Drama 16 Stage Lighting

1) 2012-02-24 at 10:30 PM in the Adams Playhouse, on the set for Much Ado About Nothing

2) A Source-4 ERS with an R11 gel pointed from the left and rear down on Devin Gee standing in the middle archway on stage left, casting shadows on his front.  Light reflecting off the the white interior of the archway partially illuminates the side of his face.

3) One might consider looking for “lighting inspiration” in the middle of a focus for another show cheating, but this lighting was completely unintentional.  The light was not where it was supposed to be, and Devin’s positioning a crazy random happenstance.  The light was the only instrument on, and the yellow glow filled the archways from behind, giving the archways an eerie yellow glow around the edges.  Devin stepped forward out of the light and into the archway.  The entire left side of his face fell into shadow, while the other side is filled by light reflecting off of the inside of the arch.  I could not say it was a “pretty” glow.  Ambers and purples usually have a glow I like.  Reds and blues too, depending on their intensity.  This yellow, however, did very little for me.  Sure, mixed in with the rest of the lighting, it offers a very nice daytime, sunshine quality.  By itself and focused form the back, the yellow is very unappealing and almost nauseating.  Despite the color, however, I cannot get over how interesting the light itself is.  The angle of the light is very clear by the glow on the back of Devin’s head, but by reflecting off of the narrow white interior, the final picture is one that could not be achieved either if the light was reflected off of a whole wall next to him, or if there were another lamp aimed at him.

1. Photograph by Flickr User “Bobs Images”, Nov 11, 2008, Northern Ireland. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobs_images/3026582702/

2. Single Light Source

3. This photo of a fox is captivating in it’s ability to capture an unexpected and sudden moment in time. The photographer just happened to be outside when two foxes wandered through his yard in the middle of the night. The fox is wary, and one cannot see what he is looking at, giving it an air of mystery. The unidirectional light across the frame casts deep shadows on the subject making the areas of bright rust even more striking. The grass shows up heavily saturated and aglow under the halogen lamp, adding an excellent composition of complementary pigment colors throughout the piece.

2) I found this photo at this site http://www.google.com/imgres?q=single+light+source&start=184&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&addh=104&tbm=isch&tbnid=r9xf3xBBR7am9M:&imgrefurl=http://drawsketch.about.com/od/learntodraw/tp/Things-To-Draw.htm&docid=QBRf8GHoVhMpHM&imgurl=http://0.tqn.com/d/drawsketch/1/0/X/b/draw-apple.jpg&w=555&h=437&ei=XhBQT-LjM-zh0wHqtq32DQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=845&vpy=284&dur=343&hovh=199&hovw=253&tx=125&ty=113&sig=112732361351925082313&sqi=2&page=8&tbnh=149&tbnw=200&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:184

3) Single Light Source

4) This photo of an apple shows how beautiful food can become shown from a single light source. With the water droplets on top of the apple, the piece of fruit looks even more appetizing. The hot spot of the light is reflected off the surface of the apple showing the different colors of this beautiful food.

2) Photo taken by Annar Nott on tumblr.

3) Theme: Single Light Source

4) Description: I had a hard time finding a photo for the assignment this week. I found this photo while putzing around on tumblr and it immediately spoke to me.

The photo is of a train station in Hungary and shows a man walking down the platform. The only light source is an overhead lamp light, out of frame, which illuminates down the platform, casting shadows. The area around him is completely dark, only a faint shimmer of the train tracks is visible.

The photograph is almost a representation of death, and the “walking into the light” sensation that some say happens when you die. There’s this completely despair-ridden area and the lone figure is walking towards the light and out of the shadows. Though the photograph is a bird’s eye view and could not be EXACTLY replicated onstage, the sensation of a spotlight casting long, dreary, dream-like shadows and someone walking towards them could be a powerful statement to see onstage.