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Researching A Professional


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I have been given a task to research a lighting designer and am interested in finding out more about David Hersey. This task is for my college course and needs to be as in-depth as possible. I would appreciate as much assistance with this project as possible.
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Join the ALD, and to be honest - buy the books, they're well worth their cost.

 

ALSO - Your college librarians probably are sitting on a badge of money set aside for buying requested study materials, but nobody bothers to do proper research any more, preferring the hugely inaccurate stuff on the web that only proper research reveals to be duff!

 

Seriously though - the web is FULL of stuff on Hersey and I'm surprised you can't find what you need. Of course this means probably researching his shows too, to see the reviews who always speak about his tricks and techniques - talking about the lighting, not him by name. Look at the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet and National Theatre.

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When I used to travel around the Country verifying BTEC National Diplomas I got presented with some lighting stuff, and the teacher told me how impressed she was with the student. It was pretty good stuff - about Francis Reid, as it happened. I said "shame about the spelling mistake on the next page?" She looked confused and turned the page to reveal Fresnel, spelled "Freshnel". She asked how I knew. Simple - it was a post of mine from the Blue Room. years ago where I had meant to fix a typo and forgot.

 

With school, college and university work, we quite like people telling us what they've done and asking specific questions on things they don't quite get - but we really hate posting material that just gets lifted and used to gain marks with less effort than we put in typing it!

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When I used to travel around the Country verifying BTEC National Diplomas I got presented with some lighting stuff, and the teacher told me how impressed she was with the student. It was pretty good stuff - about Francis Reid, as it happened. I said "shame about the spelling mistake on the next page?" She looked confused and turned the page to reveal Fresnel, spelled "Freshnel". She asked how I knew. Simple - it was a post of mine from the Blue Room. years ago where I had meant to fix a typo and forgot.

 

With school, college and university work, we quite like people telling us what they've done and asking specific questions on things they don't quite get - but we really hate posting material that just gets lifted and used to gain marks with less effort than we put in typing it!

We need to get a 'like' button on this forum :)

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Don't confine your research to online stuff - there's a lot in print from years ago which might (but probably doesn't) exist online. Aside from the chapter in Pilbrow's book already mentioned, try to get hold of some of the relevant issues of Lighting & Sound International. There was a period of time in the 1980s/90s when David lit pretty much every musical going into the West End, and L&SI did a big write-up on most of them.

 

And don't confine your research to his lighting design work - his company DHA developed a range of gobos which now form the backbone of the Rosco gobo range, and the DLC (look it up!) was also a very influential lighting tool in its day.

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I think it was DH's lighting in Miss Saigon that made me like that show so much - just a way of doing it that I'd not seen before and was pretty impressed with.

 

In my humble opinion, the lighting on the new version is good, but contemporary and lacking the wow factor the old one had, although in fairness, they've dirtied down the show and made it more realistic and less cabaret in places - but that was I think a mistake. I saw it and came away disappointed in the recreation, and it didn't last too long.

 

White light have some info - I'll link to this one - white light Saigon facts

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