Sound, lights and action may be the traditional call to arms of film directors when shooting a take, but the first two words of their mantra, at least, remain largely unsung art-forms. There’s an argument too in the theatre that if you don’t notice the contribution of sound and light, then you can be sure they’re doing their job properly.
All this may change with the arrival of the Edinburgh Lighting and Sound School. Constituted by long-standing industry professionals, this new initiative aims to provide vocational courses with the aim of streaming a new generation of technical all-rounders rather than the demarcation that is the status quo in most academic institutions. Key to this will be a series of placements within the industry that covers not just theatre, but conferences and other large-scale one-off events. That these have already been secured demonstrates just how seriously the new school is being taken. As does too the endorsement of legendary lighting designer Francis Reid, a god among theatre technicians who has become the school’s patron.
“Historically, it’s always been the case that technical training in drama schools has been geared towards the theatre repertory system,” according to ELSS Associate Director Pete Searle. “But if you look at things statistically, most students get the majority of their work from events, which isn’t something that’s really addressed at drama schools. Lighting companies, sound companies and audio visual companies have all come to the conclusion that the sort of training being offered isn’t really the sort of training that fits all their needs. So if we want this different type of training to exist, it’s something that we have to set up ourselves. In terms of getting the support of the industry for the school to come on board and provide work placements for students, we’ve been knocking at an open door.”
As a former Technical Director of Scottish Ballet and Edinburgh International Festival,
Searle knows what he’s talking about. As someone who created the venue that became Tramway for Peter Brook’s Mahabarata, Searle is also used to building things from scratch, while stints at both RSAMD in Glasgow and Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh has given him a similarly solid grounding in academe.
Searle is one of four similarly experienced course directors who will lead the course.
Rather than move into some ill-fitting classroom, the ELSS will take up residence in purpose-built premises at Black Light, Scotland’s best known providers of technical facilities and expertise to the creative industries. Such a location is crucial to the ELSS’ practical role in providing practical mentors for its students in skills traditionally utilised in educational establishments at least as being there to serve what goes on onstage. ELSS’ approach puts sound and light at the centre of things for once.
This doesn’t give license for any indulgent flights of fancy, however. Rather, all students will apply their skills in real life working situations, with all the disciplines such an approach entails. Again, professional bodies have already given the green light for such placements, with organisations such as Edinburgh’s Hogmanay keen to bring ELSS students into the work-place.
“Part of the ethos of the course,” says Searle, “is that it’s intensive and full-on, and we think we can teach in a year what some institutions take two years to do. Students will spend the first three weeks learning about lighting, sound and audio-visual, then in the fourth week they’ll move into a theatre and work on a project. Then they’ll start the first of seven three-week placements with lighting and sound firms, theatres and conference centres. These are all in place, to the extend that we’ve got more placement providers than we need. Companies are falling over themselves to get involved. The final project of the year is to provide lights and sound for a party at The Caves for all the industry providers”
With applications already being accepted for ELSS’s inaugural year, Searle and co are looking for around fifteen students to take up places, though realistically ten is more likely initially. Looking further ahead, the space at Black Light is already equipped to accommodate twenty. With fees for the two semester course currently standing at GBP 4950 per head, Searle suggests that in the long-term ELSS might look for formal accreditation under the auspices of an established seat of learning.
Until they open for business, however, they can’t be assessed. Whatever the result, ELSS aims to be a mould-breaker.
“This is a poor school,” says Searle. “It’s small, compact and fleet of foot. It’s almost as if it exists through the kindness of strangers, but the reason for that is that there aren’t enough freelancers to crew events, and organisations are crying out for the sort of expertise this course can provide. It’s of its time.”
www.edinburghlightingandsoundschool.co.uk
The Herald, July 8th 2010
ends
All this may change with the arrival of the Edinburgh Lighting and Sound School. Constituted by long-standing industry professionals, this new initiative aims to provide vocational courses with the aim of streaming a new generation of technical all-rounders rather than the demarcation that is the status quo in most academic institutions. Key to this will be a series of placements within the industry that covers not just theatre, but conferences and other large-scale one-off events. That these have already been secured demonstrates just how seriously the new school is being taken. As does too the endorsement of legendary lighting designer Francis Reid, a god among theatre technicians who has become the school’s patron.
“Historically, it’s always been the case that technical training in drama schools has been geared towards the theatre repertory system,” according to ELSS Associate Director Pete Searle. “But if you look at things statistically, most students get the majority of their work from events, which isn’t something that’s really addressed at drama schools. Lighting companies, sound companies and audio visual companies have all come to the conclusion that the sort of training being offered isn’t really the sort of training that fits all their needs. So if we want this different type of training to exist, it’s something that we have to set up ourselves. In terms of getting the support of the industry for the school to come on board and provide work placements for students, we’ve been knocking at an open door.”
As a former Technical Director of Scottish Ballet and Edinburgh International Festival,
Searle knows what he’s talking about. As someone who created the venue that became Tramway for Peter Brook’s Mahabarata, Searle is also used to building things from scratch, while stints at both RSAMD in Glasgow and Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh has given him a similarly solid grounding in academe.
Searle is one of four similarly experienced course directors who will lead the course.
Rather than move into some ill-fitting classroom, the ELSS will take up residence in purpose-built premises at Black Light, Scotland’s best known providers of technical facilities and expertise to the creative industries. Such a location is crucial to the ELSS’ practical role in providing practical mentors for its students in skills traditionally utilised in educational establishments at least as being there to serve what goes on onstage. ELSS’ approach puts sound and light at the centre of things for once.
This doesn’t give license for any indulgent flights of fancy, however. Rather, all students will apply their skills in real life working situations, with all the disciplines such an approach entails. Again, professional bodies have already given the green light for such placements, with organisations such as Edinburgh’s Hogmanay keen to bring ELSS students into the work-place.
“Part of the ethos of the course,” says Searle, “is that it’s intensive and full-on, and we think we can teach in a year what some institutions take two years to do. Students will spend the first three weeks learning about lighting, sound and audio-visual, then in the fourth week they’ll move into a theatre and work on a project. Then they’ll start the first of seven three-week placements with lighting and sound firms, theatres and conference centres. These are all in place, to the extend that we’ve got more placement providers than we need. Companies are falling over themselves to get involved. The final project of the year is to provide lights and sound for a party at The Caves for all the industry providers”
With applications already being accepted for ELSS’s inaugural year, Searle and co are looking for around fifteen students to take up places, though realistically ten is more likely initially. Looking further ahead, the space at Black Light is already equipped to accommodate twenty. With fees for the two semester course currently standing at GBP 4950 per head, Searle suggests that in the long-term ELSS might look for formal accreditation under the auspices of an established seat of learning.
Until they open for business, however, they can’t be assessed. Whatever the result, ELSS aims to be a mould-breaker.
“This is a poor school,” says Searle. “It’s small, compact and fleet of foot. It’s almost as if it exists through the kindness of strangers, but the reason for that is that there aren’t enough freelancers to crew events, and organisations are crying out for the sort of expertise this course can provide. It’s of its time.”
www.edinburghlightingandsoundschool.co.uk
The Herald, July 8th 2010
ends
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