Synopses & Reviews
Construct and Implement Your Own Lighting Designs with the most trusted guide to stage lighting!
An entertaining and educational read, author Steven Louis Shelley draws from his 35+ years of diverse experience to bring you the step-by-step technical tools for getting the job done along with real-life examples of projects from start to finish. Learn why some techniques are successful while others fail with 'Shelley's Notes' and 'Shelley's Soapbox,' all with a humor that guides you through complex problems and concepts. Some of the topics covered:
* Deduction of the research, production meetings, and personal choices that result in evolution of the core lighting design documents * Chapters analyzing technical specifications, advancing production facilities, and turning that information into accurate draftings * Illustrated step-by-step construction of some of the systems in the preliminary light plot * Examination of the processes involved in construction and submission of shop orders, and reacting to bids, cuts and changes that affect the light plot * Discussions about preparations prior to the load-in, including prepping the lighting rental package, creating truck packs, and watching run-throughs
This enlightening reference is a necessary addition to anyone serious about stage lighting.
* Over 60 new topics and forums, including creating and negotiating contracts, Technical Rehearsal Tactics, and working with stage managers, assistants and others during rehearsals * Learn what you'll need to have for each phase of the project, from the load-in and programming the lighting console through the focus session to the cueing session, the tech rehearsals and (finally!) the performance * Get the trouble shooting tips you need quickly with 'Shelley's Notes' and 'Shelley's Soapbox' * Know what you're getting into--Understand what affects your lighting design, such as the contract, the budget, the size of production, the schedule, and the performance facility * Learn from others' mistakes--Real-life examples show you what working in an array of productions is actually like
Review
The long awaited new edition of this celebrated bestseller
Review
"This is hands-down the best book I've ever read regarding the process of designing and executing a lighting design. Other books do wonderful jobs of discussing instruments and electrical aspects, or how to create a design, but very few discuss the day-to-day paperwork and personal interactions involved in getting that design executed." --Steven Haworth, Lighting Designer
"...this 2nd edition has answered all your questions and a bunch you didn't think you needed to know. You have got to have this book if you consider yourself a professional, period." -- James Moody, author of Concert Lighting
"A practical guide that will, better than any other book on the subject, help the LD get his or her design realized in the most professional and efficient manner." --Peter Maradudin, Lighting Dimensions Magazine
" The best parts of the book work because they rely on understanding concepts, not remembering good advice. You don't have to remember, because you have understood." -- Nick Hunt, Focus - The Journal of the Association of Lighting Designers
"Finally! Shelley has taken the basic concept of focus coverage and given it a name: The Slinky Method! Bravo, Mr. Shelley." --Ms. Martha Mountain, George Mason University
"This is a must read for any student who is seriously interested in lighting design." --Cindy Limauro, Carnegie Melon University
"In 2002 I began to search for textbooks to cover the course I was developing on Lighting Technology and Lighting Design for the live stage… I discovered "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting."
Steve Shelley had done what I feared was impossible. He had distilled the art and science of stage lighting into one comprehensive book. He had concentrated on those timeless objectives and principals that remain the same regardless if you are using a 50 year old leko or the latest LED fixture.
"A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" has been the base textbook for my course ever since. …It is the student’s reaction to this book that is quite remarkable. They have constantly commented on how easy it is to read and understand. That in itself makes it a most valuable asset." - Prof. Kenneth Salah, Cambrian College
"This is a must have book to have on the shelf....this book is very entertaining and educational. It is also great as reference material for practising professionals. I thoroughly recommend this book for all lighting people. You will find yourself referring to it again and again." - Stephen Dean, CX Magazine
Synopsis
The new edition of the bestselling favorite that you have been waiting for This is the same nuts-and-bolts look at the construction and implementation of theatrical lighting design that you need, but with a unique focus on design with a combination of theory and application that can't be found anywhere else. A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting has handy step-by-step illustrations of the technical tools and methods used for lighting design along with real life examples showing why some techniques succeed while others fail.
With Shelley's Notes, Notes from the Road, and Shelley's Soapbox, this book finds a way to deliver complex information with a lightness and humor that captivates and helps you learn without bogging you down with boring and heavy information.
Topics covered:
* Defining the parameters that affect any lighting design: the contract, the budget, the type and size of the production, the production schedule, and the performance facility
* An analysis of the concepts of light console programming
* Setting up
* The light plot
* Safe construction
* new updated information on using automated lighting in design, WYSIWYG, safety, use of new materials, and video projection, - so that you have the updated information that will make you a successful lighting designer in today's theatre
* new information on the Hokey light plot, including system construction, channel arrangement, accessory selection, etc.
* new documents including the distribution list, cue mater, magic sheet, and cheat sheet
* how the computer is used during the tech process and at the production table
* more case studies and lessons and an expansion of chapters on gobos, color, shop orders, and new lighting gear
* new chapters on pre-visualization software, DMX devices and intelligent lighting
Synopsis
Now fully updated, "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" has handy step-by-step illustrations of the technical tools and methods used for lighting design along with real-life examples showing why some techniques succeed while others fail.
About the Author
Steve Shelley has worked in theatre for over 35 years as a lighting designer, production manger, and stage manager in New York City, throughout the
Steve Shelley has worked in theatre for over 35 years as a lighting designer, production manger, and stage manager in New York City, throughout the United States, and on four continents. His lighting designs are included in the repertories many dance companies, and he's designed lighting on Broadway, Off-Broadway, as well as concerts, television, regional theatre, and regional opera. Steve is the author of numerous articles in trade magazines and has conducted multiple seminars at theatrical lighting conventions and major universities around North America. He's also the inventor and patent holder of the award-winning Field Templates™ and SoftSymbols™ (www.fieldtemplate.com). He lives in New York City.
Table of Contents
A Review; Paperwork Overview; Background Preparations and Preliminary Design Paperworks; The Parameters; r 5: Create the Preliminaries and Send out the Shop Order; Cuts and Changes; The Light Plot, Section, and Support Paperwork Packet; The Load-In and Focus Packet; The Cue Construction Packet; Prior to the Load-In; The Load-In and Setup; The Focus Session; The Light Cue Level Setting Session and Technical Rehearsals; The Performance