Back to Start PageStage Lighting—The CD-ROM
STAGE DIRECTIONS
COPYRIGHT 1997
AUTHOR: Dr. Patrick Finelli
TITLE: Stage Lighting—The CD-ROM
SUBJECT: CD-ROM textbook
Stage Lighting—The CD-ROM was produced by Danor Theatre & Studio System and is based on a stage lighting textbook written by Dan Redler. It was edited by Ben Tzion Munitz who is the head of Stage Lighting at Tel Aviv University. The opening screen shows an image of Louis XIII and Richelieu at the Palais Cardinal viewing an animated montage of contemporary scenes, light beams and color changes behind the proscenium with Mozart as the musical accompaniment.
After this clever introduction, you go to the Main Menu screen which lists the nine chapters: History; Light & Vision; Light Sources; Theatrical Luminaires; Color; Dimmers & Control; Projections & Effects; DynamicLighting and The Process of Stage Lighting. There is also an extra feature for Windows95 users that requires an application included on the CD-ROM. It is lighting CAD program lets you try out different lighting effects, angles and positions. You can make your own theatre template or use the sample provided. You can create a stage with proscenium, thrust, audience sightlines and objects, then view the stage from a number of different angles. This nifty application also includes some basic wireframe rendering features, but since it is a demo version, you can’t save or print. The information provided during the CAD demo set up suggests that it is based upon an Intel product called "Graffiti Renderer", but it is free with the CD-ROM.
The learning paths of the CD-ROM are structured in such a way that the chapters lead to further threads under the headings "Topics" and "Sub-Topics." There is a toolbar at the bottom of the "Main Menu" page which gives you more options, such as quick access to the "Glossary" and "Help" utilities. . The glossary also serves as an index and reference to related reading material for selected terms. You can search for any term related to stage lighting. When you select the "Navigation Map" button, you see a schematic layout of the chapters, topics and sub-topics. From there, you can examine a list of the topics and subtopics and then enter any section of the CD-ROM directly.
Here are a couple of examples of how the learning modules work. The chapter titled "Light&Vision" lists five topics: Stage Lighting and Vision, The Visual Process, Processing Visual Data, Stage Lighting and Visual Perception and Atmosphere and Lighting. There are six sub topics under "Processing Visual Data" including "Optical Illusions," which then leads to a couple of animations of familiar illusions.
There are screens for most of the material found in the college-level textbook. You can find excellent descriptions of illumination angles, modeling by light and use of shadow. The "Stage Lighting" chapter contains nine topics and twenty-eight subtopics. Here you can find information on lighting styles such as symbolism, expressionism and other "isms" of the 20th century. Other topics include rehearsals, lighting plots and paperwork. The definitions and illustrations are often simple but effective. For instance, in the section on lighting terminology there is a definition for motivating light, which is defined in one sentence, then you click on a photo icon which leads you to an image of a sketch showing a circle over a table. Another icon reveals a photo of a light over a table in what appears to be an actual production.
The manual states that the CD-ROM uses American English for professional terms (i.e. lighting pipe and not lighting bar, gobo instead of cookie for a lighting pattern), although the "Theatrical Luminaires" section contained some unfamiliar references such as "D’Artagnan profile spot by Juliet". There is also a good deal of historical material, such as old engravings and drawings depicting candles and chandeliers. There is even a depiction of tallow candle production and an engraving showing the use of "cressets" (torches) on the title page to Thomas Kidd’s "The Spanish Tragedy" (1572). There is also material of historical importance in other sections such as the "Patt. 731000W mirror spot by Strand (1935)" in the Theatrical Luminaires section. Cross referenced "Hotwords" are sprinkled throughout the text. You click the word highlighted in red and up pops a definition.
A little camera icon indicates an illustration, photograph or diagram. You click the box to see the picture. An icon that looks like a video camera connects to a video or animation sequence. You click on the icon to see the sequence. For example, there is an animation in the Theatrical Luminaires chapter under the topic "Reflection and Reflectors" that shows an animated view of the laws of reflection. A yellow ball traces the path along the angle of incidence and reflection as it strikes a mirror.
Overall, I was impressed with the design and approach. The learning path is well structured and you can get to the navigation map whenever you desire. There is an excellent assortment of material, combining history, properties of light and design, use of light sources. I shared the demo with several students and faculty members and asked their opinions. One of our stagecraft lighting instructors wished that there was more specific lamp and base data. I found some pictures of lamps and bases, but it is not nearly as complete as the photometric resource that Crescit includes (Stage Directions, March, 1997)
There was one disadvantage—Windows95 takes control of your system, so that the hidden Windows and Microsoft Office Toolbars were inoperable. I usually like to bounce back and forth between the program and my document while critiquing a new software program. With this one, I had to open and close the software each time I wanted to check a link or reference.
Technical Support:
e-mail: danor@netvision.net.il
fax: 972-3-5490757
© Copyright 1995-1999 by Patrick M. Finelli. All rights reserved. These pages are protected by United States and international copyright laws. Copying or distribution by any means is strictly prohibited. Please send e-mail to finelli@satie.arts.usf.edu