Concept Paper (How to write one)
 
 
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Concept Paper (How to write one)
Developing the Desugn Idea page 2 of 3

Concept Paper (How to write one)

I suggest that if you haven’t yet read the very short (2 page) play “Foxhole”, you do so now. It is available here as a PDF.

There is also a videotaped rehearsal you might consider watching now through the Foxhole segment on this website.

I include that play to use as an example in a few of these segments, so that you can better understand these examples.
PDF download of the script Foxhole
Download a 2-page PDF of the "Foxhole" script.

Stage right there are two mounds apparently made of sand and stacked sandbags, separated by about 8 feet. Stage left is a short wall built like a small bunker.
The entire stage is covered in sand, perhaps the remnant of an old jeep, and small mounds. There is a full stage cyc.
There is a single soldier behind each of the more center foxholes. The soldier stage right is Joe, a typical member of the U.S. Army in a pale camouflage green brown tan uniform, armed with a rifle. The soldier stage left is Mohammed -- an Afghani male dressed in tan with a head wrap and semi automatic.
It is midday, July 10, and it is hot -- 113°F. Occasional gunshots and mortar shells can be heard in the background. Scattered upstage small squirts of compressed air helped the sand to look like minor explosions.

Tim (offstage)              1, 2, 3...
Joe quickly fires, stage left, Mohammed ducks.
Another soldier (Tim) in full U.S. Army fatigues runs on  from stage right and ducks behind the offstage foxhole.
Joe                               Billy going to be okay?
Tim                              Yes. Javier and I were able to get him to the medic. He says Billy is stable, though he may never be able to throw a football again.
Joe:                              Shit. They might as well have killed him.
Tim                              Well, I'm not sure Tracy would agree.
Joe                               Yeah. At least he'll probably get to see her pretty soon.
Tim                              Which is probably more than you can say for us.
Joe                               OK; so what are the orders now? Long pause. Are we pulling back?
Tim                              They need us to hold the line. We have to stop them from advancing until we can get some air support. This is an important junction for us.
Joe                               It's always an important junction...  Long pause but the background noises continue. When the hell are we going to get the air support?
Tim                              Look, we at least have to cover for them as they pull Billy back to the hospital.

Mohammed jumps up and takes a few shots at Joe's foxhole, then ducks.
Joe holds his gun above his head and shoots blindly stage left.
Mohammed takes aim at Joe's foxhole when Tim stands up to take a shot. Mohammed shoots Tim -- Joe sees him get hit.
Tim falls to the ground dead, dropping his gun to his side.

Joe                               Tim! Are you okay? Long pause. Tim?

Mohammed is crouching trying to see if he can advance.
Joe shoots, but misses -- they both return to active hunting positions
Joe looks inwardly thoughtful for a moment. The background noises fade to a stop. Then Joe stands up, steps down stage and speaks directly to the audience.
Joe                               Damn, man. Tim's dead. He was a really good soldier. He'd been on the front lines for months before I'd even got here. And Billy? He was our Captain. A more standup guy you'll never meet -- he put his life on the line for all of us many times. But he lived for football -- and no matter what anyone says, I think he loved football more than he loved Tracy even. And those bastards killed Tim and took Billy's dreams away? I will hold the line.

As Joe returns to his active position, the background sounds and occasional sand explosions resume. Joe fires stage left and we're back to the normal world of the play.
The regular firefight continues for a minute or two.
Mohammed looks inwardly thoughtful for a moment. The background noises fade to a stop. Then Mohammed stands up, steps down stage and speaks directly to the audience.

Mohammed                 I am not even military. I am just... what you would call a blacksmith. I did not ask for this war. I hear your country doesn't even think this is a war. Some kind of occupational peacekeeping. I am just a simple man. My wife and son were at the market. When US troops decided our market -- which has been there for hundreds of years -- should no longer be. That my son, only seven years old -- should no longer be. Civilian casualties, in my home country, that did not start this war. My wife, my beautiful wife, who never hurt anyone, was lying there with her insides pouring out of her stomach. And her face, her face which was always smiling, was cut up nearly beyond recognition. My boy. My boy was barely alive. When I ran to him after hearing of the attack, he could not breathe easily, and when he spoke, he spat blood, his innocence was still with him before his innocence was no longer in his eyes.
I could no longer sit by -- I could no longer not be involved. You must leave my home. You must leave my country. You have been killing us for years. You must leave.

As Mohammed returns to his active position the background sounds and occasional sand explosions resume. Mohammed fires stage right and we're back to the normal world of the play.
The regular firefight continues for a minute or two.
Joe looks inwardly thoughtful for a moment. The background noises fade to a stop. Then Joe stands up, steps down stage and speaks directly to the audience.

Joe                               Dear God, I know it's important that I hold this line. In the distance I can see that Billy is being loaded into an ambulance. I know that in 30 seconds, he'll be on his way to safety. I hope my dad's proud of me. My mom, my mom always understood me -- and when she didn't -- she trusted me. That meant the world to me. My brother Jerry went to college -- he was always so good at sports: he and dad always had a lot to talk about. Basketball scholarship, and he used it to study theater. My dad wouldn't admit it, but I'm sure he was disappointed -- what the hell does a lighting designer do anyway? He laughs. Guess I'll never know. But I sure hope Jerry knows. We're fighting so he can be an artist. So he can marry and have two kids -- someday. I'm here, holding the line, so they can be free to choose whatever they want. So these towel headed monsters can't be blowing up planes, blowing up cars, or pissing out oil over the beautiful America landscape.

As Joe returns to his active position the background sounds and occasional sand explosions resume. Joe fires stage left and we're back to the normal world of the play.
The regular firefight continues for a minute or two.
A plane can be heard approaching, flying overhead. The loud, unmistakable whistle of a bomb closes down on their position.
Blackout.
End of play.

Writing Your Lighting Concept Paper

Review “Production Analysis” and “Other Design Elements” (separate segments on this site) and then write a concept paper in roughly three paragraphs (outlined below):

  • Paragraph one is a quick play analysis versus a synopsis. An analysis is a description of what you feel the play is about, as compared to a synopsis which is a quick telling of what happened. Re-read Foxhole if you need to refresh your memory!
    Example analysis:
    Foxhole, by Kade Mendelowitz, is about the unrelenting ways of war. Each side is clear about its objectives and is willing to do anything to win.

    Don’t give a synopsis like ...
    Foxhole, by Kade Mendelowitz, is about two soldiers trying to kill each other until a plane comes and blows them both to bits.

    We all know this story; we read the play, too. The question here is: what did the play mean to you - not what happened.

  • Paragraph two is a metaphor you can use to inspire / help visualize what the lighting for the play should be like.
    The lighting for Foxhole is like the lighting for a nationally televised outdoor tennis championship. The sun streams clearly from above, showing every detail of the action. Occasionally we cut to the commentator’s booth, where we can see the court dimly in the background. We temporarily focus on what the commentator has to say until we return to the action.Arthur Ashe Stadium

  • In paragraph three (or however many paragraphs it takes) describe how the first two paragraphs work together with your vision of the lighting design.
    It is a very clear and hot sunny day with the sun beating down from above right -- we can clearly see everything that is happening. The action is exposed much like it is in a professional tennis match. The sun is slightly yellow and dry -- harsh. There is no escape from it. There are strong shadows, but everything is still visible. When Joe or Mohammed step down stage it is as if he is leaving the action temporarily -- when the world is put on hold, much like a sports commentator who talks about and examines what we just saw.
    A little short, but you should get the idea.

    Use descriptive terms. Really picture it in your mind and get excited about it!

    • Here is an alternative example lighting concept paper:
    • Foxhole, by Kade Mendelowitz, is about the terrible misunderstandings between people. Even two people who are standing just 10 feet apart have no idea about what the other person’s ideology or life is about.
    • The lighting for Foxhole is like a nighttime fireworks display. There are many small, fast flash/bursts of color, with occasional large, dramatic, grandiose explosions intermingled.
    • The moon glows a brilliant sea green as an intricate fireworks display is presented. There are many small flashes and bursts sporadically and unexpectedly throughout the space. The air is full of smoke from the fireworks that have already exploded. Joe and Mohammed are controlling the display and, occasionally, need to pause to reload the fireworks. In the end, the grand finale outshines them both.
    		Fireworks

Review:

Both of these are short but acceptable examples of two very different ideas behind the play and the lighting that would support them. One of the chief questions you should consider when reviewing your concept paper is whether you have described a clear image of what the play actually looks like. Both of these do.

The second lighting concept has chosen to ignore the playwright’s comments and shifted the action to be nighttime. Clearly, this would need to be discussed with the director very early in production meetings -- and may not fly. When you work on productions, there is nothing wrong with discussing these types of possibilities with the director and other designers. It is a collaborative process. Sometimes ideas that might not seem obvious or embraced will spring other ideas in conversation that might not have been considered otherwise. I encourage you to share these kind of left-field ideas with your production teams.

For the sake of these assignments, if you were doing them for my class, you would be acting as both director and designer. As long as you can “back up” and explain your ideas clearly, I would find them acceptable. So in the case of my class, I’d be acting more like the producer -- with editorial powers, but wanting to give you latitude.