Lighting

Description:

For the school play i was responsible of lights and props, and although props wasn’t really a hard job rather than making sure everything was there and get all what we needed, lights i thought it to be very complicated as it was the first time I really get into it.

Analysis:

The color of lighting usually transmits a feeling, a sensation, can create atmospheres. While doing the “Craig’s photos” I realized who the atmosphere of a same picture could change just by light, and when I thought of the school play and the color scheme set for this I thought this was lost, but in the contrary, in the process I realized that the white, and the contrast of this with the dark enhance the atmosphere we wanted to create, a cold world, with cold colors, where the shadows create darkness. Then having to divide the numbers of light, not being able to use all the ones we wanted as some lights needed to be used for one color, and another for others made me think that we were left with little possibilities and I was worried about not all the scenery been able to be lit up, but this actually helped to create the effect we wanted. Leaving some parts of the scenery dim and dark, and just some parts lighten help to enforce contrast and also helped to create the sense of coldness, because as it was dark it wasn’t a welcoming place, but a tenebrous place in the shadows.

In the other hand, for the dreams where everything was colored I thought that all of a same color will make the play less vibrant and therefor it would lose dynamism, it would be boring to see all of the same color with no contrast. I first thought of using other colors for the lights than the ones for the clothes but this would not follow the color scheme. This was my main worry for the lights in the play. When we put it in practice using all of the same color create a feeling of fantasy, unrealism that take the audience to another state, they weren’t in reality anymore and this help to achieve it. While the blue created a dark atmosphere, mysterious which help to put the mood of nightmare in the scene, the purple I think didn’t work that well, it was too bright, but this problem was reduced by using the Lycos in the scene as not everything was purple, and the purple lights could be lowered the intensity creating a dim purple light behind and with the Lycos just light up what was necessary creating more intrigue and building up tension.

For the fuchsia light, although this wasn’t dark and neither was intended to be, I think it work well because it gave this fantastic happy atmosphere, but that much “happiness” turned to be creepy with the help of the face expressions of the actors, although I think that more exaggerated face expressions will make this more nightmarish that it was. I understand this scene to be a less hectic scene than the others, and tried to lower done the tension, but still it needed to be more creepy so the effect that had been build up all during the play wasn’t lost in one scene.

Lastly for the red dream I think that not many people realized this crescendo in the light colors that gradually turn into red, but red in our society usually links to fire, madness and I think that that effect and atmosphere was the one build up, which was enhanced by the “madness” of the actions, the incoherent in a way, but coherent in another as the actions were an exaggeration and distortion of the office actions which create a feeling of oppression and paranoia in the main character, which was reflected in the audience as the play was seen under his perspective.

In the end the red light maintains the other feelings and the atmosphere that was built before, but because of the script it also turned in the imagination of the audience into fire, into liberation. I realized then how the script and what is said complements what is viewed. The text gives a sense to the colors, to the movements, to the make-up and other design elements. It puts them into context and give them sense, the atmosphere created by the text is then also transmitted by the one created by the stage elements.

The Lycos in the other hand help so that not all the scene was lighted up with color, and not all the scenery was with light. Yes it flooded the stage with a color by the Pares, but it wasn’t fastidious as a low intensity could be used. The Lycos also helped to light certain parts of the scene and enhance this while other things passed in the dim color light. For example for the fuchsia dream – the circus, there were many kids on stage and many things happening at the time but the Lycos helped to focus on a certain action will other things happen. The Lycos helped to do many actions at the time without letting the audience distract, but to concentrate in one action but have the feeling of many things happening at the same time, being in somehow oppressing, and contrasting with the previous scene where we went stage by stage, one thing first and then another, which may be seen as to be in order, but in the dream is distorted to be catastrophic as this apparent “order” in reality is not.

Connections:

Proyeccion Privada: “Teatro de imagen” was used and the “unreal” scenes used green light. What was the purpose of light here? I think that it help to give the unrealistic atmosphere but it really didn’t get further than that. We couldn’t really get what does this color represent.

El ultimo ensayo: The lights here I think was one of the strengths for the scene changes. Although it wasn’t that elaborated for the “reality” scenes, when the actors were preparing the ceremony for Yma Sumac, while doing the scene changes it help to give fluency as using a dim light helped to change the scene in a way that the audience could see what it was happening, it didn’t cut the scene and the another, but it also didn’t enhance this scene change, it was made as unperceived but it was present at the time. We follow with what was happening in a way in which we didn’t put our focus to it but it also didn’t take out this image to take out the focus of it (by using the projections for example). This technique was also used in the play, while one thing happen as for example Eduardo’s monologue and the lights focused him, in the dim dark light (but no complete darkness) scene change happen.

Conclusion:

The lights can create an atmosphere but this is also enhanced by other elements, it is difficult to create an atmosphere by its own as the interpretation of a bright light or a dark light, or a green or a red light can be different by putting them into different contexts. But can in a way light express something by its own, without the influence of other elements? Or does other elements always are needed to give a concrete meaning to light, as for example the text, actions, and face expression?