Drama 16 Stage Lighting

Date, Time, Location: Sunday February 20^th , 2011; 6PM, at home

Objective Description: a “spotlight” fixture used as a piano light as my brother plays.

Subjective Description: I begin to walk downstairs in my house as my brother plays some exercise music on the piano. He is not very good, but I had a lighting moment. The light he was using to illuminate his sheet music was also directed toward his face. This effect made an outer edge of light on the top of his body, like a halo,  more vibrant than the normal lighting of the room. Combined with his poor playing skills it gave me a feeling supporting his abnormal behavior.

Date, Time, Location: Tuesday February 22nd , 2011; 10:30PMish, at home

Objective Description: all but computer screen light shining on a friends face.

Subjective Description: I was lying down on the couch sleeping until I woke from the light from the computer. From my angle, the brightness of the screen made an overwhelming spotlight on the right side of my friends face. It defined his face more, but was also intimidating because his face faded into the darkness as the light disappeared.

Apple

Courtesy of Michigan State University (https://www.msu.edu/course/ams/280/represent.html)

MODELING

The first thing I thought of with regard to light modeling was still life painting, so I found the photo equivalent. The reflection of the key light source is visible on the skin of the apple, and the shadow on the right side makes it look very round. The shadow cast on the white surface and the shadow of the leaf on the apple also add to the three-dimensional effect. I imagine it wouldn’t look as tasty without the modeling.

1.) Thursday Feb. 24th 2011, 11:10 P.M. J.C. Adams Playhouse stage door.

2.) Various lights reflected in a puddle.

3.) It was raining when rehearsal let out tonight, and it had been for a while, and there were puddles on the ground in the parking lot. In the puddles, reflections of the orange-colored lights from the stage door overhang was mixing with the various whitish lights from car headlights in the parking lot, and even a bit of the fluorescent light from the NAB across the parking lot. The effect of the dancing lights in the puddles felt cool (literally and figuratively) and impassioned, very urban and a little melancholy. I thought it would be a great establishing shot for a film.

1) Feb 21-10:30-Tunnel

2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: Repetitive lights, spaced evenly apart. Light from cars. No natural light.

3) SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: The lights repeat themselves making the distance we are traveling in this tunnel hard to guess. Are speed is not marked by landmarks, as the walls are uniform the whole way, but instead the speed with which the lights seem to race us are an insight to how fast we are moving. Lights from other cars spill into our window periodically, but all in all, it’s just us and the ceiling; the lights above us following the same path we are.

1.) Thursday Feb. 24th 2011, 1:00 P.M. Spiegel Theater.

2.) Two classmates doing a scene with one single overhead light.

3.) During their scene in Styles class today, Lauryn and Kristin had to turn the lights off, and Royston had a classmate turn off all but one light from backstage. The one light remaining was stage left of center but still facing directly upstage, so it created plenty of shadowy space onstage. Watching the two actresses navigating between the bright white light and the darkness, there was an overall feeling of coldness and suspense, and it looked like the emotional effect was just as strong for the actors: it pumped up the emotional stakes of the scene. Even with a the whole house plot available, it may be the best way to light the scene in that space. It was a disquieting lighting effect that helped an already disturbing scene.

1) Feb 22-3:00 am-Behind Vander Poel Hall

2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: It is very dark outside. There is nothing immediately on this side of the building, so the door by which I am sitting is lit on its own. The light is orange.

3) SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I feel like a detective, by a seedy back door, waiting for an informant. The bush hiding me is a big part of it, as is the cigarette, but more than that, the orange light cast down on me makes me feel both excited and disgusting. Excited because there is a sense of mystery in this light. Disgusted because the orange light feels lethargic, and so unnatural that it seems it could only be meant to light up a building, that nothing natural could flourish in this light.

Angel Rose (from Facebook)
MODELING
This image captures the essence that this person tries to emit, as well as the essence of the London underground goth movement. The lighting makes her jaw look gaunt, and gives the image a very foreboding quality. Her hidden eyes suggest dark intentions.

Two photos today – both taken by myself.

So, the theme this week was modeling. Rather than try to find a good example of modeling, I tried to create my own. These two shots were taken in my dorm room at night, and featured only a flashlight as a light source. The skull was an effective lighting-dummy for a few reasons:

1) It has a predominantly round shape, but the face still has several contours – these are both likely to read with depth under minimal light.

2) If we digress from modeling alone and move into the image as a whole, we find that as audience, we assign emotional values to a skull in any light. I found myself trying to play-up those values while I was shooting, so the modeling may be influenced by, or serve to influence, an emotional response.

Were I to address whether or not I succeeding in creating effective modeling, I’d say yes – particularly in the first image, wherein we see hot light and cool light both from the same source on the skull, and really lending it a 3-d feel.

(Note: The skull is made of plastic – no human beings were harmed or exhumed in the process of this shoot.)

Where: Wednesday, 23rd, 6pm, Drama Lounge

Objective Description: The lights in the lounge are off. The Light from a street lamp shines through the window. It casts the light and shadow imprint of the window onto the far wall, almost framing the door.

Subjective Description: The image is beautiful. There is a certain old-world feel to it – something ornate and unnecessary, but at times pleasing and at other times intimidating. It seems large, and looms on the wall there as though it were some grand authority passing judgement.