Drama 16 Stage Lighting

1) A Fall sunset in Vermont

Colors used- I used a deep lavender, to add light to the person, then a royal blue to the top of the cyc, and deep lavender at the bottom of the cyc.

Explanation: I decided to go for a sunset right on the edge of turning to night.

2) Spring sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral

Colors- I used a deep orange for the top cyc and gold tint for the bottom, with the same deep orange for the window.

3) Noon on a hot Summer day in Hawaii

Colors used- I used a teal blue to light the cyc, and gold tint to light the person, and a bright yellow to add a sun shine to the cyc.

4) Winter afternoon in North Dakota

Colors- I used a light blue on both top and bottom of the cyc and used a cool blue to light the person.

1. Fall sunset in Vermont

Lights used: Top of the cyc is R67 (light sky blue) and bottom of the cyc is R15 (deep straw). There are three L328 (follies pink) lights – one SR (55%), one SL (55%), one downstage C (75%). All the lights are in soft focus. There is also one R21 (golden amber) light from SR at 55%, soft focus, 70 degrees, with dots gobo.

Explanation: The fall sunsets in Vermont that I found all had a lot of the same colors – pinks and oranges mostly, with the blue of the sky in varying degrees of fading or faded. The gobo is an attempt to create clouds with the limited functions of the light lab.

2. Spring sunrise in a Gothic cathedral

Lights used: SR light is R57 (lavender) at 60%. SL light is R58 (deep lavender) at 60%. Upstage C light is R57 at full. Bottom cyc is L151 (gold tint).

Explanation: The colors I found in sunrises in general were very light pinks and purples, with some gold at the bottom (as represented by the cyc) for the rising sun. I also took care to make the sunrise aiming from the opposite direction as the sunset, so the man’s shadow is in front of him for the sunrise but behind him in the sunset (above).

3. Noon on a hot summer day in Hawaii

Lights used: Light at top down center is 4800 K (slightly yellowish white) at 26 degree lens size. Full cyc is R69 (brilliant blue) at 85%.

Explanation: The single white/yellow light is my best representation of the sun (in the blue sky that is the cyc). I couldn’t figure out a way to eliminate shadows completely but Lahaina noon is a phenomenon that basically only exists in Hawaii where twice a year there are no visible shadows because the sun is directly overhead, so I wanted to try and create that effect here.

4. Winter afternoon in North Dakota

Lights used: Top cyc is R67 (light sky blue). SL and SR lights at the top are also R67 at 50%, 90 degrees lens tube size, soft focus. All other lights (coming from the four corners, close to the ground) are pure white. All pure white lights have the dots gobo.

Explanation: Winter in North Dakota is basically just a snowy wonderland. Every picture I saw was snowy hills, snowy plains, and these white-blue skies that looked like they were about to create more snow. The dots gobo this time is supposed to look roughly like snow. By the way, did I mention the winter afternoons in North Dakota are mad snowy? They are snowy to the max.

Fall

There are three moving lights on the subject, using gels R017, L141, and R15. The bottom of the cyc is lit with gel R020.

The most iconic and identifiable color of a sunset is orange; the same can be said for fall in New England with the changing of the leaves. Both sunset and fall signal the coming of darker times.

Winter

There are once again three moving lights on the subject. It is lit from SR with gel L201, SL with gel R68, and from the top with gel R51 and the breakup gobo. The cyc is lit with gel L201.

Winter is bright and white, but there is texture in the snow and North Dakota gets a lot of snow.

Spring

There are three moving lights on the subject, all SL, with gels L192, L328, and the third with gel R51 and a window gobo.

Sunrises and spring have a pink tint to them. Gothic Cathedrals have very prominent windows, through which a sunrise would be beautiful.

Summer

The subject is lit from the front using moving lights with gel L201 and from the top with a moving light with gel R002. The cyc is lit with gel R077 from the bottom and R082 from the top.

During part of the year, shadows seem to completely disappear around noon in places like Hawaii because the sun is directly above the objects.

Fall sunset in Vermont

Description: For the moving light I used gel R009, and for the cyc lights I used gel R052.

Justification: Fall weddings are popular, especially when the air is crisp, nature is in full swing with all the pretty colors, and Vermont is a natural spot for a wedding venue since it offers the perfect amount of natural beauty.

Spring Sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral

Description: For the moving lights and the middle cyc lights the gel is R051, and the left and right cyc lights are gel R095.

Justification: While Italy is not the birthplace of gothic architecture, there are lots of hints of it throughout the country. The sunrises are incredibly beautiful, and there are lots of natural photos taken while in the country.

Noon in Hawaii on a hot day.

Description: The moving light and top and bottom cycs are gel G888 with no gobo.

Justification: Noon in Hawaii gets incredibly hot, so people tend to go to the beach in order to cool off and to spend time with friends/family.

A winter afternoon in North Dakota

Description: The moving light and the top cyc lights (4 and 7-9), and bottom cyc lights at 75% are gel E174. The top blue cyc lights are a combination 10.815% red, 33.968% green, and 100% blue.

Justification: The sun is starting to set above the church, and as the last person leaves they get a photo of the scenery.

Photo Theme: Surreal

Source: https://blog.shotdeck.com/2022/10/18/the-tuesday-drop-10-18-22/

This is from The Exorcist. I like the use of silhouette, especially when paired with the strong spotlight effect that is visible with the fog. The Overhead lamp also helps to give just enough context to really make it seem like this character is crossing into a new world. The stark contrast between the character silhouette and the glowing beam of light make it stand out. The spotlight also creates a strong line. There is a lot of mystery, involved, as it makes it seem like the very location itself is alive and aware of this outsider’s presence. For my re-creation I also utilized Gobo effects to mimic the lights in the house, which act as a bit of color contrast against an otherwise entirely blue toned scene.

Date: 5/17/22

Time: 3:42am

Location: Lowe 216

Objective Observation: The top floor of Axinn library is visible just barely over the trees and is the only light really visible out the window.

Subjective Observation: It is pitch black outside as it is night and there are a lot of trees covering view of the sky. Peaking out from the trees is a narrow band of light that is the top floor of Axinn. It reminds me of a UFO as it just looks like a rectangle of light amidst nothing. It is piercing as it is in great contrast against the dark sky. It also has a yellow-ish light which contrasts against the cool white that comes from the outdoor lights below the window by Low.

1. A Fall Sunset in Vermont

Instruments 1-4 are hung USR using gel R32 at full with a 36 degree flood and soft focus. Instruments 3-6 are hung two positions below instruments 1-4 SR and are using gel R40 at full with a 36 degree flood and soft focus. The top cyc lights are using gel R74 at 80% and the bottom cyc lights are using gel R11 at 65%.

The lower hanging lights are representative of the direct sunlight as it is about ti set while the upper hanging lights is the brighter pinker light that fills the sky. The blue light on the cyc represents the color that slowly takes over the sky in a sunset’s last few minutes.

2. Easter Sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral

Instrument 1 is hanging in the upstage SR corner using gel R45 at full with a 50 degree flood and soft focus. Instrument 2 is hanging in the upstage SR corner using gel R68 at full with a 50 degree flood and soft focus. Instrument 3 is one hanging position below instruments 1 and 2 SR; it is using gel R13 at full with a 50 degree flood and soft focus. All instruments are using the “Breakup” gobo.

The gobo is giving the impression of the light coming through a stained glass window, along with the colored light that the Sun gives off when shining through the stained glass. The light is coming from SR like the Sun has just begin rising in the East.

3. Noon on a Hot Summer Day

The bottom cyc lights are using gel R75 at full. Instruments 1 and 2 are at the downstage corners using gel R313 at full with a 90 degree flood and soft focus. Instruments 3, 4, and 5, are center stage using gel 313 at full with a 50 degree flood and soft focus.

The direct overhead center stage light represents the direct overhead Sun at noon and the light that the corner instruments give off helps fill the space to give more of a hotter feeling. The blue cyc gives the illusion of the Caribbean sea.

4. Winter Afternoon Just Before the Snow

Instruments 1-6 are in every corner hanging position with gel L201 at full with a 90 degree flood and soft focus. The top and bottom cyc lights have no gel and are at full. Instrument 7 is DC using gel R67 at full with a 90 degree flood and soft focus. Instruments 8 and 10 are in the downstage and center hanging positions that split center and SL; they are using gel R67 at full with a 90 degree flood and a soft focus. Instrument 9 is in line with instruments 8 and 10 at the upstage hanging position; it is using gel R67 at full with a 50 degree flood and a soft focus.

There is a flood of white light that gives off the harsh white hue that Winter air seems to have. The flood of blue is the Sun’s Winter Light, and the more distinct blue beam shows where the Sun’s afternoon light is directly coming from.

1) A Fall sunset in Vermont

For my Fall Sunset in Vermont, I looked at reference photos and saw a variety of different forms of light. I decided to achieve this look, I wanted to backlight my figure with a gradient of shades from magenta to amber. I made these beams wide to make the effect less harsh. I thought that the overall vibe was too warm because I saw some cool blues and purples in my reference photo, so I made the cyc lights blue and purple and added a couple of blue and purple sidelights with gobos for texture. I added one warm amber light downstage left to act as my sun that was setting. This image depicts the moment because it uses a variety of warm magenta and amber gels to depict sunbeams and cool purple and blue gels to depict the different shades present in the sky.
2) Easter sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral

For my Easter Sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral, I took inspiration from the church I used to sing at and tried to emulate the lighting from there. On Easter morning, everything would be very colorful and bright, and though the church was normally very warm, the light shining in through the windows made everything very cool-toned. To achieve this look, I decided I wanted to give the effect of a stained-glass window by placing 3 lights of different colors (light blue, cool white, and warm white) next to each other with gobos. I wanted to incorporate more Easter colors, so I added pink and purple to the cyc lights. Finally, I added some soft-focus beams to make the overall effect a little brighter. This image matches the moment because it uses Easter colors and gobos to look like a stained-glass window in a church.
3) Noon on a hot Summer day in the Caribbean

For my Noon on a hot Summer day in the Carribean, I wanted the lights to be brightest directly overhead. I also wanted them to be very warm. To act as a symbol for the ocean in the background, I made the bottom cyc lights blue, and I made the top cyc lights golden amber. The lights shining down from overhead are warm whites interspersed with a couple of golden ambers to increase the overall warmth of the design. I think it also gives the effect of sand before the ocean. This image matches the moment because it uses warm tones overhead to look like a bright noon sun and sand on the ground, and the cyc lights look like the ocean and bright sky in the background.
4) Winter afternoon just before the snow

For my Winter afternoon just before the snow, I wanted to keep the overall effect very dark and hazy, giving the impression that clouds have rolled in and the sky is about to open. I lowered the ambient lighting and added haze. I also wanted it to be very cool-toned, so I used mostly cool whites and a couple of blue gels. I added gobos to the lights placed downstage left to give the effect of flurries falling before a blizzard. I wanted most of the lights to be coming not from directly overhead, because it’s in the afternoon, but I still added one cool white light directly overhead for that distinct pre-snow glow. This image matches the moment because it’s dark and hazy, almost suspenseful, and uses cool gels and a couple of gobos to give a pre-snow effect.

1) A Fall sunset in Vermont. I used a few lights in the bottom SR hanging position to represent the light that the sun would emit while it is setting. It would be a very wide beam, since the sunrise typically covers all of the horizon. I also added some orange lights in addition to my yellow ones because of the orange leaves on the trees in Vermont that would tint some of the sunlight. On the cyc, I lit the bottom with the same yellow light while lighting the top with a dark blue light to represent the sky. Finally, I added one spotlight with a pale blue to represent the moon. Since the moon is so much smaller, its beam is not as wide, so I only needed one light.

2) Easter sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral. I used the same colors that i used for my Vermont Sunset, but this time on the bottom cyc lights and center back light. However, instead of the blue lights to represent the night and moon, I used a harsh white that would be shining through the windows of the cathedral. There was not an exact gobo for what I was looking for, so I used a combination of the window gobo and a medium focus to create a sort of arched window shape.

3) Noon on a hot Summer day in the Caribbean. I started with blue cyc lights to represent the sky and the ocean. Next I added a light in the downstage left hanging position to represent the sun. I originally placed it in the center of the stage to indicate midday, but I adjusted it to increase the amount of life on stage. In my mind, I switched the axis that the sun rotates on, and then I realized that all I did was change the direction. An audience member looking at the back of the stage would be facing northwest instead of north. After that, I added a light on the upstage right floor to act as a reflection of the sunlight on the water.

4) Winter afternoon just before the snow. From my experience, the world feels very dark just before snow comes down. Even though the scene takes place in the mid day, I used a “night blue” gel on the cyc lights to make the sky feel dark. I also only used 75% brightness on the other lights to keep them dark as well.  I added in gobos to create the feeling of snow, even though it isn’t snowing yet, just to mimic the feeling of ominous clouds and the realization of what will soon come from them. Since the sky is cloudy, I did not create any sunlight.

1) A Fall sunset in Vermont:

For all of the seasons I chose a dark background because I was focusing on kind of a dark theme behind what we see. This one was one of my favorite ones. Fall is full of orange, red, and yellow and at the same time there is this concept of loss (because all of the trees are losing leafs), which is why I kept the space dark.

2) Easter sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral

I came up with this idea of seeing the sunrise through a window, which gives kind of a scary feeling and goes with the theme of Gothic. I love architecture and I have been in many Gothic Cathedrals in Prague and Belgium and some of them had windows with curtains like that so I thought I could do something with the lights and the effects.

3) Noon on a hot Summer day in the Caribbean

Coming from a Southern country, where it is hot 24/7, people tend to forget about what is around and only focus on the main brightness that comes from the sun. However, noon in a warm country full of brightness and warmth is always the best time of all the different colors from the flowers and grass to be seen because they look beautiful. This is just a reflexion of the different colors I usually see in my backyard in noon.

4) Winter afternoon just before the snow

When it comes to a snow storm, I always think about the accumulation of water that becomes ice that the clouds do, which is why I chose blue and everything is concentrated in the middle and that everything is about to go all out.