Thursday, September 16, 2021
Designer On Design: Oscar Dominguez
LiveDesignOnline: Oscar Dominguez, founder and Emmy Award-winning head designer at Darkfire, creates the exciting visuals for NBC's The Voice and The Bachelor, among others, and brings the look of concert lighting and texture to these hit TV shows. He also won a Knight of Illumination Award at LDI2019
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11. I am really drawn to Oscar Dominguez’s point of view on remaining humble and respecting the craft. I am really drawn to his story of going from someone who cleaned floors in a studio to an Emmy winning lighting designer. Dominguez didn’t even have a high school diploma, let alone a BFA degree. I think it’s really important for all of us to remember that positive attitude and talent can often times carry you much farther than privilege that is often associate with monetary resources. It is critical that we recognize what a privilege we have to pursue a degree, but to also remember that it doesn’t make us any better than a person without one. I also admire Dominguez’s ability to still find his job exciting. I assume that doing so many episodes of a show like “The Voice” would get exhausting. However, he says he views it like a challenge to not get bored. I really love how it’s clear how passionate he is and how much he loves design after all this time. His mindset is something we should all aspire to possess.
"The eyes can take more than the camera can." I've never thought of it that way. I remember reading an article that stated how blacked out film scenes actually have a great deal of light in them. Which makes sense... you cannot have a fully black screen for more than 3 seconds (and even then, that may be a bit of a stretch). The only engagement that the audience has with the the TV show or film is through that screen so there has to be something visible. On the other hand, in the theater, that is something that you may be able to get away with a bit longer. Since the audience is physically present in the room and may be able to feel people moving around and pin point the location of sounds, having a fully blacked out scene isn't as terrible as it would be onscreen. It may actually help to create tension. That's because all of the audience's senses get to work on their own whereas with TV/film, it's more of a manipulation of the senses. Going back to the statement of the eyes taking in more...even in full darkness we are able to readjust our eyes and make out forms and figures. That makes a lot of sense.
What really struck me about Dominguez perspective was how humbly he started and also just the span of his career in both genre and time. I think that his exploration of how technology has changed was really interesting. I think sometimes in TV and theatre we always try to hold onto very traditional methods, but now that there is such a range of technology the industry is seeing different ways of doing things. But like Dominguez says all of those old ways still exist, still, technology is a tool that we should try to make the most of. His story of how he got into the industry is also very promising to so many other young people who want to get into design and technology. You don’t always need some big fancy education to break through or succeed. Finally, I thought that his advice at the very end to try all mediums is vital. People tend to want to stay I their little bubble and if we never try new things as artists its impossible to grow.
Oscar Dominguez’s entrance into the lighting industry is both relatable and inspirational, to me. Describing how he was thrust into hanging a light when an electrician was out feels very similar to those of us who forced ourselves to try parts of theater that we simply didn’t get guidance in. His persistence and diligence in pursuing his passion is something that is also common in young hungry theatrical designers and technicians. I never considered that the journey to becoming a lighting designer from electrician was a challenging one, but now I see how much drive it takes. With the rapidly changing and expanding entertainment industry, I find it so important to take note of the history it originates from, and Dominguez’s use of it within his work is incredibly important. He is also so optimistic, trying to do remote lighting design is seemingly impossible, and I appreciated his acknowledgment of its challenges, while retaining his passion for the work. His advice really spoke to me and I think it will stick with me as I go into the industry, “you need to stay humble and hungry”.
This interview felt like a really casual conversation I could have overheard in Purnell. Oscar Dominguez seems really unpretentious for the vast amount of high-end experience he has in the professional lighting field. I liked learning about his background, and his approach to design, which seems instinctual and unapologetic. One thing he said that stuck out to me was "The lighting shouldn't supersede anything--you're there to enhance the set, create moments, and looks." This notion of tech being a helpful backdrop is a concept that has come up many times in multiple different aspects of design. But it especially matters for someone in his position, where he likely has all the fancy, high-end tools and instruments to make his work as flashy as he wants. Then again, he does mention budgetary constraints, so I guess no matter how high up you get in the industry, you've still got to keep an eye on your limitations.
I loved this interview with lighting designer Oscar Dominguez. As someone who takes a lot of inspiration from the content I consume, I don’t read a lot of interviews, so I appreciated the opportunity to read this one. He discusses how television lighting has changed over the last decades, how, despite technological developments, cameras are still incredibly limited compared to the human eye, and the importance of staying humble and hungry. I’m not even familiar with technology today, but for someone who has worked in the industry for so long and has had to adapt to new technologies, he still maintains a degree of wonder and appreciation for how the technology has grown since he started. However, the human eye is still far ‘better’ then cameras when it comes to processing visual information, so because of how limited cameras are, there has to be increased design considerations--especially when The Voice started doing home set-ups during the pandemic. And lastly, the concept of staying humble and hungry. In the interview, Dominguez reflects both in his respect and drive, and this is something that I will keep in mind as I move through my own education--strive to pursue what’s beyond while still staying humble and grounded.
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