Because my job at Panera Bread owns my soul sometimes, I wanted to talk about the important role that lighting plays! I only noticed this when we were preparing for our routine inspection from corporate management. One of the things we worked the hardest at was making sure all of our lights were properly cleaned and that all lamps were replaced and in proper working order. The dusting of the lights was probably the hardest and the messiest part, I know because I was the one who got the pleasure of sweeping what was dusted from the lamps! After that, I started noticing that on our daily checklist, the lighting was constantly asked about! If there were any lamps out, we would lose a "point" on our daily checklist. We talked about in class how lighting affects the way people feel in places in terms of comfort and safety. It's such a big deal to us at Panera because one of our main goals is to make out bakery/cafe feel welcoming and making it "An everyday oasis" for our guests. I thought I would include a picture of the cool lights just near our bakery display, making our pastries look extra yummy for your tummy!

Follow the Yellow Brick Gobo.

I was just in a production of The Wizard of Oz in Fullerton which closed on the 30th of October. I was late and running to the theater one night, about halfway through the run and I noticed that there were lights on the actual theater front. I hadn't noticed them before, and i figured i was already late and don't go onstage until half an hour after the show starts anyways so I went to take a look at these lights.

What was presented was exactly what i think lighting should do for a show. And this is a great example because it puts the audience in the mood WAY before they even get into their seats. The yellow brick gobo leads you to the front door and into the theater, which itself is lit with green, which parallels Dorothy and her friends' journey down the Yellow Brick Road and up to the Emerald City. And then on top of that, literally, they have another gobo showing the name of the piece with the iconic image of the four friends. I just thought this was so clever, not to mention absolutely stunning. It puts you in the mood right from the start, and draws you in, really making you a part of the show once you walk up those yellow brick steps to the emerald Plummer Auditorium.

Haze

A few weeks ago I was at the service for my great-grandfather at the San Fernando Mission. Towards the end of the service the priest ignited incense and the smoke curled upwards. The light from the high windows came down and I watched the haze curl and bend. Then I remembered what haze was- the particles in the air that we can see. It was nice to be able to focus on that, and instead of thinking about how I hate the smell of frankincense, I can look on it in a different light. (pun intended)

Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego

I was in San Diego a little while ago, visiting a friend and we hit the Gaslamp Quarter at nightfall. I had never been there before and it was a very lively, "party-atmosphere" sort of place. The many different lights (especially neon lights) added to the colorful vibe of Downtown San Diego. As we were walking around taking in the sights, we came across the answer to why this place is called "Gaslamp." I don't have a picture of it but it was as actual gas lamp instead of a modern electric street lamp. It was very tall, presumably so passersby don't mess with it and set something on fire. It emitted hisses and waves of fumes as it burned. The air around it was a bit stifling and we could feel the heat emanating from it. It gave me just a hint of what audiences in the past must have experienced when theaters used gas, before the use of electricity became more prevalent. 

The X-Factor

The lighting design on the T.V. show The X-Factor (Fox) is ridiculous.

There are lasers, the entire stage is outlined with LEDs (?) and there are blinding spot lights aimed at blinding the audience and creating shock factor. There are blinding dots of lights (PARCANS?) that shimmer (turning on and off at different times). There are purple spot lights moving around. There are huge screens on the sides of the stage with faces of the different contestants. There is so much flash and spectacle.

The background has moving lights on the screen (LEDs).

What's interesting is that the lights make so much noise and causes the audience to be truly in the dark -- raising the contrast between the performers and the spectators. The loudness of the lights adds to the excitement on the stage.

-Vin

Light up the sky

I visited my high school friend a couple of weeks ago with my fiancé, and while we were eating dinner, we saw this. It's a mountain (my friend told me the name of it, but I've forgotten by now) in San Luis Obispo, and all I could think was how beautiful it was because of simply the lighting. I feel like it's got this mysterious vibe because I can only see the silhouette, but it also has a comfortable, slightly romantic feel. The colours in the background are warm tones with blue hues, and even though the foreground colours--of the trees, powerlines, and mountain--are black, it doesn't have a frightening feel because we associate the background colours with a sunset, evoking emotions such as calmness, comfort, and confidence (as in confidence between friends, confidence following the vulnerability of sharing a secret).

The small bits of pink that are highlights on the cars in front of the mountain make the photo deeper and maintain the homey feel of it all. It's almost wistful, and certainly full of imagination.

Around two weeks ago, as I was walking home from a long day of Drama 101 for Waiting for Godot, I came across this tree by the Albertson's on Campus Rd. It is illuminated by a footlight, which I thought was interesting because in class, we discussed how the angle of the light is unnatural, so it usually gives off a scary effect. It was not the case for this tree at all--in my opinion, how it was lit up amidst the darkness was magnificent. There was also this enchanting quality to it, as if gentle otherworldly beings would come out from behind the tree and would start doing magical things. This was definitely a treat to see after a long, exhausting day.