We get a lot of emails from students and people starting out who want to work in lighting and production design. I try to reply to everyone, so here is the advice I give most often, all in one place.
There is no single route in. Most of the people I work with got here in different ways, but they all made the effort to learn, to get their hands on kit and to meet people.
Asking about work experience or shadowing? Jump to the form ↓At Tim Routledge Design we care about training the people who will light the shows of the future. We especially want to help people from groups that are under-represented in live events and television – the industry is better when the people making the shows reflect the audiences watching them.
Where a project allows it, we bring students and new talent onto our shows. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, students from the Next Robe Generation network, including LIPA students, joined the team as RoboSpot operators for the live broadcast.
Almost every job in this industry comes from someone you know. Go to shows, trade events and open days, introduce yourself, and stay in touch with the people you meet. Be patient and polite – a short, friendly email goes a long way.
A good course gives you time to learn, kit to practise on and, most importantly, contacts. Both of these are highly valid routes:
They are very different courses, so visit both and talk to current students.
The main lighting desks have free offline versions, and visualisers let you build a virtual rig and light it on your own computer. Pre-visualisation is a huge part of how we work now – we run several fast render studios using Depence – so these skills really matter. Build rigs, programme songs you love, and keep the renders as your portfolio.
When I look at student renders, the most common issue is too many lights blinking and moving just because they can. Light the music, not the rig:
The best place to learn the kit, and to meet the crews and designers who use it, is a lighting rental company. It is the best way to get a placement: contact rental companies such as Neg Earth and ask about warehouse work, prep and placements. Prepping and testing the fixtures that go out on big tours teaches you more than any book.
You don't need a long list of links. These two are the ones I recommend:
Free events, workshops and a network that connects young people with the live events, TV and film industries.
productionfutures.comThe Next Robe Generation – a community for lighting students over 18 on a relevant full-time course, with training and real show opportunities.
robenrg.comFor placements and warehouse work, contact rental companies directly – Neg Earth is a great place to start.
negearth.co.ukTalent gets you noticed; attitude gets you asked back. Be on time, be curious, use your initiative, know when to ask questions and when to watch, and look after the people around you. Long days in dark rooms go much better with good company.
We are always interested in hearing from talented people. We can't take everyone and our shows don't always allow guests, but every request goes on our list and we get in touch when a suitable project comes up.
It often works best once you've completed the first term of your course, so you know the basics and can get the most out of your time with us.
We keep the details you send in our list of work experience requests for up to two years, and only use them to reply and to contact you about opportunities. See our Privacy Notice.
