Drama 16 Stage Lighting

Time: Sunday, 8pm

Objective Description: A cloud of smoke coming out of a tall smokestack was lit up by the obstruction lights on the smokestack, creating a lightning-like effect.

Subjective Description: As I was returning to Hofstra from New York City, I saw a flash of lighting out of the corner of my eye – but that couldn’t possibly be, it was February and freezing, which aren’t exactly ideal conditions for lighting. I looked to see what could have caused this, and it turned out to be the obstruction lights on a smokestack. A thick, nearly opaque cloud of smoke was billowing out of the smokestack, silhouetted briefly by flashing white-blue lights. It looked extremely reminiscent of lightning flashing in the clouds during a storm. I watched the lights flash several more times before driving away, trying to pretend that it was summer and this was actually a thunderstorm and it wasn’t less than zero degrees outside. Seeing the imposter lightning made me marvel that something man-made could so easily recreate one of nature’s most amazing and awesome lighting phenomenons.

1) February 7th, 8pm, outside Home Depot

2) Looking upwards through the clouds at the flashing light on top of a smokestack.

3) It was a cold, rainy, misty night as I was walking into Home Depot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a light flash and thought it was lightning. My careful observation revealed that it was a large flashing light way up high on top of a smokestack for a factory or something. The dark purple and gray clouds obscured my view of the light itself so it flashed through the clouds much like a thunderstorm. The clouds were moving quickly due to the wind, changing how bright and how clear the light was. The flashing lights created brief, stark shadows against the clouds and sky. The dark sky and weather created an ominous, creepy, and almost scary feeling as I looked up. It was so high above that I had to crane my neck and the smokestack looked even taller than usual, almost like a foreboding tower. The combination of all these elements created an unsettling feeling, such as one you would find in a horror film.