Magical Glow

This is also a picture of a concert that my friend had been to. Instead of Arctic Monkeys though, this band was Taking Back Sunday. These lights make it appear as if an upbeat song was playing; I have often found this effect to be a great way to get the adrenaline of the audience flowing. I can also imagine some of these lights being on rotators–if not all of them, than at least a few. This is actually a really cool set up to me. The strong beams give it that quick laser like feel. Like my previous blog though, it looks as if there are very few front lights. Maybe the reasoning for this is to help conform to the already mythical status musicians’ walk around with. As we addressed in class, the use of back light can often push the objects out into the audience, or give it that halo glow. The effect these dim lights produce is the magical glow that make us buy clothes in a dressing room, only to find out we look terrible in them when we walk in the sunlight–a reference to a great Seinfeld episode. Overall, I love the limited amount of illumination, and I feel that although this is a relatively simple lighting design, it is quite entertaining.

Lighting A Concert

I was scrolling through my friend’s photo album, and I dug up this old picture featuring Arctic Monkeys. As you can see, it looks as if there are a few Par cans casting light down on the musicians–particularly the drummer. The four lights create a really cool glow on the drummer’s drum set, and I like to imagine that this may have been at a drum solo. I can’t quite tell if it is a blue curtain in back, or a cyc light. Either way, the blue gives the musicians kind of a water or rather serene vibe. Overall, it looks like there may have not been too much front light because the musicians are not lit too much from the front perspective. Rather, the blue cyc, and the pools of bright light from above are primarily lighting the set. I didn’t even know who this band was, but I guessed their music was more alternative by the calming colors. After I listened to their songs, it is obvious that they are in fact alternative. Thus, this is a perfect example of lighting used for mood. Had the lights been a harsh red instead of blue, then we may have thought a death metal band was playing.

Beyond the Horizon

This is an interesting picture because of the Our Town projects, and my recent trip to South and North Dakota. Both Our Town and the Dakotas give me that sense of simple farm life, and I feel this picture can easily be set in those locations. The amber glow of the sky is presenting the idea that the sun is either setting or rising. For the sake of this blog, I would like to say it is rising. I feel that the par can is able to produce a look similar to this sky. A few back diagonals could help the effect too by touching the back of the objects shoulders. Of course, there would have to be a few warm fills in the front. I think that lighting in this warm amber gives a mood of nostalgia or life to me. Also that cool light on the mountains–probably produced principally by the absence of light–give it a very naturalistic touch. Many Eugene O’Neil plays comes to my mind especially Beyond the Horizon. I would like to have lighting that emulates this picture in that play. It is of course a play about going to the unseen. The main character Robert wants to go “Beyond the Horizon” and see locations on the ocean. This lighting gives that same adventurist mood to me. What is beyond those hills? And where else is this beautiful sunlight also rising around the world? It speaks hope, and adventure to me.

P.S.-For some reason, I could not post the photo on the blog. Here is the url. Just copy and paste.

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