Drama 16 Stage Lighting

Photo was taken by me, Jessica Perman

Cold

The Unispan at night can be an emotionless and foreboding path.  The harsh glares of the ceiling lights with the glares against the wall, dipping in and out.  It reminds me of a horror game, where the hallways seem endless and it’s practically abandoned.  The dark figure at the end draped in the harsh lighting adds to the foreboding mood of the photo.

Source: Anton Jhonsen Photography, August 6, 2012 (http://anton-jhonsen.blogspot.ca/2012/08/cold-light.html?zx=ff2b6a88793af072)

Theme: Cold

Description: A model is set against a concrete wall, lit by tungsten. The wall is splattered with stains and dabbles of paint, with a thick, sloppy line of blue atop the model’s head. Above the line is a spot of light condensed down. It gives an overcast over the model, illuminating the harsh paleness of her skin and white dress. On the far right, a studio and workbench are peaking behind the concrete wall.

To me, this photo spotlights the beautiful illusion that urban life sells to the populace. You may see the beauty of the city in its shining buildings, represented as the model sitting down. However, as seen behind the model, the city can be cracked, dirty place. That wall is the reality of what most cities attempt to hide with their models/skyscrapers. However, as you live in the city, you cannot escape the dirt and grime.

2/12/16 – 6:27pm – Hammer Lab

The fluorescent lights are reflected through the glass to appear to be a double set on the other side of the glass despite there not being any fluorescents there in those exact locations over there. There are some fluorescents on that side of the glass. The reflected lights seem to be faded slightly and float in a way.

Stale, ghostly, and ominous, the mirrored fluorescent lights feel oppressive like an army of evil jellyfish that has started flying across the land on a campaign of terror. Jellyfish would be more pleasant than these glowing boxes of off-white though. Two eyes can be seen to creep forth from the bulbs of the light and to beat down upon you. It is a scrutinizing gaze and an unforgiving one. Harsh and inhuman, the ghost lights are so many in number that they seem to be following or haunting people. They bleach the world; they engulf it in an intense brightness that is unvarying and plain. The nightmare of a futuristic society where people have lost their own individuality and creativity is felt in the glow of these lights. The lighting is bland, unnatural, and dead.

1) 2/15/12 – 11:23 AM – Sitting in the house of Adams Playhouse.

2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I was sitting in the house waiting for the symposium to begin and was finishing mu math homework as I waited. There were only the scoop lights on in the house and the work-lights over the stage. The shadows were really intense and made it hard to work.

3) SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I was sitting in the house of the Adams Playhouse waiting for the symposium to begin as I rushed through my last few questions of my math homework. I was leaning over in the uncomfortable seats as I used my legs as a table. I was about halfway through my first problem and I realized that I couldn’t see my work in front of me. Without realizing my struggles I automatically found myself straining back and forth in my seat to just a small bit of light to hit my paper. The Playhouse was plenty bright but all the light was coming from one direction, behind me.

I strained for a good minute before I realized I was simply blocking all of the light that was being cast down behind me. I looked up at the lights that were on and the house was solely illuminated by the few scoop lights hanging on the ceiling of the house. I looked back down at my paper and realized how defined my shadow was on my paper. the top and edges of the paper had plenty of light but the outlined shadow of my head was extremely dark and impossible to work under. I was slightly confused as to why there was no other light hitting my paper from any other angles. I looked over the stage and saw that the work-lights were on but after studying them I realized that they were not illuminating anything other than what was on stage because the fixtures were hung so hight and bleeding was prevented by the borders in the flys. I noticed that around my main shadow there were two other very faint shadows that were hardly noticeable until I really studied the light. These shadows were cast off from the reflections of the lights above the house. I sat there and played with my shadows until the symposium started, looking up at the lights while I did so. I was able to realize the characteristics of this form of lighting and saw that with just this one light being projected on me as opposed to the full house lights, my visibility had been severely decreased.