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LD(s)-at-Large: Sushi In Chicago, Subhed: The First in a Three-Part Series

LD(s)-at-Large: Sushi In Chicago, Subhed: The First in a Three-Part Series

Young people often ask me how I achieved my position in the lighting profession and how I ended up in Chicago. I started thinking about the fact that the majority of successful U.S. lighting designers hail from New York or California. But Chicago is right up there with the rest of the world, and what better way to discuss how to advance in the industry than to invite three renowned Chicago lighting designers to dinner to discuss it.

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White Lies, Black Magic and Gray Matter

Have you ever been so mad that you saw green?

Probably not. Green is supposed to be the most restful color to the eye because the lens of your eyes focus green right on the retina, and you know how much work it can be focusing all those heavy non-green photons. More likely, you’ve sat in a green room to calm down before an appearance on stage. You might have a greenhouse, or gotten the green light to join Greenpeace. Or perhaps you’re a greenhorn drinking green beer on Saint Patrick’s Day. If you’re lucky you might have a pocket full of greenbacks. Or if you’re environmentally conscious you might be working on a green lighting design. But if you’re angry you probably won’t see green.

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Martin Mac TW1

Denmark-based Martin Professional, one of the leading manufacturers of automated lighting, has crossed into some new territory in their product line. Their newest MAC, the TW1, goes backwards in time, but forward in technology as Martin unleashes their new tungsten wash automated moving yoke light.

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Clay Paky Alpha Wash 1200

For a couple of years now, Clay Paky, the Italian manufacturer of automated lighting fixtures, has been expanding their Alpha line of moving yoke fixtures. The latest is a new high-powered color mixing wash light that is extremely bright. It can utilize two different HTI lamps with different color temperatures of 6000K or 7500K, both of which have hot-restrike capabilities.

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Touring The Two Tonys

Designing projections for a Broadway musical is no easy task. First you develop a concept for the show, next create the content, and then build a visual space that works with the show. Then you must acquire the actual physical means by which to display the media and be prepared for the complications that arise from that. You must be flexible enough with your work to make changes on site or come up with new ideas to work while the show is in rehearsals. Once it’s open and successful, then it’s time to take it on tour!

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Taking “It” For Taking Back Sunday/Angels and Airwaves

One of the hottest tours of late was the co-billed Taking Back Sunday (TBS)/Angels and Airwaves (A&A) tour. Before working as TBS’ lighting designer/ director, John McGuire designed video systems for various artists. He also worked with Coheed and Cambria’s 2005-06 tour before heading out with TBS. This is Kevin Cauley’s first solo design. Before A&A, he programmed and directed the lighting for Mötley Crüe, Jane’s Addiction, Beck, Michelle Branch, and Stereo MCs, along with various other artists. We spoke to the two of them about their lighting and video rig.

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The Budding of the Budig

"It’s an absolute pleasure to come to work.”

Even in this industry, you don’t hear those words every day. Don’t get me wrong; I love what I do, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. However, I still get goose bumps when someone says something like this. The person who said this to me happens to be Steve Schofield, the technical director of the Otto M. Budig Theatre at the Carnegie in Covington, Kentucky.  A Man On A Mission  When I asked him “why,” this is the story that unfolded…

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From Burning Down The Wall To Shakin’ With Shakira

Abigail Rosen Holmes’ sizeable résumé includes working with some of the most creative talents in the music industry. Among the many people for which she has provided lighting and video are the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Pet Shop Boys, Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock, Bonnie Raitt, Thompson Twins, Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus and in more recent years, Cher, Janet Jackson and The Cure. She is currently on the road with redhot Latin sensation Shakira, who, in addition to burning up the charts, is selling out arenas across the globe on her “Oral Fixation” tour. We caught her two-night stay in San Jose at the beginning of her U.S. leg where we spoke with Holmes about her past experience and the current tour.

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Big-Time Lighting Coming To A Housing Development Near You

Audiences loved surround sound and Dolby Digital in theatres so much they wanted to take it home with them. Home video was so much fun that they decided they wanted to make their own. And who needs Bon Jovi when you have Garageband and can make your own music? Some lighting makers are looking at this historical DIY phenomenon and realizing that lighting will soon be no exception to the trend of bringing it all back home. With a stop at the mall first.

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Help! I’m Synching!

If you have ever tried to play a long clip simultaneously on multiple media servers in a show, then you know what a real challenge it can be. Say for instance that your client pays you to create a three-minute product demonstration movie, and the content is delivered to you as one long clip. So you load it into your media servers, then start the clip while you watch them on your screens. Much to your dismay, you watch helplessly as the clip loses synch between the servers—that is, the same frame isn’t showing at the same time on all media servers. Simply starting the clip and letting it roll obviously isn’t going to be acceptable during the show. So how do we correct this problem? Can it be fixed in with programming?

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