Drama 16 Stage Lighting

4/18/16 – 8:30am – Outside Colonial Square on Path Towards Student Center

The morning sun shines through the temporary black plastic fencing lining the sidewalk. It casts a shadow across the width of the sidewalk making it patterned with oval-ish shapes.

When one stared at the lighting and pathway too much, the shadow and light on the sidewalk had this hypnotic feel. It was mesmerizing and was dizzying to look at it. The lighting that cast this shadow made the path feel like it belonged in Alice in Wonderland since the path looked like it was trying to be an optical illusion. The intensity of the morning light made the shadow dark and the light that shined through to hit the pavement bright; there was a sharp distinction between light and shadow just like the colors had been black and white instead of black and golden lit grey-tan pavement. The lighting moment and mysterious effect on the path would not have been the same without this intensity. The stark contrast created made it seem like this pathway must be leading to some sort of black and white timeless dimension. The shape of the holes in the fence made the spots of bright light on the sidewalk curious ovals. In my mind, the path swirled for some reason due to the pattern cast upon it. It was like a moiré effect. Walking across it was like being on a boat. The mood that the lighting created was surreal.

I got this photo from Jaclyn Marie Photography’s blog. (https://jaclynmariephoto.wordpress.com/design-work/)

The theme is Advertisement Model/Desire.

The lighting is mysterious and makes the picture interesting . The figure is lit to emphasis her fabulous arched back position that is elegant like a bird. The light encourages the viewer to appreciate the dancer’s form with its bright and intense limited use of light. The light calls attention to this dancer like they are the star in the night sky. The lighting only shows certain body parts of the dancer; it is selective in its focus. This select focus makes the star image even greater. “Don’t you want to be a star” the lighting and photo call out to the spectator. Thus, the desire in this advertisement is establish through its lighting of a model.

1. 4/7/14 at around 7:00 at Take-One Theatres.

2. A big spectacle of colored spotlights on a stage moving to a beat.

3. In the musical “West Side Story” the big show stopper is the song and dance number “Mambo”. It should always be done big. In my production, almost every dancer gets their own large, shining spotlight each with a color coordinating with their pose and costume. The first spotlight hits a dancer with a saturated red, emphasizing her intense movements. A light, pale blue spotlight shines on an other couple as they dance slowly and seductively. Behind them is a dancer using big and open dance moves as a sharp, green light shines down on him. It is these precise lights that make the dance number look amazing.

Photo taken by Nic Christopher on August 31st at around 3:00 PM

THEME: Shadows

DESCRIPTION: This photo was taken on a relatively clear day in the city right across the street from St Patrick’s cathedral. It was taken as the sun was going down yet still high enough in the sky to cast light down onto the buildings, unobstructed from the buildings surrounding the cathedral. I love this picture because not including the sepia tone, it is entirely untouched in post production. The way the sun cast its light onto the buildings and the fact that statue was completely covered by the shadows provided an illusion of a photo montage even though the composition was untouched.

The intricate patterns and cut outs etched into the side of the cathedral offered a playground for the sun’s rays to cast shadows all over the wall. The intensity of the sunlight emphasized every raised surface on the cathedral. The shadows behind these highlighted portions offer an amazing contrast on the building making it appear 3-D in the flattened image. In the foreground of the image ties the piece all together as the building to the right had cast a shadow over the entirety of the statue. The dark figure placed against the bright background offers a wonderful contrast that makes the viewer seem as if they are right there. When I study the  picture, I can sense the angle of the sun and the approximate placement of all the structures that surrounded me as I snapped this picture. The sun was at a perfect angle that day and at a perfect intensity to capture a moment with a melody of intense lighting accented with soft and harsh shadows to make the image come to life and bring the viewer to 50th and 5th on this august afternoon.

Sunrise in Boulder, Colorado

2) Photo taken on April 15, 2006. Photography by Craig Christopher in Boulder, Colorado.

3) THEME: Sunrises and Sunsets

4) DESCRIPTION: Colorado is a state overwhelmed with natural beauty. Roughly one half, the eastern half, is the plains. Simple yet beautiful. On the Western half there are great mountains offering landscapes and beautiful scenery for hundreds of square miles. The human race is fascinated with all that nature has to offer, from the tall mountains to the deep oceans and the grassy meadows to the rocky cliffs. People travel thousands of miles just to see certain spots on earth. Every evening, landscapes become enhanced all over the world as the sun sets and casts long, warmly lit shadows across the land. It is at this time that nature is enhanced and the shapes and contours of the world around us are modeled and emphasized by the beautiful light on the horizon provides for us. In Hawaii people flock from their condos each night to watch the golden ball of fire fall from bright yellow into a orange and red glow as it sets behind the ocean. When the sun returns the next morning there is always a new set of tourists and locals alike perched high above the clouds on volcanoes watching the first beams of light cast their warm shadows across the landscape in a similar way to the night before as the orange sun meets the blue sky once more.

In Colorado, many Denver Broncos fans comment on how “God must be a Bronco fan, otherwise why would the sunsets be orange and blue.” Sunsets and sunrises are universal in the fact that they happen all over the world, seven days a week, 365 days a year. There is always only one sunrise and one sunset in each day. The sun is always the same relative distance from earth each day and is burning energy in the same way; however just like a snowflake, no two sunrises or sunsets are the same. What makes a sunrise worth mentioning is when the air is pretty clear and there are a few puffy and interesting clouds in the sky. The true draw of a sunrise is not usually the actual vision of the light from the sun, but rather the lights reflection off of the particles in the air and the reflection of the colors on the clouds and other surfaces reflecting light.

What I really like about this sunrise is that it is different from the typical sunrise one might think of. In Colorado there are over 300 days of sunshine each year. If a storm of any kind moves in, it will never last long as the sun will burn off the clouds quickly and warm the air and cause the day to become very nice. This picture was taken just as the first few rays of sunlight were cresting the horizon. It had rained all night and the pollution in the air had been taken out by the rain and the air was clear and crisp. The clouds were just beginning to break and loosen up as the sun was rising. Unlike most “beautiful” sunrises and sunsets, there weren’t any big puffy clouds and rich blue sky; instead the clouds were heavy and dark and kept most of the sky black until it was thoroughly enriched by the sun’s rays. With the Sky being black it helps give a lot of contrast to the very rich and intense yellows and oranges brought out by the sun and it crests the horizon. The oranges and yellows of the light are so incredibly intense that they make the image feel as though it is being warmed. There is a great contrast with this intense light and the silhouettes of the naked cotton wood trees in the foreground. The lack of leaves on the trees gives a clearer silhouette and also creates a temperature contrast showing that it is most likely winter but the feeling the viewer gets from the colors is that the image is almost on fire. Coming back to the uniqueness of this sunrise brings me to a closing statement. Yes, I am a Colorado native and am proud to call it home, and despite how many people think that Tim Tebow is a god and is very close to Jesus I prefer to look at sunsets that remind me more of an october sky, a sky of orange and black.