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Lightwright paperwork5/20/2023 The cheat sheet doesn't really help me know what light is going where, but it does give me a checklist of instruments in channel order that I can reference to make sure I've included every instrument. The first thing I do is print a cheat sheet from the Paperwork Management Portal, which shows me the bare amount of information needed to create the sheet. Every once and a while, it also exposes problems - but that's another story. Sometimes, the plot and other paperwork have been done for a month or more and I've done other shows in the meantime - taking time to make the magic sheet gets me in the zone for that particular show. Creating them myself allows me to become very familiar with the rig and helps me visualize what I'll do at the focus call. I typically make them a few days before focus. They're also exclusively the one piece of paperwork that I always make myself and never outsource to an associate or an assistant. My magic sheets are typically the last piece of paperwork that is generated before I focus a show. I know by looking at this that if I wanted a center pool of R3220 blue light, I would choose channel #47. See why it might be beneficial to simplify? Now, multiply that frustration for each system of light that you use in your show. How long would that take? Too long, when you're trying to write 500 cues. (They're highlighted in the image right) Now that we've found them, find their channel numbers. Imagine trying to quickly find something when hunting through all of those pages at once…įor instance - let's try to quickly find the top blue par fills in the overhead plot. The show was large enough that the data needed to be separated into multiple drawings One for overhead, one for FOH, one for booms and deck instruments… and another for all of the scenic practicals. Let's use Side Showas an example again - pictured above is a couple of pages from the lighting plot. The smallest ones I typically print are still 24″ x 36″ - manipulating a page that large at the tech table would be distracting for everyone in the room - and I'd spend more time fumbling with the paper just to find the channels I wanted.Įven with a digital light plot, I'd be zooming all around and trying to find the information I need in between a whole bunch of information that I don't. First, typically light plots are very large pieces of paper. ![]() ![]() "Why not just use the light plot? All of the lights are already on it, why create this extra document?" When I teach about magic sheets, this is typically the first question that gets asked. The front and high side systems below that, then box booms, then side lights. For instance, in the Side Show example on the left, all of the top systems are across the very top of the page. I also arrange similar systems in the same row or column of the sheet. The direction arrows and the color bars help with finding systems of light quickly during tech. I also include a color bar with a rough approximation of the gel color, as well as direction arrows. ![]() The channel numbers are superimposed over the part of the stage that the beams will hit. (Left) The magic sheet for a production of Side Show at HWB School of the Arts in Tampa Florida, which my team and I lit in 2017.Įach little box is an individual lighting system with a top-down view of the stage. Simply put, a magic sheet is a document containing a simplified visual representation of the lighting rig as a whole, typically divided by systems of light. Throughout this post, I'll be referring to my process and my way of doing things - remember that this is just my approach and that everyone you talk to will have a different method or opinion - and that's okay! Take the things that work for you, and leave the things that don't. The magic sheet really just has to be useful to the designer. There are many different ways to make a magic sheet and many different visual styles - the thing about magic sheets is that there really are no "standard" layouts or rules like there are with some other lighting documentation. This article is about the paper versions of magic sheets - not the EOS versions. It's a single document that simplifies the entire lighting rig down to a page or two, allowing the designer to quickly find and recall channels and groups during programming and tech. One of the most important pieces of paperwork in theatrical lighting is the magic sheet. (The article was originally posted on Mike's website here.) INTRODUCTION This week, award-winning theatrical Lighting Designer Mike Wood returns to the Lighting Lounge to talk about the importance of Magic Sheets and how they can be extremely helpful on-site.
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