Robbers
One of my favorite songs of all time. I wanted this design to be fun and exciting, mostly for my own entertainment. I used the same rig I used for IAWD(S). I wanted to give this one another shot because I am very disappointed looking back on that design. It feels uninspired, and I spent forever working on the CAD file. I got burned out working on that design because I was having a lot of creative block and didn’t know how to overcome it at the time. So I just released it as a reminder to myself that you shouldn’t spend too much time working on a design, or else you’ll find yourself in a hole.
This time around, I had a lot more fun. With a much more polished show-file, it made this design a breeze. There are a few rough edges, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake as last time, or else I’d never finish it. I may step back from these for a while to focus on the real shows. I hope you enjoy a bit of flash and trash!
One of Us
It’s been a little over a year since my last conceptual design and I have really wanted to get back into doing some designs that inspire me. When I started with these designs, I was working a job where I was not doing any lighting outside of a few gigs of my main job. In the time since, I have been doing a lot of lighting and my own designs which has been really incredible. This design is using the rep plot of the Eccles Theater in SLC. I have been working a lot on the base showfile used for busking and that inspired me to create a short design using this new showfile. I hope to create more designs soon to share.
We recently did an ABBA revival concert and that inspired me to take one of their songs and create a K.I.S.S* design. I hope you all enjoy my random creative burst on a Wednesday afternoon!
*Keep it simple stupid
Going into this design, I wanted to place a bigger emphasis on a set space to create a show. I am by no means a scenic designer, so I took inspiration from the original set from the band and simplified to place a larger emphasis on the lighting. I bounced between a lot of different effects and timing for this song, but I landed on chaotic sweeps to display chaotic swaying emotions. Color is something I took a step back from, I wanted this song to feel more raw, so I intentionally chose to use strictly warm and cool tones. I had a very specific vision for what I wanted this song to look like, hence why it took me much longer than anticipated. However, I was patient and accepted help from others, so I could make this song into the best version I could (within a reasonable amount of times.)
I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
Yeah Right
My second conceptual design is a number from my favorite artist ever. I wanted to upload this one on the 5th anniversary of BALLADS1 to commemorate how much this album means to me. I took a lot of inspiration from the set design when I saw this in concert September 2023. I wanted sweeping motion with high contrast beams to play into the emotion of the song. I took color inspiration from the cover of “I Don’t Wanna Waste My Time” single, and “SMITHEREENS” album. This artist isn’t one to bask in the spotlight. He is much more comfortable singing when the focus isn’t on him, but the music. I tried to show this using silhouette effects.
My first fully digital conceptual design after graduating from USU, I wanted to expand my knowledge with programming to timecode and using previs software to create my own shows from home. I chose Daydreaming as the first song to design because it is energetic and bright. When designing this song I leaned heavily into the drum tempo and synths for my melody, and the vocals being so warm and full of life made this a very “sunny” song in my eyes. Using sweeps and reverse intensity cycles I feel like I was accurately able to match the feeling of excitement I get when listening to this song.