we managed to rig up the drum kit to send midi signals to the desk with each drum giving a different colour. It worked, but a full set would be quite boring.
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  • 4 months later...

Although this topic is several months old, and so this is probably not relevant to the OP, I thought I'd add it anyway for any future readers.

 

If anyone happened to see the Gadget Show Live, the show featured a competition between presenters Pollyanna and Ortis to stage a tech-filled sing off. Ortis' show features him controlling a laser using and ipad app

 

video

 

and Gadget show coverage, including lead up to the event, here

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