Why is a Lighting Engineer an essential artist who qualifies for O-1 classification?

Ask yourself this: how many concerts would you go to if you could not see the musician performing? Half the fun in going to a concert to see Taylor Swift, for example, is to actually see Tay-Tay perform.

The Lighting Engineer for the concert guarantees that you will see Tay Tay “shake it off” because they are responsible for selecting all equipment and arranging all stage lighting required for live performances. 

The role of Lighting Engineer is essential to live performances, as they are responsible for applying their keen eye, expertise and aesthetics for design and color combinations to different settings (stages and venues) to create the most appealing look for the show and mood for the audience, who are not only paying to hear their favorite artists perform, but to also “see” them perform.

The Lighting Engineer uses their expertise with different lighting techniques, including lasers, to achieve the type of visual theme and appeal that most effectively showcases and features the performer and their music. It is a job requiring much technical know-how but also an artistic touch.

Lasers are an essential part of many stage shows

Often they are fulfilling the creative vision of the management, the performers or the producers of the show. Sometimes they are asked to create a unique look for the show themselves.

The Lighting Engineer also must become familiar with the music, the order of the songs, the movements of the performers and the staging of the entire show in order to hit lighting cues on time, but also to find the best way to enhance the mood and style of the music as it changes throughout the show.

As nearly all concerts tour different venues throughout the United States, and no two shows are ever the same, the Lighting Engineer must be able to create lighting that looks intentional and attractive and fulfills the requirements of the show, while often having to work with the differences and often limitations of some of the various venues.

In this regard, the Lighting Engineer is responsible for: selecting the required lighting equipment; designing and building bespoke lighting rigs for the tour; programming and creating automated lighting cues for the tour; overseeing the operation and direction of lighting equipment on the crowd and various performers during the tour; and prior to each performance, meeting with the house (venue) lighting crew to review the spec-sheets to ensure they have the most accurate information.

The lighting engineer has to know the music inside and out.

Which brings us to our client's success story…

In a professional career spanning more than 20 years, Mr. Jones (pseudonym) established himself as an extraordinary Lighting Engineer in the music and live entertainment industry throughout the world. Mr. Jones served as a Lighting Engineer for some of the most-well known, multiple award winning musicians in rock and pop music. 

As a result of his outstanding performance as a Lighting Engineer, Mr. Jones achieved international recognition as an artist of extraordinary ability. 

Shifts in mood are anticipated and emphasized by the Lighting Engineer

How did we do this?

We were able to show USCIS that Mr. Jones merited O-1B classification because he had evidence of: receipt of significant recognition in press; performance in a leading or critical role for organizations and establishments with distinguished reputations; his original contributions in the artist field; receipt of recognition from experts in the music and entertainment industries; and receipt of high remuneration for his services. 

We are happy to celebrate the approval of a successful O-1B petition for a Lighting Engineer who is touring in North America with prestigious musicians over the next three years.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with immigration counsel to obtain an approved O-1 for our client.

#lightingengineer #o1b #musicians

Is a Sound Engineer An Artist?

I want to celebrate the recent approval of a successful O-1B petition for a Sound Engineer who is touring in North America with several rock bands over the next three years, and use this story as a springboard to discuss a question about a certain kind of O-1B visa petition, for the behind-the-scenes artist.

(Of course all identifying details are withheld or altered for confidentiality.) 

I was contacted by this particular Sound Engineer because they were scheduled to work for several different bands. As usual, I was able to simplify the petition process for both them and their employers and worked with immigration counsel to obtain an approved O-1 for our client.

When we think of artists of extraordinary ability, usually the artists on the stage get all of the attention. But what about the people behind-the-scenes who make it possible for these artists to perform live?

While it’s often a clear case that a noteworthy band qualifies an O-1B artist visa, it’s often not as apparent to USCIS that the people behind-the-scenes also deserve O-1 status and recognition as an extraordinary artist.

So, one of the questions we had to answer for USCIS in this particular case was…

Why is the Sound Engineer considered an artist?

Who is that mysterious person in the back of the concert hall?

What would happen if you went to see your favorite musician or group perform during their stadium tour and in the middle of the concert, their microphones and the speakers stopped working? That would be awful – for the artists and the audience right?

Of course that’s an extreme example, but when we go to a live music event we want the sound to be as good as possible in every part of the venue and that is the purview of the Sound Engineer.

At a live concert, have you ever noticed a lone figure in the back of the auditorium, surrounded by technology, lit by the glow of screens and blinking lights, turning knobs and pushing faders while the musicians perform on stage?

One of the essential artists who work behind the scenes, someone we music lovers often don’t think about (unless something goes terribly wrong), is the Sound Engineer. If you have ever been to a concert where the sound was amazing and the music powerfully resonated with you, then you can thank, in part, the Sound Engineer.

Shaping the sound

By definition a Sound Engineer is responsible for selecting, assembling, operating and maintaining the technical equipment used to record, amplify, enhance, mix or reproduce sound during in-studio recordings and live-performance.

The Sound Engineer is responsible for both production (the recording of all sound in studio and at various venues/locations while on tour) and post-production (the balancing, mixing, editing and enhancing of pre-recorded audio).

For live productions, the Sound Engineer assesses the acoustics of the performance area (which can be wildly different from one venue to the next) and then assembles and operates the necessary equipment to amplify sound.

But the Sound Engineer contributes to the music in many ways that go well beyond the technical.

The Sound Engineer also consults with performers to determine their sound requirements. Monitoring the sound on stage is essential. Stage sound is separate from the sound that the audience hears. If the musicians can’t hear themselves or each other, the performance will suffer.

A quick story about my experience…

I was a professional musician for 20+ years. I recall one harrowing night of performance as an additional member of an already established band during which the monitor of my keyboards completely dropped out. I essentially had to play my parts from memory without being able to hear them at all and hope that the Sound Engineer was properly mixing my part for the live audience.

It was a nerve-wracking experience but also brought home for me the necessity of good sound on stage and the value of having a sensitive, resourceful and artistic Sound Engineer.

The Sound Engineer not only selects, positions, adjusts and operates the equipment used for amplification and recording; but they also apply artistic and aesthetic skills to achieve the determined artistic objectives.

For post-production services, the Sound Engineer is responsible for integrating (synchronization) of pre-recorded audio (dialogue, sound effects and music) with visual content; re-recording and synchronizing audio (post-synching); mixing and balancing speech, effects and music; and creating and altering sound effects. These tasks require a sensitive ear and an artistic touch.

Though there is considerable technical knowledge involved, the Sound Engineer must also have a musical sensibility that is similar to the bands they are working with. They must have an ear for music that goes well beyond the technical, as well as an ability to understand the goals and vision of the musicians and their representation.

An integral part of the presentation of the music.

For these reasons, the Sound Engineer is as much an artist as the musicians. (Many Sound Engineers are also musicians themselves.) And we were able to prove this to USCIS by satisfying three of the seven criteria as defined in the O-1B Visa Requirements.

We were able to show USCIS that our Sound Engineer merited O-1B classification because he had evidence of:

1. Performance in a leading or critical capacity for organizations or establishments with a distinguished reputation 

2. Recognition as a Sound Engineer in major media and testimonial letters from experts and internationally recognized musicians

3. Receipt of high remuneration for his services.

A Sound Engineer is an artist, able to make or break a band, contribute to their sound and influence its success. A well structured O-1B petition makes it easy for the USCIS officer to understand the sometimes overlooked nature of what a Sound Engineer does and how they too, although behind the scenes, quality as an artist for O-1B purposes.

#soundengineer #o1b #musicians