What an enjoyable first day at the BLMC! I got to the conference a little early, met up with some other CalArts friends and had a lite breakfast before the day started. It was definitely not a day to be running late. The conference started with an amazing lecture from the one and only Jules Fischer. His eloquent public speaking and kind mannerisms really got his points across to the audience. Jules presented a lot of interesting magic tricks and optical illusions to get everyone excited about his lecture. It is funny how the simplest tricks still amaze me. Jules' lecture was intense, in depth and certainly very insightful into the world of lighting design. There is a lot of content to summarize, but the key elements that I enjoyed hearing about were his theories on stage lighting and his message to strive for excellence by controlling light to its fullest extent.
The morning flew by fast. At the lunch break everyone was introduced to the numerous vendors showing off their favorite and latest gear. It was nice to speak with some of the reps and ask them questions and grab some swag.
After lunch there was a color theory demo session from Beverly Emmons and Clifton Taylor. Talking about color theory can be very daunting
sometimes, but actually being able to visually show how colors mix and interact on stage in a demo always makes it more enjoyable.
The afternoon concluded with a discussion on how light creates the ability to tell a story by my mentor Don Holder. I had heard some of the stories from discussions we had in class, but each time I do I pick up something new. In today's lecture I was particularly fascinated with Don's comparisons (including photo documentation) of classical style Broadway lighting for South Pacific to the current revival at Lincoln Center. We did a case study of the plot at Calarts, but it wasn't until his lecture that everything fell into place and made sense about why we (lighting designers) light shows the way we do today.
Additionally, I was unfortunately not able to make it do Clam Bake after today's sessions ended as the schedule between the two conflicted slightly.
As it would have been a rush to get to Clam Bake after BLMC, I decided to fit Young Frankenstein into my schedule. The sound design master class got to enjoy it as t heir feature show earlier in the week, so I figured I should get the chance to enjoy it as well. I will have to say that I was laughing from start to finish at the songs, jokes and numerous stage gags onstage. It was an enjoyable way to end my first evening in the city.
I'm looking forward to the 2nd day of BLMC and a full day of lectures, plus the added bonus of seeing Passing Strange.