Moving Light Assistant is designed for the complete documentation of primarily automated lighting rigs used within the entertainment industry.
Its aim is to generate pre-production specification documents, automated lighting fixture configuration documents/cards/labels, and console related moving light documentation, including cue and preset/focus information.
It is possible to import console data reports from the MA Lighting grandMA Series 1 and grandMA2, ETC EOS/ION Family, PRG Vx76, and to a limited degree High End Systems Whole Hog 2 and Hog 4 consoles. The imported data can then be used to help document the cues and presets/palettes. It is also possible to analyse the console data to see how channels are used in a show.
Moving Light Assistant is very modular in its design and operation. It is entirely possible to use each module in isolation, and different people may choose to do just this depending upon their individual needs. However, the different modules are tightly integrated, and data entered in one module can interact with data in other modules.
For example, an Electrician may choose to use only the Rig Data section to aid DMX patching. A Lighting Associate may elect to only use the Preset Documentation section to store photographs of cues, whilst a Programmer may only be interested in examining Console Data for redundant moves. However, the Associate will quickly realise that he can use the Electrician’s Rig Data as a starting point for documenting focus presets, the Electrician will realise he can update his DMX patch from the Programmer’s Console Data, and the Programmer will realise how useful the Associate’s photographs are when updating a focus preset.
And finally,
Moving Light Assistant is a ‘true’ computer application, written from ‘the ground up’, in a real computer programming language, for both Mac and Windows operating systems. It does not require any other applications to be purchased or present on the user’s computer to function.
Nick Solyom, an experienced Broadway associate lighting designer has written a really useful guide on how to use MLA to document a production when using an ETC EOS console. You can find his guide at the link below.
Nick Solyom’s MLA Guide
