Big Apple Institute's third presentation of the year is a two-part seminar/workshop entitled Working with Moving Lights. This seminar will be held on Saturday, November 15th, from 10am-4pm at the Voorhees Theater, New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn. You can opt to attend either or both sessions; a box lunch will be included for those who take part in Parts I and II.
Part I, “Moving Lights 101,” running 10am-12:30pm, is a discussion/demonstration covering the basics of moving-light technology and control. Moving light programmer Cory FitzGerald will provide an inside look at the High End Systems Studio Color and Studio Spot fixtures and discuss the various components of different moving-head and moving-mirror fixtures. FitzGerald has extensive experience with the Wholehog III, the newest console from High End, and will outline the significant developments in this console versus its predecessor, the Wholehog II. He will also discuss the use of palettes and techniques for executing cue sequences. LD Ed McCarthy will share his thoughts on what a designer needs to understand about the console in order to cue efficiently. Video projections will allow close-up viewing of the board and the lighting units for all participants. Video display of the Hog monitors will be projected as well.
In Part II, “Working With Your Programmer,” running 1:30-4:30pm, McCarthy and FitzGerald will focus on the designer-programmer collaboration. They will present prepared cue sequences and show how they create new moves and edit the existing ones. Video projections will allow participants to see the keystrokes FitzGerald uses to execute the commands as well as the output on the Hog’s screens. The demonstration will include the use of several different types of moving fixtures including the Vari-Lite 1000, which has programmable shutters. Later, participants will suggest cueing ideas, using the vocabulary introduced during the day. McCarthy and Fitzgerald will entertain questions throughout the presentation.
Note: While there will be opportunities for individual questions and an up-close look at the Wholehog III, any hands-one experience will be limited to a few participants depending on attendance.
Ed McCarthy recently lit the Irving Berlin revue I Love A Piano! at the Denver Center. Other credits include the BC/EFA Benefit production of Once on This Island at the Winter Garden Theatre. He designed 11 shows over two seasons at the Actors’ Theatre of Louisiville, including the Humana Festival. He has been associate LD for five companies of Mamma Mia! in the US and Canada, The Unexpected Man, Putting It Together, Dame Edna, The Phantom of the Opera, and Dance of the Vampires On television, he was lighting director for this year’s Grammy Awards and Latin Grammys, the 2001-2003 Tony Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center, and CNN’s Town Meeting: The Economy. He is currently working as Associate LD on the Broadway production of Wonderful Town with LD Peter Kaczorowski.
FitzGerald is High End Systems’ Wholehog III support specialist for the United States. He has been Beta-testing and using the console for a year and a half. He has programmed many smaller shows around the city including Brave New World, the theatrical community’s response to Sept. 11th, as well as shows around the country and in Bermuda. He recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he studied lighting design. Currently, he has been spending his time traveling the country with Hog 3, teaching training classes.
The cost of the event is $30 for one session and $50 for both; the latter price includes a box lunch and a drink. Pre-payment is requested by credit card, check, or cash. However, payment at the door in cash is acceptable. The box lunch will be included only for those who prepay for both sessions in advance. Please RSVP to BAI@BALNY.com. Checks should be made out to Big Apple Lights and must be received by November 11th.
The Voorhees Theater at NYC College of Technology, located at 186 Jay Street in Brooklyn, at the corner of High St. Click here for directions and a map.