Week 6 - Austin Geordge - Serenity - Passion

 The photo I chose this week is one I took yesterday when I looked at the ceiling. My apartment borders the pool so I get a lot of light when I have the blinds open. Unfortunately you can't see the motion of the water reflecting in the light but I find it really peaceful. It's slow but easily noticeable and it reminds me of my enjoyment of observing light and how it interacts with the world around it. It is one of the small things that you may notice but you may not enjoy it as much if you aren't looking through a designer's eye. I would love to recreate it in a show because it is something that I think everyone sees at one point but you forget about it until you see it again.

Week 6 - Maia Lucas - Into the Kit Kat Club - Passion

 

This weekend, I had the chance to see Cabaret at UCI (Awesome work, Jimmy!). This is a picture I took of the lighting of the house as the audience was entering the theater. I thought the choice to light not only the stage, but also the house and walls of the theater was a super compelling and immersive choice. The red color and ornate gobo definitely made me think of 'passion' right away. Cabaret is such a sultry and flashy show, and getting into that space is so key to really feeling the impact of the show. I think that the color, shapes, and intensity of the light definitely put us as the audience into that passionate environment, and tell us what we should expect as we get ready to see the performers.

From a design standpoint, this definitely made me reflect on the pre-show lighting from other shows I've seen recently. It's something we don't pay as much attention to as we do the lighting of the actual show, but it's the first impression an audience has of the lighting and the theater environment. Going forward, I definitely will start to pay more attention to default lighting in shows, and appreciate the carefully thought-out ones as seen here.

Week Six - Kristin Goodell - Frankenstein's Lobby - Passion

 

   Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Irvine Valley College’s production of the musical Young Frankenstein. There were many aspects of the lighting design that engaged me, and it was fun to see their use of vibrant colors, effects, and moving lights. One aspect of the lighting that surprised me the most was the lighting in the lobby during intermission. The walls were lit with blue and red spotlights. Upon further inspection, it seemed like they had taped gels onto regular wall-display spotlights (since the lights had no gel frames). I was impressed by the ingenuity of the designers to alter their lobby lights in this way. Many aspects of the lobby were designed to match the world of the show. They hung spooky halloween decor, had a touch-sensitive plasma ball for patrons to play with, and served themed snacks and drinks. I do wonder, however, if the wall lights are always red and blue for every show. To further keep within the world of the musical, I think it would have been more effective to use vibrant green and violet gels, since that was the main color palette used on stage.  

    What I loved most about the show was that you could tell just how passionate every member of the cast and crew was about the production. Every aspect from the lighting and costumes to the singing and acting, even the lobby, was infused with creativity and enthusiasm. This has inspired me to start considering how I can incorporate the lobby into the theatrical design of a production in order to further immerse the audience into the world of the show.

Week 6 - Logan Brubaker - Friendship - Passion

 

This week, I got to go with one of my best friends to my favorite SoCal restuarant. It's called Wursthaus and it's a German sausage and beer hall in downtown Santa Ana. It wasn't very crowded, and the patrons were mostly made up of small friend groups. I was considering the indoor lighting, how everything was very dim and dark, but also that you could still see the conversations people were having, full of laughter and loud voices.

One of my greatest passions is how I treat, connect with, and take care of my friends. I believe true friendship is something extremely deep and honest. This lighting could be used for secrecy or subterfuge, but just as easily it could be turned into speaking with close confidants, laughing loudly until you can't breath, or trying to eat too much and getting a stomach ache, all with your best friend. Yes, the dim light could be seen as something mysterious or frightening, but instead I saw it as comforting, comfortable, and warm.

Week 6 - Maggie Zhang - Gateway Library - Passion

 

I was studying in the Gateway Library during the midterm week. Honestly, I was frustrated and a bit sleepy because I could not answer my questions correctly. I almost gave up and decided to pack my stuff to go home. Then I looked up, and I found this great view. The sunshine went through the library windows on the table, creating a shadow on the wall. And I can find the shadow of the trees outside on the window. Everyone was looking at their laptop and concentrating. I looked up and found myself almost lost in a beautiful illusion. The dream one. The one you are successful and reach your goal. The sunshine just reminded me of all the beautiful things in my life, the things I'm fighting for. I felt energetic and passionate again. 

Week 6, Daisy Santos, Burro Love - Passion

 

This past Friday, I went to the OC Zoo. Walking around each exhibit and taking photos along on the way, I came across two burros who were eating some green plant at the edge of the fence. A moment later, they stopped, looked at each other, and budded/touched heads displaying a perfect image of affection, love, and passion. So, I quickly snapped a photo and made this shot my blog assignment. 

There's something so alluring about the way that the foreground is not as illuminated as much as the background thus, its supports such a loving and passionate display all the more. It perfectly spotlights just the two burros (not them but behind them which honestly works well)and nothing else. To add on, there are some small orange-ish/red-ish flower buds from the plant that is located in front of the fence and burros so that element also contributed to an affectionate display. I kind of wish that plant wasn't there just so we can focus more on the interaction of the burros but it served its purpose with the small flower buds. Overall, it was a cute display of passion where I kind of felt like I was intruding on but was lucky enough to experience it.

Week 6 - Jayde Farmer - A Theatre for Fish? - Passion

 

I feel like in the past week I have been noticing lighting more than I ever did before taking this class. Today at the aquarium I was surprised at how much the lighting effected the story of each area/tank. 

For example, the first image is a tank that was a representation of the diverse ecosystems on the bases of decommissioned ocean oil platforms. I thought that the choice to have one punching light make it feel like shining the flashlight deep in the ocean. It was highlighting a place we usually wouldn't get to see.

Many of the tanks had this artificial light refraction using gobos to make it look like sunlight. Some of them were natural from sunlight hitting the tanks from outside (image three), but even the imitations, like the second image, created the same feeling of sunlight on the ocean floor. It made the tanks less voyeuristic and more like a chunk of the ocean in a tank. Many of the large tanks had this, making them nice to watch for long periods of time. Tanks with bright white LEDs flooding them mainly highlighted one animal, instead of simulating an environment, the lighting suited each purpose of a tank.

Lighting also was also used throughout the aquarium to urge you to explore and interact. The projections on the floor in the fourth image were a favorite for my nephew. They worked well on this dark carpet, but the projector black was bad on the lighter surfaces that absorbed less light. They worked to make places that normally would be pretty useless empty space become a place to continue interacting with the aquarium.

Overall, I was struck by how much the lighting worked in a similar way to theatre. There was not a single area where the story/theme was not driven by light. It was subtle, in a way were you really only notice if you are looking, but essential. It made me think about how so much of what people enjoy relates to theatre, and thus, why it is my passion. It really felt like a theatre for fish.