Are lighting questions on topic?

Question

I am a software developer and have had stackoverflow as a favourite since the start. I am also involvde in lighting productions (live, theater, disco, architectural, ...) and would love to have a forum for ligth at stackexchange.

I didn't know how to limit the scope. Most of us who work with lights is also involved in sound and stages and more and more video. So there could be an overlap between that site and avp.

Since avp have been started allready, maby there should be another site for just lights? And stages then?

Any thoughts from you? I guess many of you who are registered on avp are interested in lights as well?

Answer 1

Light will be relevant any time video is being taken, so questions about light in the context of video will certainly be on-topic. For example, we already have questions about getting clean white backgrounds and making greenscreens, both of which are largely about managing light.

Where it's less clear is in the context of, say, live theater or architecture. It's not about video directly, but video may be enough of a concern to make it relevant. I would personally say that only those questions about lighting as they concern video would be on-topic here, but I'd be interested in hearing what everyone else has to say as well.

Jeff Atwood recently said in this meta answer that the test is basically "would an expert or pro enthusiast be offended by having these questions here."

Answer 2

Lighting for video is certainly on topic. I also believe that lighting, in the context of a live or theatrical production, should also be on topic.

Live stage lighting is part of "production." The fact that it isn't being physically recorded is just a semantic argument. It still involves the same field of experts so it falls within the scope of this site.

In much the same way, I would consider staging acoustics on topic. A live stage production might not be recorded, per se, but the area of expertise falls well within the field of experts on this site and should be on topic.

On the other hand, architectural lighting (including "disco" lighting) sounds like a different field of expertise. If you want to light up a building, or a landscape, or a bar, you don't call in an entertainment production expert. It's not a field covered by the experts on this site and should fall outside its scope — I would say off-topic, but I could be convinced otherwise.