Drama 16 Stage Lighting

Date/Time/Location: February 9th 3am Farmingdale NY my back yard

Objective: The moonlight shining across the grass, furniture, and porch. There is so much light it seems almost like day light. The moon light is coming the opposite side of the house creating some shadows.

Subjective: First I should say that a lot of my emotional response comes from that most nights when I come home the back yard is only lit by the motion light, so the fact that this area is lit before I walked by the light intrigued me. It also made me notice the quality of light. That night there was a nearly full moon with no clouds in the sky allowing an even wash of light over the entire area and the space to create its shadows. As I turned the corner my first impulse was eerie since I was unsure if anyone else was there but after seeing it was only the moonlight it became the lighting that we associate with an anticipation moment. Looking in on the light something seems out of place but once you are immersed in the light as well its almost warm and inviting while keeping you on your toes. There is the slightest tint of blue in the light cooling the whole scene off and putting everything in the same color palette. Its like a screen for your eyes awaiting for the anticipated action.

1) February 8th, 2012 – 3:41p.m. – Bits & Bytes

2) My lighting Observation happened while looking for my next meal at Bits & Bytes. While looking around, something caught my eye, it was the meatballs from  2Mato. Not only was this tray of meatballs on display under a heat lamp, like the pasta next to it, but it was in a special, bright, deep red heat lamp.

3)The way this food was being lit was very surreal. Under the bright red light, the meatballs looked like a corny eighties film cheat to recreate the surface or mars. Why was my eye so drawn to this?  and why, when I saw it, did I right away thing, “this will be my lighting moment”? In the area that I was in nothing stood out, everything was as it always had been; the drinks were a collage of colors, the salad bar was a collage of colors, the frozen yogurt toppings were a collage of colors, and the  italian food was browns, reds, whites, and greens. Then, all of a sudden there was this big, spot in the midst of it all. A huge red area, it was so different. Looking closer at it, there were really deep shadows and this made the texture of the meat clusters so apparent and so much definition was added.

http://stancarey.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/stan-carey-mutton-island-causeway-in-winter-fog.jpg

Theme: Cold

I think the lack of light in this picture is what really makes it feel so cold.  The fog makes the horizon disappear and no longer visible, making the viewer feel alone.  The deserted pier over water makes me think this isn’t a rainy summer night, this is winter or fall. Also the feeling of loneliness and desertion that the lack of light gives off the feeling of “cold” more than falling snow or ice ever could. Sure, everyone gets chilly when watching “The Day After Tomorrow,” but that chill that run downs your spine when you realize you are completely alone outside as twilight falls, much more cold than any ice could be.

1. February 9, 2011, Emily Lowe Building, 8pm

2. Light hitting the leaves on the bush outside the window.

3. During a break at Cat rehearsals tonight, I looked over at the window and saw it was completely dark outside, except for light hitting the back of the leaves, making only a small bunch of them visible. While seeing them, I immediately though of the film director Joe Wright and how he’s known for filming light through leaves. This effect could also be translated onto the stage and could be a very cool visual effect.

2) Ignacio P. Herrera (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oniricophotographies/4214093414/)

3) Theme: Cold

4) This photo is a great representation of cold to me because, when I think of cold I think of everything that warmth is not. Apart from cold temperature itself, I believe that cold can be lonely, desolate, uncomfortable, uninviting and sad. Blue and white are exceptionally good colors for expressing coldness, and that is precisely what this photograph consists of. The objects and light in the background of this picture are out of focus, and thus give the illusion of frost or fog, which also, are results of coldness.

1) 2/8/12, 12:30 am – Cabaret in the Spiegel Theatre

2) Phil Schaffer reading poetry in blue and yellow light at Cabaret.

3) As Phil was reading his 3 poems, the lights in the theatre were dimmed to create a romantically mysterious mood. It was so easy to relax into the words of his poems. The colors of the lights coincided perfectly with the way he dressed. After he finished reading, the lights brightened up and Phil’s face brightened up with them as the applause finished.