Steve Shelley set the standard for lighting design text books with his A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting a decade ago. With the release of his revised and expanded second edition he has raised the bar again. Perhaps my one complaint is that the book is so thorough it took me longer than expected to read through for the purposes of this review. Shelley has written the book in a conversational tone that, while complete with charts and paperwork, has tons of valuable information, tips, tricks, and really funny stories in the text. You skip over this material at your own risk.
The ideal audience for this book is the student, new to lighting, looking to expand their knowledge base. A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting will take the novice and give them enough information to confidently step into the next phase of their development. But this is more than a college textbook. The working lighting designer can find good tips and tricks in here as well and some of the stories are laugh-out-loud funny.
The conceit of the book is a look at a fictional musical called Hokey. He begins with a review of basic lighting terminology to orient his readers to a shared vocabulary upon which he builds over the course of the book. From there he begins a look through his process in the development and creation of the lighting for Hokey from pre-production paperwork to rehearsals to final paperwork and then on to load-in, focus, cueing, and opening. If there is anything missing it would be that by focusing on a single production, other topics like dance, trade shows, or straight plays, are not covered. That said, all the necessary ideas are there which the individual designer can easily translate to fit their particular needs.
While A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting covers every aspect of the production process from beginning to end, from dream to reality, there are two parts of that process which make this book a must read. His treatment of paperwork and information management is invaluable. There is something in there that almost anyone could use to improve their work. His ideas about time/ID stamping disks for repertory situations is brilliant and something I plan to implement into my own workflow immediately.
The other real gem is his treatment of the focus session. Not only does Shelley provide extensive diagrams and alternate positioning of equipment to find the ideal solution to placement and focus, he explains in clear and precise language the thought process which goes in to making those choices. What are the different options for boom placement and focus? Each option has a variety of benefits and drawbacks and he takes a clear and honest look at those in order to arrive at the best solution for this particular instance. He then covers the positioning and focus of other lighting ideas with equal rigor.
Drafting worksheets and sections can be an incredibly difficult process for the novice lighting designer to wrap their brain around. The translation from 2D to 3D, that must be done in the brain, and again on stage during focus, are given a wonderful treatment by Shelley.
Aside from the art and craft of lighting design, there is a significant portion of time spent looking at the nuts and bolts business aspects of putting a show together. The book covers everything from contract negotiations, to shop orders, to how to interface with crews and producers. Far from his fictional musical existing in an ideal world, he goes through the process we all have of cut budgets, and thus cut lighting packages, and discusses how to make an informed decision in those situations. He gives you the tools to respond to a situation, not just react.
This book is a necessary component of any lighting designer’s library. It is a good read, very funny, and a powerful resource.
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Tags: book review, product review, steve shelley, textbook
