Living the Lighting Life: A Guide to a Career in Entertainment Lighting

261 Pages·2020·12.841 MB·English

by  Brad Schiller

Living the Lighting Life
Living the Lighting Life provides practical tools and advice for a successful
career in entertainment lighting.
This easy-to-navigate guide offers real-world examples and documentation
from the author and key industry experts, giving readers a comprehensive
overviewofthelightinglife.Thebookprovidesinsighton:
(cid:129) Different job opportunities in the entertainment lighting industry;
(cid:129) Business procedures, contracts, time sheets, and invoices;
(cid:129) Tips on self-promotion, networking, and continual learning;
(cid:129) The lighting lifestyle, healthy living, and work-related travel;
(cid:129) Maintaining anddevelopingcreativitytoprovide innovative lightingand
solutions.
With insightful interviews from industry veterans, Living the Lighting Life is
a key navigational resource for anyone considering a career in entertain-
ment lighting or just starting out.
Brad Schiller has over thirty years of experience in the entertainment
lighting field. A self-described “lighting geek,” his deep-rooted passion for
lighting began at a very early age. Brad’s career has allowed him countless
opportunities to work around the globe, and across diverse facets of the
industry. He is also the author of The Automated Lighting Programmer’s
Handbook, now in its third edition (Routledge, 2016).

Living the Lighting Life
A Guide to a Career in Entertainment
Lighting
Brad Schiller
Firstpublished2021
byRoutledge
52VanderbiltAvenue,NewYork,NY10017
andbyRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2021Taylor&Francis
TherightofBradSchillertobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeenassertedby
himinaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,DesignsandPatents
Act1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedorutilized
inanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,nowknownor
hereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinanyinformation
storageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers.
Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksorregisteredtrademarks,
andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanationwithoutintenttoinfringe.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Schiller,Brad,author.
Title:Livingthelightinglife:aguidetoacareerinentertainment
lighting/BradSchiller.
Description:NewYork,NY:Routledge,2021.|Includesindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2020016988(print)|LCCN2020016989(ebook)|
ISBN9780367349332(hardback)|ISBN9780367349325(paperback)|
ISBN9780429328787(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Stagelighting–Vocationalguidance.|Stagelighting
designers–Interviews.
Classification:LCCPN2091.E4S352021(print)|LCCPN2091.E4
(ebook)|DDC792.02/5023–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020016988
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020016989
ISBN:978-0-367-34933-2(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-367-34932-5(pbk)
ISBN:978-0-429-32878-7(ebk)
TypesetinBembo
bySwales&Willis,Exeter,Devon,UK
This book is dedicated to the entire entertainment lighting
industry and all its players.

Contents
ListofFigures xi
ListofTables xiii
Introduction 1
PARTI
TheJob 7
1 LightingJobsandRoles 9
2 LightingGenres 17
3 LightingSkills 22
4 OrganizationalSkills 26
5 WorkingRequirements 30
6 EthicsofLighting 34
7 BestShowEver 41
PARTII
TheCareer 45
8 AGrowingCareer 47
9 AttitudeIsEverything 53
viii Contents
10 TrainingandLearning 56
11 PromotingYourself 63
12 NetworkingwithOthers 73
13 KeeponMovingForward 77
14 GivingBack 81
15 MovingOn 86
PARTIII
TheBusiness 89
16 TypesofWorkers 91
17 BusinessStructure 98
18 PersonalBusinessPaperwork 101
19 BusinessOperations 108
20 TaxFormBasics 111
21 GettingGigs 117
22 PlanningforYourFuture 120
PARTIV
TheCreativity 125
23 AbundantCreativity 127
24 CreativeInspiration 129
PARTV
TheLifestyle 133
25 WhyWeDoIt 135
Contents ix
26 WorkLifeBalance 139
27 AllureofCelebrity 144
28 HealthyLiving 148
29 TimetoSleep 152
30 WhenItStopsBeingFun 156
PARTVI
TheTravel 161
31 TravelIsWork 163
32 EarnthePerks 165
33 AirTravel 167
34 TourBuses 173
35 HotelLiving 176
PARTVII
TheInterviews 181
36 CoryFitzGerald 183
37 GeorgeMasek 189
38 JohnViesta 194
39 RobertRoth 199
40 RonSchilling 204
41 SoonerRouthier 208
42 SteveWoods 212
43 VickieClaiborne 216