Drury took up the post in Bucharest as part of the Fullbright Programme - a scholarship which aims to encourage Americans to live in and understand other countries like Africa, Asia and parts of Europe. While the University of Bucharest is the first institution to teach lighting design in Romania, Drury says it was very difficult to teach the students anything which would be of use to them outside their own country. "I knew the equipment would be a little outdated," he said, "but nothing could have prepared me for the reality."
The university had very little in the way of colour filters, and Drury admits it was difficult to find any equipment with shutters. Teaching his class about templates, colours, image glass and gobos was impossible. "Most of what I did was theoretical. I showed images of ETC Source Fours, Expressions and other equipment most of us would consider vital to lighting design, and I had to find ways of explaining to the students what each piece does - while being careful not to insult them."
Drury eventually turned to his friends at ETC in the States, who put him in touch with Richard Lambert, ETC's technical services manager in London. "A lot of people might think it was very presumptuous of me, getting in touch with ETC and asking for help," says Drury, "but it was definitely worth it. Richard was eager to see what both he and the company could do for us - and sure enough, he came up trumps."
An Expression 3 control desk, Sensor dimming and 12 Source Fours are now on their way to Romania. In the meantime, Drury managed to create some 'make-do' gobos, but believes the students will be amazed when they realize the full potential of equipment that'll be available to them on a daily basis. He explains: "The tools they have at the moment are certainly not the best ones for the job, but nevertheless the quality of the students' work is immeasurable. I'm sure they'll find the ETC gear easy to use and I have no doubt the work they'll go on to produce, both as students and in their careers, will be absolutely fantastic."
Drury has recently applied for an extra month in Romania: "Although I'm back in the States now, I'd like to go back to Romania to see the equipment up and running, and I'm hoping to arrange for some of the students to pay me a visit in the US. I have no doubt that once the students are trained using ETC products, they'll keep on using it throughout their professional lives."
(Lee Baldock)
