Figure 1
Portfolio - Lighting and Sound
When lighting the stage for Blue Stockings we used an adapted version of the McCandless area lighting method. We had to adapt it as the performance was in traverse, meaning we had to have front light from both sides, there was also some obstructions meaning we couldn’t use the full McCandless method. In Figure 1 all the compact PC’s on bars 2 and 4 (except for 22) were used for front lighting. These were focused at 45 degrees as suggested in the McCandless method so we could gain our different areas of lighting. The compact PC’s on bars 1 and on the fixed LX bar closest to OPS were used for our back lighting, this basically meant we had two lots of the McCandless method pointed on both sides of the stage so it could be lit successfully in traverse. The cold wash however was not part of the McCandless method. The parcans on bars 1 and 5 as well as fixtures 60 and 63 on the LX bar were used for our cold wash. We also used some specials, labelled in red and orange, as well as moving lights for specific positions and effects.
The lighting for Aimee’s Dance Academy was quite different due to the style of the show. Figure 2 shows front lighting, back lighting, down lighting, cyclorama lighting and moving lights. All the lights used were LED giving me greater control over colour whereas with generic lamps you are stuck with what gel’s are in the fixture unless you change them manually.
In the Essential Guide To Stage Management, lighting and sound (Palmer 2000) it is suggested that side light “is very useful for modelling and shaping performer’s bodies and is, therefore, of paramount importance in dance shows.” However, for the ADA show I didn’t have any side light due to there not being enough fixtures. Next year I would like to try out adding in some side lighting to hopefully prove Palmers theory giving a new dimension to the performance on stage.
Figure 2
Image 2
Image 1
During the ADA production I also had to work with the sound team to install microphones above and on stage to capture audio for tap dances, this can be seen well in Image 1. Installing these microphones consisted of securing them to truss and patching them into stage boxes. I then had to go up to the rack and patch from there into the Allen and Heath GLD 80 Mixer. Another thing I helped with was getting the placement and angles of the speakers correct so that we could minimise echo and get a good sound quality. This was difficult because the room was in the shape or a vertically squashed octagon which gave sound a lot of surfaces to reflect off. In preparation for next year i would like to learn some calculations and techniques to further improve the placement of the sound equipment to get higher sound quality. I also helped with construction of the Qlab file which we then used to trigger all announcements, videos and songs for the whole show.
During stagecraft 2 I have taken part in sessions where we have set up a typical band sound set up including speakers, mixer, microphones etc. we then invited in a band to practice our mixing skills using the QU app on the iPad and the QU desk itself. This was good opportunity to do as I hadn’t had much to do with sound at university yet due to being put on lighting for the shows that I have done here.
For both Blue Stockings and the ADA show I used the ETC EOS line of consoles. For Blue Stockings I used an ion XE and for ADA I used an EOS Classic. These desks worked well for the shows as I was using cue-based programming. For Blue Stockings I had around 35 cues and also made corrections to lighting states on the go. For ADA I had around 240 cues with busking of some effects and states on top. This was a reason I chose to have the Classic as it has more screen real estate as well as motorised faders and high processing power, this meant that it could deal with my needs easily making programming the show an enjoyable experience.
Image 3 - ion XE
Image 4 - EOS Classic
I had made notes on each performance to make it easier when programming during the technical rehearsal as I would have ideas to use for each scene or number. The ADA notes were more detailed as the choreographers had decided what they wanted for specific parts then given me free reign to design how I liked. For Blue Stockings the director also knew what he wanted however kept changing things which wasn’t a problem, it just meant I couldn’t finalise anything until the technical rehearsal.
As there wasn’t enough time to program over 30 dances for ADA during the tech rehearsal, I used the EOS offline editor connected to WYSIWYG pre-vis software to pre-program most of the show at home before I got to the technical rehearsals. This can all be seen below. A link to each document has been provided so you can view them in more detail.
Image 6 - ADA Notes
Image 5 - ADA WYSIWYG
Image 7 - Blue Stockings Notes
Image 8 - ADA Power Calculations
For ADA I had to organise and budget the hire of fixtures and the lighting desk. This included picking out fixtures, accessories and cabling. As we were bringing our own equipment into the venue, I had to create a document with all my power calculations on that I could give to the venue making sure everything that we were doing was safe and that it was okay with them. These calculations also helped me to decide how many and what fixtures I could power from each circuit safely.
Bibliography
PALMER, Scott. 2002. Essential guide to stage management, lighting and sound. London: Hodder & Stoughton
COLEMAN, Peter. 2003. Basics – A Beginner’s Guide to Stage Lighting. Cambridge: Entertainment Technology Press Ltd