1. What is the major function, or goal, of concert lighting?

To help establish the identity of each individual group. Each band has a specific look and it is usually job of the lighting designer to establish that look. During the performance it is the designer's responsibility to establish the basic mood for each number. Typically the designer / electrician will have a play list or running order (the songs listed in the order they will be presented) with some indication of the mood of each number.

2. What is the primary direction of light used in a concert performance?

Back light. According to Jim Moody, "Theatre puts great importance on front light and least on back light, concerts completely reverse this concept...The lighting in concerts is viewed as effect and accent, rather than for the theatrical functions of visibility and mood.... Heavy back light is the mark of concert lighting (pg.33, 40)" Moody's definition of accent is "a design technique that concentrates the illumination at strategic points on the stage to punctuate the music with heavy color or intensity. (pg. 183)" When a group performs in a theatre the up stage light pipes are usually not masked.

3. Who is Jim Moody?

A California based designer who helped establish the basic approach to concert lighting. He has designed shows for John Denver, Neil Dimond, The Osmond Family and Smokey Robinson. His book: Concert Lighting, Techniques, Art and Business is generally considered the Bible of the concert world.

4. What are the two major "acting areas?"

Down stage for the lead singer (or singers) and up stage for the back-up band.

5. How many colors of back light does Moody suggest be used in lighting the lead singer?

Five colors plus white, a total of six circuits.

     The band?

Four.

6. If the lead singer is backed by a three piece band, how many lamps per color of back light would be needed?

Three. If we followed Moody's suggestions there would be 12 back lights plus six specials: two (a warm and a cool) for each band member. A total of 18 units.

7. How are the specials used?

To highlight an instrumental solo.

8. How many colors of side light does he recommend for the lead singer ?

Four.

     The band?

Three

9. How many colors of front light?

Two.

10. Using Jim Moody's suggestions, how many units would be needed to light a small two person act -- a singer with a piano accompaniest?

28 lamps. Sixteen instruments would light the soloist -- 2 front lights, 8 side lights and 6 back lights -- and 12 units would be focused on the piano -- 2 front lights, 6 side lights, and 4 back lights.

28 Unit Concert Plot -- Solo with Piano Accompanist

11. List six to eight colors which are commonly used for back and/or side light?

1. Dark Blue (R80: Primary Blue)
2. Red (R26: Light Red)
3. Golden Amber (R21)
4. Deep Lavender (R58)
5. Blue Green (R93)
6. Heavy Pink (R44: Middle Rose)
7. Lemon Yellow (R12: Straw)
8. Dark Green (R91: Primary Green)

Of the above eight colors the three most commonly used are Red, Blue and Amber. If I was limited to only two colors I would probably use Red and Blue.

12. What colors are normally used for front light?

Generally a warm and a cool. The two most common choices are Flesh Pink (R34) and a Light Sky Blue (R67)

13. What formula can be used to determine the minimum number of follow spots?

The basic formula is one follow spot per lead singer. Three spots for the Three Tenors, four for The Sportsman Quartet.

     Where are they usually placed?

In the back of the balcony.

14. Describe Moody's "Basic Concert Light Plot"

Jim Moody, in his book Concert Techniques, describes a small, 64 unit light plot (+ 2 follow spots) which he claims would work for a jazz ensemble as well as a rock or a country 'n' western band. The layout, designed for a lead singer with a 4 piece back-up band, included 2 follow spots, 32 lamps on a back truss and 16 units on two "trees" located at the front corners of the stage platform. The 64 units (all 1000 watt PARCans) were divided into 20 channels of back light and 16 channels of side light. (pg. 40-42)

1. Back Light
   1. 4 back light washes on the band -- 4 lights per color
   2. 4 specials on the drummer -- 1 lamp per channel
   3. 6 band specials, 2 each on the other three members of the band -- 1 lamp per channel
   4. 8 back light specials on the lead singer -- 1 lamp per channel
2. Side light
   1. 8 side light washes (4 colors from each side) on the band -- 2 lamps per wash
   2. 8 side light washes (4 colors from each side) on the lead singer -- 2 lamps per wash

Four Hit And A Miss is a small, 4 person (3 men and a woman) vocal jazz ensemble from St. Paul, Minnesota which is currently (2005) touring on the "community concert" circuit. They carry their own sound equipment but rely on the venue to provide both lighting equipment and a resident designer. Their demands are fairly simple -- "a nice warm wash." If some color (they suggest pink, blue and red) is available, they say in their tech rider, the performance will be more polished. When they played Aberdeen in the fall of 2004, I used 21 lamps from the existing on stage layout to light their show. Eleven units were in the Cove, 6 were on the First Electric and 4 on the Second Pipe.

The basic layout included...

1. Front of House (11 units)
   1. 2 PARCans -- Dark Blue (R80) wash,
   2. 2 PARCans -- Flesh Pink (R34) wash,
   3. 2 Ellipsoidals -- Down center area (for the singers) in clear,
   4. 2 Ellipsoidals -- Down left-center and down right-center area in clear,
   5. 2 Ellipsoidals -- Front light on the band in clear and
   6. 1 Ellipsoidal -- Front light on the radio/chair area in clear
2. First Electric (6 units)
   1. 4 Ellipsoidal -- Side lighting the band in deep lavender (R58),
   2. 1 Ellipsoidal -- Down light on the piano keyboard in clear and
   3. 1 Ellipaoidal -- Down light on the radio/chair area in clear
3. Second Electric (4 units)
   1. 2 Ellipsoidals -- Back lighting the band in dark bue (R80) and
   2. 2 Ellipsoidals -- Back lighting the band in heavy pink (R44)

21 Lamp Plot for Four Hits and a Miss

The running order I received from the artists contained a rough indication of mood for each number. Their design was built around four basic pre-set looks.

1. Bright -- for the fast, up-beat numbers (Everything @ full),
2. Warm wash -- for the "medium" songs (Front pink and blue @ full, whites @ 70%),
3. Pinkish -- for the slow ballads (Front pink and blue @ full, whites @ 50%) and
4. Bluish -- also for the slow ballads (Front blue @ full, pink and white @ 50%)

I have also received cue sheets from the artists where the look was simply stated as a percentage. The first song is full up, the second at 50%, the third at 70%, and so forth.... With this style of cue sheet, I left the blue wash at full and adjusted the pink and white circuits to match the artists suggestion. Typically the patter (announcements, introductions, etc.) between songs was done in the Bright look.