Lighting Director Training

Many people that are fascinated with the nuances of lighting one day dream of becoming a master of the skill and working for TV, film or the Broadway stage. There’s a lot of practical knowledge that goes into the skill set of a lighting director, coupled with artistic vision.

A lighting director is responsible for all the aspects of lighting a stage, whether it’s in Hollywood or a royal wedding. It’s the individual that designs and arranges the lighting to create the mood for any type of production. They’re cognizant of lighting techniques, budgetary requirements, and works with everyone from actors and musicians to costume designers to discern the ideal placement for lights, the colors, and the safety of all concerned.

Those that aspire to be a lighting director will need to meet a variety of educational requirements that include a Bachelor’s degree in theatre production or lighting design. Depending upon what line of work the lighting director chooses, there are additional requirements for different levels of expertise. They’ll also need experience and training in electrical safety and construction.

A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program will include the design aspect and the technical elements. They can obtain a Master of Fine Arts in lighting design to continue their education. A master’s program will include classroom work and hands-on training that includes lighting technology and history.

Lighting directors must have technical skills with computer programs used within the lighting industry. A variety of universities and college have internship programs that enable budding lighting directors to work under professionals in the field, gain experience, and build their portfolios.

Lighting directors are the architects of the lighting world. The most revered lighting directors in the world are creative visionaries and innovators that work in venues that include broadcast media, live sporting events, and have lit pathways on the red carpet and royal events.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

Lighting Should be Left to the Pros

There are some tasks that are better left to professionals and one of those is illumination for theatrical productions, political rallies, trade shows, major sports competitions, and even high-profile weddings. It’s particularly essential when illuminating international events that can present unique challenges.

A professional lighting company has experts experienced in every aspect of illumination, technology and rigging to light every facet of an event to the best advantage while maintaining the highest level of safety for everyone involved. Lighting designers have the artistic eye and advanced technology for optimal placement of essential equipment for overall lighting, spotlighting and special effects.

Illuminating international events has its own set of challenges, some of which are cultural while others are physical. Residents of some countries prefer specific lighting types and brightness levels over others. Equipment in the U.S won’t work in Europe, and vice-versa, without the use of adapters or converters since the two electrical systems aren’t compatible.

Lighting for arenas and events that will be broadcast requires specialized knowledge that only lighting professionals can comprehend. A lighting designer will develop a plan for illumination and a lighting director will utilize his/her technical knowledge to implement that plan.

Professional lighting companies employ a highly skilled team of individuals that take on the practical tasks and solutions of lighting, along with technicians that position lights, securely rig equipment, and coordinate audio and visual components.

To ensure the best illumination options and safety solutions for any event, a professional lighting company is essential. Lighting is much more than simply a way to “light things up” so everyone can see. It’s an art form that requires skill, specialized knowledge, and an understanding of cultural differences wherever they may be working. They use innovative techniques that are cost-effective and environmentally-friendly while maintaining the highest level of safety at all times.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

Hiring the Right Lighting Designer

Lighting is an essential element for videographers at weddings to sporting events for broadcast networks. It’s an art and a highly specialized field that requires extensive knowledge of how light works in different environments to the properties of the film being used. Hiring the right lighting director requires some research.

It may seem like a minor consideration, but choosing a lighting director familiar with LED lighting systems should be a priority. LED lighting is brighter, yet offers a softer illumination that will enhance the appearance of the subjects. Another benefit is that LED lights don’t produce as much heat as old-fashioned methods so people stay more comfortable and LED lights use less power, making them environmentally friendly.

A lighting professional will have the equipment needed to reflect light into dimly lit areas for a uniform appearance that prevents unwanted shadows and dark spots. The right illumination is essential for filming and it also ensures that still photos are perfect memory-makers or appropriate for promotional purposes.

A lighting designer shouldn’t be confused with the services of other electrical professionals. A lighting designer views environments with the eye of an artist and combines that with a variety of technical skills in multiple disciplines. They can provide spotlighting, colored illumination, strobes, lasers, and can time illumination to music and other cues. Lighting designers set moods, establish ambiance, and direct the focus of audiences or attendees.

The value, experience and knowledge the right lighting designer brings to any project will make the difference between a ho-hum event and one that’s an unmitigated success. A lighting designer understands the unique interplay of illumination in different environments and is experienced in lighting and filming techniques for occasions ranging from corporate events and professional films to sporting events and red carpet galas.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

How Lighting Affects Actors

Lighting is an essential element for any performance whether it’s for a TV show, a blockbuster film, or a major theatre production. The illumination used affects an audience’s perception, but it also affects the actors and their performance. The award-winning company of Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. has an in-depth understanding of that and views illumination as a “character” in its own right.

Perhaps the most obvious effect of lighting is the way it affects actors physically. Traditional lighting methods emit a significant amount of heat. It can be difficult for an actor to give their best performance when they’re overheated and uncomfortable. It takes a toll on their mental, physical and emotional ability to provide accurate portrayals.

Lighting is a major factor in every scene of a production. It provides ambiance and makes any given scene more “real” to the actors. The right lighting enables actors to lose themselves in the scene and give a performance that’s more personal and emotional to the audience.

Illumination techniques have the power to highlight an actor, pull them to the forefront of an audience’s notice, and provide more depth to their character. Lighting also provides clues for actors to say certain lines or change positions. The correct positioning and use of lighting techniques also affects an actor physically to soften features or create a harsh counterpoint. Illumination is a gateway to the imagination.

Unlike acting in the theatre where an actor obtains immediate feedback from the audience, TV and film actors must rely on their own abilities, scenery and lighting for their portrayals. Actors must convince their audience to suspend belief for the duration of the TV show or movie and lighting enables them to accomplish that through the creation of effects that helps them portray any emotion and appear more believable.

Light is the foundation upon which movie magic is made. Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. is an innovator in the use of lighting and techniques. The company’s methods showcase actors to their best advantage, enabling them to tell their character’s story to the best of their ability without the draining heat of old-fashioned lighting strategies.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

7 Reasons To Love LED Film Lighting

LED lights are becoming increasingly popular within the film industry, and their ease of use, affordability and availability mean that this trend is set to continue for many years to come.

LED lights have many benefits over and above the usual traditional incandescent, fluorescent and halogen options, and as specialists in providing first-class lighting services in Florida, we are fully aware of just how useful LEDs can be.

Here are just 7 reasons why we love using LED’s to offer our clients awesome lighting solutions.

  1. They are super energy efficient

LED lights use about 50 percent less electricity than traditional incandescent, fluorescent and halogen bulbs do.  This, in turn, makes them far more energy efficient, and cheaper to run.  LEDs also aim light in a specific direction unlike conventional bulbs, which emit light in all directions.  This unique capability to direct light in one direction helps to also reduce the risk of wasted light and energy.  This directional lighting capability reduces wasted light and energy.

  1. They last way longer

LEDs don’t “burn out” or fail like incandescent bulbs do. Instead, they start to dim over time. Quality LEDs have an expected lifespan of 30,000–50,000 hours or even longer, depending on the quality of the lamp or fixture, whereas a typical incandescent bulb lasts only about 1,000 hours.  A longer life means less need to replace them, saving you both time and money in the long run.

  1. They keep their cool

With less than 10 percent of the power used by incandescent lamps being converted to visible light, the leftover energy makes them very hot to use and touch. Such excessive heat and ultraviolet radiation (UV) presents a burn hazard to people and materials, especially on hot, close-knit film sets and in studio.  LEDs emit virtually no IR or UV meaning that they remain cool and present virtually no risk of overheating.

  1. They offer instant light

Many traditional light sources can take up to 3 minutes to provide full brightness.  LED lights, however, come on at 100-percent brightness almost instantly, meaning you can get filming right away without having to wait.  This also makes them an excellent choice for large sets or spaces, like sports fields, that need to flood with light very quickly.

  1. They are really tough

Because there are no filaments or glass enclosure to worry about, LED lights are resistant to breakages and mostly immune to vibrations, falls and other impacts.  Because they are mounted on a circuit board and connected with soldered leads, they are not completely unbreakable, but they certainly are a whole lot tougher than regular light bulbs are.

  1. They can be easily controlled

Some lighting systems are really difficult to control.  LEDs, however, can act as semiconductor devices making them incredibly easy to control. Some LEDs can even be dimmed to 10 percent of light output while most fluorescent lights only reach about 30 percent of full brightness. LEDs also offer continuous, opposed to step-level, dimming (where the shift from the 100-to-10-percent light output is smooth and seamless, not tiered).

  1. They offer amazing color capabilities

Modern LED lights can offer beautiful variations in color and brightness that can completely change the way your audience see the subject.  Choose from extra warm white 2700K, warm white 3000K or cool white 4000K for subtle differences in standard white light, and just about a gazillion different colors if you need something different.

LED Lighting from Frank Gatto & Sons

We offer amazing film and TV lighting solutions across Florida and beyond.  Speak to us today at (561) 368-0101 to find out more.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

Lighting the Tree – A History of Christmas Tree Lights

Twinkling lights really make the holiday season feel special, and most of us couldn’t imagine seeing a Christmas tree without them.  But did you know that using lights to decorate trees only became commonplace at the turn of the 19th century, as more and more families started bringing trees into their homes to celebrate the festive season?

If you are about to start decorating your tree, consider the history of the tradition, while you decorate yours.

Back in the 1800s, wealthy homeowners would have their staff spend hours fixing lit candles to their trees using melted wax or pins.  They also had the good sense to keep a bucket of water or sand close by just in case the candles burn too far down and ignited the tree, although that didn’t always stop accidents from happening.  Despite the very obvious safety concerns of having lit candles precariously balanced on flammable pine needles, this type of decoration remained popular.

In 1848 the Illustrated London News ran a picture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert gathered around a lit Christmas tree with their children, spurring on the upper classes of British society to embrace and emulate the tradition. This image spread as far as America, where it gained popularity and became known as the first “influential American Christmas tree”.

Fast forward to 1888, and respected inventor of the light bulb Thomas Edison became involved in the story, although strangely enough, it was not him who invented the Christmas tree light, instead of someone who worked for him.

One year, Edison decided to forego the Christmas tree and opted to use light bulbs on a string to decorate his Menlo Park Laboratory, as a marketing ploy to help him secure the electric contract for Manhattan.  At the same time, Edward H. Johnson, the vice president of Edison’s Electric Light Company, decorated his tree with 80 specially made red, white, and blue bulbs that he displayed in the window of his Fifth Avenue home.

While the lit-up tree didn’t make the news at the time, local people love it and it wasn’t long before Johnson gained his place in history as the Father of the Electric Christmas Tree.  Those rich enough to afford the cost of renting a wireman to install the lights, and a generator to run them could enjoy them in their own homes, for the princely sum of over $300 per tree.

In 1917, things took an exciting turn as a called Albert Sadacca thought to repurpose the white novelty lights his family produced, switching them over to colored bulbs.  He instantly created the first Christmas lights safe for widespread use in the home, and history was made.   His family business cornered the market in Christmas tree lights, and he went on to form an organization called NOMA in 1925, which became the largest Christmas light manufacturer in the world.

During the war years, Christmas tree lights on outdoor trees became almost obsolete as large displays and even domestic decorations were toned down and switched off in line with blackout regulations.  The loss of interest in Christmas tree lights was further compounded following the rise of the aluminum Christmas tree in the 1950s, where electrical lighting was obviously not safe to use.

The mini bulbs that we know and love today, were first introduced in the 1970s and were produced cheaply overseas, meaning that their popularity grew once again as almost everyone in America had access to them. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Modern Day Christmas Light Displays

Nowadays, we have moved on from just electric string lights on trees, and many of us enjoy creating elaborate displays outside our own homes. Organized displays and Christmas light enthusiasts can now program complex displays using lights and strands with varying luminosity and even synchronized timing, making Christmas light displays that are absolutely awesome.

Professional lighting from Frank Gatto & Associates

While we may not be able to light your tree for you, we can provide world-class lighting for your indoor and outdoor events all across the holiday season.  Call us today at 561-368-0101 to find out more.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

How to Light Your Corporate Event

Corporate events are a reflection of your brand, and if you are planning one it needs to be as polished and professional as you are.  Whether you are holding an awards evening, a fundraiser, a staff party or something else, your corporate event should be planned to precision to ensure that every single aspect of the evening is completely perfect.

From the table arrangements to the DJ and everything in between, your corporate event should be impressive from the outset.  When choosing your venue, the way you light the space can totally transform the look and feel of the entire event, and the importance of corporate event lighting should never be underestimated.

As a first-class provider of corporate event lighting throughout the USA, we know that the right lighting makes all the difference when it comes to every kind of corporate event.

Here are some of the most amazing ways we use lighting to turn corporate events into epic occasions.

Use Light to Set the Tone of Your Event

One of the most important attributes of professional lighting is that it helps to set the tone for the event.  It tells the audience where to direct their vision, creates incredibly imagery and has tons of impact.  The right lighting can transform even the most mundane of spaces into something truly magical.

Modern-day lighting techniques offer much more than just mood lighting and atmospheric colors.  A professional lighting director can design and plan effects that are as impressive as watching live performance right in front of the audience’s eyes.

Customizable lighting effect creates a real visual wow-factor for any space. Every light source can be used to enhance the feel of the event, and your lighting place should be the starting point for any venue designer to work with.

Use Uplighter’s to Add Interest

Great event lighting is not just about how you light the room, it is also about where you light it.  Large venues like ballrooms or conference centers can really benefit from the addition of perimeter lighting. Up lighters can help to build ambiance and create a multi-dimensional wow factor.

Build Your Brand with Lighting

Lighting can be used to promote your brand in a variety of unusual and eye-catching ways.  You can shine your logo onto the walls of the venue, incorporate illuminated signs or even opt for state-of-the-art effect using Gobos.

A gobo is a beam of light with a metal stencil over it that creates a pattern and can project any abstract shapes, patterns, pictures, and company logos. They are a dynamic way to promote your brand at any kind of public event or occasion. Seeing your brands logo in lights will create a visual impact that surely will not go unnoticed.

Gobos can go almost anywhere and are highly flexible, meaning they are perfect for a wide variety of venues and occasions. You could use them to display your logo for sales conferences, awards night and conferences as well as wall designs for galas, parties and fundraisers.

Add Energy with A Light Show

If you really want to grab the attention of your audience, go for something exciting like a light show.  Using constant movement, flashing lights and carefully curated lighting themes, you can build excitement before a speaker takes to the stage, or ramp up the atmosphere to celebrate major company milestones.

Corporate Event Lighting from Frank Gatto

If your next corporate event needs an added wow factor, speak to our team today at (561) 368-0101 to find out how we can plan the perfect lighting for you.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

How to Light A Haunted House

Nothing says Halloween like a super scary haunted house experience. Halloween is now the second most decorated holiday after Christmas here in Florida, and however, you are celebrating, creating a spooky atmosphere is essential for ensuring that your scare fest is the best ever.

The humble haunted house, for example, is one of the most popular Halloween attractions ever.  While haunted house attractions rely on props, sounds and actors, they would be nothing without the clever use of lighting. The use of shadows, bright flashes of light and craftily lit crevices create a feeling of drama and suspense as you travel along the attraction.

Here are some of the lighting techniques used to create some of the spookiest haunted house experiences even known:

Black Light

Black lighting goes hand on hand with fear when it comes to illuminating everything from stage shows to haunted houses.  The light throws a purple sheen over everything in the room, and also helps neon colors to really “pop”.  Blacklight is created via ultraviolet or infrared radiation, which is invisible to the human eye. Black lights can be as simple as single bulbs that can be plugged into an electrical socket or can be a huge back panel that illumines entire room at a time.

An interesting fact; lots of black light and neon paint can be found at the Black Sabbath “13” haunted maze at Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as in one of the haunts at Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare.

Red Light

Red is not only the color of passion, but it is also a color that creates fear.  Flooding a room with red light makes for a really tense and heavy atmosphere, perfect for Halloween attractions.  The use of colored lights can also conjure up images in the brain, and red helps to make the visitor think of the color of blood.

Spotlights

You usually think of a spotlight as a positive force for good, enlightening a single entertainer or piece of the action on the stage.  But, when you focus the same spotlight on something spooky, it takes the focus away from whatever is happening back there in the shadows, adding ambiance and increasing the fear factor.

Strobe Lights

Strobe lights are used to change the way the audience or visitor sees the action happening in front of them.  Fast, intense flashes of light create a jerky, blinking effect which disorientates the audience and transforms something innocent in something completely terrifying.

Candle Light

Candles are synonymous with everything spooky.  The flicker of candlelight creates an instant spooky feeling, and the can be used in a variety of ways to create atmosphere.  Hidden inside at light jack-o’-lanterns used to summon spirits, or dotted around an empty coffin, candles are an easy way to raise the fear factor.

Flashlights

Finally, flashlights can be used in a multitude of ways to make a haunted house feel super spooky.  They can be aimed through the middle of a fog machine to create a pathway of light or shone beneath a face or object to make it look really scary.

Call in The Experts

If you are looking to create the ultimate Halloween attraction, why not call in the experts here at Frank Gatto & Associates.  We produce first-class professional lighting design for events and live shows throughout Florida and beyond.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

Why Choose an Emmy Award-winning Pro for Your Event?

Whatever product or service you are looking for, it makes sense to choose a provider who is at the top of their game, right?  Here at Frank Gatto & Associates, we are delighted to offer our Emmy Award-winning services to all of our customers.  With over 30 years experience in the entertainment industry, and with some of the very best lighting directors and technicians on our team, it is no surprise that our award-winning services are always in demand.

But don’t just take out word for it! We have been awarded the highly acclaimed accolade for best Lighting Designer/Director Award not just once, but an impressive 3 times so far!  And we are not planning on stopping there either.  Our services are always first class, meaning that there are still plenty of opportunities for us to win more awards – perhaps even while we are working for you.

What Is an Emmy Award?

The Emmy Awards are designed to recognize excellence in the television industry and are the equivalent of some of the most highly revered awards across the industry including the Academy Awards for film, the Tony Awards for theatre and the Grammy Awards for music.

The Emmys are given across all sectors of the American television industry, meaning that it is not just actors and actresses that take-home awards.  Every aspect of the production process is also recognized, and anyone that is talented enough to receive one really should be considered a true artist and one of the best in the business.

What Makes Award-Winning Lighting Design?

Lighting design can make a world of difference to the look and feel of any production, either live or pre-recorded.  The Emmy Awards recognize the skills required to produce first-class lighting design by awarding the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Series to one television series each year.

Our technical know-how, and ability to continually contribute to the success of live events using innovative lighting techniques and cutting-edge technology has led to us scooping up a variety of awards so far.

Why Choose Our Award-Winning Lighting for Your Next Production or Event?

Cleverly crafted lighting design, using a wide variety of state-of-the-art lighting techniques is what makes our lighting so effective it is award-worthy in its own right.

Great actors, spellbinding scripts and high-end performances all make for amazing television, but the light and sound that takes place throughout the production, are usually the unsung heroes of the show.

Here at Frank Gatto & Associates, we are consistently breaking new ground within the lighting design profession.  Using a canny combination of experience combined with our obsession with ever-evolving lighting technology and digital desk operation, Frank and his team have everything in place to continue to produce award-winning lighting for many years to come.

If you are focusing on the world stage, we have worked with some of the biggest names in the business including world-renowned networks and companies such as HBO, ABC, ESPN, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, Telemundo and Univision.

For more intimate affairs, we are adept at providing superior lighting systems for network television lighting, corporate industrials, award ceremonies, and sporting events.

You want your production to be the very best, and to do that you need the assistance of some of America’s finest lighting professionals.  Call us today at (561) 368-0101 to find out more.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

A Brief History of Stage Lighting

The use of lighting to enhance stage productions was first recorded as far back as the early Grecian and Roman times.  Even all those centuries before the invention of electricity, budding producers built their theaters facing east to west so that in the afternoons the sunlight would shine on the actors, without getting in the eyes of the orchestra.  Many centuries later, Shakespearean theaters were built with a circular opening in the roof to allow the natural light to flood in and illuminate the action on stage.

In 1880, Thomas Edison received the historic patent embodying the principles of his incandescent lamp that paved the way for the use of electric lighting in theatre. The Savoy Theatre in London was the first in the world to install new electric lights for their stage productions, swiftly followed by the Bijou Theatre in Boston as well as the Vienna State Opera.  The introduction of footlights, border lights, and strip lights completely transformed the way in which the audience could view the action taking place on stage.

Spring forward to mid-20th-century theatre and the evolution of moving pictures, and suddenly we start to see stage lighting take on a whole new meaning and become an art form. American theatrical producer and play write, David Belasco, worked tirelessly with his electrician, Louis Hartman, to develop a range of single source lighting equipment that was used to light the acting areas from above the stage as well as from the auditorium.

With the introduction of the moving picture, studios began to spring up all over the world, and advances in lighting took a new turn as mobile lighting devices were used to light the action on screen.  Soft focus lenses, basic effects and a deeper understanding of how images are seen by a movie theatre audience paved the way for investment in the lighting industry as a whole.

From the 1960’s onwards, new and more exciting lighting effects were becoming the mainstay of theatrical performances the world over.  With strobe lighting, parcans and automated variable color changing lights gradually becoming increasingly common up until the 1990’s, stage lighting had become an art form in its own right.

In recent years, the 21st century has seen a tremendous amount of technological advancements in the way stage lighting is used to enhance audience enjoyment.  Whilst the basic concepts still exist, LED technology and digital consoles allow much sharper, quicker and even more exciting illumination to take place at the touch of a button.

The Future of Stage Lighting

Without a doubt, the most innovative development in stage lighting over the last few years has been the introduction of LED light sources.  Being energy efficient, cost-effective and producing very little heat, LED is the future of stage lighting across venues of all shapes and sizes.  LED also offers endless color options that create atmosphere at every event from small intimate productions through to large scale rock concerts and beyond.

Lighting Solutions from Frank Gatto & Associates

As a team of lighting professionals with a thorough understanding of how lighting can complement every occasion, Frank and his team can supply you with every type of lighting solution for any event.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.