Today, on our third birthday, we take a look at the past three years, reveals some top secret statistics about this site and have some very exciting news too.

So, On Stage Lighting is now three years old.

Finally toilet trained, feeding self and able to stand for significant periods without falling over. But enough about the editorial staff, what’s been going on under the hood at OSL for the first three years of life, and what does the future look like?

Brief History of On Stage Lighting

After a few years of amateur dabbling, making and marketing web sites and, more importantly, making mistakes, I read about ways in which content writers were creating websites, attracting visitors and stimulating conversation while often paying for their work by selling targeted advertising. These  professional bloggers often used the free blogging platform Wordpress to enable them to set up a professional and easy to administer web property on their own domain. They often choose a niche subject, often a specialism that they could build a brand around, and found both enjoyment and employment in writing online.

That interested me and I decided to try an experiment while developing my web marketing skills. It made sense to write about the subject that I had a lot of experience and and a passion for and as a stage lighting professional, the subject choice was obvious.

After a fairly quick set up, the first article was published on the 9th July 2007, a brief rundown of considerations when hiring lighting equipment. It was simple to follow advice from a professional written for anyone with little stage lighting experience, a template that is still the mark of an On Stage Lighting Article today.

As time went on, awareness of this site grew and visitor numbers climbed, I was no longer writing into a vacuum but had readers, subscribers and now even a few reeeeeealllly big stage lighting names that I know follow this site (erk). Oo er, better make a go of this experiment then…

Learning from the pros in the blogging world, as a content provider, I do quite a bit of research into what visitors are looking for when they come online. This takes many forms such as the comments sections, a  simple poll or question, but also research into what users are searching for, both at the main search engines such as Google, and our internal site searches too (they tell me that many people are trying to find article on “Concert Lighting Techniques” but also “Curtain Tracks”, not something yet covered). Content that is popular in terms of sharing, linking or even the amount of comments (nearly 1000 comments in total so far), also shows areas that stimulate the interest of readers.

The main requirement for any On Stage Lighting article is that it is not only informative and enjoyable to read but that the on site Signal/Noise Ratio is favourable. This means that the bar is pretty high for what I consider writing, and why the possibly surprising figure of only 106 published articles makes sense, especially as we try to avoid duplication.

Personally, it takes me most of a day to get just a written piece together, much longer for  tutorials and that’s excluding time coming up with ideas or the 20+ years of lighting experience behind them. The posting schedule is often dictated by the amount of work it’s taking to make a living in the lighting business (which recently has been a lot) but also on the availability of good content, having something to say. It’s been fairly quiet here at the site in the last few months for reasons that will be revealed further on.

But On Stage Lighting has never been about one person and a lot of ideas and advice here is a result of input from other lighting professionals. We’ve been lucky to attract some really high quality guests in Lucas Krech (with a great piece about lighting for  dance) and  Richard Cadena (about getting to the top in lighting). Publishing a wider range of writers at On Stage Lighting is something that I’ve been working toward for quite a while, whether it be big names or readers with new experiences, and it’s definitely something we are keen to encourage.

Looking Back

Over the last three years, On Stage Lighting has published a range of articles from how-tos such as Lighting An Orchestra, introductions to RDM DMX and Media Servers plus practical guides on fault finding, PAR Lamps or focussing like a pro. There has also been plenty of information on working in the entertainment business and the state of the industry, something that our large number of undergraduate readers have found useful.

Some pieces have turned out to be faintly amusing, particularly the  Guide to Lampie Slang, and on occasion a little ranty,  Dr Mr Speaker…, a piece on the importance of visibility based on years of bitter experience. We even got a glimpse into the world of teenager Josh and his  first experience on the lighting crew at Glastonbury Festival.

In September 2010, I am hoping to be able to continue the tradition of the PLASA London reports as in 2007,  2008 and 2009, getting around the halls and avoiding the press release police while picking up the real buzz from those in the industry.

Some articles are more popular than others, often depending on search demand (our quick DMX guide or pieces about  lighting control software being particular examples), and ones that attract more comments, such as LED Lighting. Sometimes pieces that I really like or think will attract more feedback perhaps don’t perform as expected but every one plays it’s part in the evolution of the site ( Live Lighting, a piece on my favourite approach to performing with light, put me in touch with Nick Hunt at Rose Bruford and his work on the subject including a fascinating contraption for lighting performance)

Some readers like the technical tutorials (yes, I know, MagicQ Moving Light Tutorial, still stuck in the pipes), others the more abstract concepts in pieces such as Concert Lighting Programming in 30 Mins. My personal favourites sometimes stem from my own enjoyment of thinking about the subject, such as new ideas in Fixture Personality Files.

The Stats Behind the Scenes

The geeky part, let’s have a nose backstage at some site stats.

Getting up to 20,000 unique visitors per month from over 120 countries worldwide, an average reader looks at 2.2 pages per visit. That’s good engagement by today’s online standards as much of the time, visitors are looking for one specific thing, not to browse the entire site at their leisure. This is particularly good as over 80% of On Stage Lighting visitors come from a search engine (search visitors are not always the most engaged on the planet) and 74% are what we deem to be new visits, rather than returning ones. So, in a nutshell, the site must be doing something that people are finding attractive when they arrive.

The core readership, and the most important to us, is the regulars. Those include the 1000+ RSS or email subscribers (40% email, still a popular way to recieve the latest article), plus those on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, where links to new stuff are published. It’s the core readership that I take most interest in because their needs are most aligned with what we are trying to do. I know that it’s is often the same readers that I am in contact with personally via social networks or email and who often inadvertantly give me ideas for new articles.

All these visitors come from somewhere. Apart from search engines, On Stage Lighting has a number of regularly referring sites, Facebook being the biggest. Many of the Facebook referrals are not connected to either my own FB profile or the OSL Facebook Group, suggesting that these social networks really do promote sharing of ideas and content on the outside. Other big referrers are Wikipedia (aaah, one day a Wikipedia editor will write an entry for On Stage Lighting….) and the Blue Room Technical Forums plus the popular US lighting industry blog iSquint.net.

All these visitors find what they are looking for, not only in terms of content here, but also in our range of advertisers, sponsors and affiliate merchants. Some visitors that see the value in so much free lighting help donate direct to On Stage Lighting and this, combined with the advertiser revenue keep not only the servers paid up, designs done but also enable development and writing to continue on the site.

And the story continues…

Exciting News and the Future

OK, so I said that there was exciting news. It’s personally good news for me but also for On Stage Lighting.

Earlier this year I came off the road, after 15 years as a freelance lighting professional, to explore possibilities for me in the education of the next generation of technicians. Richard Cadena  recently told us that everyone in our business under the age of 30 is trying to work out how to get in, while those over 30 are wondering if it’s ever possible to get out. Well, I just turned 35, I dunno what to tell ya….

Anyway, although a bit of a risk, things worked out particularly well for me as I managed to secure a new post as a Lecturer in Theatre Production at  Bath Spa University which starts in September this year. This is obviously a great opportunity for me to progress on my new path doing something that I love – helping others interested in our business. I might also add that On Stage Lighting as a body of work played no small part in securing that gig.

The reason that this new role is good for On Stage Lighting is that it will enable me to spend more spare time writing and creating, and less time loading trucks at 0300 and generally living life on the edge as a freelancer. Working with students day to day will give me more ideas, create more content and generally improve on the last 3 years of work while maintaining On Stage Lighting as a free resource for current readers and future ones. I will also have the opportunity to research new things and continue my own learning while maintaining my links with the professional lighting world.

The thing that writing has given me is the opportunity to think about the subject, something that is not often the case when you are stacking Martin cases in the back of a forty five footer at silly o’clock in the morning. Trying to interpret for others that which you know by instinct is a great way to a better understanding of your subject.

So, Happy Birthday everyone. On Stage Lighting is a product of everyone here, readers and contributors alike so buy yerself a drink (or see if you can spot me at PLASA London this year and remind me that I owe you one).

Here’s to the future.

PS. Though On Stage Lighting is unlikely to receive any birthday cards, you can celebrate the occasion by writing something really nice about the site in the comments section, tell us about your favourite stuff so far or how we’ve helped you.

Candles image by TheRainbow on Flickr

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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In the run up to the season of outdoor concerts and music festivals here in the UK, On Stage Lighting looks at a reality in concert lighting, the benefits of having different information and asks you “Which is more important to you? Knowing the music or knowing the rig?”.

It’s a secret kept from the Billy Bunters, but a large proportion of concert lighting is the product of the unknown. Wrangling a lack of information is the stock in trade for many techs in the concert and events business. A lot of shows are done on the fly by people who really should be paid more for their talent and creative techniques.

I was recently called in as “house lampie” at a local venue. The band to play that night had all the usual, sound crew, backline techs but no dedicated LD as such. For lighting, I checked and prepared the house rig in anticipation of either having to run the show myself or hand it over to their regular Tour Manager who was arriving later in the day. A bit of busking programming done, palettes checked and tweaked, faults sorted.

An hour or so before the support act went on, I’m stood the desk and feel a presence before seeing the familiar sight of a hand to be shaken, names to be exchanged – the aforementioned Tour Manager. Standing there, between the TM and myself, we had the full picture: I’d used the rig a few times before and had programmed a few pages of subs for busking, he knew the show and the music, down to the last beat.

The usual conversation takes place, more often in a leaky Kwikform FOH tower as sounds of rain and crowd anticipation filter though the earplugs. I run through the kit, the programming I’ve done and we discuss who will run the show. He’s not the band’s LD per se and is a bit rusty on the desk, so having listened to what I’ve created for him work with, he requests a couple additional tools to be programmed and we leave the question of who is running the show open for now.

Show time. I run lighting for the support act, of course. They are OK, pretty dynamic and I busk some decent looks together with movement and accents when it’s obvious. I know where everything is on the desk, so can play along quite well. Having worked there a few times recently, I also know the rig well enough to know all those little things that can add up to a good stage picture, angles that work well and nice balances between fixtures. But I don’t know what they are going to be playing or what is coming next The result is good, however.

Time for the main act. TM decides that he fancies running the show and will see how it goes, I hover to field questions. It goes well, the lighting is obviously a different style, not just because everyone has different eyes but also because there is a limit to what you can do having only just walked up to an alien desk and rig. He excels in knowing every song, every beat and every break – dynamically right on the money.

It started me thinking about the nature of busking concert lighting from different perspectives. So, why not look at those perspectives and break them down to analyse their strong and weak points?

Knowing The Rig

Give me a rig for a second night, and I will create better lighting than last night. Last year I was depping for a friend of mine for two days on an indoor festival. His rig was nicely flexible and the focus good (really can’t over emphasise the importance of a good focus, eh?) – I created a page of subs for my own use even though he and I use a console in a similar way. The first day went well, you can feel your command of the stage growing as you get used to the kit and programming – after all, this is your instrument. On the second day, I added some of my own “hey, I’ve got time” special palettes and tweaked a few things. Result? Really kick ass lighting!!

So, what’s good and bad about knowledge of the rig and the programming?

• This is your instrument – it’s helps if you’ve played it before.
• Able to concentrate without thinking about the technicalities of doing stuff – heads up, looking at the stage.
• Understanding of what really doesn’t work with what you have.
• You have found those happy accidents: good positions or angles, fixtures that catch something nicely or colours that work well.
• You have more time to see.

But

• Never quite sure what song is coming up, in order to choose colour combinations and nail them every time. Erk, this isn’t a blue song?
• While you can react to dynamics and a lot of music is pretty predictable, you are always slightly following.

Tactics and Techniques?

Use time you save looking at the desk to constantly evaluate the stage picture, you don’t need to mentally compute what you are doing so use your energy to keep looking and keep up with what’s happening visually and musically. Line up your best base layers (like decent colour washes), use them to underscore more complex stuff and to return to when you need to “stop all that a-wagglin’ and a a-strobin’, like, yesterday!” Always know how to stop stuff like chases and movements instantly. If you don’t get the beats, do something that isn’t a rockin’ out bump fest, movement speeds or even shutter chases that are more textural and less beat dependant.

Knowing The Show

Just like the previous perspective, give me a second show and it’ll be better than the first. In the world of concerts and events, many shows only happen once and often with little rehearsal. After a while you get used to the idea that you all do your best as professionals, what happens happens. But doing a rare show for a second time helps you remember how much better it can be and the luxury of rehearsing.

• You know the set, you can be ready for the next thing. Colours parked up, specials ready to go.
• Hardly miss a beat and aren’t surprised by a sudden stop (there is nothing worse than moving lights still moving when they obviously shouldn’t be)

but

• May be not aware of all the tools available or the capabilities of the rig
• Haven’t tried out different combinations or looks
• You may spend more time looking at the console than the stage

Tactics and Techniques?

Your show is made by hitting that beat, so make sure you have the ways and means to bump like a demon. Three intensity subs work for me, or split the blinders into two sets. Keep them on your free hand (left hand on many consoles) so you can select and adjust other fixtures while keeping the beat.

Concert Lighting – Ideal vs Reality

Obviously, in an ideal world we’d all have the rig of our dreams, plenty of rehearsals and everything would be just dandy. But like we said at the start, a lot of concert lighting is created using the only information available. That may be a knowledge of the kit or of the show but often, it ain’t both.

Geek Out: Lighting Techniques  – What submasters were used?

As an aside and for your interest, here is the recipe for the secret lighting sauce that night. All submasters are programmed as attribute only faders (not whole fixtures) to retain flexibility. A rundown of the subs used in addition to the usual fixture selection tools and palettes that would do the bulk of the work.

Generics

Not may generics in the rig: Front fill light, Specials Intensity (Source Fours with Apollo Right Arms, position set by palettes), House Lights.

Intelligent Intensities

Get those fixtures on: Washes, Spots, Scans, PixelLine intensity on individual subs
Make those fixtures chase: Same deal, shutter chase, fader position controls speed.
Strobe: Make some of the rig strobe. Different strobes according to fader position, strobe released on fader out.

Bump Splits

Intensities, splitting the rig into three sets: For beat bumps and kickin‘ that beam structure around the roof.
PixelLine: PL intensities, split across 2 bump subs.  All together now, Flip, Flop etc.

Movement/Position

Moves with speed controlled by fader position: Circle, Tilt Saw for both Scans and Washes. Could have used simple Pan Only Saw and Tilt Only Saw and mixed them but it uses up too many subs on several fixtures types, so Pan Saw was left out for the rig layout in question.

OUT: This is my all time favourite sub and one I use on most concert shows. It’s a position only Crowd position controlled by fader. Fade in, the heads all move out from their starting point on stage, fade back, they return. Move position by fader means that you can also do quick moves DJ style especially with scanners. In this case, there were no dedicated blinders.

So, there you have it. A hand full of subs for a truck full of shows.

What do you think?

During the show, I asked the question on Facebook and Twitter : “Which is more important to you? Knowing the music or knowing the rig?” which received a range of responses. Some came down on the side of knowing the instrument well enough to be able to play along while others suggested that knowing the show was the better option, being able to hit every beat was desirable.

This is an interactive so let us know what you think. In that situation, would you rather know the setup or the show? And what are your own approaches and techniques in these different situations? Come over and put your comments in the box below as usual

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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A look at lighting design in the new millennium and how the lighting designer’s job has been changed by
market forces and a growing entertainment industry.

As stage lighting has moved from the theatre and into the commercial world, the title “Lighting Designer” moved with it. Theatre job titles and the “system” that grew throughout the 20th century still remains largely intact (unlike many of the theatres). Richard Pilbrow’s excellent book Lighting Design – The Art, The Craft, The Life describes the world of a 20th century lighting designer in detail.

Newer parts of our industry, awards shows or industrials, the lighting design workflow that started in the theatre tradition has mutated under the pressures of commerce. In an industry that now largely competes on price, I have witnessed big changes first hand in the last 15 years.

In the Disney version of Lighting Design, you work as you were trained to: Consider the show, go to meetings, carefully design and plan every detail, choose every gel. The long winter evenings fly by as you sit with your Lee swatch book, trying to find the three best colours to simulate fire light. Along with the art comes the planning – Producing plans, spreadsheets, schedules and even pre programming your show using a simulator like WYSIWYG. While thumbing through the Vari*lite catalogue, you carefully compare lumens and beam angles while wondering if it would be ok to ask the lighting company to swap out every gobo in 50 WaggleSpots ™.

For every West End production or meticulously planned tour, there are 50 award ceremonies such as the “UK Sausage Growers Quarterly Awards 2009” or another weekend rock festival with an improbable name like “N20”. For every .wyg file there are 100 fag packet sketches scrawled on the back of production emails. For every carefully scheduled gel call, there must be at least 10 phone calls that go “just make sure there’s some blue and some frost in there, Dave”.

Are you a Lighting Designer?

Surely LD’s design stuff, choose things and plan in the traditional manner? They pick angles, colours and once in the venue lead the team in focussing and plotting while painting with light, right?

I am often introduced as the Lighting Designer on gigs where I have neither chosen the kit, the colour or even had any say in the rigging positions. In the 21stC world, being tagged as the Lighting Designer can mean a number of things:

• You are the head of the lighting crew and will be programming the desk.
• You are the only one here who knows which end the light comes out of a Source 4.
• You are responsible for the stage not looking crap and we will be asking some pretty serious questions if it does.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that you spent hours of pre production on “designing”. Some will say that you are not a Lighting Designer but a Lighting Do-er – turn up, do it and FOH (industry acronym for going home). The Lighting Designer can still bring their own brand of art to this brave new world of Bish Bash Bosh eventing. Just make sure that you bring it with you on the day.

Where does the Lighting Designers art fit into this?

Let’s take a typical commercial lighting scenario. Every week, I take at least one phone call like this:

PM “Hi Rob, we’re doing the [insert something you've never heard of] Awards at the [insert ghastly London hotel] next week. I have provisionally booked a load of Pixelline, 6 Spots, 6 Washes and a few Source Fours, few Fresnels. Oh, and some cheap LED PARs for uplighters. Do you need anything else?”

Me: “Well, given that the niceties of pre production and all those other luxuries I learned about at drama school don’t seem to be on the table, just make sure there is a couple of irises and some frost. Don’t suppose you can describe the set to me? No? Ok, what desk have we got. No, I definitely don’t want one of those!….”

And so we establish that there’s no rigging and only 3 hours from truck unloading until rehearsals. We have also circumvented the need for a lighting design fee(!) or any time faffing about in the office trying to import a DWG with seemingly random scaling. This is not a specifically shocking example or a complaint about how the business works, it just gives us a typical scenario that we can pick the design bones out of.

Where’s the design?

Fixture Positioning – In common with traditional theatre design, many fixture position decisions are largely a double Hobson’s Choice. Either it goes here or there or it doesn’t go anywhere and in our case of limited rigging we don’t have a lot to play with. But there are small decisions related to placement that can make your lighting better or worse .. where the lighting designer skills are required.

The Focus – In our example we don’t have hundreds of conventional fixtures. This makes the focus of the few we have even more important. Perhaps the biggest challenge for the next generation of lighting designers is learning how to do a good focus without the distractions of complex fixtures and controllers. Making design decisions to produce a good focus makes a decent lighting designer invaluable. I have seen perfectly good rigs ruined by bad focussing.

Colour – OK, so we didn’t get to flick through our swatch books hunting down exactly the right gel. The rig we have has two different kinds of RGB LED fixtures (more than that if the Pixelline is a bit older ;-[ ), some CMY, some fixed colour wheels, tungsten. The colour choices may not have been made beforehand but you better make them now that the client is breathing down your neck. Good lighting designers know which colours to use and how to get them using the array of colour mixing kit available these days. (Top Tip – the colour you require is usually the one in 16 million that those LED’s can’t do).

The Looks – Using the range of very flexible kit in this kitlist, this is the opportunity to really create. No different to traditional theatre plotting. While good fixture positioning and focus make life easier, the balancing of light and use of intensities are what creates the final result. The 21st century Lighting Designer also gets to choose angles, movement and the interaction of dynamic lighting. OK, so today we only have 20 minutes to do that but still…..

The Cues – Looks are important but transitions between them are no less integral to a good show. Having our Pixelline not crash through some horrible pink while going from blue to red is part of the modern lighting designers remit.

The Design

While the mechanics of lighting design in the new century can use different work patterns and processes, the hallmarks of good lighting hasn’t really changed. And while some people might insist that drawing a plan is prerequisite to be given the title “Lighting Designer”, we have seen that design decisions are integral to good lighting whenever they are taken. If you have to take those decisions (and if you’re in charge of the lighting not being crap), you are the Lighting Designer. Simple as.

Why should I bother to learn how to do lighting designs the “traditional” way?

Educational establishments teaching lighting design still work on traditional theatre lighting design and workflow for good reason. This method teaches you essential skills such as:

• The basics of light, angles and it’s interaction with subjects.
• Good methods of lighting a stage
• To use the pre production process wisely and communicate with other departments
• To clearly communicate your intentions using recognised drafting techniques
• How to organise equipment inventories, budgetting and other paperwork
• Working in an organised team structure and mastering time management
• Tried and trusted methods of focusing and producing a useful rig to plot with
• Plotting lighting in a favourable enviroment (ie, not with the working lights still on, rehearsals in progress, sun blasting in the front of the stage etc)
• Keep visually evaluating your work during the final process of rehearsals.

I’m sure there’s a load more. Learning how to do things “properly” is a fundamental of good education in any business. I love hearing stories of college students lighting their shows, using Lightwright, getting their hands on Vectorworks and going through the process guided by experienced tutors. It reassures me that these guys are getting the education they deserve.

Back in the real world The UK Sausage Growers still need someone who understands how to make the host visible on stage, how to make the environment look good and how to use lighting to add to the sausage based excitement of winning Banger of the Year (!?). All the crew, equipment and CAD in the world don’t necessarily guarantee that. This time you didn’t get to choose the kit, the rigging, the colour or do many of the things that a “real” lighting designer might do – avoiding a lighting suckfest is still in your hands for the next few hours.

In a fast paced, cost driven lighting business, the stuff hidden inside the head of a good LD is still where the real value is.

Image based on a photo by Deapeajay on Flickr

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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On Stage Lighting presents our first reader poll. Please let us know what kind of stuff you look for or enjoy the most here.

When developing new articles for On Stage Lighting, I sometimes use specific readers queries or common lighting questions as a starting point. We also track the trends of the on site search box to gauge the kinds of information that readers look for (which reminds me, we haven’t written anything about dimmers so far!). While this sounds very scientific, the fact is that this feedback is invaluable but it is also quite subjective and often very specific.

In order to improve On Stage Lighting, I would be interested to know what floats the boat of On Stage Lighting readers hence the poll. You might really like all the choices and can pick as many as you like, but it would be great if you pick 1 or 2 of your top content types. There is some quick guidance about the different choices below the poll to help you make up your mind.

What kind of stage lighting related content really makes your day?

More about the questions

1. General traditional lighting techniques and lighting design methods. Beginner to intermediate general stuff like our Learn Stage Lighting articles.

2. Opinions and ideas from lighting professionals like our recent chat with Mark Wyn-Edwards about the Jands Vista or the Stage Lighting Education series with different industry employers.

3. Personal help. Specific answers to questions about your own lighting designs or equipment – a lot of these are currently answered directly via the comments or Facebook, Twitter etc or get turned into an article.

4. Lighting product information . Reviews or specs to help make decisions about purchasing equipment such as the Zero88 Jester review.

5. Advanced technical info. Specific tutorials on how to do something on pro level equipment similar to the Avolites Pearl Tools and Time Savers article.

6. Lighting industry news. Who did which gig with what kit? Who has brought out another LED product? So far, only the PLASA reports have much of an industry news slant.

7. A chance to interact with other users interested in stage lighting. Like the Your Stage Lighting series or comments. On Stage Lighting readers quite often interact with each other via the comments section which is great and a reason for setting up the new On Stage Lighting Facebook Group for more discussion.

Thanks for voting

On Stage Lighting has been in existence for less than 2 years. We have nearly 400 feed/email subscribers around the world (according to somewhat erratic Feedburner stats), receive up to 15,000 visitors and serve 50,000 pages every month.

Your participation created this success and will shape the site for the future. Thank you.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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Make sure someone buys you some stage lighting swag this Christmas with this On Stage Lighting Interactive…

Christmas isn’t that far away and friends and family will be wondering what gifts to buy for a stage lighting devotee. Should it be a new LED headtorch? Or a Leatherman Wave ?
Let’s hope they’re not veering towards a Rick Astley’s Greatest Hits Album (No, I just can’t do it – Rickrolling OSL readers isn’t my style).

On Stage Lighting is dedicated to helping our readers – even helping to avoid the avocado lounge suit Granny was going to knit for you this Christmas. We’ve been busy designing some seriously “lampie – tastic” Lighting Crew T Shirts with all original humour and graphics. There is a good number of designs at the store, with even more to be added in the near future.

Where is all this lampie swag, then?

Working through the Cafepress webshop portal, we are proud to announce the On Stage Lighting Crew T Shirt Store. There are unique designs for LX techs, stage crew, LD’s and even some funky Crew Chick tops.

Our best selling Limited Edition T shirt “Lampie Error – Please Add Beer and Reset” had it’s shelf life extended by popular request so if you are quick, you can still get an order in time for Christmas.

Can I get On Stage Lighting Swag in [insert country here]?

Cafepress is a well known printing and sales platform, based in the US. They are used to shipping all over the world at very competitive rates. Although the site is priced in USD, a quick conversion into your local currency will confirm that the T Shirts are priced to be attractive to buyers outside the US too. They also have a solid return sytem, so the buying from Cafepress is risk free.

Ok, so you think you’ve already got enough rigging T shirts but come on, these are exclusive items that you won’t find anywhere else. And if you do, we want to know coz I hold the copyrights to them!

Returning to your normal On Stage Lighting service after this message….

Let us know what lampie stuff you want for Christmas this year?

If you have stage lighting christmas gifts that you are hankering after, let us know what they are in the comments box below. (You can post ONE affiliate link on this page, as long as they are to genuine stage lighting related pressies). Tell us why you why you want it and we can get a little christmas list together. Can’t guarantee the Santa is on OSL reader but you could always add the URL in this years letter to him.

Point your Granny to this page to pick up some ideas on what us lampies like for xmas. Books, tools, your own industrial pot of Sudocrem (if you don’t know, I aint gonna tell you), anything.

Let’s hear it, put your christmas wishes in the box below.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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This On Stage Lighting Interactive (a chance to shout your mouth off) is about progressing in life, stage lighting and getting that job or placement. Give us your advice on expanding your horizons.

On Stage Lighting recently heard from two different people in similar situations. One, a sixteen year old stage lighting beginner, was looking for ideas to help her get into the business. The second was an experienced lighting technician who had recently started out as a freelancer and was trying to get more work. Particularly from a broader range of sources.

They both had the same problem – getting “in” from “outside. A teenager who wants to scale the castle walls of stage lighting and a professional freelancer trying to get work from companies who don’t know him from Adam (one of the first production lighting assistants in history, BTW).

Personal bit: I am going to keep most of my thoughts to myself until some comments come in.
My own personal opinions are coloured by my experiences – whose aren’t? I have nearly always managed to quietly push my way through life , with some support from others. I’ve also had plenty of people tell me they’ve “tried everything” to get a certain result (job, work placement, whatever) but then don’t actually have much of a list.

So, what about you?

This isn’t a stage lighting specific conundrum, it happens to everyone in their personal and professional lives. Readers of OSL are here because they want to learn but that doesn’t meant that you don’t have something to teach. How did you get the part time work in your local venue or even your first job in IT? You have experience on this and so must have ideas to share with these two friends of On Stage Lighting – and the rest of us too.

You can be as specific or as philosophical as you like. Here are a few questions to get you thinking but don’t let them confine your thoughts.

How did you “get your break” doing what you do at the moment?

How do you persuade people that you are worth trying out?

If it’s “Who you know” rather than “What you know”, what to do when you don’t “know” anybody?

PS – The On Stage Lighting Interactives are great for us to all get to know each other a bit better. It seems a bit daunting, typing stuff into that comments box and I really appreciate those that take the time. Don’t worry about being the first!! If the comments keep on coming, I am hoping to run some “Comment of the Month” competitions with real stage lighting goodies to give away.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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At the end of June we heard from 18 year old Joshua Simms who was about to start a summer job with the lighting crew at Glastonbury 2008. We’ve managed to track Josh down to ask him about his first festival experience. Did he make the tea or what?

Working for Fineline Lighting, Josh started the festival period by getting stuck into equipment prep and getting to know his fellow lampies. “We had a few long days in the warehouse, sorting out kit.” Josh says. Fineline regularly supply lighting kit for a number of different stages at Glastonbury, so there was also the small matter of loading several trucks.

“I drove down on the Tuesday night, ready to start rigging the next morning. After a busy prep, it was good to chill out the night before!”

The Load In

The morning of the load in, Josh was put on the lighting crew of the Dance and Fire ( AKA Blazing Saddles) and the Circus stage. This crew of three would oversee both stages for the rest of the festival.

The lighting gear comprised of the usual PAR64s plus High End StudioSpots and PC Beams and SGM Palco LED wash lights. This was a chance for Josh to use some quality LED colour mixing fixtures for the first time. “Those were great! We used them to light the white canopy of the Circus stage and got some really good effects.” Unsurprisingly, an Avolites Pearl was the desk of day.

Rigging any lighting system, especially in a harsh outdoor environment, you expect to have to find faults. This was valuable learning time for Josh, working with experienced lampies, picking up quick ways of tracing equipment problems. Working on school shows doesn’t always teach you such techniques. He tells us “ the Fineline crew were very happy to help and I was shown a few easier ways of doing stuff.”

Running the stages

Running the shows was split between his team, with Josh being given the responsibility of running the Blazing Saddles stage. “ The other guys were doing the Circus stage, so I got to have my own stage, do my own thing.” Josh was surprised that he would get to do so much but Rob Sangwell of Fineline tells us “ Josh has a good attitude and I knew that he could handle the task. He looked after that stage pretty much on his own, although there was obviously experienced crew to back him up.”

Having programmed up his desk, Josh says that Concert Lighting Programming.. came out a too late for him this year. He learned to use the Pearl on his last major school show and then the Pearl Simulator on his laptop. Fineline had also given him the chance to set up a Pearl and some fixtures in their warehouse.

We know that Josh didn’t spend time making the tea so we asked him if he got a chance to see the other areas at Glastonbury – including the bigger stuff. “I managed to have a look around backstage at the Pyramid and other stages, do a bit of kit spotting, but we all had our own shows to do. I did catch some of Jay Z’s set and thought he was really good despite what people said.” he says.

Social life

Long days, endless shows and patchy weather. Sound like the ideal festival work experience, but what about the social side?

“We finished shows pretty late and then all converged on the Acoustic Tent bar. We didn’t have to get up too early – shows started at 11am. The social stuff was great though and I was pretty tired by the end of it all.” Too many beers and talking b****cks all night is what festivals are all about. Josh didn’t miss out on this and, according to reports, got involved in dishing out some light hearted abuse. He escaped any major incidents himself, despite being the new boy. Attack is the best form of defence.

Teamwork

Getting on well with the crew, Josh gets good words from the rest of the Fineline team. Rob Sangwell told us “Josh doesn’t mind hard work and isn’t afraid to ask a question if he doesn’t understand something. He knows when to have a laugh and, more importantly, he knows when to keep his mouth shut.” So, a satisfied customer at the start of what could be a long career. “ We will definitely be employing Josh again.”

Back next year?

Josh obviously had a great time. Talking to him, he has a professional attitude which seems pretty unfazed by this gig – probably a good thing. Glastonbury has a kind of kudos that looks good on a CV, but friendships and a unique atmosphere make any job special.

First time out, opping your own stage might surprise a few On Stage Lighting readers but not us. These events have just the right mix of laid back attitude and professionalism to allow a newcomer to fit in and learn. Josh admits he was a bit surprised “I had expected the worst. Being the dogsbody, getting all the crap – but none of that really happened. Everyone worked hard. I didn’t expect to be operating a desk on my first festival. I hope to do a few more yet.”

Maybe Josh will make tea another time. BTW Josh, mine is “lampie standard” – white with two.

Did you think that Josh would spend most of his time making tea? Or hang around as the more experienced crew got on with stuff? Put your comments in the box as usual.

PS. Still trying to get hold of suitable photographic evidence – will update if any emerges.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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On Stage Lighting is 1 year old today. We are asking our valued readers what kind of things they want, so come on and let us know what you would like to see here in the future.

Since launch last year, the On Stage Lighting community has grown quickly, with an international following of visitors all with a common purpose. To learn more about the theory and techniques in modern stage lighting.

On Stage Lighting is not an industry-back-slapping-new-kit-pushing site and we keep trying to produce high quality content, which takes time. There is plenty of interesting stuff in the pipeline and lots of things that we haven’t got around to creating/releasing yet (what with working full time in the lighting industry an’ all). While still publishing helpful articles on stage lighting basics, we also have plans to expand including:

• Interviews with industry professionals, relevant to learning.
• Lighting desks video tutorials such as the MagicQ PC and Avolites Pearl/ Tiger .
• Beyond the basics of stage lighting – more advanced help.
• A Learn Stage Lighting community.

Your Stage Lighting Interactives are about you, the On Stage Lighting readers and this one centres on what you are keen to read and learn about in the next year.

So, put your comments and requests in the box.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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This summer looks like the beginning of a start of a promising career for one lucky school leaver who is going to Glastonbury Festival 2008 with one the main lighting suppliers . Surely, it doesn’t get much better than this when you are young and starting out….

All that was found of the Glastonbury 2007 lighting crew after the Get-Out. Photo by Tim Parkinson

On Stage Lighting reader Joshua Sims is an 18 year old with an interest in stage lighting. He has spent the last few years learning lighting and sound skills in local venues and his school productions culminating in a successful lighting design for High School Musical in 2007. The chance to control a moving light rig using a brand new Avolites Pearl Expert was topped off by picking up some freelance lighting work for the schools lighting hire company.

Fast forward to this week.

Josh has only just finished his exams and got himself a pretty cool summer job for anyone interested in lighting. Better than working in the local burger joint.

Glastonbury Festival is the summer meeting point of a large part of the UK stage lighting industry (oh, and some bands too). The lighting business seems to shut down while everyone finds an excuse to head down to Somerset for a week. One of the “official” suppliers (the ones who actually have to do some work) of equipment and crew for many of the stages at Glastonbury is Fineline Lighting. Josh has managed to get a place on the Fineline crew, working the festival and getting a brilliant experience on a large mud fest… sorry, music festival.

Now, Josh isn’t the son of a famous LD or even a Saudi Prince to deserve such special treatment. In fact, his stage lighting CV is typical of many aspiring lampies – few school shows, helping out at local small scale venues – generally getting involved etc.

So, how did he get the Glasters gig?

Josh had the guts to pitch up at a lighting company, get some casual work and took their advice on getting himself some Public Liability Insurance. He proved himself to be reliable and showed a willingness to learn (something mentioned by all our experts in the “Stage Lighting Education…” series). It was this attitude that persuaded Fineline to take him to the festival.

Josh says: ” This is a great opportunity so I hope to get stuck in and really prove I could be a useful asset for future work.”

It just goes to prove that, with the right attitude, even the most road hardened lighting professionals are willing to help the next generation. We were all beginners once, y’know.

I am not working Glastonbury 2008 (instead doing all the other gigs going on that weekend while my colleagues play in the Somerset mud) but we will be catching up with Josh afterwards and look forward to hearing all about his first major festival experience. Don’t forget to check out On Stage Lighting or subscribe to our feed to get the latest updates. We might even get Josh to send us the odd text message to the On Stage Lighting Twitter.

If you have any “you lucky bastard” comments or goodwill messages for Josh before the Glastonbury crew “break” him, put them in the comments section below.

Update: He’s back – so how did Josh get on.
Find out in The Tea Boy returns…

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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In the first of Your Stage Lighting Interactive articles, we look at 3 challenges in the stage lighting world and ask for your opinions about the kind of person that works in stage lighting.

Daylight actually turns lampies to stone. Image by calm a llama down

This series of Your Stage Lighting Interactive articles take the form of a short idea, a few questions and the chance for you to get in touch and let us know what you think.

Your opinion counts so don’t be shy, put your thoughts on this article in the comments box at the bottom of the page.

I have recently been consulting on a potential new moving light product (No – I can’t tell you what it was, if you were wondering). The producers of the product don’t have a background in stage lighting or “show business” so, as part of some broader market research, I was asked to describe three problems that face everyone in stage lighting. Although geared towards lighting products, the questions got me thinking about the nature of the theatre and events industry – and the people who work in it.

Here are brief versions of some the answers and how they relate to our people:

• Time – “The Show” deadline does not go away or get pushed further into the future (unlike some examples in the building trade – penalty payments…). Lighting systems are based around the need to get a lot done in a short time frame (venue time, schedules etc.). It takes a certain kind of person to be able to work towards that goal, even if it means changing your plans to get it done in time.
• Budget – The entertainment industry is sensitive to costs and show budgets. There is never an endless pot of money to throw at any one show, so compromises are always made, cheaper solutions found etc. It’s kind of a make do and mend attitude – if a solution will last for the show, then that’s what we do. People in the lighting business can’t be perfectionists, “good enough” is the motto.
• Change – Due the transient nature of shows and the time and money limitations, despite all the planning, there are often changes made to plans. Things cut (omitted from the show), moved, made bigger smaller etc. Things change right up until the doors open. All of our people are problem solvers. Problems that arise on a show build are usually solved within a matter of minutes, with a decision being taken (because of the “show” deadline).

What do you think?

I like working in the stage lighting business because it is filled with “my kind of people”. Creative, pragmatic with a grasp of priorities are traits that everyone backstage has. This bunch of intelligent weirdos and individuals are family. But that’s enough from me.

Heres some thoughts to get you started (you don’t necessarily have to answers these, just let us know what you think).

What do you think is special about our industry and the people who work on shows?
What challenges do you think make “show business” unique?
Why do you find stage lighting and working backstage so fascinating and attractive?

Put your ideas in the comments box – I really look forward to hearing your views.

If this has helped you, consider buying me a beer and CLICK HERE to donate a few bucks to On Stage Lighting (why should I donate?). Thanks, - Rob

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