Intro
Welcome to The Nerdy Professor. Our goal and mission is to provide you with easy to understand, easy to follow training videos to help you bridge that gap that lies between technology and art. I hope that by the end of this course, technology becomes an extension of your creativity.
Lighting Design is one of my favorite forms of art. Painting the stage with light, echoing the pace of the movement. Driving focus to create moments of intimacy. Mmm. I love it all.
Lighting as a craft however can be a beast. The technology of the trade is a constantly shifting landscape; especially in the last couple of decades with the availability of moving lights and LEDs.
There are great resources out there. For example, ETC (the company that creates the Source Four lighting fixture and is a leader in the theatrical lighting industry) has a whole host of training videos. They’re incredibly well done; however, their videos make a big assumption: that you’re already a lighting designer, that you already know a swatch of the terminology, and that you are familiar with a vast array of the technology.
That’s a fair assumption for their audience, but it doesn’t really match up with the goal and mission of The Nerdy Professor. But because the videos are so well done and so thorough, I decided to curate a selection of their videos to help beginners and new board operators get up and running.
I’ll start by introducing a number of concepts and terms to help you understand the language used in ETC’s videos. And of course, I’ll set up each chapter so you understand what you’re about to watch.
All of our courses are segmented into smaller pieces, ETC has done the same. Each video is short, singular, concise. Once you’re finished with a lesson, hit the complete button near the bottom of this page. After watching the video, scroll down where you might find a corresponding assignment, quiz, or challenge. Finish all the lessons and quizzes and I’ll even give you a nerdy certificate.
But all of this is meant to be done at your pace and for your pleasure. If you’re already familiar with a lesson or a chapter doesn’t pertain to you, feel free to skip ahead. If you find a concept or topic difficult, feel free to stop and review that portion of the course. Either way, I hope that these lessons and activities are in invaluable in your journey.