Currently, six of these formats are represented in three separate collections at NYPL: the Tharon Musser designs and papers, the Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer papers and designs, and the Merce Cunningham Foundation records. Since the debut of Lightwright in 1988, six versions of the software have been released, resulting in more than 15 associated file formats. It combines a relational database with a graphical user interface that allows users to create lighting designs and related paperwork. Lightwright is a software that is widely used by lighting designers and production staff to manage theatrical lighting for plays and musicals, dance performances, and other live events. My project during the spring semester has been centered around one such group of files-those produced by the proprietary Lightwright software. However, there are several collections held by the Library for the Performing Arts that contain unique file formats, which are dependent on their native software to be read, and whose preservation and access needs require further definition than more common format types. These formats have specific needs in terms of preservation and access, but because they are commonly associated with archival collections, the digital preservation community has established a set of processes and best practices for caring for them. Lightwright 6.0 also introduced an Avery label database, with label design and printing capabilities.During my second semester as the Pratt Digital Preservation & Archives Fellow, I’ve been working with Digital Archivist Susan Malsbury in the Archives Unit of Special Collections, to tackle issues surrounding software preservation.Īs a graduate student, when I think about digital archiving-especially in the context of the performing arts-I tend to think about audiovisual recordings, images, and ephemera, and the challenges surrounding their associated file formats (MOV, WAV, TIFF, etc.). Lightwright 6.0 (2016) introduced a Consol Link which, through the OSC protocol, provides integration with ETC Eos lighting consoles. Lightwright 5.0 (2009) was written using RealStudio (now Xojo) for both Windows and Mac, and introduced Data Exchange in support of simplified data sharing between Lightwright and Vectorworks. The subsequent two versions-Lightwright 3.0 (1998) and Lightwright 4.0 (2003)-were maintained using separate code (Visual Basic / ZBASIC) for each operating system. Lightwright 2.0 was released in January 1995 for both Microsoft Windows and MacOS, and written in Visual Basic and ZBASIC respectively. Lightwright 1.0 was written in QuickBASIC for MS-DOS and released in August 1988. The software is widely used in the production of Broadway and other live entertainment shows, and across a number of educational and arts institutions. professional theater, Lightwright is the industry standard lighting database program. It also provides error-checking and lighting-specific data entry shortcuts. Developed and maintained by John McKernon, the Lightwright software combines a relational database with a graphical user interface in support of user generated instrument schedules, channel hookups, and other lighting paperwork from a single spreadsheet/ database. Lightwright is a proprietary software that manages theatrical lighting data and paperwork. Microsoft Windows XP or newer, Mac OS X v10.4 or higher
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |