Blue Lighting...And sunsets...kinda

Since taking this class, I have learned quite a bit. Most surprisingly to me, how much I enjoy lighting design and (not to toot my own horn) that I'm pretty decent at it. But something that I have been acutely aware of while taking this class is Blue lighting. I know. Blue Lighting! It's everywhere!! Whether it's a bluer white light or a light so bright and focused you can see the blue rim around it, but I keep running into it! Then of course actual blue lighting has caught my eye as well. Seeing how utilized, arguably over utilized, this color is, is very interesting. What are the implications of blue? Calm? Serenity? Sadness? The unknown ocean perhaps? I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it's blue. And it's everywhere.

The Light in Darkness

I find it interesting how reliant we are on light, particularly the kind sourced from electricity. And how just within the last century we as a society have become more and more reliant on using it in every aspect of our daily lives. Without us ever realizing the potency of its grip on us. We take it for granted and don't take into consideration the consequences of man manipulated light. Obviously man has always had an obsession with and desire to create light, look at fire, but now as we enter even deeper into this age of booming technology and our attachment to it increases, the affects of light exposure are more and more lost or forgotten by us. Even now as I write this, I take for granted the fact that I can manipulate the amount of light exposure from my screen but don't consciously take into consideration the affects of prolonged light exposure can have on my eyes, my sleep patterns, or my body's ability to register different light intensities. Unfortunately I find myself on my phone a lot lately and I don't like it. I think it is important to live in the now and strive for presence in your life, finding the natural lighting and natural way of being. But more often than not, I find, without even fully registering it, that I am once again looking at a phone screen checking and scanning for any new needless information that wasn't there two minutes ago when I, shocker, last looked at my phone. I never used to be this bad. I don't know if it's a tell of my lack of attention/boredom/sloth like tendencies now that the quarter has ended and summer is encroaching upon us and I lack motivation to pack up my entire apartment before graduating next week; or if it's that I, sadly like most of my generation, have too become more than healthily connected to my device that allows me to connect.

Modern technology is great. Lighting is no exception. But I wonder at what cost? Man manipulated and man made lighting have their place and the world now certainly wouldn't be the same without them, for better or for worse, but I worry for myself and my fellow peers the daunting affect this constant exposure to light through technology has on our mental health, well being, and general status. Lighting is great...unless you're a bird flying through a city at night that is filled with light pollution so you can't see...Then lighting kinda sucks.

Lights, Am I Right?

Being inside the industry of show business I am constantly exposed to all forms of lighting. Given my theatre background I am predominantly exposed to the different types of lighting instruments that we have learned about and worked with in class over the course of the quarter. However, I have also been working with acting for the camera this quarter, a class with Andrew Borba, and I've also been in a few student films during my time here at UCI. I have become aware of how incredibly important, but drastically different the lighting for film is. Looking back on our footage from class there were a few scenes earlier in the quarter that we didn't use lighting, outside of the room's fluorescents (yipes), and later scenes where we did use lighting outside of the room lights, and MY GOSH what a difference! The very same acting suddenly popped, seemed cleaner, more professional and more compelling. It's also possible that the acting genuinely improved over time, but I feel more likely the acting was better highlighted by the addition of better lighting and black curtains, providing all of the main focus directly onto the actors. In dealing with both theatre and film acting, I have learned a lot, as an artist and performer, but one of the technical take-aways I have come to especially appreciate and value is the power of good LIGHTING.

Dunkin Donutssss

One late night earlier in the quarter I sat inside a Dunkin' Donuts with my good friends Julia and Sean studying for a lighting midterm that would happen the next day. While sitting inside of the establishment studying and reviewing fresnels, ellipsoidals, and the progession of candlelight to electricity, we began observing the world around us. Calling out different elements of lighting we saw in the restaurant as examples for our terminology. It started out almost as a joke, but then once we actually began taking the time to observe the different affects of the lighting and how angling, color, and intensity played a part in each of the lights and ultimately the restaurant as a whole.

I started noticing that the closer the lights were to the seating area the brighter they became and the wider the lens, whereas the lights that were closer to the ceiling were smaller and incredibly warm. The intensity of both lights played into both the necessary practicality of a restaurant, where people need to see their food and feel comfortable in being able to see the cleanliness (or lackthereof) of the establishment they are in. Equally, the warmth of the upper lighting made the brown and toffee walls feel even more cozy, and somehow the place as a whole feel bigger. Providing both comfort in coziness without creating a Closter phobicly intimate environment. A subtle but important distinction between the two lights and their purposes. It made me realize the everyday importance of lighting and how significant a role it plays in accenting the other elements it is a part of. Without either one of these light sources, the restaurant would either feel like a sterile hospital or a cozy romantic café...neither what you want or expect from a Dunkin' Donuts. But the lighting we discovered we were a part of both helped us with our studying and with our general understanding of the significance of lighting.   

SUNSET CARD- but instead the Moon!

I was going to use my sunset card but, I thought the moon is similar and holds more meaning for me.

Last year, I studied abroad in London, England, for a full year. It was a very fun and exciting time, but it was also one of the most lonely and painful experiences because I was all alone... for a whole year. I had no family over there and had no friends that came to study abroad with me. My mom and I have always had a special connection to the moon. We would both stay up looking up at it. It was something only me and my mom did. Before I left, she told me, "If you ever get depressed while you are over there, just look up at the moon, and know that I am also looking up at the same moon thinking about you."
I had many breakdowns while over there, but I had no one to talk to because I didn't want to scare off the budding friendships over there, and I couldn't call my parents only to make them worry about me when they are unable to spend all that money to come see me just because I'm sad. I left to find a part of me that I felt I was missing. I want to find happiness. To find something to live for. I had to tough it out and stay there. My only solace was the moon. It gave me hope. It reminded me that I have someone who loves me waiting for me when I get back and no matter the 5,456 miles between us, or the 8 hour time difference, we still saw the same moon every night- together. That huge rock in space saved my life just because it refects sunlight at night. Funny, the things that help keep us here another day, huh?

-Cat Miranda

LED Lights as messages

I have recent begun working at a consently busy Starbucks. There are many tasks to be done at a single given time. There are a coffee brewing tubs that have a small red LED light on the bottom. When this light flashes, it means that the coffee has become too cold, and, thus, is not fit to be served. I just wondered how a small system can detect the temperture of the coffee and light up the small light. Then, it got me thinking about how we use light everyday as signals or messages. Other examples are freeway signs, traffic signals, and even just looking at my computer screen right now! It's so exicting and, also, silly that most people in the US have just become so accustom to using light and electricity every day, when it is something so miraculous and so essential to our lives. It makes me appreciate light that much more!

(The Starbucks coffee machine looks similar to this but with a small red light on the bottom! I couldn't take a pic of it while at work. ahaha :P)

Lightbulb differentiation

At my parent's house, my bedroom is a mirror of my sister's.  Our doors are right next to each other's and her room is shaped exactly like mines, but flipped.  Despite the rooms being so similar, at a family gathering I noticed relatives gravitating towards her room to make small talk and avoiding mines altogether.  I go into a discussion with my sister about our bedrooms and I realized that, even further than the styles being different, the lighting in our room plays a significant role in our rooms' perception.  Her room's window hits a side of our house where more sunlight comes in whereas outside my own window there is a tree and behind that tree is a wall, so as far as a natural light, my sister's room exceeds that.  In addition, I noticed that we use different light bulbs.  I use whiter light, and she uses warmer, yellow toned light bulbs.  Our floor is light colored and reflects off the light bulbs' light which ends up shading our whole room.  It is unsure if her room's style is more welcoming, but it has definitely been concluded her room is a warmer reflection of my own room.