Live Design Online: Lighting design firm Full Flood, Inc, takes on large-scale, live-for-broadcast events the way other designers take on repertory theatre, a new show every few weeks, but with the added pressure of a different venue each time and two audiences, one live in the room and the other numbering in the millions on TV.
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The logistics that go into these massive events are nothing short of amazing. The amount of planning and thought that needs to go into designing and planning the implementation of shows like these requires an incredible understanding of how equipment works, and what needs to be done to make this event flow smoothly.
Something else that this article brings up is the idea of how small this industry is, and how much it relies on who you know. The story of someone going to hang out with someone at breakfast and then ending up working the Tony Awards seems representative of a fairly common occurrence. If there is one thing I have learned so far about the industry it is that you are going to be hired based on where you are and who you know, more so than what you can list on your resume and your actual skills. It is important to find ways to network with everyone you work with, because they just may hire you. My senior quote in high school was “Somebody famous is reading this, please hire me.” I am curious if I will ever get a call because of it.
It is always really exciting to learn about people who were in similar positions as me who were able to become really successful. To think that someone like Noah Mitz, who now designs lighting for really large shows like the Grammys, was once in the same exact position to me is crazy. It is truly inspiring to hear how seemingly simple his connection was made to designing for award shows. It makes me feel like my dreams are a lot more doable than they seem. It was also interesting to learn how Mitz has adapted the lighting to the increasing use of projections. As someone who does not know much about lighting and projections, I had not really ever thought about this as something that needed to be worked on. I had not considered the difficulties of working with both lighting and projections and how they both have to adapt to each other.
This was so interesting, especially knowing that a current Noah Mitz previously went to Carnegie Mellon. I often find it hard to think about my future or what I will do after school, but it is definitely cool and in some ways comforting to know that people who were in a similar place to where I am now went on to do such great things. Aside from that, I found Mitz's story very valuable in describing the benefits of relationships in this industry, and also how many skills outside of design are vital in order to be a good lighting designer (or any designer for that matter). It is also incredibly impressive just how much work in such a short period of time needs to be done for a massive award show like this, and how things are able to go so relatively smoothly.
It quite is inspirational to see someone who was in our position being this successful, especially since I have a particular interest in concert lighting. It's so interesting how many jobs and internships can come just from emailing people, reaching out, and “networking”. It reminds me that I probably need to do so more often. It’s also interesting how the Grammy’s seem to hire the same crews again and again; it’s a good reminder that the priority cannot just be on securing the job but performing enough to continue to get invited back. That truly is the highest compliment. As someone who enjoys specific fixtures and tech, the use of the VL 2600 was also quite nifty. The VL is a line I’m using right now with shop calls and stagecraft, so it's another good reminder of how to soak in every little bit of tech knowledge. Overall, this article was a lot of great reminders, especially given the similar realities that Noah Mitz and I have.
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