This still, from The Poor of New York, is not great lighting, in my opinion. The entire stage is just so strangely lit, with strange white light and the central chandelier, that the eye isn't sure where to look. It is entirely too busy, and overall, just not pleasing to the eye. If this was the intended effect, then by all means, it's wonderfully lit! But otherwise, I've definitely seen much better styling.
This still, from a performance of The Crucible done by Henderson State University, is very interesting. The light blue wash is eerie and otherworldly in itself, but the true masterpiece is the textured gobo they decided to use. The patterns, of crooked trees and branches, are grim and unsettling, matching the tone of the play about supposed witchcraft and the looming threat of death well.
I agree with you about the first image, I think that the quality of the light between upstage and downstage is jarring to the eye as well. I think that it could have been achieved much better without the chandelier because there is no way for the chandelier to be bright enough to light the entirety of the stage.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Casey in that the chandelier shouldn't reasonably be that lit. There may be some cheating involved in having lights downstage, but that takes away from the fact that the source of light is supposed to be the chandelier upstage. I'm sure there is an explanation as to why the lighting designer wanted the lights to appear to come from the back while lighting up everyone's front, but I am not getting that just from this picture.
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