Preparing a (voluntary) Theatre Lighitng Course

[ace]

Hey Guys,

 

I am in the process of putting together a 10 week course to introduce members of a community theatre to stage lighting. I know that there is a great deal of expertise in the blue-room in terms of teaching and lighting and so I thought I would ask for some of your thoughts here!

 

I am very happy with preparing the introduction, safety, how equipment works etc but I am looking for advice on how to teach the creative side of stage lighting whilst leting them learn by trying, which is particularily tricky as I wont have any actors or shows to work with! I do however have acess to a drama studio with plenty of lighting equipment.

 

Firstly I want them to think about lighting from a script and so I am looking for a three or four short plays or scenes from a larger play which contrast each other and that I can give to the participants in order to get them to think about the mood and atmoshpere that they would require and to start thinking about how to light it. Can anyone suggest any suitable texts, ideally they want to be fun too.

 

Secondly later in the course I am going to split the participants into two groups and get one group to read through a script on stage while the other group design, hang and plot the lighting to go with it and then swap the groups around. Could anyone suggest a short text which could be simply read by a group on stage (without much movement), which would offer the interest and flexibility to enable the group lighting it to have something to play with? Ideally should be around 10 minutes long - perhaps an opportunity for lighting people in different areas of the stage at different times would be good. There would be about 5 people on stage who will definatley have no acting skills and no props or costumes!

 

Finally I am looking for some good ideas and exercises that I can use to give each of the participants the opportunity to plot some states on the desk. I am thinking of giving them a piece of music and asking them to write a 'light show' to fit with the music (Probably about 5 lighting states total from a standard rig). Has anyone got any other ideas for tasks which work well in this environment?

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Chris

[Jivemaster]

What about getting some photographs of scenes and reverse engineering the lights from the pic and discussion why that effect came from that lantern.

 

What about getting a dummy head (wig stand?) and lighting it?

[paulears]

Who are the people, what do they already know, what is their current lighting skill and knowledge and most critically - how old are they.

 

To design a programme that will stretch them, make them feel they've achieved something and gained a genuinely useful skill set, the work they do needs to have purpose. Even the most keen lighting person would soon tire of spending an hour hanging lights, take them down and doing it again if there isn't a proper purpose or realistic scenario. What exactly are you thinking of covering in the sessions. As in when they ask what they're doing next week, is there a cunning plan, or just more of the same but a bit different.

 

If they are not natural lighting people, lighting can be tiresome and often downright boring. Experimentation and control seem very popular. Rigging and electrical theory are the bits that drag - as are safety talks without context.

 

If they are retired electricians, you'll have lots of electrical based questions. If they're art based people, they'll get confused by our primaries and secondaries being swapped, and if they're design based then they'll be interested in aesthetics. Knowing the people is pretty critical to plan for their needs. If you plan generically - then 50% will say how good it was, and the other 50% will say it was rubbish.

[indyld]

There are few ways to do this, including the reverse engineering of photographs or even paintings, but if you fancy a text:

 

Instead of looking for a short text to work from (finding one that gives you all your lighting related stuff for learning in one hit is hard), consider writing a 3 - 4 scene synopsis of a few short scenes including some blocking and plenty of lighting "things" for them to find. Not having to deal with a full dialogue makes the analysis more succinct and means that no one actually has to "act". If you want to throw a few lines in to help set the lighting scenario or prompt for specific requirements then all well and good.

 

This can all then be rigged, focused and plotted into the desk while a series of tableaux are played out and the cues and transitions ran through.

 

I do this regularly with different groups, my current first years came in with a plan/paperwork they had put together during a previous 2 hour session, rigged focused and plotted two groups worth of show - all in two hours. I don't suggest you go for that kind of timing, as it was an exercise in planning and speed of execution (they did ok seeing as how they had only been doing lighting for a few weeks by then), but these things take less time than you might think. Or, it's too drawn out and people lose focus.

 

I was casually wondering the length of the sessions that last over 10 weeks. I take undergraduates through from scratch to their first lighting design in about 8 weeks with 2 x 2 hours a week of lectures/workshops (plus self study, of course). 10 weeks sounds like a lot of time for a mixed community group, so I assume you are looking at 2 hours a week? As Paul says, attention will wane with those not actually that into it if it drags over an extended period.

 

When I go into drama societies I often do 6 - 7 hours and we get through the basics, both practical and design-y exercises.

 

Edit to add: Following on from what Paul says about your group, I did a group mainly made up of Directors and their solution to every lighting problem was to change the blocking to suit the lights. If only that happened in reality....

[kerry davies]

Painting With light by John Alton (Janos Altman) is my personal starting point as it explains in simple terms what lights are for, what they do and how to use them. Though primarily a film lighting guide and being terribly out of date, as far as the technology goes, I have yet to find a simpler, more understandable introduction as it starts from a single lantern and builds from ground zero.

 

I don't think that starting off with any theoretical or paperwork exercises works with non-specialist groups and have found that groups can use their imaginations to devise sketches containing basic "moods" which may be lit appropriately. It is also good to let them light scenes inappropriately so that the Wicked Witch ends up looking like Dorothy as they learn a lot from "mistakes".

 

The more hands-on time they can get the better and following a basic H&S induction, things like safety, electrical awareness, working practice and housekeeping can be built in to enhance the everyday nature and usefulness rather than as a stand-alone topic. (Pet hate; safety as something separate.)

 

Paulears makes the basic point about teaching anything which is "Never be boring". Make it as much fun as possible, particularly with community groups. When one has an expertise it is too easy to become an anorak and bore everyone with less knowledge to death. Never forget how little you knew before you began your journey.

[paulears]

The audience is the most important factor. Read them poorly and learning doesn't work. So under or over their level are both proper barriers to learning. Mixed ability groups even worse. I remember asking a Blue Room member to talk to a group of visitors about the 3D system he was using. He explained about the zillions of lumens, the loss going through the polarisers, the 90 degree difference between each one so polarisation matched that found in the glasses, he explained about the fact that the 3D files were constructed in real time and didn't exist as a combined 3D image until projected - and gave a brilliant explanation of toe in to achieve the perception of changing distance. A top class presentation, with very detailed facts. The only snag? They were brownies. I said "do you want to see the genie?". It's so easy to do when you know your subject.Throttling back and simplifying is quite difficult - as is finding suitable explanations that will work - even having to bend physics a little to get the point across.

[gordontech]

Most success I have had for this kind of thing is limiting theoretical knowledge untill they have had a bit of hands on experience.

 

 

Last time I did a community basics thing I rigged a par can to a hot supply and turned off all the lights in the room. I then got a an actor friend (amazingly I have one) to repeat a few lines from a random play. If you let them walk around with the par can (and gloves obviously) they will see the difference the angle has on the perception of the words.

 

 

Only think I can immediately without daydreaming back to my community days

 

 

All the best

[andy_s]

If you are looking for a good text to work on, you could have a look at the poker game, scene three from A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams. This is quite cinemaric in construction, and "jump cuts" from kitchen to bedroom to outside the apartment so you need lighting changes to move the audience's focus by highlighting esch area as required, and a very different lighting feel is required for the kitchen as opposed to the bedroom. A "set" can easily be mocked up by using any old table and chairs, and something for a bed... if you have a window flat for the bedroom, so much the better. The author's ideas about lighting are there in the stage directions and need to be taken into consideration, but additionally there is plenty of scope for designer's input. There are half a dozen speaking parts, but they are fairly static - 4 people playing poker, two women in the bedroom, with a bit oof movement between the areas, so minimal "direction" required. The other thing that I've found useful to bear in mind is - don't use too long an extract - especially if you don't have experienced actors to say the lines. The first three or four pages of this scene should give you enough to work on., and would be about three or maybe four minutes duration.

[the kid]

I remember one of the 1st things I did as a student was using one of each light, light a scene from "The Crucible".

 

With rigging are you doing stands or a full rig?

 

 

Music wise perhaps something orchestral from a film, lights to "star wars" etc.

[Jivemaster]

Simply watch a film together -almost any film, and reverse engineer the lighting. Dark bits, light bits, study the direction of the lighting. Then try to emulate a scene, place the characters and the camera/audience and then place the lights to give the effect.

 

Let them do something, then go through the technical and H&S aspects, If you want a lamp there what will it hang from where will the wire go, who will trip over it will anything get hot or burned.

[kerry davies]

To reinforce Jivemasters post, yes almost any film will do though my choice is Alton again and his black and white film noir. His B&W noir films, like The Big Combo or T-Men, are so simply lit they are almost visual text-books for LX.

 

Some stills are available at http://www.celtoslavica.de/chiaroscuro/dop/alton.html which show his innovation, now standard practice, of placing the most light furthest from the viewer to draw the audience 'into' the scene and his use of haze to accentuate mood.

[Jivemaster]

I'll challenge Kerry on that! Suggesting that the participants bring their own DVD -something that includes them in the discussion rather than something that lets them out of the learning process.

[Junior8]

And when I think I was roundly chastised on this very forum for suggesting film lighting as a way in not many months ago...

 

As for the OP there are some good ideas suggested but for me the question can only be answered if we know why they have signed up and what they hope to get from it. My own preference - if the equipment is available - is for floor stands and a few lanterns with plenty of colours available used in the context of groups working through the production of a short script. I always wrote these myself by the way and made them as ludicrous and off the wall as possible so they were seen simply as a bit of fun means to an end.

[Krislights]

And when I think I was roundly chastised on this very forum for suggesting film lighting as a way in not many months ago...

 

As for the OP there are some good ideas suggested but for me the question can only be answered if we know why they have signed up and what they hope to get from it. My own preference - if the equipment is available - is for floor stands and a few lanterns with plenty of colours available used in the context of groups working through the production of a short script. I always wrote these myself by the way and made them as ludicrous and off the wall as possible so they were seen simply as a bit of fun means to an end.

 

Thinking back. To your original question. John Sienbeck. "Of mice and men" One of the classics. Shots thru California sunsets, Gobo and shadow work. Day and night. Don't try musicals yet. Don't let them run before they can walk...But if they want to have a go at tunes, "our day out" Willy Russell. Or in at the deep end, "Grease" it's as big or small as you make it, without too much colateral damage. (old fashioned glee). Or a big Challenge.." into the woods." Sondhiem. That should give them a run for their money! music from hell. Film lighting, West side story. Don't diss any particular generic form of lighting, It's all relevant. 4 profiles and 6 fresnels, or the entite stock of SLX. doesn't matter.