24
DESIGNER'S PERSPECTIVE:
ART VS BUSINESS

Those of you who have not read the first two editions of this book will be well served to go back and read this chapter, particularly because it will give you insight into five leadings designers' perspectives on their work and imagination—Leo Bonomy, Chip Largman, Jeff Ravitz, Peter Morse, and Willie Williams. Each one is an extremely individualistic, creative, self-made entrepreneur. I wish there was space in this edition to present all of the wonderfully insightful thoughts these people expressed, so I encourage you to borrow or buy a used copy of these earlier editions. I am sure you will agree with me that this may be one of the most important sections of the book. Ten questions were put to the four designers featured in the previous chapter. Because Richard Pilbrow is not exactly in the center of the concert field, his responses are from a slightly different perspective but are still valuable to concert lighting designers. I think you will find the designers split on several issues, such as education and being a technician first.

ANSWERS FROM FOUR DESIGNERS

The following are general questions not specific to the productions highlighted in the previous chapter.

Q. What is the most important consideration when you first approach a design situation?

Paul Dexter

To see that the artist and management are presented with a series of presentation ideas that will visually help them understand precise design direction. It is similar to a feasibility study in business. It creates a foundation to work from. Once I have confidence that my design has been clearly communicated and the artists and management sign off on it, the real work to develop that idea can be started. I know that I am not wasting my time or theirs, and together we accomplish that because we have established a clear direction first.

Richard Pilbrow

I see my job as assisting the author/director/designer to tell the story. I try to use light dramatically to evoke time, place, and atmosphere … to bathe the actors in the specific light of the character to underline the progression of the tale.

Andi Watson

Understanding a client's needs and desires and balancing those with productions. I always try to talk personally with a band before I even start doing sketches or drawings. If I am designing a concert production I immerse myself in the music completely, listening to it until following it is an almost unconscious action. I can then have a meeting with the band and talk in terms of their music and their world as well as in more general ways. For me it is important to create a performance environment as perfect as possible for that particular client as opposed to something that is generic. Of course, there are also the needs of the production to take into consideration which is where the budget, truck space, freighting needs, routing, venue types, crewing levels, etc., etc., all have to be brought into the equation.

Jeff Ravitz

It's a number of things, honestly, and it can vary by the situation. So, the answer is that “my list” is what I call to mind when I start a design. All of these must be considered as a whole in evaluating the first step:

1. Venues
   1. What size and types of places will this tour or show appear at? If it's a tour, there might be different kinds and sizes of buildings on the itinerary. A theatre tour could go into legit houses with diverse equipment and positions, an in-the-round place, a small arena that has no equipment, etc., all on the same tour. But, that's a worst-case scenario, but generally a show would be booked for theatres, arenas, sheds, fairs, or stadiums. This certainly guides my hand.
2. Style and content
   1. Type of music
   2. Type of presentation
   3. Band
   4. Featured performer with backup band
   5. Solo performer, etc.
3. Budget (this affects a lot of practical decisions)
4. Scenery
   1. Is there a set designer?
   2. Am I expected to be the set designer?
   3. Do they not want a set at all?
5. Is there video or I-MAG? Are there other production elements I must coordinate with, artistically and logistically?

Q. What one area of the design will you not compromise on?

Paul Dexter

There are always going to be design compromises, and I maintain flexible standards. I think that the challenge of design is figuring out alternative options when a problem with the first idea doesn't work. Any other way means that you are operating in controlled environments, that you can control people's whims, and that you can control the cost of those whims. In our business anything can happen! for that reason, a lighting designer needs to be flexible. Not compromising, for me, is generally a reaction to a situation or a person who will try to convince me of something that I know better. I am very uncompromising when it comes time to the make decisions about the show. Someone might say to me, well, maybe we shouldn't put that scenic up today; we have a long bus ride tonight, and we want to get out of here quick. Absolutely not! I learned a long time ago that no one else really understands the importance of having all of the visuals operational during the show, besides the LD. If you think about it, everyone on the road has something to do with sound—technicians for guitars, drums, and amps and sound engineers. We are outnumbered, and the easy thing to do would be to acquiesce and say okay, let's not put that effect or scenic up—for whatever their reason may be. That reason is usually because someone else thinks it will be convenient for them not to, not for you or the integrity of the show. But, notice how you feel when the house lights go down and all of the sudden you are without all of your visual tools. Who is going to feel like the idiot? And, it is all because, at 9:00 a.m. that day you wanted to be accommodating to people who are thinking about unrelated reasons—like, a production manager who wants an easier load-out time or a sound person who doesn't understand your goals but wants to influence your show by suggesting that you eliminate something that may inconvenience them. That is one design compromise I will not make.

Richard Pilbrow

If the audience can't see the actors' faces when they should, nothing is right.

Andi Watson

I try to avoid compromising my artistic integrity and instinct. Generally, when I am designing a production, I have a very, very good idea in my head what the end result should look like and that invariably means that a certain video screen, a particular light, one type of fabric, or a specific motor control system will be the “correct” one to specify. Due to various factors, there is often pressure to substitute those items for others. I am always happy to investigate alternatives, but if they are not able to do what I need them to do I will fight very hard to resist. Often I will reduce the number of the “correct” components rather than accept something that will force me to change my design concept or my ability to create on stage what is in my head.

Jeff Ravitz

The element that I think makes or breaks a working design is the cuing: how the lights are used after everything is set up, focused, and programmed. Cues must be created for the proper visual composition of any given moment in the show, and the timing also must be perfect to advance to the next moment. An artfully executed cue can overcome the limitations of low budget or imperfect options. It doesn't work in the reverse.

Q. What is the most important factor in a successful design?

Paul Dexter

The most important factor is organization. Organization will be in the form of written documents and lighting plots that show the completed steps of your preparation and research. It is the final step before a designer will order the physical build of a lighting system. The build will be completed with the help of lighting vendors and freelance technicians. Mistakes and questions will be mitigated by good organization. The build will most likely find problems with your design or there may be substitutions. But, because they are organized with lucid written plans, it will help you find the time to field the inevitable troubles along the way. All the stars line up with preparation and research with organization. If you have to the best of your ability exhausted those areas and have properly organized with written documents and plans, you will have a successful design.

Richard Pilbrow

I believe in a seamless end result—scenery, costume, lighting, and sound integrated to support the story.

Andi Watson

Designing something that works on all the levels it needs to work on. Depending on the production, what constitutes a success can vary massively. It can be very hard to please everyone all of the time, if not impossible, but that is what we as designers are repeatedly asked to do. Remembering that everyone has their own perception of the production is important, and a lighting tech's view of a design is almost certainly massively different from the band's management or agent. To create something that everyone involved in is positive about, proud of, and wants to see is a real result.

Jeff Ravitz

That it works as a unique visual expression of the performance it is supporting—with supporting being the operative word.

Q. How heavily does the budget figure in your lighting design?

Paul Dexter

In my experience I have never been involved with a production that didn't consider budgets. Everybody is looking to take short cuts, and the concert touring industry is still one of the last great barter and bargain frontiers left in the business world. The closest comparison is probably used car salesmen. Hypothetically, if I were to present a design for $20,000, you could bet your last dollar that it will be countered with an offer of $15,000. The ironic twist is that some of the best designs follow the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, it may be less money that was offered by the client, so what do you do? A good designer can think of an alternative that works as well as or better than the more expensive idea—there are still bargains out there. We are never working with a set menu of goods and services or have to wait for items to go on sale. Everything is negotiable! I look at budgets as necessary, but I allow for the initial negotiations to be countered with lower amounts. By the time all concerned parties agree, the budget is where it needs to be and can deliver the design I anticipated. It is all a big game.

Richard Pilbrow

It's simply a reality that must be coped with.

Andi Watson

I am very lucky in that budgets are less of an issue now to me than historically they have been. When I started designing, I worked on a lot of small tours where there was an almost nonexistent budget. Perhaps that was a good experience to have in that it taught me to appreciate that a light should only be on a plot if it has a reason to be there, but at the time it seemed very frustrating. Budgets always have a major impact on what you can or cannot do, and there can be a very fine line in between there being just enough or not enough to do what you want to do with the people you want to do it with.

Jeff Ravitz

It's all about choices, and sometimes a leaner budget forces me to think simply and pare the design down to its essence. The right design often comes to me when I know that all I can afford to do is exactly what is necessary and nothing more. That being said, it would be naïve to say my designs don't benefit from the advantages of having enough equipment and lighting positions, the best quality gear available, the most skilled crews—and enough of them, plus the time to properly design and rehearse. Those things take money, and although I've been lucky to create some magic on a shoestring, I can't stake my career and reputation on a shoestring. The important thing is to remember to keep to the essence even when the sky's the limit.

Q. What tells you a design has succeeded besides your own satisfaction?

Paul Dexter

When there are no further questions or additions. I let my designs evolve with the client. If I have included all of my input and experience and addressed all of the client's concerns and artistic contributions and there are no more further questions, the design has succeeded.

Richard Pilbrow

I always hope that the lighting will reveal and model the actor wherever he/she might be on the stage in an appropriate manner. Hopefully, every moment with every character onstage is modeled as it might be in a fine photograph or movie. That's the ambition for me. (And I hope the director and my design colleagues share my view.) Finally, of course, a positive audience response is what we're all working for.

Andi Watson

For me, a design is only a success if my client is happy, my crew are happy, the audience response is positive, and most importantly I am happy. If I am not happy with a design in any way it means to me that it isn't finished. It can sometimes be very hard to get to the point where you can take your hands off the controls, hand it to someone else, and consider it “finished.”

Jeff Ravitz

If I happen to hear that a non-industry professional in the audience enjoyed the lighting, and that it suited the artist's performance, that gives me a pretty good indication of having hit the mark. It's to them, more than anyone, that I aim my design intentions. I want to be certain the performers are comfortable and happy with the design, but they don't see it like the audience does, and industry folks often overthink it. The real audiences just let it flow over them as part of the overall show, in the best of circumstances.

Q. Not with standing the featured design discussed earlier, which would you prefer to deal with: artist directly, road manager, production manager, or business manager?

Paul Dexter

I prefer to deal with the person who is the nicest and most reasonable and has the power to make final decisions, but it doesn't always work out that way. Concert lighting design is an art that is multifaceted with technical and business parameters that involve the entire team and you have to communicate effectively with everyone. There are no superfluous positions on the road. But, making the artist happy is the ultimate goal, working in tandem so that lighting accentuates the performances, not overshadows them. If the artist is not good to work with or is disrespectful then I won't last long with that job.

Richard Pilbrow

Stage lighting for a Broadway musical is all about teamwork. You deal with management on business issues. In the case of TALE, we had two producers, Barbara Russell and Ron Sharpe, who were totally supportive. The director is in charge, and whatever you as a designer do must support and embellish his dream for the show. Obviously, in a musical, the music must be a vital driver to the handling of light.

Andi Watson

When you are working on a production design it is inevitable that you will deal with all of these people regarding the aspects of their work that affect you and vice versa. For example, from a purely artistic angle, I always try to collaborate with the artist directly, but I would never normally discuss my fees with them. Visas, travel, etc., but seldom found myself influenced artistically by their views on my choice of backdrop fabric. I think that once you are past the initial conceptual phase of the design it is vital to work very closely with the rest of the production team to ensure that their views and experience can be integrated in the realization of the project.

Jeff Ravitz

In theory, I prefer dealing with the artist. The concept for the show should come from what they've created—music, lyrics, or whatever they are presenting—and they should have the first say at what their show should look like. I want to establish a working relationship with them and have them be comfortable exchanging ideas with me. That sometimes doesn't work when the artist doesn't really have a visual sense. They either don't have any idea what they want or they go off on tangents wanting things for which technology doesn't exist—but they can't afford to fund the R&D—or they want things that exist but are beyond their budget. Sometimes they just want effects, things they've enjoyed at others' shows but may have no appropriate place in theirs. I'm fine dealing with the tour manager or personal manager when they can articulate what they, or the artist, wants. Some of them come from a production background and can be really astute and helpful in guiding me.

Q. Will you adapt (redline a drawing) a design to changing venues or do you feel that you need to start over?

Paul Dexter

Before a tour starts, an itinerary will be fairly revealing with regard to the venues. The design should consider any drastic alterations to the touring system that might be needed, with a reduce rig options such as an “A”, “B” or even “C” alternatives so the need to start over would be rare—if at all. If that were the case, presumably you would have a console with a memory of the show. Simply assign the conventional lighting to the same patch numbers and position the moving lights as close as possible to the touring rig. Hopefully, there won't be too many of those types of venues, but when there are use as many effects as you can to perform the best that you can.

Richard Pilbrow

This show is pretty complex and if it should tour it would have to be adapted. I'd use the same principles, because they work, but I would start over in terms of the rig detail.

Andi Watson

I would only start over if there were a complete change of the tour. If only the venues are changing but the set list is staying the same, then the music, the emotion, the dynamic, and the resulting visual treatment will be very near the same. In that case, if I am happy with the existing design it would seem ludicrous to abandon it just for the sake of it. If it is deemed that an identifiable change is required for whatever reason then there are many ways of incorporating the same essence in a package that appears at first sight to be different.

Jeff Ravitz

I prefer to adapt a design that I believe has been developed and perfected for that particular show. if the act is positioned onstage roughly in the same relationship to one another, and if the music and performance are the same, then I will want to try to keep the core of the current design and make adjustments to suit the venues, as necessary—if possible.

Q. How important is formal theatrical education to you?

Paul Dexter

I am certain that a formal theatrical education will help. It is essential groundwork and would lend a feeling of confidence going into theatre crafts or touring with at least an understanding of basic knowledge, safety, and working with others. I did not go through it, but it was a different time when I started in the early '70s. I learned the craft by paying attention to those around me that I admired, read relevant books and literature, or learned by the hard knocks that trial and error brings. Formal education isn't for everyone, and it is still possible to get a job in lighting by starting with a ground-up approach. However, my suggestion to anyone that is interested in excelling in the world at large is to study basic business and marketing. Business is a matter of survival. If you don't understand a contract or the art of negotiation you will not understand your worth and will most definitely be taken advantage of. Look at researching marketing, too, mainly because you cannot rely on anyone to market you better than you will. In addition, marketing is a transferable knowledge. Business means that either you are selling a service or a product. If you know how to market your service and product, your business will have a better chance of success.

Richard Pilbrow

Not very. I had none. I find that experience is the best teacher, but I must admit that ignorance and naïveté were often very valuable assets for me in my career. Not knowing what I wasn't meant to do was a valuable asset to me.

Andi Watson

I personally had no formal theatrical education so I suppose I would have to say, for me, not very. Perhaps I would find some things much easier if I had had one or perhaps I would have worked on bigger shows earlier—I have no idea. I worked with and learned from some of the most respected designers in the world while I was operating and programming shows and I was incredibly lucky to have that experience. When I started designing I would read books about theatre lighting design and look at plots trying to figure out why the designers had made the decisions they had. So I guess I did teach myself some of the principles and concepts of theatrical design and certainly I have used many of the techniques over the years and continue to do so. I have, in addition and very importantly, made almost everyday use of my formal engineering education and the knowledge I learned from courses such as statics, dynamics, physics, and computer software and hardware design.

Jeff Ravitz

These days, it is fairly valuable. There is a lot to know to be a successful concert designer. Technology continues to grow more complicated. The choices of fixtures are greater. And it is more and more difficult to do something new and fresh, now that the field of concert lighting has existed for over 30 years and audiences have grown more experienced and sophisticated themselves, having been exposed to shows and videos for all that time. Tastes and styles have changed, just like fashion, and what worked years ago doesn't work the same way today. At long last, our industry has an actual history that must be learned and understood, just like any artist must study the past to help create the future. A formal education can be the fastest and most thorough and efficient way to get up to speed on how we got where we are today and then to master all that we need to know these days, from technology to developing an artistic eye. Suddenly, our little industry grew up and there are more people vying for jobs than there are positions to be had. It's competitive, more than ever, and employers have a large labor pool from which to choose. So, if two candidates for a job are equal in other respects, the one with a solid education might convince a potential employer that they have an edge. Yes, all of the necessary skills can be self-taught or learned through experience. However, you end up doing more of that anyway, after getting out of school. So the person with education and experience ultimately can surpass someone who has more years of experience at a certain age because they bypassed schooling. A good school can help a student cut a lot of corners to gain the most concentrated experience in the shortest time.

Q. Richard, you came at this with no educational background. Why did you decide on lighting as a profession and how did you get your first jobs?

Richard Pilbrow

I was an assistant stage manager in the West End at age 22 after studying stage management at drama school. I had been lighting amateur theatre since age 14. I had the idea to be a lighting designer—in those days (1957) there was only Joe Davis and Michael Northern in the U.K. In order to live I had the idea to start a company renting out cheap lights (against Strand Lighting—the monopoly supplier) and throwing in my services as a designer. Because I'd built a model theatre, I could show disbelieving producers what I might give them. Essentially it worked!

Q. Should a lighting designer have worked as a technician before moving up to designing? Would that be an advantage or not?

Paul Dexter

Working as a technician is a huge advantage for several reasons. I think that a designer needs to have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to put up a system. It helps you appreciate the time it takes and your crew's perspective and teaches you—up close and personal—about the tools that you are using. To skip working as a technician and go directly to lighting design in concert touring would be a mistake! I have a lot of patience with the time it takes to repair fixtures or when there is a rigging point that needs to be moved. I have seen too many so-called designers lose their temper because they are relying on an unrealistic timeframe for a quick fix by another member of the team. This is not acceptable behavior or a solution. Be proactive! Always try to be a part of the problem-solving team. For example, if there are power problems or a dirty DMX is causing strobes and LEDs to flicker, you have to know what is causing it and you can at least offer alternatives to those who are searching for answers. If you sit in catering waiting for stuff to get fixed, not only are you going to get fat but your show will be substandard. Technology changes so much that I recommend that even after you reach the level of lighting designer that you continue to be involved with the setup of your design each and every day that you can. Listen—reaching the level of designer doesn't mean that you sit back and watch others do the work. The more involved you are in the equipment and setup, the more attention to detail that you will bring to your show. Lead by example, too. With a touring show, other crew members will want to perform better and will bring problems—small or large—to you for a decision. I can only speak for myself, but I want to influence decisions, help streamline the road experience for all concerned, and make ach show as good as it can be.

Richard Pilbrow

I often suspect it is a disadvantage to be a technician first. The designer must have sufficient knowledge to know what is possible technically and how to solicit a technical solution from those able to provide it. Too much design I fear is driven by technology. In my type of theatre it should be driven by the play … the material … and by light. I have to say that if our profession has a problem, it is that LDs do so often come from technology. It isn't that important. It's like painting a picture only when you know how to mix the paint and make your own brushes. Because equipment is easier to talk about than “art,” technology too often becomes too important. What I do need, of course, is a brilliant technical team, master electrician, and crew. I trust them and my design associate and assistants, so together we make it all work.

Andi Watson

I think it is a distinct advantage to understand what other people have to go through to make a show you have designed happen. Appreciating how hard it can be to climb around a truss in the dark or how much difference it can make to the reliability of a fixture by hanging it one way rather than another can mean that those things can be taken into consideration early on in the design process. Understanding that objects you design have to be dealt with before, after, and between shows as well as for the 2 hours a band is onstage can make all the difference between a design that works from a production point of view and something that is a nightmare for everyone involved. Having an understanding of rigging and how mechanics works is a valuable advantage when having discussions about hanging a system or fabricating custom set pieces. I think that for me personally, being a technician, then a programmer, then a designer was a wonderful way to observe how to do some things and how not to do others. When I left to become freelance, working as a designer on small tours with little equipment taught me about light and color and I learned from my mistakes as much as from my successes. Since that is the route I took it would seem to me to be an advantage not a disadvantage.

Jeff Ravitz

I do believe that it's a valuable experience to be a technician. It allows you to understand more of the flow from the power tie-in to the actual light doing its ultimate job. It is an opportunity to work with many working designers and to learn from them. And when that technician becomes a designer, he or she not only has a greater knowledge of how the whole process works but will also have a more genuine respect for the technicians working to bring the design to fruition.

Q. What do you, as a designer, feel is the most important personal quality needed to be a successful touring or Broadway designer?

Paul Dexter

Humility. If you are successful in this business at the level of Broadway or touring designer with major live productions, then clearly you have paid some dues. Your experience will shine through professionally. But, I have a very low tolerance for false pretenses or if someone is trying to pull the proverbial wool over my eyes. Conversely, I have a lot of patience for someone who is new or someone that shows enthusiasm and ambition. A designer at a higher level has some responsibility to treat others with respect and dignity. A lower professional position does not mean that they are not a good person, with a family or a story of their own. Not everyone that you meet will be able to excel and understand artistic levels of performance that a high-caliber lighting designer will or a professional crew will. Some people are just simple minded. That can often be mistaken as stupidity or a weakness, or that they are getting in the way. Try to distinguish those who don't belong because their character traits may be dangerous or even pretentious from those who are there for the right reason but may be of a simple mind. Always show humility.

Richard Pilbrow

For me, design is all about having a vision in your head of lighting's role in a theatrical venture and then possessing the ability to translate that vision onto the stage. Vision and the ability to employ light dramatically in the service of the play. Sufficient technical knowledge to get the right tools for the job (or have somebody invent them!). Political skills to survive in a very hectic and competitive marketplace. A cheerful disposition. A production period can be long, tension-filled, and arduous—you need to have mates around you.

Andi Watson

I think there are many important qualities to have. First, to care more than anyone else about the design that you have created. To have an independent creative vision and have the determination to fight for it when necessary. To be completely receptive to the world around you and take inspiration from everything you see, from the sublime gorgeousness of a sunset to the chaotic beauty of a foreign airport. To have the confidence to follow through on your instincts whilst at the same time listening and taking advice from others who can help you. Although ultimately as a designer it is your vision that you follow, it is never a solitary experience and can only work when you are part of a team. To have respect for those you work with. To always do things for a reason and to be able to explain your reason. The ability to ignore hunger and tiredness also seems to come in handy.

Jeff Ravitz

Maybe there is a difference between being a good concert designer and a successful one. To be a success in this field, which in this instance is defined as getting the job, requires a winning personality that has to be tempered to just the right degree. You will have to impress artists, managers, and other key decision makers that you are the best choice, and your portfolio may take second place to the impact of the vibe they get from the combination of ability, power, charm, and leadership qualities they sense. Exuding these attributes takes confidence that ultimately may be born of the self-assurance that comes from having ultimately pleased previous clients with great design work. However, poise can sometimes trump experience to get the contract.

After asking all the questions above, I felt that Richard Pilbrow's insight into the Broadway world raised further questions:

Q. Do you use the same assistant all the time?

Richard Pilbrow

Dawn Chang has been my assistant and/or associate since the early 1990s. I have used some others when she is not available, as was the case for “A Tale of Two Cities,” when she was unavailable working in Macau for 18 months. Michael Gottlieb had been my associate on the “Magic Flute” in 1993 and some other shows.

Q. When was the first time you used WYSIWYG on a show?

“The Life,” in 1997.

Q. When was the first time you used moving lights?

1993 for the “Magic Flute” at the Los Angeles Opera (VL5s), 1994 for Hal Prince's “Show Boat” (VL2Bs and DHA Digital Pitching Light Curtains) and “Busker Alley” (VL6s), and in 1997 for “The Life” (VL2 and VL5s plus WYSIWYG).

Q. How did you hear about Virtual Magic Sheet?

Eric Cornwell has been a friend and occasional assistant since the 1990s, I believe in “Show Boat.” I started using VMS in 2004 on “Where's Charley?” at Goodspeed in Chicago. I'd certainly try to never light without it in the future. To me, VMS is a breakthrough. To be able to see on a single screen your entire plot, in color and changing in real time as the stage changes, is astonishing. No longer do you experience those dreaded moments when you wonder to yourself, “What the hell is that light over there?” It's immediately obvious and gives me unprecedented command over my resources—very rapidly.

Q. What program does your assistant use for paperwork?

My assistant/associates usually use Light-Wright file; I amend and alter as needed. In the theatre an assistant ensures it is up to date. Light Wright is also used to patch up the Virtual Magic Sheet.