What does a hamburger, a reptile, and you have in common? Benefits from a heat lamp!  Simply put, a heat lamp  is an incandescent light bulb that is used for the principal purpose of creating heat. We see them commonly in fast food eateries as a last attempt to make the food appetizing, as well as in animal tanks for our reptilian friends.  For both our hamburgers and our cold-blooded creatures; this incandescent light is their sustenance. Commonly in zoos heat lamps will be used when babies have been abandoned by their mothers and still require the benefits of their mother's warmth to function. Last but not least, humans also reap the medical benefits of these heat lamps to improve blood circulation. It is no mystery that light has been symbolized as a life asserting entity, and now science has unionized the functionality and beauty of light!

Since the class has concluded I have thought about different ways I can apply my skill as a lighting designer, and I realized that lighting design is not limited to the stage. Cinematography is the application of lighting and camera choices while recording for the cinema. However, there are some major differences between lighting a stage, which is a controlled environment, as versus lighting a film. For instance, a lot of film shooting happens outdoors. The cinematographer has to account for the time of day and the way that the sun, or lack there of, will affect the shoot. Moreover, on film, the viewer is watching in 2-D, so lighting depth in 2-D would also require an added skill. What I have appreciated most about this class was that it opened my eyes to a new means of expression. Where there is light, there is a story because lighting tells a story

Pretty

I went back home over thanksgiving break and took this picture. It gets super cold in the morning, cold enough to have frost on your car and over grassy fields. I thought it was interesting that the color in the sky looked so warm. It also has some cool coloring around the edge of the clouds. Then I realized that cool and warm colors exist naturally in nature. This is the shade of pink I wanted for the second lighting cue of my "Our Town" project.

Week 10: Light served on a plate!

Over the course of this class, I have found that I have become more appreciative and aware of the beauty and effect of light. Now that I am more aware of light, I've discovered that it is everywhere I go! There is light creeping through my blinds when I wake up in the morning. When I am stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway, the flashing of the red lights from the cars driving ahead of me dictate approximately how much longer I'll be stuck there. When I look up at the sky, I find that it is always conveying a different story through all of the mixed hues of light shining through the clouds. 

Light is everywhere and a couple of nights ago, it was served on a plate! I was celebrating my birthday at a Mexican restaurant called La Sandia and this yummy little birthday surprise was brought to me by the server. Tres leches, vanilla ice cream covered with caramel sauce, and flan... all topped with a firework candle! The light being so small only illuminated the small little area around it but as small as it was, it was still vibrant and strong. I was so intrigued by the light that came from this tiny little source that I did not even get the chance to blow my candle. I ended up letting it just die down on its own  but I didn't mind!

This just goes to show that light is everywhere! Its in the sky above us, its there to guide us during traffic and it can even be served on our plates! We just have to be more aware of it so that we are able to be more appreciative of it and thanks to this class, I am able to do that! 

Thank you, Lonnie! I really enjoyed our class! :)

Leah Joanino

Dinner Candles!

Week 10: Blog#5

Last Friday, I was back home in Walnut and my family decides to gather to eat dinner together. As dinner table was being set up, I was mesmerized by the dim lights from the candles and I took a picture of it.

The candles were dim and it made up the mood of the dinner setting! It was more like a romantic type of dinner, although eating with just my family.

I realized that the saying about lights make up theater is true. Without lights, there will be no focus in theater! The lightings we see in theater tell a story and also support the story in a play! I am glad to have taken lighting class because now I am actually thinking of designing lights as a hobby!

I am posting today about a new phenomenon - well new to me, at any rate - which I just discovered while at a friend's house over Thanksgiving break. The pictures above show this activity as I witnessed it; people are giving each other 'light shows,' or 'playing with your lights.' I've come to find out that this is a raver activity - I suppose because it accompanies music that is played at raves. Regardless, my point is that it's fascinating, I think, because is using only lights as some personal form of entertainment - performed by one person for [usually and most successfully] one other. And it's a trip. What these lights do to your eyes is incredible. One is white on its own, but when moving back and forth is green, white and purple. And with just waving your hands and rotating them around the viewers head, you can make some awesome effects. It's quite a pleasurable experience; everyone should experience it.

First I have to say I'm so sorry, I've tried to rotate the picture so you can see it the right way but for some reason I wasn't able to do it. Hopefully you can still see how amazing this is. My parents recently got back from a 30 day cruise during which they visited somewhere around 20-30 countries. My mom showed me some of her pictures and this one is my absolute favorite. It is from a mosque in Morocco and I love how the shadows hit the floors. There is something very spiritual about it and just looking at a picture gives me the feeling of being surrounded by a calm eternity (hope that makes sense).

Different lighting styles

I took this picture the other day in the car as the sun was setting. And the first thing I thought of was "How could I light a scene to make it have this color effect?". That really got me thinking back on our lighting class and these blogs that we have to do -- I remembered how when we were critiquing Our Town projects, many of us would light similar scenes that incorporated sunsets or moonlight, but we all chose different colors and had different takes on how to represent it. It's just fascinating how we all view things differently, lighting in particular, and how all these opinions and styles evoke different emotions in each individual person.

Week 8: Los Angeles Night Life

Its striking to see how the night life of a busy metropolitan city can become the setting for a breath taking light show. This was taken atop The Getty overlooking Los Angeles. The city instantly transformed to a relaxing landscape at this distance with the help, from none other, of light. The lighting from the surrounding buildings, housing, and vehicles helped illuminate the city and became a performance entirely on its own with the sustained glow. I couldn't keep my eyes off the view that evening. The lights kept drawing me in leaving me fully entertained as they traveled and flashed in the distance. The night skies should be thanked for the aid to the light show as well as the high altitude for the opportunity to witness a setting that is often not praised at street level. A view like this is always a reminder to how beautiful the glow of a light can be.

-Sandy Cisneros

Week 10 Lighting on Stage

I was fortunate enough to see two wonderful musicals this week. The first being a new musical titled Daddy Long Legs and the second was the National tour of Next to Normal. I did not intend to write my last blog on two stage productions, but having now taken this class my eyes have definitely been opened to how lighting works for the entire production and enhances the experience for the audience.

1st picture- Next to Normal:

I saw this show earlier this year on Broadway and did take notice to the lighting, but this time around I took more of an interest in it. I did not notice the first time how the colors used presented the mood of the characters. The colors I remember seeing were red, orange, blue, and purple. As you can see in the picture (1st picture) the lighting played an important role because there is no real scenery, so the lighting was a vital backdrop. Strobe lights and other "rockstar" lighting was used as well to represent the hallucinations the character, Diana has. These lighting effects also go with the rock style music.

2nd picture- Daddy Long Legs:

The lighting for this production was absolutely breathtaking. It played an extremely beneficial role, because there were no scene changes the lighting initiated when there was a change in time or place. One of my favorite things about this production was the use of lighting and visual design with writing. The dialogue mainly occurs through written letters, so when a new letter was written the writing appeared on the wall behind the actors. (I really wish I was able to find a photograph of this). This effect was also used to present a new month or year.

Because of this classI now appreciate not just the lighting aspect in performances, but also the overall design that goes into making a performance the best it can be. So, thank you for that Lonnie, and TAs. =]

Week 10, Blog 5, Light of OUR TOWN!!!

Its the end of our class, and I thought I can post the most beautiful pictures of light that I have ever see. These are the pictures that my dad send me through emails. They are the perfect examples of light. They inspire me to create and capture more light in the future. Also I searched youtube for some videos of Our Town and I found two videos but unfortunately I could not post them but do search in youtube and type this so you can also enjoy how Our Town is done. Even though light is not that visible in these videos but they are good examples of how this show could be represented. (Our Town Act 3, part 1, Penelope Ann Miller monologue). They are the examples of our most picked scene which is the grave yard and when Emily goes to see her birthday again. Enjoy and Have nice break and quarter to come.

Week 10

My friend scored a beautiful and reasonably priced house to rent in Long Beach. Part of it's beauty was how well lit the entire place is. Sun peaks through everywhere and makes for an uplifting atmosphere. What I loved about this particular part of her house was the way light created a framed image on her floor. It is as if the light is making its own claim as a presence in her household just like any of the furniture or really awesome SF Giant's rug she has. Now she has natural artwork on her floor to compliment the intentional art on her walls. If she had a cat, I'm sure it would lounge in this very spot as well.

Lack of lighting?

I was flying back to Irvine after this past Thanksgiving break and took probably a dozen pictures like these from my window seat. I found it very interesting how the LACK of lighting can really make an impact on something. I love not only the night lights of the city, but also how you can really see the landscaping/water because of the lights/lack of lights. I thought it was funny how "Southwest" was lit pretty brightly -- I definitely saw this picture as an ad for the Skype magazine on board -- and it made me think how focusing light on one particular area is all that is really necessary to convey a message across to an audience. Lighting doesn't have to be complicated to be beautiful, it can be simple and be just as powerful.

WEEK 10

My son's friend took this picture. He is a wonderful kid who has a passion for photography. He is obviously very talented and I wanted to feature this picture because it just took my breath away. The colors are so powerfully vibrant. I love how the green foliage in the forefront accentuates the orange colors of the sunset. Emotionally, the colors of this picture speak volumes to me. One of my favorite parts of this lighting class was the introduction of color and how we discovered the beautiful, complex, emotions it potentially invoked. I found a new appreciation of every single shade of color. We learned that our eye is naturally drawn to the red; it excites us and invokes energy. I thought this picture was a wonderful illustration of that concept. Thank you, Lonnie, for a wonderful class. You certainly opened my eyes to the emotional expression of lighting.

~ Jill Thomas

Week 10: The Happy End

To me, these photos represent happiness. It seems to paint a picture of a stereotypical "happy day": bright sun, blue skies and even bluer water. And even when the sun was not visible, it was still brilliantly present. The feeling is so wonderfully captured in these photos and I hope the sentiment translates because its difficult for me to adequately enunciate this feeling.

Week Eight: Sunset

These three images are just a few of the huge collection of pictures I have of sunsets. There is something so intriguing about a sun setting and as much as possible, I take the opportunity to capture it through a photograph. It is my favorite time of the day. The light and illumination of the sun is just more visible to us. This time of the day allows us to acknowledge the sun a little bit more and not just for its heat or lack thereof, but for its lighting and richness of color. As you can see through my images that during sunset, the lighting of the sun transcends so much that you can see it reflecting upon its surroundings. In the first image, you can see its reflection along the water at the beach. In the second image, you can see the light reflecting upon my friend's face. In the third image, you can see the image fully transcend past the tree branches and all the way to my window. I feel that the sun has so many beautiful stages of light but this is definitely my favorite.

Leah Joanino

WEEK 8

I took this photo in my backyard after the rainfall this weekend. I loved how the raindrops clung to to tree branch. The breaking sunlight refected a feeling of clarity with a crisp white light in each individual droplet. It looks so pure and clean. I love the way nature looks right after a rainstorm.

~Jill Thomas

A Little Bit of Home

I've been feeling really homesick lately so I thought I'd write a post on one of the aspects of my home that I remember most. From my window I could see this view but from the opposite end. The chrysler building was in front and the empire state building was in back and a little to the left of it. I'd turn off the lights in my room and every night I'd say goodnight to these two buildings. I always loved how bright the chrysler building was. During the day it beamed the sun off of its glossy sides but at night it completely illuminated the sky, the neighboring buildings with their office lights seeming like stars surrounding it. The Empire State building was, I remember thinking, always doing its own thing. Depending on the season the Empire State building usually had bright colors. It almost looked as if the sides of it were draped with shiny, bright silk. The buildings didn't really "match" color wise but for some reason they complimented each other. The way that they light up the sky is incredible. During the day they are still very beautiful but at night they are truly spectacular.

The Sun Shines so Bright by the Science Building!

Week 8: Blog #4

Last Tuesday after lighting design class, I have about thirty minutes break until my next class. In those thirty minutes, I have decided to check the science building because everyone in campus said that it would be a sight to see. They are right! I have enjoyed walking around there and I have found this one place where the sun is shining bright! So I thought, since I am studying the sun, why not take a picture of it! So I did!

This was about 2:40 PM in the afternoon and the color of the sun that shines so bright is much different than the color of a sun set and a sun rise. The intensity of the sun in the afternoon is much more brighter. Instead of yellow, the afternoon sun is much more whiter compare to the sun set and the sun rise! I am glad that I have the opportunity to take this picture by the science building because so far, I have discovered all three colors of the sunlight in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening.

Week 8: Christmas at Disneyland

This weekend I went to Disneyland just for a few hours (love having the Deluxe pass!) I met some family there to honor my grandpa, who passed away a few days ago.

Something that immediately caught my eye, naturally was the spectacular new Christmas display of lights. I love how to represent snow on the castle it is just a combination of cool colored lights trickling down the castle walls.

In the first picture I love that my camera captured the different colors. The reds and greens in the garland, the yellows and whites on the buildings, and the blues in the Christmas tree. It makes for a more dramatic effect I think to have these different color combinations, yet it still has an elegant and traditional Christmas feel.

Without the use of the extravagant lights the guests at Disneyland would not enjoy the entire atmosphere that is the holiday season. In this particular setting, instead of lights being used to support an idea, they are in a way one of the important main attractions. Like going to see the snow fall, or the firework show, many people go to Disneyland to view the Christmas tree lit or to see the castle all lit up.

Week 8

Spent the majority of my time these past weeks in the Little Theater working on Restoration Comedy with hardly any time to go any where to find lighting inspirations when I noticed one of those evenings that the light came to me. I peered out from the Little's doors to notice a hidden sun setting in the distance giving the concrete walls and floor a soft amber and just beyond the concrete railing to compliment the amber a nice purple transitioning into the open space. I had never seen these colors play off the way they did on the building and its surroundings until that evening and was glad to see how natural light can create an inviting atmosphere especially since I had been locked in doors for several hours. It was a pleasant change and a breathtaking moment that I had experienced. It was nice to know that I can find beauty in any lighting setting as the one that was presented to me that evening.



-Sandy Cisneros

Week 8: Las Vegas

I went to Vegas last weekend and really just have a compilation of pictures, because talk about prime time place for lights... among other things. What this trip really confirmed for me was how much an ambiance, especially in a place like Las Vegas, relies on the lighting. Everywhere you go, it seems that it's the lighting that really draws you in; flashing lights to make you look, bright colors to insinuate excitement, dim, warm lighting to show intimacy, class or romance, etc. Lighting is also a focal point in a place like Vegas because of the spectacle. Everything (or so it seems) is a spectacle there. I saw my ever-favorite changing LEDs all over the place. A couple examples are here: the first two are in the forum shops at Ceasers. During the day, the ceiling looks like the sky, then at night it dims to indicate evening; all done with lighting (these pictures don't do it justice). Two of the other pictures are a chandelier and its reflection on the tile in a different mall - I just thought it was cool.

Then last, but not least, I saw Cirque du Soleil's Love. And it was fantastic. And so much awesome lighting! Especially in the entrance to the theatre, like in the picture. So many bright colors, changing colors, and mirrors to reflect it so that you see it many times over. I think it's rad. I also took a picture of the stage before the show started (found out later that I wasn't supposed to... once again. It's getting out of control). But much of the incredible staging was owed to the lighting because of placement and just like the entire show itself, exaggeration.

Week 8/Post #4

This is actually from a series of pictures that my sister has been sending me over the last week, but it is my favorite of them. Somehow, she knows when I'm feeling down and knows exactly how to cheer me up with pictures of my dog and my nephews! Every time I see this picture, it always elicits a laugh and makes me miss my family so much, and yet keeps me going because I know that soon I'll get to see them all, including my doggy! The lighting in this picture is a bit washed out from the extremely bright sunlight coming in from the window behind my nephew's head, so if it were not so bright that the effect this picture has on me would be even stronger still, which is saying something. I like the shadows and definition of depth in the picture as it creates a very stark contrast to the dark background and really brings attention to the foreground where the silly action is taking place. Thus, my eye never strays from them and keeps my attention active in the picture. I love that these kinds of picture keep me going and give me hope that all this stress will soon melt away into joy and laughter when the break comes. :)

A light in the gloom

It's been a weekend full of gloom and rain. It seems like this gloom and shadow would have no hope of light and a thought of an interesting lighting blog. But, there is always a light in the darkness. I was walking along the sanclemente Pier in the middle of spurts of rain and I saw this beautiful picture of creation. The sun was right in the middle of the dismal clouds and slate gray water. This pop of ultimate light source , the sun, brought these other pieces of nature to a bright reflection. This light gave an interesting blend of shadow and light contrast to the cloud that made them more contoured and shape. As for the ocean it gave the same contrast as the clouds but, was more focused in the sky line and them faded as further from the sun. Though we can not completely encompass and recreate this source but the reflection on a slate world might give texture a depth through one pure light source.

Week 8, Blog 4, IS LIGHT SAFE?

When I was in Italy site seeing and going to museums, most of the times I took my camera with me, and mostly I was not allowed to take pictures because of many oil paintings that were there and effect of flash of camera at them. After I got back, I searched why the flash photography is not allowed in most of museums. I thought maybe is because of profits of selling the pictures but found out that according to Carl Grimm, head paintings conservator for the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, "the heat and light produced by flash photography speed up the chemical reactions that cause deterioration," and to be exact the light would hurt the painting and that is why many paintings are contained in dark places. Moreover, even the flash cameras are not allowed in theater, but for this is understandable. It is because of profit and also actors's attentions may be lost. They might forget their lines or even they might hurt themselves in such that if one actor is dancing and people are taking pictures, he or she might lose her or his control and ruin the show, that is why flash photography is not permitted in theater. But we do need light in our daily life to see things more clearly like the example of these pictures. Some are taken when I was driving through university drive in the fog and some are the show that I saw in my old college (IVC) called Bye Bye Birdie. Bye Bye Birdie was a fun show with lots of colors and excitement that I learned when I was looking at the lights. In this show, I payed more attention to the lights different to other shows that I have been to and learned that light sometimes can be dangerous even thought it helps us to see more clearly.

This picture was taken on one of those mornings when I was up way before is sane. Fortunately though, I was up to see the sun rise and snap this pretty little ditty. It reminds me of the path to El Dorado or the Emerald City or some sort of glamorous destination. The sunlight hitting the windows of the building makes it as if the building itself is glowing. It even reflects onto the ground in this photo. The light is almost blinding and is so radiant it enlivens everything close to it.

Week 8: the CLaSH

This was a photograph taken in on a ride in a friends truck. I meant to only capture the view but once I saw the picture, I realized that what I captured was a "clash", a near cacophony of light. The red and green lights are overwhelming, and the saturated touch of yellow and asymmetrical dashes of light blue just seem to add the the craziness of it all. The scenery seems wild because the colors are so bold but don't support each other and yet, it somehow....works. I don't understand it and to be honest, it made me feel a little awkward, at first, when looking at it, but now that I look again, I feel excited and elevated. The "clash", uncoordinated and unsupported, has this vivacious quality that gives me energy!