I have always considered lighting fixtures and control as the musical instruments of my artistic expression. No matter how you choose your equipment, they are the tools to expressing your art. Recently I asked four accomplished lighting artists how they choose their lighting equipment, as well as how music is related to the choices they make.
Lighting professionals speak
Christopher Akerlind, a Tony and Obie Award-winning lighting designer whose work on Broadway includes Sting's "The Last Ship," "Rocky," and "Porgy and Bess," says that while lighting equipment is a critical component of designing a performance, it's not the only component.
“After 25 years, it's obvious that my imagination has been changed by the developing technology,” he says. “Once new technology has been embraced, however, it's still [about] my ability to perceive through the mind, eyes, and heart, and the humanity of performance.” He adds that he works without thinking of the technology, but that his work is shaped by it.
“After 25 years, it's obvious that my imagination has been changed by the developing technology." Christopher Akerlind, Professional Lighting Designer
Sometimes you can't have what you want, requiring designers to make the most with what the production can afford. “As a designer and artist, it is my creative challenge to design with any type of equipment, since it's not what you have, it's what you do with it,” says Anne Militello, a theater and concert lighting professional who has worked on Broadway, as well as with artists such as Pearl Jam, Leonard Cohen, and Josh Groban. She currently heads the Masters Lighting Program at the California Institute of the Arts. “Of course, when I am given a nice budget that allows me to choose what I want, I select fixtures that would be most appropriate for the production,” Militello adds.
“As a designer and artist, it is my creative challenge to design with any type of equipment, since it's not what you have, it's what you do with it.” Anne Militello, Theater and Concert Lighting Professional
Still, it is true that when it comes to equipment that very often you get what you pay for. “Using good quality fixtures and control enables a designer to provide an aesthetically appropriate design without worry,” says Anne McMillis, who has worked on Broadway and in the West End, and is now head of lighting design at San Diego State University and author of "The Assistant Lighting Designer's Toolkit" (Focal Press). Lesser quality equipment can produce the unexpected, “such as green spikes in an inexpensive lamp, or inconsistent dimming curves, which may ruin an otherwise beautiful lighting moment.”
“Using good quality fixtures and control enables a designer to provide an aesthetically appropriate design without worry." Anne McMillis, Professional Lighting Design, Head of Lighting Design, San Diego State University
This is why McMillis looks for reliability, consistency, and quality color rendering when choosing a fixture. “If the fixture under-performs in any of those categories, your intended design may accidentally disappoint,” she explains. For control, she seeks out well known, well supported, and familiar consoles. “Depending on the production, millions of dollars may be at stake if the console goes down or if the programmer is unfamiliar with an obscure brand,” she says. She also counsels choosing consoles that come with 24/7 customer support, and that are widely used.
Critical factors in lighting design
Stan Kaye is president at the design and theater consulting firm SKDesign and Consulting LLC, and heads up the lighting design and technology program at the University of Florida. He relays that a number of factors come into play when making equipment choices, such as who the client is, what the artistic goals are, budgetary limitations, and the capabilities of the personnel charged with operating, repairing and maintaining these systems. “For example, in a space [where] excellent acoustics and sound quality are paramount, then the fixture's noise criteria is very important, [and] in a case like this I might sacrifice speed and accuracy for quietness,” he says. If the facility's personnel aren't highly trained, he might sacrifice the sophistication of the lighting design in favor of bulletproof technology. “It's always a delicate balance [that depends on] the needs of the project,” he says.
"... in a space [where] excellent acoustics and sound quality are paramount, then the fixture's noise criteria is very important, [and] in a case like this I might sacrifice speed and accuracy for quietness.” Stan Kaye, President, SKDesign and Consulting LLC
Akerlind also places a high priority on sound—or the lack of it. “These days it's important to me that the equipment is as quiet as possible. I'm old-fashioned about theater, preferring the sound of an actor breathing to that of a moving light buzzing,” he explains. LED fixtures fulfill this criteria, however, they have yet to produce as much color range on the warm end of the spectrum as he would like, he adds.
“These days it's important to me that the equipment is as quiet as possible. I'm old-fashioned about theater, preferring the sound of an actor breathing to that of a moving light buzzing." Christopher Akerlind, Professional Lighting Designer
Like the author, Kaye believes there is a direct relationship between lighting and music. “Light is the music of the eye. The lighting composition is the result of fixtures playing the visual notes,” he says. “Sometimes they all play like a grand orchestra, sometimes in sections; sometimes a fixture is playing solo, other times [it's a] duet.” The fixtures, he goes on to say, are the musicians, the control system is the conductor, and the lighting designer is the composer. “The nature of the project will determine the kind of musicians and conductor that I feel are right for the project,” he says
Akerlind, who was a musician in high school, says it's his interest in jazz that inspires the improvisational way that he works with light. “This relates more to control, I think, then to fixtures,” he says. “The development of control that allows very specific timings and rhythms of fixtures has been very exciting. Detailing a cue with unique times, where we had been used to only splitting up/down times in the past, is thrilling.”
Fixtures as tools
Do designers, then, compose with their lighting fixtures? For Militello, fixtures are the tools she uses for her compositions. “I compare it to a painter selecting their brushes and palettes—different strokes for different compositions,” she says. Cue writing, for her, is intuitive and largely depends on personal taste. “Movement and timing [are] predicated on what is being lit—a play, a song, a speech, or an architectural environment.” All of this is done to serve the needs of what is being lit, and can be interpreted differently by different designers.
And Militello adds, music is just one of the many things that share a relationship with lighting. “I find a connection between light and most things, with music being one of them,” she closes. “There are so many considerations for choosing lights for concerts, based on the type of music and the budget. It can go from classic and simple to very flashy. Different concepts, different gear.”
[Editor's note: This article was originally posted in February 2015.]
