We are asking lighting experts around the world, in the “Who Lights Our World” series, some key questions about their job. Here is Brandon E Baruch based in Los Angeles.
1. What lighting console do you prefer working with?
ETC Eos.
2. What do you always have with you at your console?
My dog/assistant Ninja.
3. Mac or PC?
PC for Drafting, Mac for Everything Else.
4. What may be surprising that you don’t use?
I don’t usually make Magic Sheets. If it already exists in the rep plot, I’m happy to use it, but otherwise I rarely make them for my own plots.
5. Coffee or Tea?
Espresso, thick and syrupy, with a sparkling water palate cleanser, served at a standing bar.
6. What is your favorite genre of entertainment to work in?
Experimental Opera/Theater, Divised Work.
7. What is your favorite color combination and why?
Dimmed 1000w Halogen and 6500º Fluorescent Tube. They’re both different temperatures of white, but used together, they suggest amber and blue hues that exist only in your mind.
8. Who is an lighting designer that you admire and respect?
Justin Townsend. I had the opportunity to assist him at the very beginning of my career. He taught me how to wire a lamp. Now he’s an absolute rockstar, and I greatly respect his work.
9. What are the top 5 skill sets that a Lighting Designer/Technician should have?
Adaptive Communication Skills, Even Temperament, Spontaneity, Love of Collaboration, Musical Ear.
10. What is the best type of client/boss/director?
Somebody who has a solid notion of what they would like the project to look like but also loves being pitched new ideas and trying them in the room.
11. Do you prefer a window or aisle seat?
These days, I’d rather drive.
BONUS QUESTION
11. What advice do you have for those who want to become a lighting designer or a lighting technician?
Read plays, listen to music, stop and stare every time you see an interesting shadow (and if you can, run your hand through it.)
When you first get started, take every job you can get. But once you’re working, pay attention to the type(s) of art you like to create, then start steering your career in that direction.
Other Who Lights Our World:
Who Lights Our World: Christopher Annas-Lee
Who Lights Our World: Milan Cvetinovic
Want to be part of Who Lights Our World Series? Fill the form HERE.