Week 4: Texture (Jialai)

I took and sent this picture to a friend while in line waiting for a car wash, then I realize that the texture of the interior front lid is clear and shiny, which I never noticed before. I googled this martial and guessed it should be a slush-modeling with PVC, which is the most common martial for car interior decoration today. Although it is still plastic, it looks much more luxury and softer with direct sunshine. I think it is interesting to see if we can create a looking-luxury texture in the theater with the use of lights and templates to help costume and scenic design since budget can be an issue for expensive props and costumes.

Week 4 - Texture (Bella Keegan)

I spent a majority of this week pondering what texture could be in terms of light beyond a gobo/template. Templates, without a doubt, can give lights all different types of textures. Yet, throughout the week I wanted to try and think beyond this particular example of texture because I didn't want to be limited by my preconceived notions of texture with its relation to light. With this in mind, this week I was lucky enough to attend California Adventure's Oogie Boogie Bash. At this particular Halloween event, I got to witness what was essentially a large scale, Disney budgeted light installation. At the end of the installation, there was this gorgeous scene where dark blue lights were cast over trees and you were required to walk through an amber colored tunnel of sorts. As you can see below, it was simply gorgeous. I spent quite a while simply standing there as people shuffled by me. As I was standing there, I realized that the texture of what you may be lighting can be extremely important. The texture of the leafs of the trees below gave the light dimension, and it helped create the beautiful scene below. Furthermore, utilizing different types of lights can give even more texture as seen with the string lights that create this almost dotted texture when compared to the sweeping lights of a LEKO. Texture is pertinent in giving dimension and helping to paint reality (or fantasy), and I really enjoyed this challenge of trying to discover more to the relationship of light and texture.

Week 4: Texture - Cloudy Sky & Brick Wall [Kayo]

This week, I found nice sky view which is cloudy sky during I was in the school. I always like to look up at the sky, and I love to see the sky with cloud because it is more beautiful than no cloud. I like the sky when the sun hide behind a cloud rather than just cloudy sky. I realized that we can feel and see the sunlight when cloud cover the sun because the angle of the light shows cloud's texture and thickness. And this is hard to create this reality in theater without to use glass gobos or color gobos. Gobo is great texture tool of lights, but I should be think about how the actual texture look like because real object might be more three-dimensional. Lights can change the object's texture look good and bad ways. I actually found that light affects the texture of wall of my apartment parking lot in this week too. I did not notice the wall has great texture till I found this view. The sunlight produced cubic effect with highlight and shadows, and it looks completely different without light. I should consider when I work on light with set and architecture, so I can create beautiful scene if I can utilize the lights for it.

Week 4: Textured Chandelier-Faaizah

I had my camera open completely by accident while I was sitting at my dining room table. When I went to look at my phone, I saw the beautiful view it captured lying underneath the ceiling chandelier. The light created by the dodecagaon glass shaped dome added an element of texture as I could see the reflection of multiple candles broken into each of the glass panels. The effect added dimension and space to the lighting and made me feeling lost in the different angles I changed to look each different angle I used to look at it. After seeing the chandelier through this angle, I feel inclined to take a closer look at everyday sources of light from different approaches to capture the textures that otherwise go unnoticed.

Week 4: Texture [Sierra C.]

I went to Knott's Scary Farm for the very first time this year with my siblings and the first thing we did once we got in was watch the stage-show "The Hanging". Leading up to the show actually starting, I took the first image of the bone projections. It was a little gimmicky but it stuck to the Halloween theme and by using the purple lights, it felt a bit more on the eerie and unnatural side. When the show actually started and the texture of the lights changed to what's shown in the second image, it felt a lot creepier and really set the mood for what I thought the show was going to be, especially with the introduction of the robed figures chanting and walking about with torches. What I love about these particular texture choices during this show is that it gives a specific imagery that sets you up and tricks you into believing you know what to expect from the show: something darker, eerie and quintessentially Halloween. It couldn't be farther from the truth. "The Hanging", unbeknownst to me and my family, is humorous, inappropriate and highly satirical, and made all the more ironic by the use of the Halloween imagery during the pre-show and at the beginning.

Week 4: Texture (Summer)

I was re-potting a plant once I got home from rehearsal late this week. I looked up and saw the the shapes being projected from the small pineapple shaped lights around my balcony. The texture of the image is dappled because of the shape and position of the lights. Its has a cold isolated feeling. Is that feeling because the image reminds me of a gate, feeling trapped? I think of prisons and enclosed areas when I see this photo.

Week #4 Infinity Mirrors Chloe

I went to visit the Broad. The exhibit they had on was Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors. The mirrors had a hole through which you could look into an every expanding universe of light. LED lights shining from the floor and ceiling, trace their way into infinity in beautiful, honeycomb patterns. There is a great joy and humor in the bright lights, they send the viewer on a journey into another world. Transported back into childhood, to laughter and simple comedy.

Week 3: Sunset and Tree Silhouettes [Kayo]

This week, I saw this view when I leave my apartment for shopping. I actually like to see the view after sunset because I can see the beautiful gradation sky like natural cyc light. There are bold tree silhouettes, and they make the depth of the color. I think sky with tree silhouettes is more attractive than no tree silhouettes, so I felt drawn into the darkness. However, there is no fear or negative feelings. I feel calm and comfort, and personally I like darker than brighter. I think it is because darkness makes light look warmer or brighter even though there is a single light source. It makes me think about lighting design that is not only about how to use the light but also how to use the darkness/shadow.

Week #3 Casino Lighting (Lyndsey Robertson)

This weekend I went out to a casino with my family and I noticed something interesting about the lighting I experienced: most of it was fairly dull. Throughout the casino floor as well as the main section of the hotel, the general area lighting was made up of dim amber tones while the only bright or differing color lighting in use was that of the slot machines. The amber lighting made it difficult to determine the time of day while in the casino since the dim lighting consistently gave off this cozy evening feel. However, it also gave a a great contrast against the slot machine lighting since the bright neons stood out from the area lighting to bring your focus in on the machine. Most likely this is a marketing tactic for the casino as the more attention you can bring to a machine, the more likely someone is to play it.

Week 3: The warmth in firelight-Faaizah

Earlier this week in one of the poetry presentations we got to see a design describing the narrator's love interest who moved shyly in the firelight. I remember we had a conversation on how firelight has so many more colors in it besides orange and by adding cooler colors such as blue and purple, the firelight becomes more believable. After hearing that, I made sure to look more closely when my parents lit the fireplace this weekend. I don't think the video I took of it did it justice, but besides the blues and oranges that I imagine when I think of firelight, I saw a variety of different shades in between those colors when I stared more closely. Inside the fire there were deeper oranges and violets. The red embers each changed colors as they got warmer and cooler. Besides the physical heat that emanates from the fire itself, I felt that the movement and the colors of the flames did more to make me feel awake and alive.

Week 3 - What Fog Can Do [Bella Keegan]

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend an immersive, horror themed scavenger hunt out in Westminister called "The Mist." While I have qualms with the event itself, I thought the concept was really cool and it was really interesting to see how the event (which was in a vacant mall building) handled themselves and their unconventional lighting. The most interesting aspect of this event was that they heavily relied on fog machines and fog. The moment you walked into the playing space, it felt like never ending fog and the only lights you were given to see were battery operated candles. This made it incredibly hard to see, yet it made most of the facades throughout the building look hauntingly gorgeous. Most of the ambiance lights were these LED fresnels placed up high, so it felt like streaks of beautiful painted light everywhere because of the copious amounts of haze. Last quarter I actually had the awesome opportunity of being the Light Board Operator for Physical Graffiti, and in the show most of the dance pieces used the fog machine. Once the show was finally up and running though, the fog machine essentially gave out by the second performance which made the tone of a lot of these pieces different. Having had that experience as a board op, and having had the experience in this haunt, it amazes me how much fog can be a character of its own within theatre and how it can really change the way a piece is perceived. Below is a picture I took in lobby of the event where a light was being shined through these numerous amount of holes in a fake wall. In this picture it doesn't necessary look like the light streaks were caused by the never ending fog, but in person I could see the fog gave the light a place to exist and it was something that was really awe-inspiring. 

Week #3: Reflective (Summer)

While at Disneyland this week I walked by the castle after the sun had set. It was not the lights upon the castle that stopped me, but the reflection that beamed from the water. It was so crystal clear and perfect, as though two castles sat one atop the other. The castle is bright and fills me with joy and hope the way Disneyland should. However, the reflection below gave off a darker approach almost like opposites. This photo reminds me of how shadowing with lights can be used to arouse and intrigue an audience for the stage. Playing with darker tones, colors and intensities on onside to balance and fight against brighter, vibrant lights on the other.

Week 3: Bedroom View [Jialai]

I took this picture from my bedroom window last week. Across my apartment is a local high school's parking lot with some palm trees on the side. The part of the reason I choose this apartment is the location and view. It is an only five-minute walk to the sea and you can see the amazing sunset every day from my bedroom. In this picture, a large orange sun is going down to the parking lot's roof, in which the center of the sun is accidentally at the same place as one plam tree. It looks like the sun is not falling down, but growing up and glowing like the branches fo the palm tree. I think it can be a good inspiration for a romantic and strong sunset, like use a Leko with a red-orange color and focus it on the white wall.

Week 3: Lights at The District [Sierra C.]

I went to The District shopping center out in Tustin to go to the Spirit Halloween store. I found it kind of ironic that it was the lighting of the valet parking sign that caught my attention more-so than any of the decorative lighting in the Halloween store, which was disappointingly sparse. I don't go out to The District much and the few times I have been, it's been during the day so I never noticed that some of their signage is lit up with really cool colors at night. What I loved about this particular signage was the contrast of color: both the yellowy/white name and the red are vibrant, but neither one overwhelms or overpowers the other. It blends well while still standing out and definitely catches your attention. I also loved the smaller, incremented orb lights along the top of the building. For some reason, the overall style and color combinations gave me Old Hollywood/Old School Vegas vibes, like it's something out of an older, classier era. There's an elegance about it, yet it's still vibrant and fun.

Carwash Texture Chloe

When I was a kid going through the carwash was like going to an amusement park. You were surrounded by the sounds of the wash. Colored strips surrounded the car and foam was splashed across the windshield. It was such a simple joy, made better when our dogs would try to eat the bubbles. This texture reminded me of the fun, the mystery and the simple childhood game. The reprieve from daily life to find joy in the little things.

Morning Inspiration

Most mornings when I don't have classes to attend or work to go to I try to sleep in and laze around the house most of the day. However when I woke up this weekend and wandered into the kitchen for my breakfast, I was shocked by the bright sunlight coming in from the window box. It was quite warm in comparison to the cold temperature outside and essentially drew me into starting my day. I feel as though experiencing this type of bright somewhat radiating light so early in the morning is what inspired me to 'hit the ground running' whereas more recent mornings have been cloudy and made me want to crawl back into bed. Maybe light in the morning can have an affect on how one begins there day? Having ones senses shocked could force someone out of their sleep deprived stupor where as dimmer environments cause us to relax back into our still waking minds.

Week 2: Running Inspiration

I love going running during either sunrise or sunset on the trails near my house. The way the sun becomes golden and the way it touches the trees and plants on the trail reminds me of why I love running outside so much. There is only a brief 5 minute time frame for when the sun is at the perfect angle where it becomes level to the surrounding scenery. The leaves and bushes take on the beautiful golden tint of the sun and almost shimmer when the rays touch them. I feel the most inspired during this sunset time of day because I can unwind and reflect on everything that happened throughout the day. The sun and the rays of golden light that it gives off does a lot to motivate me and help me celebrate the end of the day as well as look forward to the next one.

Week 2: Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man

   I went Universal Horror Night with my friends last night, and it is a screenshot of a video I took from a maze named "Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man." Before we entering this room, it was almost dark with only some candles on, which has a relatively warm atmosphere compared to other rooms. In this case, we just walked past by calmly and did expect that something would come out of this door. When the monster came out, the blue and purple light turned on at the same time suddenly, which enhance the shock I got since I was surprised by all the monster, the lights, and screaming sound effects. I had a great time there, and all the mazes were pretty scary with beautiful set and lightin design.

Week 2: Inspiration in Aldrich Park [Sierra C.]

My teammates and I held a photo-shoot in Aldrich park this morning to take team photos and I was initially volunteered as the photographer, which had me looking at the lighting differently in order to get the best pictures. Getting the angles right, adjusting to the brightness of natural sunlight and dealing with facial shadows made things a bit difficult. It wasn’t easy but it was also inspiring and motivating in a way because it forced us to be creative in how we staged each picture. There was a point where I was no longer the photographer and it was during this time that I took this photo of the sunlight coming through one of the trees and casting a shadowed outline of the leaves on the path. I thought the visibility of the individual rays was really beautiful and I love that the light is broken up in such a way that the color spectrum that ultimately generates white light is visible to the eye. The effect it creates is magical and as a writer and visual storyteller, this imagery inspired my imagination and stirred up a wealth of different ideas to write about.

Week 2: Inspiration from tree's shadows

This week, I found tree's shadows in the wall of my apartment. I like the tree gobos, but I realized that I do not much think about what actual tree's shadow looks like. I notice two different impressions and feelings. One of the tree shadow is clear and sharp edge, and I feel strong darkness because tree blocks off the light and creates more dark shadows. The other one is blur and soft edge, and I feel calm and peace because it gives gentle impression and there is more lights than shadows. Sunlight seems warm color, so it makes me feel warm. So, if light color is cooler, I think I feel different. Therefore, different density of tree leaves, edge of shape, and color of the light convey different impressions and emotion. This discovery helps me to think about lighting design.

Kayo

Week 2: Inspiration Under a Dark Sky & In the Air [Bella Keegan]

In my second year of college I discovered two things that are now a huge part of my life: immerse theatre and the circus. It is weird to think how much these two things have shaped me and and my path in this world, but I cannot deny their influence. I am the person I am today because I fell in love with aerial silks and because I developed a deep penchant for immersive theatre, with haunts being my favorite form of that. To me, these two particular niche forms of performance are utterly inspiring as they both require deep dedication. In fact, I often try and figure out ways to work these two things into conversation and I have used these things as inspiration for some of my own creations. These two things are what constantly push me to become a better artist and a better performer because I often crave to be on the level of the professionals I witness. With all of this being said, I absolutely knew I had to go to the Queen Mary's Dark Harbor. This particular haunt always features amazing aerialists and fire spinners, and I knew I really wanted to take a look at the lighting on their aerial rig this time around since I understand it all a lot better now. The picture below is one I took during a dance trapeze piece. As a photographer, I absolutely love the lens flare from the LED behind the performer because it feels artistic. As an aerialist, I was in awe at the performers technique and choreography. When I look at this photo now though, my heart swells with happiness and a deep longing. This picture is inspiring to me because I got to witness an aerial performance with lightning design, and in my mind's eye I can picture all of the deep reds and saturate pinks that helped tell the story the aerialist was crafting with their apparatus and their body. Whoever designed this piece heightened the stakes and made the performance feel creepy and unhinged with the use of strobes, moving lights, fog, and high angles and I was drawn so deeply into everything. This picture features three things I have come to really love: aerial, lighting, and scary things and when I look at it, I see the things I wish to achieve and become.

Week 2 Inspiration Chloe

This weekend we went to hike in San Bernardino National Forest. I was shocked to find the "forest" was actually just more dessert. We found this creek running through the dessert, trees seeking refuge on either side, light glimmering through the leaves. You can't tell in this photo, but the quality of light changes depending on where you look. Through the trees is a brilliant emerald, the water reflects silvery, and sparkling, and the edges of the river become a beautiful, light blue. This was the first time in Southern California where I couldn't hear cars. Nature overwhelmed every sense. The texture and quality of light was different everywhere you looked, everything felt open to possibility and incredibly peaceful.

Week 2: Isolated Inspiration (Summer)

I went out into the backyard of a family members house this week and saw the way this tree was lit. I became immediately inspired. The way the tree is not only illuminated and put into focus but isolated from everything else. The dark that surrounds the only source of light, as if waiting to engulf it too. The light fills me with a chill and suspense. It actually inspires me for the next project because it reminds me of symbols that are associated with Halloween. If you look closely in the picture, the light bounces off shapes behind the tree and illuminates them just sightly, creating an ominous worry in me. lighting from underneath/below interests me and I wonder how lighting a person this way, given the correct circumstances, would affect an audience/viewers. 

Week 1: Lights on my Ceiling

I have lived in the same house since I was born and as a kid I would always be afraid of the upstairs part of my house when the rest of my family was away. My sister would make up stories to scare me into believing an old man lived in the attic of our house and would walk around our upstairs' rooms, adjusting the blinds and turning off lights when we weren't home. I no longer believe in my sister's stories but occasionally when I see the streetlights outside casting light through our blinds at night, I get reminded of how scared I would be. I took this photo earlier this week to show how ominous the light coming from the blinds looked as it shown on my ceiling. Usually when I think of the direction of light coming from a window, I imagine it on the floor. But because of the way the window shutters were angled, the light was cast the ceiling and took up the entire length of the room's ceiling. The light's size and the way I felt it was towering over me immediately made me feel small in comparison.

Week 1: Work Parking Lot

While leaving work sometime over this last summer, I found the urge to capture this photo while on the way to my car. I'm not one to often stop and take photos of 'random' scenes such as this but there was something about the way the sky had looked that night that made me take out my phone and snap a picture. The artificial yellow lighting from the parking lot lights creates a high contrast with the natural blues of the sky to create a dynamic scene. In looking back at this photo, as well as other class mates posts, I realize that there is such a large variety when it comes to how the sky can be represented. When thinking of a sunset, most people would conjure a visual of warm colors such as reds, oranges, pinks, purples, etc. which is a considerable norm for a sunset. Yet, in the case of this photo it was the at the tale end of the sunset and the sky is very much a vivid blue with a possible lavender base. Even more so, the clouds during this moment appear black in the photo, possibly absorbing the light rather than reflecting it? Either way, I find that moments like these provide more creative possibilities in designing for the theatrical world.

Week 1: Visiting the Beach

Despite living only twenty minutes from multiple beaches, I rarely visit any of them. It's not that I don't necessarily like the beach, in fact I really enjoy it. Every time I go to the beach I wonder why I don't visit beaches more often because it is always so beautiful. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the feeling of sand in between my toes always manages to stir up deep feelings of peace and joy while bringing forward memories of trips to the beach with my family when I was younger and everything felt more simple. I guess it is for that reason that I try and save trips to the beach for special occasions. The shapeshifting sky above the ocean is a sight I reserve for moments I want to remember. I recently visited the beach while the sun was setting with my two roommates to mark the beginning of the end of our college careers. We arrived before the sun started to set, and slowly walked along the beach as the sun came down while talking about our fears for the future and some of our favorite moments from the past. This particular sunset is one I will always want to remember. The sky was a light grey covered by stormy clouds that made the entire beach feel somehow ominous. Yet, the sun was such a warm, amber color that painted the grey waves and everything around me. I felt like I was wrapped in safety because of the heat and color the sunset gave off. Seeing the cool tones and warm tones work together to create something so delicate is something I don't want to forget as it was extremely beautiful and a meaningful moment for me. In terms of lighting in general, the beach is always such an interesting place to observe it due to the fact the sky can be stormy one day and bright blue the next. This particular sunset though will always be associated with my friends and a reminder of why I try and save the beach, and the lighting that comes with it, for special occasions.

Week 1: South Coast Sunset

        I took this picture on the highway near South Coast area, while my friend and I was driving to Los Angles for a live event. Sunset is always beautiful and amazing to wactch, but also vary a little everyday, depending on the changes of weather and environments. In this case, it forms an fantastic natural color change from light purple with some blue to a orange color with little bit red. This color transformation might be able to done it by artifical arts, like designing and painting. However, it can never be created as nature as this sunset. On the other hand, the shadows of buildings and cars in the bottom of the picture, creates a contract with the beautifal sunset; these red and yellow car lights enrich this picture to be more colorful and dynamic.

Week 1: Antelope Canyon

I attended to Upper Antelope Canyon Tour in this summer, and I had a great time. When I entered canyon, there is fantastic views every where. Sun light and angle changed canyon's look. I really loved to see the light create shadow and high light on the canyon because it gives more texture and seems three-dimensional, and light also enhanced color. I saw the several rocks that look like animals, and it is because not only the shapes and texture but also lights and shadows help to show that. Which means light can be used for trick or illusion. In addition, I could see the sun light beam during the tour, and I felt how strong and powerful sun light is. Especially when guide dispersed clouds of sand into the air, the light showed beam clearly. Anyway, Antelope Canyon was very attractive place, and it makes me think about the beauties and mystery of nature.

Week one: Nightime in Prague

This summer I had the chance to return to Prague. The city is gorgeous during the day, filled with antiquity and overrun with tourists. As the sun begins to set the true majesty of this place comes out. Old street lamps transport you back in time as do the lights draping against the castle. The lights dancing back to you through the water, reflecting a second world into the night. There is a certain romance and mystery, shadows are more prominent than light. The lights in the distance seem to beckon you into the city. This is one of the most magical places I've been, full of life, hope and mystery.

Week 1: Desert Sunset

This summer I went to my hometown to visit my family in Palmdale, CA. As I was driving away the sun began to set. I forgot how beautiful it can be, especially in the desert. Those were the things I missed, watching the sunrise on my way to school and sunset in the evening. They filled me with joy and calmness. They would relax me and I never realized why. Well, I stopped the car and got out so I could take a photo. The colors of this sunset are blended well and gentle. There is a softness where the sky and the clouds and the house all meet. The clouds add a texture to the sky that keeps it from feeling flat behind the house. Though the house is shadowed heavily the scene is peaceful to me. A peaceful desert sunset. I'll always have a piece of home, a piece of calmness with me.

Week One: Santa Barbara Sunset

I’m not usually sentimental over sunsets but I took this photo a while back when I was visiting my hometown of Santa Barbara and to this day it remains one of my favorite pictures. Every time I go home, I always joke with my sisters that our town looks like it belongs in a painting and doesn’t feel real because it has a surreal kind of beauty about it. This particular sunset just enhanced that surrealness and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I love the way the sunlight bounces off of the wisps and clouds to create an almost brushstroke-like effect that paints the yellow, light orange, and pinks against the blue sky. The vibrancy of the colors and the way the pink hues seem to blend to make the sky seem almost pale purple rather than blue towards the top of the picture were really pretty and reminded me of a painting. I also love the way the potency of the light and colors create a stark silhouette of the palm trees and the buildings, leaving them in shadow but still emphasizing the characteristic shape. While the focus of the image is almost entirely on the sky and sunset, I personally always associate palm trees with home and seeing them silhouetted against the sun with those colors behind them just screams Santa Barbara and makes me nostalgic for home each time I look at this picture.