POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
"There are many different places to go and learn
about the music industry. A lot
of people who want to design shows or events
will do some associated technical job
on a tour. Someone who really wants to be a
lighting designer will go out and tour as
a lighting technician, just to get a foot in
the business. There are some lighting and
equipment companies that are always looking for
crew people."
WILLIE WILLIAMS, PRODUCTION DESIGNER AND
DIRECTOR
"I always loved music, but it never occurred to
me that it was something I could
do for a living," says Willie Williams. Growing
up in Sheffield, England, Williams was
an excellent student who had every intention of
attending university and becoming
an electronics engineer. He fell in love with
theatrical design as a teenage extra with
the local opera company, but never considered
it as a possible career. "Both my father
and my grandfather sang opera. My father didn't
make a living out of singing opera;
he always had a day job as well.
Subconsciously, I guess, I just assumed you couldn't
CASE STUDY:
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS
JOB:
"I dislike not always getting my way.
Everything that I do is a collabo-
ration. The thing that hurts me most is when I
have a great idea or
vision for something, and either I can't
describe it well enough to per-
suade them to do it, they just don't get it, or
they disagree. There have
been ideas that I absolutely believe in which
never see the light of day.
You're always dependent on other people to
approve your ideas."
"I think of travel as the best and worst part
of the job. You get to see
some great places, but constantly traveling is
exhausting on a level
unknown by most human beings."
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
"I love the live event. I love that fact that
there is no such word as `cut'
once the show starts. I love the moment before
the video picture comes
up, or before the stage does something, because
I know what is going to
happen and the audience doesn't. There is that
moment of anticipa-
tion. It's a real thrill for me to hear the
audience have this communal
thrill of seeing something that they
love."
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