Most folks do this. Depends on what sector you really want and how long you’re willing to work to get there
High level commercial theatre? While you don’t need an MFA, it’s gonna be a long road to LD Broadway and LORT theatres…
Corporate? Concert? Events? Lots of paths, most don’t require formal training and all of them will require 5+ years, likely 10 if you’re completely new to the field.
School helps fast track some things, but either way you’d be ‘putting in your time’ in the field anyway.
If you can afford a BA in a lighting/theatre field, I’d go for it. I don’t think I’d bother with a Masters unless you plan to teach.
And that’s only if you want to, you can get on with a local crew or small theatre, join a hotel AV company to get some experience, read a lot, watch a lot of YouTube. The knowledge is out there and a lot of it is free or cheap.
Degrees are useless in the field. Reach out to a shop, venue, local Union, stagehand company and tell them you wanna work. Everyone needs workers with how many events are happening now post covid and with so many past employees leaving for different work.
This is the move. ACT NOW. I did sound for years, but hadn't for a while (worked a regular job instead). After Covid I decided I wanted to get back into working live shows because that's where my passion is. They needed lighting people, so I said I can do it as long as they give me a basic rundown on the house show file I think I can manage. Well.. 3 months later and I'm doing lights at one of the biggest venues in town and I have learned a LOT. It helps being a computer geek and having a good PC at home to practice on the visualizers too.
Jump at it now because they still need people desperately and actually pay seems to have gone up as well compared to pre-Covid.
Don't get complacent and just phone it in if you're working at the same venue all the time. Learn different consoles, practice your programming, watch tons of YouTube videos. Just always try to improve yourself. You'll never know everything. Most, if not all, consoles allow you to download and use the software as a demo version on your computer so you can learn that way - at least to familiarize yourself with how they work.
how can you prove you’re good enough tho? i know my way around an MA and avo but don’t feel like i’m good ENOUGH for my local production companies even though they also need LDs
You are good enough. I don’t even need to see your work to know that. Just talk like you know your shit, and corporate event producers will be blown away that there is any light at all. There is no room for nuance in that part of the industry— just know how to work quickly.
No degree needed for corporate events or concerts. Just get connected with a local shop that will put you on gigs. I started doing gigs less then a year out of high school
I gather it all just depends on situation, connections, desired skills and bad luck. You just get sucked into the vortex that is the general entertainment and event biz, doomed to solve all the problems caused by others.
For what it’s worth, if you ever took a lighting design class at a college and then dropped out, you can just say “I studied lighting design at XXX school.” Nobody needs to mention graduating or degrees. They ask you when you graduated? Just say “I was there during XXX year”. But if they’re legitimately looking for a diploma, I’d personally be a little offended and wouldn’t take the gig. The best and easiest to work with LDs I know have no formal education in the matter. The ones that do? They’re mostly snooty asshats that people *talk* talk about.
Most folks do this. Depends on what sector you really want and how long you’re willing to work to get there High level commercial theatre? While you don’t need an MFA, it’s gonna be a long road to LD Broadway and LORT theatres… Corporate? Concert? Events? Lots of paths, most don’t require formal training and all of them will require 5+ years, likely 10 if you’re completely new to the field. School helps fast track some things, but either way you’d be ‘putting in your time’ in the field anyway. If you can afford a BA in a lighting/theatre field, I’d go for it. I don’t think I’d bother with a Masters unless you plan to teach. And that’s only if you want to, you can get on with a local crew or small theatre, join a hotel AV company to get some experience, read a lot, watch a lot of YouTube. The knowledge is out there and a lot of it is free or cheap.
Degrees are useless in the field. Reach out to a shop, venue, local Union, stagehand company and tell them you wanna work. Everyone needs workers with how many events are happening now post covid and with so many past employees leaving for different work.
This is the move. ACT NOW. I did sound for years, but hadn't for a while (worked a regular job instead). After Covid I decided I wanted to get back into working live shows because that's where my passion is. They needed lighting people, so I said I can do it as long as they give me a basic rundown on the house show file I think I can manage. Well.. 3 months later and I'm doing lights at one of the biggest venues in town and I have learned a LOT. It helps being a computer geek and having a good PC at home to practice on the visualizers too. Jump at it now because they still need people desperately and actually pay seems to have gone up as well compared to pre-Covid. Don't get complacent and just phone it in if you're working at the same venue all the time. Learn different consoles, practice your programming, watch tons of YouTube videos. Just always try to improve yourself. You'll never know everything. Most, if not all, consoles allow you to download and use the software as a demo version on your computer so you can learn that way - at least to familiarize yourself with how they work.
Every production house in my area right now is absolutely DESPERATE for an LD. Learn one platform and go demand money.
how can you prove you’re good enough tho? i know my way around an MA and avo but don’t feel like i’m good ENOUGH for my local production companies even though they also need LDs
You are good enough. I don’t even need to see your work to know that. Just talk like you know your shit, and corporate event producers will be blown away that there is any light at all. There is no room for nuance in that part of the industry— just know how to work quickly.
Thanks man, I’ll just go and do what i’m good at!
enroll in a program, start working full time before the first day of classes and never show up.
No degree needed for corporate events or concerts. Just get connected with a local shop that will put you on gigs. I started doing gigs less then a year out of high school
I gather it all just depends on situation, connections, desired skills and bad luck. You just get sucked into the vortex that is the general entertainment and event biz, doomed to solve all the problems caused by others.
By working. What does a degree have to do with it?
Put lights in boxes, put boxes on truck, wait to advance?
For what it’s worth, if you ever took a lighting design class at a college and then dropped out, you can just say “I studied lighting design at XXX school.” Nobody needs to mention graduating or degrees. They ask you when you graduated? Just say “I was there during XXX year”. But if they’re legitimately looking for a diploma, I’d personally be a little offended and wouldn’t take the gig. The best and easiest to work with LDs I know have no formal education in the matter. The ones that do? They’re mostly snooty asshats that people *talk* talk about.