![]() So do I recommend a career in lighting design? That sense of wonder I experienced as a boy has never disappeared in my career, which is why I’m still doing it – and you can too. The difficult and less-fulfilling approach is when you’re coming in at the end of the process, after a piece has already been made, and putting the lighting over the top. It’s a more holistic approach and more enjoyable. I prefer it when the designer “makes” the light happen alongside the artists creating and rehearsing the show. A website is a good idea as a calling card to present your work in a portfolio style. Have someone take production photographs these will become your selling point. The ephemeral nature of light means that it only exists for the run of the show. You’re often put in difficult situations, stretched to your limits and made to cope with rapid change. How you communicate and earn people’s respect and trust is an important skill to value. There’s a lot of talking, discussing and negotiating to be done with different groups of people in realising your design. I spend a lot of my spare time in galleries – looking at pictures, comparing colour combinations and observing and analysing how painters represent light on the canvas (Turner is great for this).Ī good friend of mine says that being a lighting designer can also be a bit like being a middle manager. I’m often looking at the sunlight through my windows towards the end of the day I’m inspired by the colours in nature.Īlso see as much art and theatre as you can. Build up a visual reference store, which you can keep dipping into in the years to come. Observe the world around you and store, sketch or write down what you see for later use. Lighting design draws on your technical knowledge but also your creativity, so give yourself time for artistic thought and analysis. An organisation that connects designers is the Association of Lighting Designers ( ALD), which also raises discussion around issues facing lighting designers and their work. Most established designers will be happy to have you shadow them during a technical rehearsal. Keep in mind that the relationships you build in the early stages of your career are important they’re often the collaborators you’ll end up working with as a designer in the future. So long as you’re easy to get along with and are visibly committed, people will want to work with you. Jobs will often come from contacts and friends through recommendations. The performance world is like one big interconnected family. I became a production manager and later came back to design feeling more equipped in my life to approach the job. I had the opportunity early on to assist a big designer, which I tried for a bit (and loved) but something was telling me that I wasn’t ready. In my case I needed to reach a certain level of maturity. Lighting design is central to conveying a show’s mood – its emotional tenor – so it helps to be in touch with your own feelings and to have valuable personal experiences under your belt to draw upon in your work. It’s good to go into this line of work with a bit of life experience. Every show poses a new problem or requires a slightly different set of skills. The more experience you get, the better equipped you’ll be. The best experience you can get is on the job, so get involved in shows to see how they work from the inside and who does what. My learning curve was almost vertical, but those first few years were invaluable. The technical manager took me under his wing and I was thrown into situations where I had to work things out for myself. I would follow spot (spotlighting) for the local ballet school concerts or help out with the stage on late night fit-ups. I started working for a local theatre when I was 16.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |