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Expert: - 1/29/2009


Question
I work with costumes but am a bit confused about how stage lighting affects the fabric colors.  I read some advice in a costuming book that said I  needed to get familiar with a color wheel used by lighting designers.  I put in a search but can not find what I am looking for.  Is there just a simple chart or wheel that I can get ahold of that would show me that my light pink things are going to turn white, ect, ect?

Answer
Dear Kim,

Light colour affects costume in really very basic ways.  Under white light, which contains all the colours of the spectrum, costumes look fine - for example a red dress will look red because there is red light within the white light to be reflected from the dress.  If you remove some of the spectrum and turn the stage blue the red dress will turn black because there is no red light for it to reflect.  If you add a little red light to a blue stage the dress will look red again.

If under white light you want the red dress to look more vibrant then add some red light and the colours will stand out more.

To do experiments get a small torch (not an L.E.D torch) and a lighting colour swatch book which you can request from a colour manufacturer or pop into your local stage lighting supplier who will give you one. http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/  0r  http://www.rosco.com/sbreqs/index.cfm

Then turn off the lights and have some fun with colour.

People have been doing this for a long time - go here to see

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B06E2DD103EEE3ABC4850DFB667838A6...

Hope this helps and best of luck with your experiments.

George Tarbuck
Lighting Designer

British Theatre

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George Tarbuck

Expertise

Contemporary British stage lighting practice and current stage lighting training. Stage lighting design and stage lighting technology. Devised and site specific theatre. I am a working freelance lighting designer and lecturer / subject leader in stage lighting.

Experience


Past/Present clients
Freelance Gaffer
Broken Home Movies, Film Workshop, Edinburgh

Architectural Lighting Designer
Le Marche Noir Restaurant, Waterfront Wine Bar, The Wine Emporium, Glasgow.

Sound and Lighting Gaffer
Martin Bone Associates ;
Trade Show Jaguar Launch
Trade Show Mondeo Launch.
Trade Show Mercedes Launch.   
Conference AGM United Biscuits.
Awards Ceremony Guild Hall.

Lighting Designer
Boilerhouse Theatre Co, Headstate devised play, Scottish Tour: Tramway Workshop, Lemon Tree Aberdeen, Paisly Arts Centre

Lighting Designer
Damage Theatre Co, Two Sevens Clash, Devised play Traverse Theatre.

Architectural Lighting Designer
Cliffe-Catterall Chartered Accountants Offices, Edinburgh

Architectural Lighting Designer
Linsmore Hotel, Aberdeen

Lighting Designer
Boilerhouse Theatre Co. ? No New Miracles ? by Alan Warner. Traverse Theatre, Tramway, Lemon Tree, Dundee Rep.

Lighting Designer
St.Magnus Festival. Orkney. Devised Dance Piece.
? Storm Watchers ? an ? Lord Of The Mirrors ?

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. ? Pipers Cave ? by Rona
Munro. Paisley Arts Centre and Edinburgh Festival.

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. Re-Light of Headstate by
Irvine Welsh. Cafe Graffiti. Edinburgh Festival.

Lighting Designer Queen Margaret College. ?Elizabeth Gordon Quinn?

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. Re-Light of Headstate by
Irvine Welsh. Docklands International Festival
Greenwich.

Lighting Designer Benchtours Theatre Co. ? The Corridor ?. Traverse Theatre Edinburgh Festival 97. Scottish / Irish Tour.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. ? Gargantua ? Edinburgh
Festival 98. Fringe First. Promenade. Site Specific.

Electrics Assistant " House of Mirth " Feature film. Location filming in Glasgow.

Consultancy Benchtours Theatre Co. Technical Consultant and Client Liason. Lottery Bid for Lighting and Sound equipment.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. ? Monumental ? Citizens Theatre
Glasgow. 1999. Promenade. Site Specific.

Lighting Designer Arches Theatre Co. ? Horses Horses ? Arches Theatre Glasgow. 2000. Promenade.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. "Decky Does a Bronco" Site specific. Tour. Summer 2000.

Technical Consultant / Hill Street Theatre. Gateway Theatre. Universal Arts Production Manager fringe festival 2000.

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. " RED " Promenade. UK Tour.

Lighting Designer Prime Productions. Sunset Song. Scottish Tour.

Technical Consultant / Hill Street Theatre. Gateway Theatre. Universal Arts Production Manager Edinburgh festival. 2001.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. Co-Production with Almeida Theatre. Decky Does A Bronco Site Specific. UK Tour. Summer 2001.

Lighting Designer The Seer. New One Act Opera. Dingwall Festival. Autumn 2001.

Lighting Designer Fermentation Grid Iron Theatre Co. Spring 2002. Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. VARIETY. Edinburgh International Festival 2002. Kings Theatre. Lighting Designer BBC 4. Grid iron Theatre Co. VARIETY. Lighting Designer SUNSET SONG Prime Productions. No.1 Scottish Tour. Lighting Designer Grid Iron - Unique Events. Burns Festival Alloway. Promenade Show. "The Houghmagandie Pack" Lighting Designer Mr McFalls Chamber Orchestra Queens Hall Edinburgh Lighting Designer Grid Iron. Edinburgh Festival 2003. " Those Eyes That Mouth" Five Awards inc. Fringe First Lighting Designer Arches Theatre Co. ?To The Moon? Young Directors Awards Spring 2004 Lighting Designer Greyfriars Kirk Charity show for Maggie?s Centre Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. ?The Bridge? Glasgow Green, The Quad ? Edinburgh Festival. France. Summer 2004 Lighting Designer FidgetFeet Company. ?Solaris? ?Can?t Handle Me? Ariel Dance. Customs House Newcastle. Dublin Festival. Lighting Designer Papillion Productions. ? One, One Two? Dance Piece North Edinburgh Arts. 2004. Lighting Designer Children Of The Sea Botanic Gardens Edinburgh 2005. Five Awards including Fringe First Lighting Designer ?Shift? Site specific art project. National Trust. Newhails House, Mussleburgh. 2005 Lighting Designer ?The Trial? Tramway Glasgow Lighting Designer A Christmas Tale. Theatre Workshop Edinburgh Lighting Designer ?Heid? Musical Scottish Tour 2006 Previous Theatre Lighting Design work includes, FOR THE TRAVERSE THEATRE : FUGUE, SPACE INVADERS, BUGLER BOY, MEDEA, THE INNOCENT, POINTS OF DEPARTURE ( Amsterdam / Edinburgh ), 78 REVOLUTIONS, KLIMKOV, AN HISTORIE OF THE MACHINE, ROUGHNECK, NOONDAY DEMONS, MORE HAPPY CHICKENS, THROUGH THE LEAVES ( London / Edinburgh ), DEAD MEN ( Australia / Edinburgh ), WHITE ROSE (London / Edinburgh), LOSING VENICE ( Australia / Edinburgh ), AUS DER FREMDE, ELIZABETH GORDON QUINN, DEATH OF ELIAS SAWNEY, KORA, THE ORPHANS COMEDY, BURNING LOVE, LUCY?S PLAY, KATHIE & THE HIPPOPOTAMUS (London / Edinburgh), BLITZ, ABLE BAREBONE, PLAYING WITH FIRE, NOAH?S WIFE, THE PROWLER. A MAN WITH CONNECTIONS (London / Edinburgh). SHADOWING THE CONQUEROR, THE CONQUEST OF THE SOUTH POLE (London / Edinburgh), THE RAIN GATHERING. FOR MONSTROUS REGIMENT: BEARTRICE FOR COMMUNICADO THEATRE: MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS GOT HER HEAD CHOPPED OFF, DESIRE.

























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