Students
Students and the ALD
ALD Sponsored Students Scheme 2012
2011 Michael Northen Bursary
Students and the ALD
By Nick Moran, Senior Lecturer in Lighting Design and Production Lighting and practicing lighting designer.
"As a teacher of lighting for performance, I think all students interested in lighting should become members of the ALD. And if you are studying lighting full time at an institution that is a member of the Conference of Drama Schools you can enjoy sponsored member-ship for at least two years of your program of study.
The most tangible benefit of student membership is Focus. Put simply, it provides some of the best writing about and by working lighting designers available in this country. As well as the articles aimed at the general membership, in recent years Focus has featured articles on ways into the profession, and from young LDs working on their first big shows. It has including notes from big name LDs on what they expect from an assistant, articles written by students, and interviews based on questions submitted by students.
Recent articles on photography and on marketing, written by people working in performance lighting, are at least as useful to students practitioners as they are to seasoned professionals. Whatever the level of your interest in lighting, Focus provides insights into the people and practice of professional lighting design. It covers the kinds of shows many students might be lighting while still studying through to the big shows they may aspire to get a placement as assistant on, and many different kinds of shows that may never have considered. It is not a showcase for the latest hi-tec kit (but membership of ALD entitles you to a subscription to other journals where you can read all about that). Focus has articles from real world lighting designers working with the kind of equipment students use in their schools and colleges, solving the problems all of us have to solve every time we start to light a show.
Finally, Focus is one of the few places where you can see good quality photographs of performance lighting rather than shots displaying products or close-ups of famous faces on stage. So, if you are studying lighting design for performance, join the ALD, and make sure you read your copy of Focus at least ten times a year!"
ALD Sponsored Students Scheme 2012
This is a scheme funded by ALD corporate members for full time Higher Education students studying lighting design either full time or as a module in a technical theatre course.
The scheme allows for students to join the ALD on a year by year basis, with their membership being paid for by the association's corporate members. It is hoped that both student and corporate members will benefit from the increased opportunity to network with each other, creating contacts with the next generation of lighting designers and technicians.
The scheme for the membership period up to March 2013 is will open for applications from September 11th 2011. The closing date is Christmas 2011.
Even if you are already a member of the scheme for the current year you will need to complete a new application form and return it to the office complete with proof of your student status in order to maintain your current membership.
Please note that if you do not apply your membership will revert to a normal student category and you will need to pay the annual subscription of £25.To request an application form or if you have any further queries please contact the office directly.
2011 Michael Northen Bursary
The Michael Northen Bursary is awarded annually to a student or recent graduate who has demonstrated strong, imaginative and creative Lighting Design. It is organised by the Association of Lighting Designers, a professional body representing lighting designers in the live performance industry. Michael Northen was the first credited Lighting Designer in the UK and his work on The Mousetrap can still be seen in the West End today.
It is open to all students (not just those on vocational theatre courses) and graduates from 2010 and 2011.
Taking part in the Michael Northen Bursary brings you and your work to the attention of the experienced lighting designers and other industry professionals on the judging panel.
Winning the Michael Northen Bursary brings you and your work to the attention of all the members of the ALD, and potentially everyone attending PLASA. Winning can also give you real help as you start your professional career in lighting and this year the prizes include some outstanding opportunities to work alongside top industry names.
Prize:
The winning applicant will be presented with a cheque for £500 at the PLASA Trade Show in September 2011 and will have the extra prize of either:
An opportunity to observe a high profile lighting designer at work
or
An opportunity to experience working with a company or venue.
There are also two runner-up prizes, one sponsored by ETC and the Francis Reid Award, sponsored by the ALD, also presented at PLASA. Each of these will be £250 plus an opportunity to work with a company or venue.
(Please let us know what kind of opportunity you would be interested in should you be one of the winning applicants. This will not be taken into consideration during the judging).
The judging will take place in August, and the names of the winners will be announced at the PLASA show (11th to 14th September, free entry to all ALD members), which is regularly attended by all of the major Lighting Manufacturers and many designers, where the winning portfolios will be displayed.
Submissions:
We want you to put together a compact, high quality printed portfolio, something you might take to a meeting with a director or maybe an agent, to help you get work. Your portfolio should be no bigger than A4. The best portfolios will be on display at PLASA. After that, they will be yours to use to get work!
Your portfolio should show high quality work from two to four productions that were realised since the start of your studies and should demonstrate your imaginative and creative approach to lighting design. The Portfolio should also show the judges something of how and why you achieved your end result.
Photographs: You should aim to include up to six well chosen images from each production. These should show the judges what you can do with light. It is probably a good idea to provide a caption for each image to give it a context.
Other Visuals: Along side images of the finished work, you may wish to include visual inspiration, mood-boards, story-boards, extracts from your cue synopsis and lighting plan, and other paperwork relevant to the design. Choose the best you have quality over quantity.
Writing: You will need to include a page of writing outlining your approach to lighting design. This should be no more than about 500 words. You may also wish to provide a brief overview of the main challenges of each production. However you should aim to let your pictures do most of the work lighting design is a visual art-form.
Credits: Please remember to follow good professional practice and give full credits for each production. These will usually include:
Title of the Production, Author, [Composer & Librettist], Venue, Director, Choreographer, All other Designers, and Photographer.
Please also include the dates of your productions. If you need any advice in this sometimes tricky area, contact Jack or the ALD Office.
Your CV: Since this is a professional portfolio, you should include a neat, up-to-date CV, which will include the following contact details:
Your Name;
Your University or College, and your Course of Study;
The Date your Course will be Completed;
Your Personal E-mail; (not a college e-mail address please)
Your Phone Number; (preferably one with a voice mail service)
A return address for your portfolio.
Submissions should be sent to:
Michael Northen Bursary,
PO Box 955
Southsea
PO1 9NF
and must be received by the 31st of July 2011. Submissions must fit into an A4 envelope and have the correct postage paid. Failure to do this will result in exclusion from the competition.
If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to email ALD Student Rep Jack Knowles jack.knowles@ald.org.uk