Lighting Design Handbook

Lee Watson and his Lighting Design Handbook were both ahead of their time and behind the times. A brilliant Lighting Designer Lee's credits spanned 15 Broadway productions in the mid 1950s and early 1960s and then brought the art of lighting design to Operas, Industrial shows, and the Seattle World's Fair. If you are looking for a book on how to program modern moving light shows avoid this book as it is way behind the time! While the moving and blinking light shows popular today existed when Watson created this handbook, they were relegated to providing the visual eye candy associated with fairly boring music. If, on the other hand, you are interested in how light can be a communicative tool in the visual, commercial, and performing arts this book is a must read and must have for your library. I was fortunate enough to design scenery for several productions where Lee Watson provided the lighting design. I know from that experience how clearly his Handbook takes you through methods and examples of how lighting has become an expressive art form. Also, as a contemporary of most of the 20th Century Lighting Designers he also includes ideas and thoughts from these skilled professionals to stimulate your imagination.