Author Topic: Light Walkers  (Read 12999 times)

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carebear3885q

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Light Walkers
« on: Jan 27, 2007, 04:39 pm »
Can someone please describe what light walkers do exactly? Thanks
Carrie

Mac Calder

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #1 on: Jan 27, 2007, 06:38 pm »
I have always used the term "Light walker" in the following sense.

Basically, people who's sole job is to stand in the place of actors during the lx plot. Usually, when recruiting Light Walkers, you try and get people who are close to the same height as the actor they stand in for, with colouring as close to the actor as possible.

loebtmc

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #2 on: Jan 27, 2007, 06:42 pm »
xpost

yes, I think you mean the folks who help the lighting designer rough out light cues by marking the basic actor blocking - usually at dry tech - 

when possible they wear colors in the costume palate, and we often use a splayed hand to note height (taller or shorter) for focusing the lamps

ljh007

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #3 on: Jan 28, 2007, 10:28 am »
There's a post called "LX Plotting Structure" in the Plays & Musicals forum that talks a bit about using light walkers.
I'll repost my light walker words from that discussion here:

In many situations where the actors are union (ie, would need to be paid for the hours they spend at the theatre during lighting work), theatres bring in volunteer "light walkers" who just move around the stage in the places the actors would be while the LD, SM, and director do their lighting plot. It is very tedious for the light walkers because they are totally passive and don't know where they're going or what they're doing - they just walk left when you tell them to walk left. But if you can find nice, patient people who are excited about being onstage under lights (however un-glamorous the situation), it can be a pretty painless way to get lighting work done. In this situation, you can get your basic lighting done without tiring the actors, and the LD can refine lighting for specific moments with the real actors during tech rehearsals.

Do be sure to warn the light walkers that they should not wear black or white, and make sure they know that they could be standing on their feet for hours at a time. In these tech sessions, by the way, the PSM is usually at the ready to talk through the blocking with the light walker, but you sit next to the director (who decides what scenes to move to) and the LD (who talks through calling the cues with you) so that you don't need to actually be on the stage. We usually give the light walkers a couple of comp tickets and a big thank you.

carebear3885q

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #4 on: Jan 29, 2007, 10:51 am »
Do be sure to warn the light walkers that they should not wear black or white, 

They told me to wear all black.
Carrie

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #5 on: Jan 29, 2007, 02:12 pm »
How weird... Are the costumes all black?  :-\

I always ask the dancers that they wear colours representative of their cotumes for the spacing rehearsal-
So, I suppose if the costumes were all black then that would make sense.

carebear3885q

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #6 on: Jan 29, 2007, 03:05 pm »
well it's an opera..so maybe something weird I don't knoww
Carrie

philimbesi

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #7 on: Jan 29, 2007, 03:19 pm »
Quote
well it's an opera..so maybe something weird

Truer words have never been spoken.

ljh007

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #8 on: Jan 29, 2007, 06:57 pm »
Hey!
We opera folk are no weirder than the rest of the theatre crazies.

From my work in opera (and lots of it), I've never asked anyone to wear all black. Lighting is lighting, whether it's for an opera or a Pink Floyd concert. I guess someone who didn't know lighting might think that all black would present a simple palette to work with. But as most of the responders have said, you should try to stick with the colors of the costumes, whenever possible.

philimbesi

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #9 on: Jan 29, 2007, 07:09 pm »
Just messin with you, ljh...  Just messin

I've never heard of light walkers being asked to dress in blacks... kind of defeats the purpose. 

MatthewShiner

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #10 on: Jan 29, 2007, 09:32 pm »
I have found that when light walkers are standing in for a variety of people, they are usually asked to wark darker colors (avoid brights, whites, etc.)

Sometimes it's just easier to say wear black - and that way the color of the clothing will not interfer.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

zayit shachor

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #11 on: Jan 29, 2007, 10:34 pm »
My favorite way to punish people for being consistantly late to rehearsal (it's college so I can't just fire them) is to make them be light walkers.

Mac Calder

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #12 on: Jan 29, 2007, 10:43 pm »
My favorite way to punish people for being consistantly late to rehearsal (it's college so I can't just fire them) is to make them be light walkers.

That must come under the banner of Cruel and Unusual punishment. The job is a real pain... especially when you are the tallest walker, and there is an actor who is a good foot taller than you, so you spend half of your time with your hand raised above your head so that the LD can make sure that the actor is entirely visable.... *shudder*

zayit shachor

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #13 on: Jan 29, 2007, 10:47 pm »
Yeah, I agree it's a pain, but it's also a pain when actors show up late every day...

I told them flat out that it would be the result if they were late a lot, so it's their own fault if they have to do it  :P

ChaCha

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Re: Light Walkers
« Reply #14 on: Jan 30, 2007, 09:48 am »
I used to like light walking at Uni - does that make me weird? Maybe that's why I ended up in opera...
ChaCha