My job as lighting and design is to set the stage and create an interesting platform for the band to play on. Lighting and visuals are incredibly important when doing a gig. A visual element can help people feel emerged in the music. I have been to quite a few gigs, ones with massive screens and incredible visual elements, and ones with nothing. The gigs with the visual displays usually end ups the better, and more enjoyable events.
I have worked with light technicians a lot during my life. This is from doing theatre from such a young age. I have been taught to respect the process and the art of getting a great light show running. The lighting must reflect the mood of the music to create an immersive experience. I must decide what colours and flashing patterns I want to use, but before this I must find out the set list.
The stage design is also really important. I must create a layout that showcases every member of the band. No one person in these bands are more important than the other. A lot of popular bands have their own layout they like to use. They know exactly how they want their instruments played out, and exactly where they want each member of the band to be. However, the bands for this event have little too no preference. so this means it is completely up to me.
The layout of the band can be very important. Just like the lights, it adds a visual element to the event. The traditional lay out of a band is, drums at the back, bass at stage left, guitar/s at stage right, and the vocals at the front. The drummer always seems to be at the back. I can either choose to stay with this traditional layout or change it up. In all honesty, I see no problem with this type of layout, as long as it is done well and to a good standard, it can be very effective. I need to know the tags layout as soon as possible so I cn start plotting lights.
For this gig we want revolving lights, ones that are constantly moving. This is what a lot of bands want. In fact, a lot of bigger bands usually take their own light technician to gigs. This is because the technician knows the songs back to front, so he can trigger light movements, changes and strobes at the exact right time. I will try my best to learn the sings as much as possible so I can do the same. It will be a struggle due to the short time limit, but I can give it a go.
Overall, my job is to supply the visual elements to the gig. A gig without visual element is in my opinion, not really worth watching. I will do my best to create an interesting and entertaining set for not only the audience but also the performers.