Introduction to the Website |
Welcome to Looking At Light. I have developed this website over the years in order to support my lighting design courses at Central Michigan University, Department of Theatre and Dance.
I think this material is appropriate for anyone interested in learning about lighting design from a fundamental level. You might be:
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This course is NOT |
No one resource can be all things to all people. Here are some of the things that I do not intend to accomplish here:
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LOOKING AT LIGHT
Light is all around us. In many ways, light is the single constant that nearly all humanity shares. But despite this ubiquity (or perhaps because of it), we don't train ourselves to see light. Light is just there. I believe that the moment a student of lighting finally learns to see light - or better, to intentionally look at light is the moment that the student gains the ability to design with light. This is the moment that a person leaps from 'lighting the space' to 'designing lighting'.
What I'm trying to say here at the beginning of this course is that the ability to look at light is not one that most people rarely think about. The basis of this course is for the student to begin to recognize how adjusting the elements of light (Intensity, Direction, Color, Shape, and Movement) are able to manipulate the composition of a stage picture in order to bring a level of visual meaning to the subject matter on the stage. The audience perceives the functions of light (Visibility, Focus, Modeling, Given Circumstances, and Mood) through the designer's ability to carefully manipulate the composition of the stage picture through the intentional adjustment of the elements of light.
It starts by training yourself to look at light. What is the difference in intensity at midday, vs just after sunset, vs inside a nightclub? How is light different on a cloudy day vs a sunny one? How does the campfire affect the mood of the ghost story that you're telling? How does the presence or absence of shadow affect the composition of what you're looking at? Once you're able to look at light in your everyday life, you can more easily make intentional choices on stage regarding where to hang fixtures, what color to use, when to turn them on, and at what intensity.
What I'm trying to say here at the beginning of this course is that the ability to look at light is not one that most people rarely think about. The basis of this course is for the student to begin to recognize how adjusting the elements of light (Intensity, Direction, Color, Shape, and Movement) are able to manipulate the composition of a stage picture in order to bring a level of visual meaning to the subject matter on the stage. The audience perceives the functions of light (Visibility, Focus, Modeling, Given Circumstances, and Mood) through the designer's ability to carefully manipulate the composition of the stage picture through the intentional adjustment of the elements of light.
It starts by training yourself to look at light. What is the difference in intensity at midday, vs just after sunset, vs inside a nightclub? How is light different on a cloudy day vs a sunny one? How does the campfire affect the mood of the ghost story that you're telling? How does the presence or absence of shadow affect the composition of what you're looking at? Once you're able to look at light in your everyday life, you can more easily make intentional choices on stage regarding where to hang fixtures, what color to use, when to turn them on, and at what intensity.
website navigationThese are the theoretical building blocks where all lighting designers start. Here you will find:
Lighting Design is, for good or for ill, tied closely to the technology and the tools that we deploy to execute our designs. This section will describe equipment that we use, including:
Keeping in mind that there are countless different paths to production. Outlined here is one approach that a lighting designer might take. Topics include:
Developing the light plot is the step in the process that bridges your design ideas to the world of production, where the design will be implemented. This step by step tutorial will take you through the process of creating this important document.
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