A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting – Even CHEAPER!

Late last night I got an email about a new discount off Steve Shelley’s book, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, 2nd Edition from Focal Press.  It seems that Amazon really wants you to purchase his book and save money at the same time. First, here is the boiler plate on Mr. Shelley’s book:

Construct and Implement Your Own Lighting Designs with the most trusted guide to stage lighting!  An entertaining and educational read, author Steven Louis Shelley draws from his 35+ years of diverse experience to bring you the step-by-step technical tools for getting the job done along with real-life examples of projects from start to finish. Learn why some techniques are successful while others fail with ‘Shelley’s Notes’ and ‘Shelley’s Soapbox,’ all with a humor that guides you through complex problems and concepts.

So what about that deal huh?  A while ago, I got wind of a super secret discount code Focal Press offered on Mr. Shelley’s book, (which is long gone by the way). Looks like Amazon is beating that original discount.  Amazon.com is offering a savings of 38% off the cover price of $49.95 and selling it for $30.95.

If you have not already purchased your copy of Mr. Shelley’s book, what is stopping you? Head over to Amazon.com and pick up your copy of A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, 2nd Edition NOW!

iSquint.net Podcast: Episode 9 – Interview with Steve Shelley

It’s that time, everyone is gearing up for USITT Conference and Stage Expo in Kansas City. As you travel to USITT today or tomorrow, I put together a podcast with Mr. Steven Shelley.  You may know Mr. Shelley from his book, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting or possibly through his company, Field Templates. Or, you may have seen Mr. Shelley at a trade show, how hard is it to miss him in his neon green cap and shirt?

Mr. Shelley was kind enough to share his beginnings in the lighting industry and what made him go into lighting rather then scenic design.  Mr. Shelley also gives a humorous look into how Field Templates and his book deal came into existence.  All the while, Mr. Shelley kept busting my gut.

Mr. Shelley also gave some great insight on how to make it into the industry and how to be successful at what you do while offering some tips and tricks to protect yourself and grow. If you are attending USITT this week and new to trade shows, be sure to check out Mr. Shelley’s Attending Theatre Convention’s write up, well worth the read!

Reminder: You can subscribe to the iSquint Podcast through iTunes and have it delivered directly to your iPhone or iPod.

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Special Offer on A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting Book

More SETC fun and excitement!  Steve Shelley was ablaze in his lime green shirt and hat while at SETC, (Southeast Theatre Conference), informing students and educators the benefits of his Field Templates and Soft Symbols drafting library’s.

While on the show floor, Mr. Shelley was happily signing copies of his latest book, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting.  Copies of Mr. Shelley’s book were on sale at the SETC registration desk, but copies ran out quickly. As an offering, Mr. Shelley is offering a discount for A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, 2nd Edition through the books publisher, Focal Press.

If you are interested in saving an 25% off the cover price of the book, you can visit Focal Press’s web site, (www.focalpress.com) and type in a discount code to receive the discount.  But, to receive the discount code, you MUST email me at info@isquint.net as I have been asked not to publish the code.

I am not sure exactly how long the discount code is valid for but hurry and get your copy of Mr. Shelley’s book with 25% off the cover NOW!!!  You can read a review of Mr. Shelley’s book right here on iSquint.net.

UPDATE: Looks like I was wrong on he sale of the Mr. Shelley’s book at SETC. The book was not for sale any where at SETC. Mr. Shelley’s fan’s and owner of his book actually brought copies WITH THEM to the show to get his signature. Now why didn’t I think of that!!!

Also, I have confirmed with Focal Press that the 25% discount code runs through the end of the month, (March).  But don’t wait till the last minute.  email me at info@isquint.net and I’ll be happy to send you the promotional code for a 25% savings!

Field Template Releases New 1/2″ Striplight Placemat

Steve Shelley, the owner of Field Templates sent me a note about his latest drafting template, the new 1/2″ Striplight Placemat. More from the Field Template Press Release:

FIELD TEMPLATE is proud to introduce the updated 1⁄2″ STRIPLIGHT PLACEMAT. Fresh off the grill, this template sizzles with the latest technology. Along with the latest ETC Source 4 MultiPARs, it’s got all the latest LED’s: Selador, Color Kinetics, and the Altman Spectra-Cyc. The 1⁄2″ Placemat also has today’s freshest standards; the Aurora, Econo-Cyc, and Sky-Cyc, as well as PAR-56, PAR-38, R40, and MR-16. There are section cutouts for every fixture type, as well as three sets of circuitry symbols, two-fer dots, and a scenery bumper. This potent parcel of plastic will be available for the USITT convention in Kansas City.

Yee-haw Buckaroos!

If you are not attending the USITT convention at the end of March or cannot wait till then to get your hands on the Striplight Placemat, visit Field Templates website at www.fieldtemplate.com.

Review: A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Second Edition

Towards the end of 2009, Steve Shelley, noted lighting designer and drafting template guru, released the second edition to his book, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting (published by Focal Press). Soon after the release of Mr. Shelley’s book, Focal Press was kind enough to send me a copy of the book to review.

Hands down this is a great book.  I’ve personally met Mr. Shelley and he always has a smile on his face and a good story to tell, along with his trademark  “lime green cap.” Though his vast lighting expertise is apparent, Mr. Shelley carries his wonderful sense of humor and storytelling throughout, making this edition both entertaining—and educational.

Layout of the Book

As an aspiring lighting designer, have you ever wondered what it’s like to design a Broadway-style show? Imagine being able to look over the shoulder of a professional lighting designer to see how he accomplishes his vision and design from start to finish.  That is how Mr. Shelley has written the book.  He first starts off with the basics of lighting: covering the layout of a theatre, stage directions, electricity, lighting instruments, and production staff.  Why start there?  The book assumes that this is your first venture into lighting and gives a quick overview of these topics to help you understand their use and role later on in the book.

After that, it’s all business.  Beginning with the research of the show, first production meetings, organizing your paperwork, and of course, starting the design process—getting to “the hang,” focus, previews, opening night and finally, archiving all of your work.  Mr. Shelley goes into great detail about each step of the process and provides some great insight and advice along the way with sidebars “Shelley’s Soapbox,” “Tales from the Road,” along with other helpful tidbits like “Shelley’s Notes,” “Sneaky Tips,” and my favorite, “Shelley’s Golden Rule.”and particularly in the “Shelley’s Soapbox” and “Tales from the Road” sidebars. Together, they give the readers a first hand glimpse into the real world of stage lighting.

Throughout the book, Mr. Shelley provides examples of his paperwork and drafting style to help the reader understand the subject matter at hand. This being the second edition of the book, Mr. Shelley has included over 60 new topics ranging from creating and negotiating contracts to working with other designers and production staff members through out the design process.

Targeted Audience

Mr. Shelley has packed his book with information and advice that anyone in the entertainment industry could use. But who did he write to book for?  I believe that any aspiring lighting designer or technician will find this book quite useful. The book is not only a guide to help layout and design a show but it’s also a quick technical reference tool.  Mr. Shelley mentions in the the introduction of the book that he himself uses his book time and time again to help remember important steps and processes in order to deliver a cost-effective, timely, and dazzling lighting design. Seasoned lighting design veterans can relate and use the book just as Mr. Shelley does.  And, not only to help remember processes but to learn new and different methods as well.

Conclusion

For $49.95 from Focal Press’s website, (www.focalpress.com), Mr. Shelley’s latest edition of A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting is a must-read for new or up-and-coming lighting designers and technicians. Seasoned lighting designers will find Mr. Shelley’s book quite useful, as well, for learning different methods or refining their own design methods.

Thank you Mr. Shelley and Focal Press for providing me with a copy of A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting for this review.

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Where is the Industry Heading – An Interview with Steve Shelley

This months Where is the Industry Heading Column is an interview with noted Lighting Designer and drafting symbol guru, Steven Shelley. In addition to Mr. Shelley’s design talents and drafting template genius, he has also found time to write a book for the lighting industry, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting which just recently went into it’s second edition. Look for a review of Mr. Shelley’s latest book here on iSquint very shortly.

In regards to paperwork, how has that changed from when you started to where you are now?

Night and day. When I started it was legal pads and lots of mistakes. Copies were photocopies at best, or mimeographs. When I started at American Ballet Theatre, we used the new Macintosh computer and the application “Multiplan” to re-sort the paperwork.

What are your thoughts on LED’s in general for use within the industry?

Eventually they will pull even until the next source takes them over. Right now they are still pretty expensive. Yes, you get a great long-term bang for your buck, but for short rentals, they are still more in the “eye candy” genre as far as I can tell.

What challenges do you face with the ever changing console architecture?

It’s not easy to catch up. With all the different variations and new approaches, it seems that having a console operator fluent in the specific console is now more critical than ever before. While this is the nature of the beast on moving light consoles, it’s now becoming more prevalent on consoles solely utilizing conventional fixtures as well. While I can appreciate that, there are times of frustration when I can no longer figure out how to merely turn a fixture on. And neither can the newbie console operator.

Does 3D rendering provide a reliable method for developing a concept while designing out a production?

It may do so to illustrate a concept for a client. Otherwise I find it more time consuming than mentally producing the 3D rendering with mental images translated to my own notes and the light plot.

Do you feel that projection media is a form of lighting or should it be considered a separate field?

I think projection media is a form of scenography, and as such, a separate field. I have nothing but respect for projection specialists and, in the heat of a production period, I’m thrilled they are there to help collaborate on the piece, and assume the responsibility for the creation of that facet of the visual look for the show.

Looking back at a past production, how would you change it with some of the latest technology out on the market today?

In most cases, I would consider changing stuff on previous shows if it reduced the amount of power, cost, gear, load-in time, or replication time. In some cases that might be as simple as color changers; on other shows that might be replacement of specials with fewer lights and programmable mirrors. There are a few shows that I would consider swapping out gear for movers, but to do so would then potentially result in the need for more time to re-program the replacement units. In my experience, making these kind of changes must be carefully considered within the big picture, rather than as a quick-fix “knee-jerk” reaction.

What new or upcoming technology has the potential to change the lighting industry?

Right now it seems to be the light sources. No doubt, though, it will be something completely different than what anyone can postulate today.

What advice can you give to a beginner looking to make it in the industry?

Be polite. Smile. If you don’t have a passion for this, get out. Don’t hesitate to ask questions when you need to. Don’t feel like you deserve something; you will have to work for it.

Do you have any tech-table rituals or traditions?

Define the location of the tech table as soon as you walk in the door. Then they can be set up without waiting for your placement instructions. Always have a trash can to distinguish from archives. Pack up your stuff before the final tech; you don’t know how quickly the tables will need to be struck after the end of the rehearsal.

What is your favorite gel color and why?

Gam 850 among many many others. I like blue.

More about Steve Shelley

Steve Shelley is a freelance lighting designer. He’s also the designer of the Field Template series of plastic drafting stencils, the Vectorworks toolkit SoftSymbols, and the author of “A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Second Edition” published by Focal Press. He lives in New York City.

You can find Mr. Shelley at most trade shows and conferences wearing the lime green cap, a smile and key chain versions of his popular Field Templates.  You can find more information about Mr. Shelley and his templates at www.fieldtemplate.com.

Field Template Releases SoftSymbols V3 For Vectoworks 2010

Seems like Steve Shelley has been quite the busy man lately. First he updates his book, A Practical Guide to Stage Light and releases his second edition. Now he releases his latest version of SoftSymbols Version 3 for uses with Vectoworks 2010.

SoftSymbols™ is a CAD-based theatrical lighting symbol package created in the VectorWorks® environment. Shelley designed the symbols with the patented icons used to create his award-winning series of Field Templates™.

Each hybrid symbol contains a Spotlight Light Info Record that lists default beam spread, color frame size, wattage, and candlepower information. SoftSymbols™ mimics the Spotlight structure—the symbols are organized in the same folders, and all the symbols are in 1/2” scale (if you’re drafting in metric, keep reading! Version 3 breaks the data scale code!) SoftSymbols™ is designed for Spotlight, and can be converted to AutoPlot.

SoftSymbols™ V3 includes

• Data Conversion Plug-ins, so that ONE SET of symbols can be used for either Imperial or Metric scales!
• SoftData©, a 92 page PDF spreadsheet displaying data extracted directly from every resource.
• Shelley’s Section Collection, the series of 2D symbols that exist no where else.
• More than doubles the number of symbols in other fixture libraries
• Has all the latest up-to-the-minute symbols
• Has web and phone contact info for every manufacturer
• Reflects complete manufacturer’s product lines

For more information or to purchase your copy of SoftSymbols V3, visit Field Templates website at www.fieldtemplate.com.  The full version of SoftSymbols for Vectorworks 2010 runs $120. USD and is available for both the Mac and PC.

Update: Wanna Save Some Money?

So who doesn’t like saving money? No one, just as we thought!

We just heard back from Steve Shelley, the author of A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Second Edition, That Focal Press is offering a 20% discount on his latest book for the month of October. The means you save $9.99 of the cover price of $49.95!  It is very simple to order and receive your discount.

Visit www.focalpress.com to order Steve’s book, and the book to your cart and when you are ready to check out, in the first step of the process, there will be a box that says Promotional Codes.  Enter the following code: YT007, (that’s Y-T-zero-zero-seven), and poof, $9.99 in savings!