WYSIWG – What You See Is What You Get. Designing lighting for live events such as concerts is both an art and science. Many lighting designers will rely on Wysiwyg Design, lighting design software with CAD. Over the past 10 years, the live production industry has been expanding its capabilities owing to technological advancements in video, lighting, sound, and staging. The spectacular light shows one sees nowadays use lighting and laser effects (with a fog machine or two thrown in), which compliment the video effects on enormous LED video walls. Pyrotechnics, of course, add sizzle and punctuation.
Lighting designers and operators work with digital consoles and software as complex as their audio counterparts. Lighting operators have a multitude of pre-determined cues designed to perfection; however, this does not preclude the use of moving lights to track the artists on stage.
Considering the variables that occur during a live performance, how do lighting designers do it? How do they design the effects they want? There’s more to lighting than fixed lights. Now, designers have a myriad of moving lights at their disposal, which twist and turn.
[WYSIWG continues to be the industry standard for lighting designers.]
Wysiwg diagram
Lighting designers like Steve Lieberman, one of the most respected designers in electronic music, know their technology. Lieberman’s designs respond to what the technology can do, whether it’s deploying a Chauvet Strike Saber or unleashing moving lights or lasers.
Matt Ford, the designer for MTV’s ‘Wild n Out’ improvisational comedy show, manages 300 moving lights, allowing him to follow the action wherever it goes.
On the flip side, lighting gurus like Paul Guthrie (Nine Inch Nails) prefer to get away from too much gadgetry and technology, enjoying the use of PAR cans and smoke. In a PRG interview, he said, “I will be excited when the computers are helping us and not getting in our way.”
So, what is the future of the industry? Well, Production Resource Group LLC (PRG), a leading supplier of entertainment and event technology solutions, and 3D Live, Inc. announced a partnership to introduce 3D Live’s patented 3D LED technology to live event clients. Look for holographic 3D LED display technology in upcoming concerts, corporate events and e-sports projects. Find out more at the PRG website.
Hologram
This opens the door to shows and lighting designers wherein anything is possible. In fact, Gennaro Castaldo of British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said this in a recent MusicTech article. “Imagine a world where you can experience iconic events like Woodstock, The Beatles’ debut at the Cavern Club or the last performance of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Apollo.”
This suggests that the multi-sensory experience using mixed-reality technology will see lighting designers and video producers evolving. It will be a whole new world, wherein What You See Is What You Get — becomes — What You Saw Is What You Get.
