Four Seasons Lighting Project

1) A Fall sunset in Vermont. I used a few lights in the bottom SR hanging position to represent the light that the sun would emit while it is setting. It would be a very wide beam, since the sunrise typically covers all of the horizon. I also added some orange lights in addition to my yellow ones because of the orange leaves on the trees in Vermont that would tint some of the sunlight. On the cyc, I lit the bottom with the same yellow light while lighting the top with a dark blue light to represent the sky. Finally, I added one spotlight with a pale blue to represent the moon. Since the moon is so much smaller, its beam is not as wide, so I only needed one light.

2) Easter sunrise in a Gothic Cathedral. I used the same colors that i used for my Vermont Sunset, but this time on the bottom cyc lights and center back light. However, instead of the blue lights to represent the night and moon, I used a harsh white that would be shining through the windows of the cathedral. There was not an exact gobo for what I was looking for, so I used a combination of the window gobo and a medium focus to create a sort of arched window shape.

3) Noon on a hot Summer day in the Caribbean. I started with blue cyc lights to represent the sky and the ocean. Next I added a light in the downstage left hanging position to represent the sun. I originally placed it in the center of the stage to indicate midday, but I adjusted it to increase the amount of life on stage. In my mind, I switched the axis that the sun rotates on, and then I realized that all I did was change the direction. An audience member looking at the back of the stage would be facing northwest instead of north. After that, I added a light on the upstage right floor to act as a reflection of the sunlight on the water.

4) Winter afternoon just before the snow. From my experience, the world feels very dark just before snow comes down. Even though the scene takes place in the mid day, I used a “night blue” gel on the cyc lights to make the sky feel dark. I also only used 75% brightness on the other lights to keep them dark as well.  I added in gobos to create the feeling of snow, even though it isn’t snowing yet, just to mimic the feeling of ominous clouds and the realization of what will soon come from them. Since the sky is cloudy, I did not create any sunlight.