floor spread

One of the hardest things about this class was trying to control the spread of light on the floor. When trying to light a cue most of the though was put into thinking about how the light would directly hit the actor. How would that direct light hit their face? what shadows would it create? what color would it be? It was easy to overlook the reflection from the light hitting the ground and also what the spread would look like. The photo above that I choose is a shot that I tool of my car. I choose this photo because unlike a photo during the daytime when the light is pretty even across the floor, in this photo you can see where it starts and ends. It wasn't something I was thinking about too much when I was lighting this. I was mainly thinking about how the light would hit the car itself. I also used a red gel to light the inside of the car.

Light Positions

This is an image from a text book called The Theatre Experience, by Edwin Wilson. I really like this photo because it clearly shows the lighting design chosen in respect of the audience. With the positions of the downlights and chandeliers, the audience on both sides of the stage can clearly see all the action. The light isn't too bright to hinder the audience's sight, plus it is very warm lighting, which is very pleasant to the eye. The amber color really enhances the formal sense of the scene that is being peroformed as well. With this kind of venue, the stage woould not have large structures since it would hinder the audience's sight. With the chosen light positions, the lighting designer was able to design the set with light. The strong light beams from the downlights define the play area, and the chandeliers tell the audience that the room is a place of elegance.

Early Morning

I was leaving to school one morning, and the moon was giving off such a beautiful light. I wish I had a better camera at the time, but I only had my cellphone with me. I was standing in my driveway when I took this photo, and I thought it was interesting to see how the moon lit the clouds around it clearly and caused a silhouette effect on the trees. When I took the photo, I honestly didn't pay any attention to the green yardlights at my neighbors house, and I'm so glad it got into the photo. The green light gives off an eerie feeling, being that it is the only thing you can see within the silhouettes of the trees, and it's simply a strange color to light a house with. It's funny how it was peaceful to see the moon when I was standing in the driveway, but when I saw this photo, the simple color of green changed the emotion from peace to disturbance.

Silhouette

I really think that this photo is a great example of using back lighting to create a silhouette. Obviously the photographer photoshoped the image to enhance the darkness, but it really emphasizes the loneliness in the photo. Even though our eyes are more likely to be drawn towards brighter objects in a photo, I find that my eyes instantly go to the silhouette of the little girl instead. I think surrounding the smaller dark image of the girl with light causes that. Also, the lit floor is very busy with crazy patterns and shapes, that my eyes want to see the more simple shapes in the photo, which is the little girl. I really like the fact that no color was used in this photo; it really makes me feel alone in a dark and unforgiving place.

Burned Bridges

This is a picture of a bridge in San Diego. I live in the Bay Area and have seen my fair share of bridges at night, but I saw this last Friday when I was in San Diego and it took my breath away. I know it's a far away picture, but the designer made such an eclectic design. The design is so beautiful. The electric blue is piercing and took me by surprise! The bridges in Northern California are beautiful at night, but this was a design I had never seen before. It was not the typical amber street lights. It has blues and reds and greens. It seemed unreal! What I really like is the reflection of the lights in the water. It looks so amazing, especially with the sunset in the back round. In the moment it was very romantic, the buildings were in complete silhouette and the bridge was surrounded by this gorgeous sunset. The worst of the cynics could not disagree. :)

African Sunset

I took this in Africa. The sunsets there were incredible.

It reminds me a lot of how we used the cyc in our lighting projects. There is a definite source (this one from below) but the light spreads easily to cover such a large space. The sun is the only light source in the photo, creating beautiful silhouettes of the land and the trees. I also like that the clouds are such an important part of the photo. They don't so much capture the light and blend in with the sky, but the lighting accents them and helps them stand out. I really enjoy how much of what we use in class can be found in nature.

P.S. If you move your screen back and forth, it makes the sun look like its setting.

This is an image of a hotel that is being lit up by LED lights. I really like the soft purple and blue tones. I have always been amazed about LED lights because they can be so small yet pack so much of a punch in terms of lighting. There are four LED lights packed into by blackberry underneath my trackball and it can change colors depending on the intensity is set each LED light at.

The lighting source is at the bottom of the hotel ground floor and is really bright. I am very impressed that the light from the ground floor can reach over 10 stories high, but still be so strong intensity wise over that huge distance. I am impressed that such small little lights can be so bright and use so little electricity. Because LED lights only come in blue, red and green, the lights that were obviously used to light this hotel must have been red and blue. I am fascinated at the varying colors that result from mixing and blending the LED lights. It seems that the purple light must have more red LED lights shining on there than blue lights because the purple light is more warm than cool and looks more pinkish rather than violet. The blue light probably has more blue LED lights shining than red because the hue is more cool color temperature wise.

Something that may help the lighting design on this hotel is maybe have a gobo of the hotel’s name shining in white light somewhere on the hotel. I feel like that would make the lighting design pop and be more interesting and different to look at. I like that the trees are not lit up by any light source. I feel like that would distract from the overall lighting design, making the lights on the hotel seem more pale or dull due to the reflection from the trees. I wonder if there is any reflection into the individual hotel rooms from the LED lights or if the lights bothered the guests.

Finsbury Ave

These are pictures of Finsbury Ave in London. It desigend to make a social and unique place in city and it worked! I personally didn't go that place, but one of my cousin visitied there last summer and told me about this place. so I searched on google and thought this could be a great pictures to talk about on lighting design class blog.

thos LED lights change its color time to time and make different mood. first picture, when it's blue, I felt like people are walking on the sky. Those lights cross over the bench, I thought desigener might be intend to mix with cloud somehow. when it's green, on the second picture, it looks like a forest. Even people who walk through that place are shown like a green tree. an the actual trees are even greener than real. according to a color, I can see the difference of each atomesphere.

Also, I feel like now days we have so much things to be surprised by a beauty. although many beautiful nature is ruined because of mankind so far, humans are coppying the nature and make another beauty to this world like this place. and of course, lighting is vital for these morden beauty.

Dressing Rooms

At the beginning of class we talked about how so many places have had a lighting designer designed at least one aspect of it. I remember the mention of dressing rooms. It never would have occurred to me that the lighting of a dressing room could affect your decision to buy clothes. But it totally does!!  There are certain clothing shops that I have noticed I am more inclined to buy an article of clothing there. It might be a little inappropriate but honestly I have noticed the lighting in Victoria Secret's dressing room is very flattering. The room is lit from behind the mirror which creates extremely nice shadows that hit the body in all the right places. Every time I am in that dressing room I end up buying at least one thing. It is amazing to me that the lighting is a huge factor in the purchasing of clothes. But it makes total sense to me now. The better you look in the clothes, the more inclined you are to buy them.

Bash--A Pipeline Players' Production

This quarter I stage managed a show for the very first time. I am the treasurer for the Pipeline Players Theater Ensemble here at UCI and we really needed someone to stage manage our first production for the year, Neil LaBute's Bash, so I agreed to try it out. Overall, it was really challenging but also a very fun experience. The performances went really well and we got really good feedback from our audience members.

At the start of the production process, the Bash team's biggest concern was transforming Studio 4 into a jazz lounge, our setting for the show, with a budget of... $100. That wasn't a whole lot of money, but we made it work. To set the mood of a jazz lounge, we had a pianist and a singer, a bar, and special seating at tables. We decided that the majority of our budget was to be spent on lights--that is, household lamps. We scored 3 lamps from IKEA for about $60, used lamps we had in our own apartments, and set up Christmas lights to create the lounge atmosphere. Personally, I think we were extremely resourceful in our lighting and the lighting made such a HUGE difference in transforming Studio 4. It really surprised me how much we could do using 3 standing lamps, 2 desk lamps, and some Christmas lights. I'm really proud of what Pipeline accomplished in this production and now knowing that we can put on these really amazing productions with a limited budget is great for the rest of our 2009-2010 season.

Backstage Discoveries

I'm currently acting in a 10-minute play called "Will Work For Food" as part of the OC Playwrights Alliance and STAGEStheater's show "Holiday Stimulus Package" in Fullerton. This week is tech and last night we were running cue to cue. As I was waiting backstage for my cue to enter, I noticed that a large amount of light from the hallway leading to the restrooms was spilling into the holding area. I was holding a martini glass and noticed it's shadow. It wasn't a shadow, really. You could see the outline of the glass and my hand holding it, but something in the way that the glass itself was made made the shadow of the martini glass look pretty crazy on the wall. The light from the back hallway was shining through it and creating this crazy pattern on the wall. I noticed that it had a lot of spirals and crazy lines, something that I wouldn't have expected to see because the glass itself didn't have any sorts of patterns on it. I just thought that this was very interesting and found myself rotating the glass to see how the patterns changed, which they did with every rotation. It's amazing what you can find backstage.

Graffiti! With light! Oh man!

I'm sure everyone's seen the Sprint commercials with the light graffiti. It's danged cool. It's the only kind of graffiti to cause no damage, no lasting mark, and will only ever be seen by people who view the photo of its creation. AND IT'S STILL FUN.

Here's how it works: take a camera and set it on a tripod in a dark place. Keep the exposure for something like 10 to 30 seconds-- however long you want to make your masterpiece. Set the camera to iso100 and close the aperture as much as you can. Press your go button. Then, with LED lights, glow sticks, cell phones, or whatever light-generating instrument you choose (Source Fours might be a bit of overkill), doodle in the air. Once your time is up, you have a beautiful piece of art on your camera, and no one whom you just drew on is any worse for the wear.

I love the idea that light can be paint, literally now, not figuratively. The color schemes are bright and cheery in a backdrop of cold night or endlessness.

Power Outage

So this was the day my power ran out. It was when I learned how important lights really are. I always knew how important electricity is, I use my computer, fridge, and printer quite often, but it did not hit how much I use my lights (and in this case bathroom light). 

My shower is located in a bathroom with no windows, as many bathrooms in Irvine are. When my power went out I did not think much of it because we were told our water would be running. I thought to myself, "sweet, I'll just take a shower." Wrong. Very wrong. I closed the door and found myself in complete darkness. I had to shower by candlelight. Do you know how hard it is to shower with a candle? A candle inside the shower constantly getting water splashed at it? IT'S REALLY FREAKING DIFFICULT!!!! 

The next day I bought tap lights. 

This experience really made me appreciate the everyday normal lighting that is often not seen as beautiful or important. It is light that we take for granted because we see it every day. It's not very interesting to us anymore. But I can tell you.... It's pretty important!!

The light? The liiiiight!

Okay, so this picture may seem deceivingly simple, but it's one of my favorite pictures of light because I honestly have NO IDEA how that bulb turned into a glowing ball when hit with a camera flash! I think one of the things that fascinates me most about light is how various sources of light interact with each other. In this case, the light coming from the computer camera taking this silly picture of my sister and me makes the one light in my sister's dorm room look much brighter and full of light than it really was.

I'm not sure if it's reflection or combined light or just a simple reaction. In any case, I still don't completely understand how it works. I'm just amazed by how a simple fluorescent ceiling light turned into a very bright light source in this picture. I think it'd take some photography knowledge to really know, but I think it's a great example of how photography transforms light. Maybe we can take this knowledge and see how lights really interact with each other onstage. :)

birds eye view

When you think of plays and you think about watching them, mostly the same type of venue comes to mind, at least for me. I think of the standard stage in a generally rectangular room with all the seats pointed towards the stage. This shot makes me wonder about what it would be like to see/design a show that was made to be viewed from above. I think I heard it mentioned in class that it has been done before and I think it would be very interesting and different to see. This birds eye view is very different from what we usually see and it all allows for the viewers to experience a whole other aspect of the lighting. Shadows cast on the floors seem like they will have more impact and possibly meaning. Lighting the faces of actors might not be as important either. I like the clean look of this photo and can imagine the possibilities if a play were designed from this angle.

Quetzalcoatl

This image to me is an amazing feat of mathematical precision and engineering and a testament to the remarkable advancements of a sophisticated people but none of that has anything to do with why I think this is an important piece to share in terms of lighting. Truly the architecture itself might be enough to fill page upon page of topics for discussion but I believe there is something even more powerful at work here that resonates very clearly, in my mind, as to the true significance of an image like this.

Before getting into that though, it is important to keep in mind the astronomical prowess of this ancient civilization and the vital importance that having a clearly defined system for measuring the passing of time was. Timing was everything, it was the the sustenance of their lively hood and systems like the one built in to the pyramid in the image were as accurate as the most sophisticated clocks of today.

What we see here is a shadow created by the steps of the pyramid being cast on to the railing wall of the other steps. This happens only during the spring and fall equinox which marked the beginning of very specific rituals particularly in relation to planting and harvesting of crops. As the sun rises it casts a shadow on the upper most step, then as the day progresses and the sun moves, a shadow is cast from more and more steps creating a sort of undulating pattern on the railing, giving the impression that it is moving downward. Finlay when it reaches the serpent head at the very bottom and all the triangles are connected it seems as if Quetzalcoatl, the feather plumed serpent, God of the sun and supremest of all the Gods has physically descended from the heavens beyond the top of the pyramid down to Earth amongst mortals.

The significance of this in relation to lighting is that it emphasizes the intrinsic evocative power of this wild phenomenon known as light. There are certainly many different cultural values and interpretations placed on light but fundamentally it is a tool of vast potential through whatever eyes you see it.

Within the context of this image for example, the cultural significance of this optical illusion is 3 fold: it depicts the power rules have to gather the masses since this event is something everyone within that society would be attending, it is a precise measuring device to mark the seasons and the beginning of agricultural activities that would help ensure the continuity of the society, and it reinforces the divinity of rulers as the bridge between mortals and Gods and their right to supreme dominion over the populous and all of this was achieved through one simple event. Simply by possession a great knowledge of astronomical movements and the behavior of light, combined with incredibly accurate and astounding feats of engineering, the ruling class of this society could transform naturally occurring events into miraculous works of the Gods themselves and wield it as power that they used to gain control of entire nations.

I think that this picture has a lot of demensions to it because of the light coming through the tree tops. I love the enormous amount of sun peeking through the spot to the right of the tree. The levels of lighting and the different angles at which they are coming from bring the main focus to the tree trunk. The little spot of light in the middle gives the tree a sense of life. This picture is very vibrant due to the lighting.

Opry House

This is at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee! My brother is the guitarist on the right and on the big screen. Yup, he's a professional guitar player. It's pretty cool. So about the lighting. . .

It's funny just how much fog was in the Opry at the time. I didn't notice it all until I saw the picture. Obviously, one of the main goals of the lighting designer was to make the beams of light visible, which seems to be pretty popular when it comes to music shows. A lot of these lights are definitely not being used for illumination, especially those few that are pointing straight up to nothing. Maybe I just caught them as they were moving and making a pretty light show? As you can see by the bright spot-lighting on the lead singer, most of the lights actually illuminating the musicians were coming from the front. I like how many uses of light are being shown just in this photograph. Illumination of a performer, colored lights around the screen in the back to help set a mood, and a light show for the audience are all visible here. There are even lights to make the signs look like they are glowing. I also really like the color palate. The designer made good, cohesive choices. Even with all of the different colors, everything was still very clear. Bravo, Opry.

I really like the lighting in this picture. It is a moderately bright day on the ocean, but there is remarkably no glare from the sun. I like that the light does a very good job sculpting her body. You can see how her body is flexing as she tries to maintain her balance on the board. This picture looks like it was taken mid day. I like that the sun does not light her face because it pulls focus onto how she is moving her body.

Two words I would used to describe this picture are content and playful. The natural sunlight lights the ocean very softly on this moderately sunny day. The brightness sets the mood of the picture as content and playful because it makes the waves look calm and blue. The blue is a content sky blue hue and reminds me of all those happy and playful summer days that we used to have when we are younger. This is the exact opposite lighting you get on depressing stormy days. The ocean and the waves look black with a lot of white froth where the wave breaks, making the beach seem very depressing.

Time continium

What is light? They say seeing is believing but what is it we are actually seeing? Light is such a huge component of how we interpret the world and yet it can be so deceptive, it has such curious properties; it can make things appear larger or smaller. make them disappear or change their shape or even accelerate or slow down action.

Light, traveling through space and time, has always been a thing of great intrigue to me, particularly in relation to how it behaves in the physical world and how it behaves in our minds. Light is a bizarre phenomenon and this image for me is a great example of exactly those bizarre qualities.This was a long exposure that a friend of mine took of the Golden Gate Bridge and its a fantastic rendering of the rhythm and pulse of the city. At first glance one could say that there is a stream of light flowing uninterrupted and that it is a single source and it gives the impression of a lightning pace. Yet in truth we know that the unbroken "continuity" of light seen in this image is actually a compilation of thousands of freeze frame moments capturing individual light sources over time, travelling slowly in the same direction. Time is obviously not affected by light but by looking at this image its hard to believe light isn't altering the flow of time.

I find it amazing how an image like this can capture so much more than the physical world and can even speak, through light in this case, about the essence of a place and a society. Whats more, it amazes me to think that not so long ago the view of that bridge would have been completely different and how much and how fast things change. We truly live in a world of light!

Anyways, the point I wanted to make about what first captivated me about this image is the deceptive and malleable nature of light and how it can create such fascinating optic illusions. What does it mean that light can be such an influential force in the human psyche and that it can so easily be manipulated to create specific effects?

Light flash

This is definitely one of my favorite pictures so far not only because of the memory that my friends and I shared but also because now, looking at the world with a lighting perspective and being more conscious of the presence and impact of light, I find the interplay of different properties of light to convey a view of the world that is very peaceful and soothing in its precise harmony.

Of course at first glance we are just inclined to notice a weird cool effect that lights are doing and the allure of seeing what those lights are doing is often simply interpreted as the fact that it is an unusual effect; at least that's how it was for me in the beginning. However, after having reflected on it more I have found something deeper and more powerful about why those lights might appeal to the human psyche.

The light from the cellphone shinning upwards on our faces for example creates a very dramatic and dynamic angle which is simultaneously soothing and imposing. On the one hand the soft cool glow of our electronic equipment seems to reflect very softly on our clothes and faces, lightly bouncing off, giving us a mellow undisturbed quality. on the other hand the closeness and the angle put a lot of light on certain areas of our faces and cast some heavy shadows in other parts, thus the faces seem to be warped and grossly disproportionate, due to the fact that lit areas are receiving a lot of light and seem wider than they should be (eyes and mouth area ) while areas with shadow seem almost to recede inward towards the center of the face creating an eerie vibe of deformity and repulsion.

Naturally, such a juxtaposition of visceral sensations created by the same image offers an almost magnetic attraction that is not readily identifiable but proves irresistible none the less.

I guess somethings we just love to hate or we hate to love!

For me its a clear example of the profound psychological power light can have in the way we interpret and understand our world.

DISNEYLAND! Of course. :)

I love going to Disneyland at night because there are so many different colors and there is always something exciting and bright happening. By the time it is fireworks time at night, I am usually pretty tired and ready to go home, but for some reason when Disney starts their show and flashes the bright lights all around, my tiredness disappears and I am suddenly illuminated in many different colors and in awe of the lights surrounding me and the castle.

Disney, without a doubt, uses up a ton of electricity per hour, but the pay off seems so worth it. The colors and the moving lights co-ordinated with the music in the background make a fantastic show and make so many memories. There are many colors and lights that I associate with Disney and this picture really captures what I think of Disneyland. The smoky sky because of the fireworks, the purple-blue lights shining up in the sky and the brightly illuminated castle. :)

Autumn Hanna

These are, believe it or not, igloos. I thought at first these were on the ocean until I took a closer look and saw the trees and snow. This is the Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland. Not only is the idea of this fascinating to me, it is a breathtaking image. I love that the snow isn't white, but instead blue, creating a calm ambiance. The igloos themselves have an orange/yellow glow and then there are the pinkish/purple reflections. All the colors together give a sunset feel to the picture. I like the blending of the natural and man-made in order to create this artificial sunset.

Autumn Hanna

The first word that came to mind when I saw this image was stark. Initially, I though the lighting was very simple to the point that I thought it was not worth writing about. However, I found this image to also be very poignant and beautiful in its simplicity. I love the amber hue, the tones and the lighting reflecting off and being absorbed by the different surfaces. I like that the light is soft and brings out the ripples and imperfections in the sand. It also gives the woman in the picture a withered affect because she is blurry, which gives the impression that she has been walking for a while. What was once a simple image has become so much more.

Autumn Hanna

I like the backlighting of the image. It gives a gloomy feeling to the photograph, as if there is something foreboding on the horizon. Otherwise, the image has a youthful touch without the lighting. Even though the image is in black and white, I like that the image still has a lot of contrast. There is a lot of interest in the image, even though it is achromatic. The image has a very nostalgic feel to it in this way. This image could take place at any time within the last couple of decades. In terms of lighting for the stage, I could imagine this image as a flashback or in order to draw attention to the words and message rather than the actors themselves.

Spanish Beauty

This picture is of a beautiful structure in Spain which I found online. I love it for two reasons because it is illuminated by both man-made and natural light. The architecture is also constructed in a way that makes the building look almost holy, as if it is ascending to heaven. Each floor is illuminated at a different intensity because of the open roof and the sunlight that shines through. This makes the building have variation and an even more abstract look to its already modern look. The stain glass windows are another gorgeous aspect to the building, the lower intensity of man-made lighting used makes it look almost like candlelight. I love the two contrasts of light in this picture, and I hope to see this building in person someday.

Light imitating Life

I was shopping at Fashion Island last weekend. It was a beautiful, bright day and I had my camera with me so I began taking photos of the pond with all the pretty fish. The water was crystal clear and completely mesmerizing because of the ripples being created by the fish themselves and the water fountains. It was midday and the strength of the sunshine made the different colors of the fish really pop out. I think I spent about 15 minutes by the pond, slowly circling it, deep in thought and fully appreciative of the amazing weather Southern California is blessed with! Coming from a cold, rainy country I don't think I've ever seen such a bright and sunny day EVER, let alone in mid-November!

I got to thinking about how such lighting (and the feeling that light creates) can be translated to stage lighting. This is one of the things I have struggled with for the Our Town projects. The previous assignment was easier as it was our own interpretation, but this time we have many more factors to take into account, such as place, time of day, as well as feelings and atmosphere.

Turning every light on at full intensity would create the brightness of that day by the pond, but wouldn't actually be interesting- it would be distracting because too much stage would be visible.

One of the most valuable things I've learned from our class is the importance of shadows and contrast.

In class over the past few weeks some people have chosen words such as LOVE, COMFORT, WARMTH, CALM, feelings similar to the way I felt by the pond. Some of those feelings were achieved with as little as two lights.

Ahh the power of lighting desgin!