Lighting Designer

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Two River Theater Company, Gala 2010

Here is a photo from the Gala at Two River Theater company where I had the opportunity to light a few aerial performers. To view a few more photos, click on the image.

Moving Lights Project

I pulled this video from the archives. Back at UCLA, I took a lighting design technology class that culminated with a final project where we had to create the lighting design for a musical piece of our choosing. The project was run from my laptop using midi show control and CD time code. I had an IR repeater hooked up to my laptop in the booth, and triggered the show from a TV remote in the house. I know it's nerdy, but it was a fun proof of concept. The song is from the Cirque du Soleil show, Dralion.

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Jameson Patch Panel

Jameson Patch Panel

We finished re-wiring all of the patch cables in the Jameson theater today, and just before we closed everything up again, I decided to take a few shots of my classmate, Matt Bathe next to our new wiring. I used a flash embedded inside the patch bay and was hoping to get more defined shadows on the wall from the patch cables, but it still turned out pretty cool.

Carol of the Bells

Carol of the Bells - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

This Christmas light display is pretty amazing. After watching this sequence, it made me want a house so that I could program a similar light show. Enjoy!

CD Cover Art

Photoshop Project - CD Album Cover

The final project for my photoshop class was to create a CD album cover. The instructions were to use a random band name generator from http://www.bandnamemaker.com/ Then find an album title from http://www.modplug.com/title_generator.html and finally song names from http://mdbenoit.com/rtg.htm It was nice having the computer come up with the names and titles. Some of the results that it came up with were actually pretty inspiring. After generating 5 sets or so, I just decided which ones seemed to best go together. I finished the project last night and emailed it to my teacher, which means that I’m finally finished for the semester, woohoo!

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Really, i'm impressed. by Clair5as (not verified)

Bloodletters


IMG_6324
Originally uploaded by Justin Smiley

This is a photo from my most recent production, Bloodletters at the Bleecker Street Theatre.

New York Public Library - Lighting Database

The New York Public Library has digitized and created an online database that contains plots, paperwork, and informal notes from lighting designers who have designed some historically significant Broadway shows. Right now, there are only four shows, but with promises of adding more.

At the moment, these shows are A Chorus Line (Tharon Musser, 1975), Fall River Legend (Thomas Skelton, 1991), Hair (Jules Fisher, 1968), and Sunday in the Park with George (Richard Nelson, 1984). Unlike set designers' models and costume designers' renderings, lighting designers are usually limited in the way that they can present their design concepts. Most of the work isn't revealed until tech rehearsal, when the sets and costumes are already on stage. The NYPL Lighting Database offers a unique glimpse at all of the work that goes into lighting a broadway show and the copious amounts of paperwork and organization it takes to keep track of the hundreds of lighting instruments and their individual purposes.

The members of the advisory committee, helping to make this all possible include some big names in the lighting design world such as Ken Billington, Eric Cornwell, Jules Fisher, Vivien Leone, John McGraw, Richard Pilbrow, Marilyn Rennagel, Steve Terry, and Kenton Yeager.

All of the information provided is extremely helpful to the student or young lighting designer looking to learn from other designers who are in the top of their field. It is amazing to see the amount of organization that is required to keep a broadway show on track. Hopefully we will see a wide variety of shows continue to be added to this database. Having a small glimpse into Broadway lighting history, online where everyone can see, is going to be an invaluable resource.


More Oleanna Choices

Here are a couple additional tracks that weren't played at the latest Oleanna designer meeting. It seemed that after playing several selections, we were leaning more towards dissonant, and conflicting cello pieces. Here are a couple additional tracks in that direction.

AttachmentDateSize
[file] Sonate for Violin and Cello - II. Tres vif.mp301/25/09 5:15 am4.54 MB
[file] Apocalyptica - Creeping Death.mp301/25/09 5:15 am4.69 MB

Oleanna Preliminary Music Selections

Attached are the preliminary music selections for Oleanna. These are chosen for style, rather than the exact pieces/cuts to be used in the show. More selections to be added soon.

AttachmentDateSize
[file] 01 - The Cave - Act 1 (Part I).mp301/25/09 4:01 am5.37 MB
[file] 03 - Different Trains (Part III).mp301/25/09 4:02 am16.27 MB
[file] 05 Fighting.mp301/25/09 4:02 am9.08 MB
[file] 08 - Sextet (Part V).mp301/25/09 4:02 am11.56 MB
[file] 10 J-E-N-O-V-A.mp301/25/09 4:02 am5.48 MB
[file] John Cage - Bacchanale (1938).mp301/25/09 4:02 am13.09 MB
[file] Steve Reich - 03 - Piano Phase.mp301/25/09 4:03 am18.88 MB
[file] Steve Reich - 05 - Cello Counterpoint.mp301/25/09 4:03 am10.55 MB

Music from Rose Hobart (1936)

Attached is an Mp3 with the music from Rose Hobart (1936)

AttachmentDateSize
[file] Rose Hobart
This is a sample track for Big Love.
10/17/08 9:17 pm21.42 MB