Professional Lighting & Production - Spring 2018 | Page 29

HTING IN 2018
easy for people to come up with a concept. It then
becomes one of the designers’ jobs to educate the
client on what is possible and what is not.
Gotschel: I find that most clients I have dealt with
understand lighting technology to some degree,
but with all the new innovations that have come
forth in the past several years, they don’t really un-
derstand everything these newer products can do.
The other factor is that many clients I’ve dealt with
have a difficult time conceptualizing three-dimen-
sional space. I still create renders and occasionally
set up shop demos, or send videos to explain my
ideas. The accessibility of this information hasn’t re-
ally changed how I deal with clients. They still have
general concepts they perceive and I still interpret
them as best I can.
Larivée: It is fair, and I see it as a good thing.
People are better educated. Before, we were doing
things on our own. Now, clients, even audiences
have seen things and know what we are talking
about. I think it’s great because we can talk with
an artist about certain effects and they will have
a good idea of the result – same for producers or
managers. Audience wise, they have high expecta-
tions. There’s YouTube, so they’ve seen a lot and it’s
pushing us to come up with new visions.
Smith: I’m not sure if it is the popularity of consum-
er LEDs or something else, but it seems like clients
today are more aware of what products can do
and what they want on their show. With that, along
with the amazing visualization software available, it
is much easier to show a client your concepts and
give them a very realistic look before they spend all
their time and money on something they are un-
certain about. At the same time, I find some clients
try to find much cheaper options, often believing
that all brands of technology are the same. It can
be a very difficult time explaining and convincing
people that it is worth the money to bring in the
right product the first time instead of going the
cheap route just to cost more in the end and often
still not give the image they were looking for.
PL&P: Considering things like a grasp of
common technologies and tools, available
education and training, etc., do you think
the barrier for entry into lighting design and
operation is higher or lower now than it was,
say five years ago? In your experience, what's
specifically contributing to that, and any tips
or advice for people looking to get a start in
stage lighting?
Bartnes: As far as barriers to entry, they are still
there. This is a difficult industry to succeed in. If you
want to be an LD/operator, you have to stop taking
gigs that don’t put you behind the light board. Over
time, customers will only call you for board op gigs
so it’s a multi-year transition.
Clark: I think it’s way easier to get into stage
lighting these days. With the advent of technology,
it becomes very easy for someone to hook up a
laptop and run lights. But to that end, I think the
art of lighting a stage is being lost. It’s so easy to
make the lights do things that people sometimes
forget that there is something happening on stage;
operators are too busy pointing the lights in your
eyes and seeing what their console can do.
My advice has always been: if you are looking
at starting out in this business, go work in a shop
for a while. Coil cable. Do what needs to be done
and, above all, listen to people. There are some very
smart people out there who are more than willing
to share their knowledge. I have gotten more than
a few gigs by just being in the shop, visiting and
prepping gear. If people keep seeing you, they will
hire you.
Gotschel: I think there are a lot more professionals
offering private training courses than there ever
were in the past. The internet and social media has
played a major role in this. Social media offers free
advertising, and online courses can easily be set up.
My advice to anyone starting in the lighting indus-
try is to do your research. Don’t go for just anyone
offering a course; look at reputable companies.
Now, that will only take you so far. The rest comes
down to experience.
Larivée: Yes and no. It used to be more a “vibe
thing” than now. Lighting was more abstract
and vague. LDs were doing plans with stencils,
jumping on projects because you knew someone.
Now, you still jump on projects because you know
someone, but you have to nail it. We have less
time and way more technology in our hands. Pro-
gramming a lighting desk is way more complicat-
ed than it used to be. I think that younger lighting
professionals are more educated and they are not
afraid to ask questions. I feel that the youngsters
are prepared and it helps that technology is a
heavy part of their lives.
Smith: I believe it is easier than ever for people to
become designers, programmers, and operators.
The technology has come a long way with the
software available to us that greatly improves
the visualization of what we are designing and
programming. You don’t need to know the right
people or live near a rental shop to be able to
learn a console; you can simply download the
offline editors or PC versions and start teaching
yourself how to program.
The console to use these days seems to be
the grandMA2, and I’m sure the MA3 in the next
two or three years, and MA Lighting has made it
that much easier to learn by providing free access
to visualization software for their console range.
MA3D is a great solution for those who can’t afford
WYSIWYG performance. For beginners, there is
nothing more helpful than actually being able to
visualize what you are trying to do and see how
your commands respond without a rig in front
of you. In addition, the amount of knowledge
on websites and in forums is insane. There is a
great network of professionals out there that is
more than willing to help you if you find yourself
scratching you head.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional
Lighting & Production.
Spring 2018 | 29