Drama 16 Stage Lighting

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Choice

I really love this photo because it shows something that we normally don’t see: the inside of a cello. this is the place where the beautiful sound reverberates, and the rays of light coming in through the two holes create a sense of magic and wonder.

Over spring break, my dad and I decided to go skiing. The only mountain still open was about three hours away, so he took a day off of work and we left super early in the morning so we could get there right when it opened and while it would be cold enough that the snow wouldn’t be slushy. It was about an hour after sunrise when we headed into the mountains.

We were driving through a valley, flat and bedded with tall, tan grasses and a few wildflowers basking in the warmth of the morning sun, when the road suddenly grew dark. Before us was a narrow path shrouded in darkness. The sunlight died where the mountains suddenly rose up out of the flat earth, their steep sides blocking out the sky itself as the road slipped unnoticed beneath their shadows. Every now and then a ray of light would hit the bare peaks above us, giving shape to the shadows, but the could not stretch its fingers far enough to reach us. It was as though these mountains were the last refuge of the night as it strove to withstand the assault of the coming day.

This is a photo I took in Cape Meares Oregon

This photo makes me feel as though I am looking at the doorway into a fairytale. The trunks of the trees rise up out of the Earth to make an arched doorway: on this side of the door is darkness and shadows, but the other side the light shines through making the brilliant green leaves glow with life and magic. There is so much light just behind this archway and so much darkness in front of it that it becomes a sort of barrier or gateway where two worlds meet.

1) 2012-04-08, 10:15 AM, The National Cathedral, Washington DC

2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: Light through the stained glass windows above the knave hitting a black safety net strung above everybody’s heads.

3) I chose to sit in the rear balcony of the cathedral to be able to take it in all at once.  Of course the building is packed— it’s Easter sunday in one of the largest cathedrals in te United States.  I was dissapointed to see the expansive black netting covering the ceiling of the cathedral: this is a gothic cathedral, a structure designed for great shafts of light to fill the building.  Because of the repairs above, however, they had to protect the general public from falling gargoyles or something like that.  The color and the light of the stained glass above was still visible, but instead of falling to the people and stonework below, the shifting patterns of light played out across the netting above.  One of the best things about stained glass in the morning is you can physically see the sun moving across the sky as the colors change, bend, and shift before you.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouen_Cathedral_(Monet)>

Theme: Dealers Choice

Monet’s Rouen Cathedral, West Facade.  I have so many feelings about these paintings.  They are two of more than thirty paintings of the same church, Rouen Cathedral, all under different levels of light varied by time of day and season.  These two hang next to each other in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and I saw them when I was there over spring break.  They play of light across the levels and details of the gothic architecture is stunning, and you see how the change in daylight will obscure or wash out some sections, and create new shapes in others.  Monet perfectly captures the light in these paintings, creating so much with the quick, rough movements of his brush.  You can see the physical paint caking up in sections, the light literally built off of the arches and columns.  I had seen plenty of Monet’s works before, and had always loved his water lilies, but had never seen these before and was absolutely spellbound.  I returned to the National Gallery specifically to return to the impressionists and to this pair a couple days later, and simply stood before them for almost ten minutes.  There are only a few of these in the US— D.C., Los Angeles, and Williamstown, MA… but to see these physically before you is an awe-inspiring experience.

2.http://hkhsbc.deviantart.com/art/Hong-Kong-Symphony-of-Light-41577064

3. Theme: Dealer’s Choice

4. This being lighting class and my choice, I decided to go with a simple, self-explanatory topic: Lights! This is an image from the Hong Kong Symphony of Light Laser show and lights are everywhere! Lights are pointing in the sky, coming from buildings, cars, all over the place. There are different colored lights, lights at different angles, different shades. New York City doesn’t have all of it’s buildings lit up like Hong Kong.

James Vernacotola took this picture ( http://jimmyv99.smugmug.com/keyword/james%20vernacotola#!i=788299647&k=WUYJx )

THEME: Dealer’s Choice

Description: What you are looking at is the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in the distance. It is a beautiful site as the launch reflects in the waterway. It looks as if the shuttle tore open the sky. An open gash, revealing loads of light onto the night sky. The bright warm color of the tear compliments the cool color of the moon so well. The sky is lit so much. The moon, rip, and stars are all brightly filling the sky with its beauty. There is no unknown here, nothing is unseen, yet there is still magnificence that exists that never becomes boring to the human eye. Bright colors and lights will always attract the attention of humans. This draws the eye immediately. The rip even uses the horizon as an axis to replicate itself below it. The sky connects with the waterway and creates a pinnacle site of fascination.

1. April 8th 2012, 5PM, North Jersey -Grandma’s House

2.Objective: I was eating Easter dinner when my phone illuminated behind my glass of water. The water was glowing a strong aqua blue.

3.Subjective: Hopefully everyone had a great Spring Break. I stayed here. On campus. Alone. With no friends. Luckily my grandmother only lives an hour away in North Jersey so I went there for Easter. So I was texting on my phone when my grandmother came over, hit me with a wooden spoon and told me to stop texting. She then filled my glass of water and placed it in front of me. My phone then received a text message and the screen illuminated the water. The water was glowing a bright, crisp blue. It was such an amazing observation that my violent Italian grandmother found it interesting and did not hit me. The condensation on the outside of the glass was very noticeable and detailed with the backlight. The water soaked up the light like a sponge. I think it would be interesting to test out different colors. The blue made the water seem pure and flawless. The water seemed more appetizing just because of a lighting effect. It was calming yet so spectacular. Until my grandmother hit me upside the head for texting.

1. 4/19/12 at 8:30 p.m. Outside of Lowe after my audition

2. Courtyard lights and spray paint colors on the canvases.

3. After my Department audition, I walked outside of Lowe and met Lee and Dena who were spray painting things outside. They were having fun spray painting while I was having fun looking at all the colors as they stuck out in the dim lighting of the courtyard. The dim lighting made the colors jump out at me, which was very dazzling after going through my audition.