Specialized lights workshop!

Description:

On Monday we were able to have the opportunity to have a unique and personalized workshop on lights lead by Pancho Tuesta, Mr. Gonzalo's brother. It was a three hour session personalized only on the functions of lights to learn the different types of lights there are, the importance they have and the different impacts they create while using them in a specific scenes. In conclusion, we learned and reflected on the importance of lights in the success of a theatre performance

Analysis:

Honestly, I believed that lights were considered the least important features of the design elements used for the transmission of a play. However, I was wrong. I learned that lights are not only about lighting the scene, the theatre or the stage. Instead, lights have several functions and properties that can be controlled to reinforce a particular emotion and give significance to the acting of characters. Given to the contrast properties of lights, we are able to learn how to create dimensions of characters. Also, we are able to proportion volume to the character’s silhouette and size to transmit their mysterious, evil, wicked side towards the audience. This will lead to upcoming suggestions and connotations made by the audience regarding the future malice they will confront sooner or later, in other words, the fear caused by evil characters. From this, I have learned that by using the contrast property, we are able to bring to light the character’s deepest intentions that are not easily identified by the eye. An example that can be used in the play can be that by using the third row light with mustard gelatins, we could create a slight shadow on Bharata's character who at the end of the play, will release his inner jealousy, usurping Rama’s throne. This light technique of contrast could be used at the final moment to show Bharata's evil and malicious side that the audience haven't ever imagined or suspected of before.

Another important characteristic of lights is the temperature of the colors used. According to our color palette respecting Kathakali principles, we need to reinforce the contrast between good and evil; love and heroism against wickedness and immorality. For the representation of the good, we will use light colors such as mustard, green, light blue with a warm temperature to give a sense of confidence towards the audience while sinister and strong colors such as red or purple with a cold temperature will symbolize fear and violence. As a result, the red and purple gelatins combined with a cold temperature will create a nerve wrecking sensation to the audience. This will not let them feel calm and pleased after watching iniquitous demons. For example, in the play, specifically the Great War, perhaps red cherry cold temperature Fresnels can be used to transmit violence, anger and decadence towards the audience since there will be several deaths present. Also this is because, this scene represents strongly the fight of good vs. evil, the triumph of the good and the decadence of the evil forces. Another example could be in the royal palace, Dasaratha’s throne, we can use mustard warm temperature Fresnels to illuminate the palace and transmit heroism to the audience. Also by using these mustard colored Fresnels, a noble atmosphere will be sensed by the audience since mustard is nearly linked and associated with gold and power.

On the other side, by having this light workshop I have learned to specify myself more when referring to lights. Not to generalize the word as I used to. Instead I have acknowledged specific positions and importance of Fresnels or the impact a senital light can cause on a character’s physicality. Fresnels are named as the basic lights generally used in theatre. Moreover, Fresnels are able to close or open angles of their lens. For instance, the Fresnels can help with the intensity of the light. If the angle is opened, the Fresnel will create a wider illumination of the entire stage while if the angle of the lens is closed, there can be a specific importance given to a single moment of the scene or character. By using diffusing filters, I have learned that we can lower or raise the intensity of the light. For emphasizing the attention on a specific character, senital lights are used. An example is that we can use these to mark a clear difference between the good or evil. For the good section, we can decrease the intensity of the senital lights, a smooth source of light will perfectly create a lighter weight on the character to portray its innocence and morality. Meanwhile, for the evil characters, we can take advantage of these filters and use a strong intense source of light to reinforce their sinfulness. In retrospective, this will make the audience contemplate, admire and identify the character more in depth. Especially this will help them recognize their intentions and understand the context of the play better than before.

Finally, I learned about the positions of the lights, the CORRECT position of the frontal lights .According to the Mccandless method, we need to cross the directions of the lights. This Means that a single pair of lights will not focus only on a particular spot in the stage, instead one will be illuminating a spot while its pair will focus on another empty area of the space to avoid vacant areas that lack illumination. I must admit, I didn’t believe that there was a specific position and direction of lights. I thought it was just plain simple, that the frontal Fresnels or tachos focused to one single direction. In other words, I just though they needed to face straight the audience, not having a 45 degrees angle facing a specific spot in the stage.  

Connections:

While watching the play Piaf based on Edith Piaf’s personal life in the Allianz Frances, I noticed a technique Pancho taught us that was used during the play to change the time of the scene. Pancho taught us the use of the medium light bar that contained Fresnels with which, if we placed blue jellows and turned the other lights off, we can create a night silhouette. In the case of the Piaf play, I noticed that they used pink yellowish fresnels located in the medium light bar to demonstrate the audience that it was dawn. Then, to mark the change in time, light blue Fresnels were used to prove that it was becoming night time. Another connection I made was that during Piaf’s monologues, bright senital lights were used to emphasize and highlight her face gestures and body expressions that were directly linked to the monologue she was transmitting to the audience.

Reflection:

By having this workshop, I have reflected on the importance of lights in a performance since depending on its intensity, direction; it can collaborate with the interaction of characters or either create a sinistrical side of a character that isn’t usually visible to the audience’s eye. Furthermore, this workshop has apported me a wider knowledge regarding the use and characteristics of different types of lights that will be useful for the P3 in the IB course, the direction of a scene. However, there is kind of an issue, just a slight one… NO (actually it is a quite big problem we need to fix). The problem is that the school doesn’t provide the best light system for the theatre; they just fit with the basics. Concluding, how will I remember all the information about lights provided by Pancho? Or how will we adjust the outstanding knowledge about specific lights given by Pancho into regular unprofessional lights that the school provides us?