The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook, 4th Edition Review

What the world needs more of is teachers. I mean this broadly, of course, but also in a sense specific to the production industry. Here and there crops up a curious attitude— that experience borne of hard work and hard knocks is not to be shared liberally or freely; it is a finite resource to be jealously guarded. This reviewer had such an information-hoarding “mentor” in the early days of his career, and no doubt many others have run into this unfortunate attitude in their comings and goings.

But books like the 4th Edition of Brad Schiller’s should-be-required-reading: The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook refute this way of doing things. Mr. Schiller is an industry veteran in the truest sense of the word, having worked for several automated lighting manufacturers over the years, and is responsible for the product management of some award-winning fixtures, as well as a sought-after programmer in his own right. The Handbook showcases clearly both his dedication to passing on not only his accumulated years of knowledge, but also his prodigious technical acumen.

The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook, 4th Edition  cover

Those familiar with the previous editions of The Handbook will recognize the chapter layout and flow. The book starts with basic programming philosophies, and moving into the more technical discussions in generally increasing complexity, from preparation and console layout, to cueing, effects generators and—especially difficult for many new LDs to understand, tracking. Further chapters delve into more advanced topics, such as magic sheets and layouts, pixel mapping, and using timecode, among other topics. There is, of course, entire chapters devoted to media servers, networking, and previsualization, topics that will likely only increase in complexity and salience as our industry moves forward.

The 4th edition brings a wealth of new content that current or aspiring LDs will find particularly valuable. Along with new advice and insights around the topic of structuring a show file, different types of recording options, and multi-part fixtures, Schiller covers a host of emerging topics, including GDTF and remote followspots.

An informative—however unfortunately-needed—update is the chapter on emergency preparedness. Expanded and made its own chapter in the years since a gunman opened fire on a crowd at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas in 2017, this chapter gives firsthand account of LD Keith Hoagland’s story of taking cover and ultimate survival in the face of a truly horrifying experience. The chapter also lays out some excellent advice on setting up emergency cues for unexpected situations—not just violent ones, but other types of disasters—and excellent safety advice for all types of occurrences. Information and advice on disaster preparedness and planning is the sort that we all hope to have to never implement during a show, but planning can save lives, and this chapter’s inclusion is an invaluable reminder of that.

Some of the most memorable information, in my opinion, comes in the form of the case studies that Schiller presents. His diary as a programmer on the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney—a staple from the very first edition—continues to entertain and impress, along with a 20-year retrospective added for this edition. Of further interest—especially to more advanced programmers—will be two appendices featuring interviews and case studies with the creative team at Earlybird Visual, who go into great detail about their workflow, including explanations of some of their macros and layout views. There are also discussions on using automation feedback to color-code elements in layout views to help the operator understand the status of a rig. This section presents a unique intersection of programming philosophy and technical discussion, and I found this entire appendix to be thoroughly engrossing. A further appendix goes into a discussion of programming lighting for Broadway with veteran programmer Scott Tusing.

The final section (before the appendices) is one I find the most valuable. Here, Schiller returns us to the theme of education, and ends the book with words of advice from other industry veterans, organized into sections on programming, design, and demeanor. As he solicits advice from every corner of the industry, we’re presented with a wide cross-section of experience and wisdom to absorb.

The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook attempts to take a highly-technical subject and break it down into digestible chunks, a task at which it handily succeeds. Sprinkled throughout are humor and personal anecdotes which help to break up what might be otherwise dry sections. There are few books in our industry that can truly be said to be “must-reads,” and The Handbook is—in my estimation—one of them.  

The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook, 4th Edition 

ISBN 9780367653255

Published November 30, 2021 by Routledge

Purchase at Focal Press or Amazon

Craig Rutherford is a lighting designer based in Minneapolis, where he lives with his partner and their five children. Having had an interest in production since childhood, he’s worked as a technical director, a touring lighting director and is currently a production and lighting designer for concerts and special events.