Poll

What format do you use for calling cues?

Warning, Standby, Go
8 (19%)
Standby, Go
34 (81%)
Just "Go"
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 40

Voting closed: Nov 12, 2004, 07:11 pm

Author Topic: CALLING: Calling a warning for a cue  (Read 24489 times)

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ReyYaySM

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #30 on: Aug 03, 2007, 10:11 am »
I think if I was working with a union crew, I would lose the warnings on the deck transitions and just call standbys.  However, my crews typically consist of interns, some of which are high school interns.  I don't mean to generalize as some of the interns I've worked with are better than some of the professionals I've worked with, but with an intern crew I've found out the hardway that the extra heads up is often needed to make sure they're in place by the g-o.   

Jessie_K

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #31 on: Aug 03, 2007, 11:06 am »
On tour I do a lot more warnings (then stand-by, then go).  Often the crew has only one (sometimes only partial) rehearsal to learn the show.  I use warnings on all deck and rail moves.  Lights, sound, color changes, spots I stick to just (stby, go).  I also warn 5 mins and 2 mins on ends of acts, pieces, show.

normeady

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #32 on: Aug 03, 2007, 11:17 am »
I only use Warn when its a long preparation that needs to be done for the cue.  I will then use the warn (warn for set movement usually) otherwise its just stand-up and go. 

loebtmc

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #33 on: Aug 03, 2007, 01:28 pm »
(ahh, age....)

Warns are indeed leftovers from days when it took longer to set up the cue - so if you are in a theater where they still use a non-computerized, 2-scene cross-fade manual board, you need to give warns. That's when the board op sets up the cue - the S/B is hands on faders ready to switch.

We do still use them for long and complex sequences as noted (warn LQ 16-25, S F-H and fly 23-26, for ex) - and your s/b still is close on the cue, sorta "hands on the button" as it were - OR where there are pages and pages between cues and you need to refocus the board ops/fly crew/carps - eg in Streetcar scene 7 (or, act 2 scene 2 I think - there are actually two acting versions of the play) - anyway, for the birthday party, it is pretty much a 20+ minute scene with basically one light cue at each end. So when we got to a page or so before the cue, I woke up the sound op and refocused my board op w a warn, then did the s/b about a line ahead of the cue.

Make sense? Does that help?

RobertMillsSM

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #34 on: Aug 03, 2007, 04:25 pm »
I only use warnings when there has been a long period without any cues. I SMed HurlyBurly recently and there was one act where literally nothing happened for 20+ pages. So I used a warning to get the attention of my board ops back to the show and ready for the s/b and GO. Both my sound and light board ops would watch movies or do homework during the 3 hour production. This was fine with me as they never missed a cue.

I also had a professor tell of a time where his SM used a warning because he had such a long break between cues that he would actually nap. So the warning was a wake up call to be followed by the s/b and GO.

In general I don't use them except in those circumstances. I prefer standbys with enough time to get everything said but not so long that it seems like an eternity of waiting.

sourc3

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #35 on: Aug 03, 2007, 08:20 pm »
As has been echoed by others here:

Warnings if either the cue requires a lot of set up, (i.e. making sure that someone has finished up with their previous action and can get set for the next. It also gives some extra time if something goes wrong on a big cue that requires set up) or if there haven't been any cues in a while. Professional theatre, this might not be necessary, but in college theatre, sometimes the crew is doing homework or reading a book backstage if there's a 15 minute gap between cues (which sometimes happens). Otherwise, just standby/go is sufficient, though if there's a bunch of cues together (i.e 4 light cues and 2 sound cues in the span of 20 seconds), I'll just call a "standby cues x through x" and just "go's" from there.
-David

killerdana

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #36 on: Aug 03, 2007, 11:38 pm »
I occasionally use "warn" if I have a big set change coming up as a reminder to the crew that if everything isn't preset for the change yet it should be.  Standby is when they need to be waiting with hands on the pieces for their first change.  Go is on the change, though occasionally (with a crew chief or ASM I trust) the black out is their go without me saying anything (especially if we don't have wireless cans).
Science without art is sterile.  --Albert Einstein

ljh007

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #37 on: Aug 06, 2007, 08:38 am »
As with most SMs here, I'll call a rare warning only if it's been very long since the last cue for the op or if the cue takes a long time to set up. I think I've called one warning in the last three years of SMing.

I do call "5-minutes out" calls for the end of the acts or for major scene shifts. But I work in opera (with union crews), and so this is mostly for the carpenters and wardrobe/makeup crew who might need to know when people will be pouring offstage or when the big intermission scene shift will begin. (Start waking up Larry now.) Here in the opera universe, we also call 5-minute warnings for any principal singer's entrance. These are not really "warnings" as you're asking about, but I thought I'd mention it as something unique to the opera world.

philimbesi

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #38 on: Aug 06, 2007, 11:17 am »
I usually call "page" warnings for the end of the acts of plays, and song warnings for musicals (if the act ends with a song - then again what self respecting musical doesn't) 

MarcieA

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #39 on: Aug 06, 2007, 03:49 pm »
I only use warnings when there has been a long period without any cues. I SMed HurlyBurly recently and there was one act where literally nothing happened for 20+ pages. So I used a warning to get the attention of my board ops back to the show and ready for the s/b and GO. Both my sound and light board ops would watch movies or do homework during the 3 hour production. This was fine with me as they never missed a cue.

I do exactly the same thing. I give a one-page warning (more than 1 minute) if there's been a long time without cues. On one show this year we had 37 pages without a single cue, lights, sound or video. I discussed that with my board op and then asked how long in advance they needed a standby,since running on a computer makes things much much faster. One said a few lines ahead and the other said the line immediately preceding and so long as a had a response I was fine with that. Sometimes in instances like that I will encourage very quiet and low-key chatter just to make sure everyone stays alert.

I did however have a 14-year old board op fall completely asleep and I had to throw one of my opening night mini-vodka (plastic) bottles at him to wake him up. Apparently he took the nyquil instead of the dayquil. Oy.
Companions whom I loved and still love, tell them my song.

SummerShakespeare

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #40 on: Aug 09, 2007, 11:48 am »
I agree with Mac though
I call the series of cues though warns
and then the seprate breakdowns on the SB's
All on the same G.O.

Sarah

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #41 on: Aug 10, 2007, 01:57 pm »
I once did a production of Angels and from the time that Ethel says "Millennium approaches" until the end of the show (about 6 pages) I had 26 fly cues, in addition to all the LX, sound and SPFX cues that surrounded the angel's entrance. I had to employ warnings for the fly rail to coordinate with the cue lights, since the cue sequences were nearly right on top of each other. My ASM got the warnings and relayed it to the crew...so a particular sequence might have sounded like...

STAND BY: LX 238-265
                SQ Y3-FB
                FLY D IN on RED (As I said the words I turned on the cue light)
                FLY C IN and F1 OUT on PURPLE (Ditto)
                FLY C and D IN and OUT on an SM VERBAL
                SMOKE ON in a 6 second burst

WARN: FLY AB and B1 IN on RED
          FLY B2 and F1 IN on PURPLE

LX238...GO...LX242, SQY3, SMOKE ON...GO...Flip the cue lights for the fly cues in the stand by and then continue the rest of the cue sequences. I couldn't give a stand by for the fly cues in the warn, so when the lights went on, my ASM would be there to make sure the crew was ready.

As the others have mentioned, if there is a lull in the cuing action, I also give a "wake up call" of some sort, then the stand by closer to the cue.

On a side note: I remember the warnings of yore...I absolutely love, love, LOVE running a [insert variable number here]-scene preset board. When I was but a wee theatre major, my passion was electrics and lighting design (still is, but on the back burner) so I often ran the light board for the SPTs in town, to make a little cash. And back then, it was little! But so much fun.

Mac Calder

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #42 on: Oct 03, 2007, 04:24 am »
I found a new use for Warn's a few days ago, for a product launch - and that was to actually alert other people that a cue was coming up, as opposed to the operator.

Really big product launch, we had 6 bays of the Melbourne exhibition center (just for reference for any aussies on the board), and we had a small area draped off, making it seem like the event was taking place in part of one bay, and inside that it was set as a conference. Basically, the aim was to make it seem like a small product launch, as opposed to the rather huge, underwraps launch that it was. The drapes were on chain hoists, and we had a whole pyro/drape rising/blinders/dancers/theatrical thing, where this new product was being revealed. I needed the five floating techs to undertake certain safety checks, before the cue went underway, so it was a perfect time for Warn.

ie: "Warn Mech, talent in" was a warning to the floaters to ensure that the landing sites for our talent drops were clear. They had 60 seconds to raise any issues over comms before the cue was executed. "Warn Pyro, Flames on" was a warning to the floaters to check that the gas jets were clear and past the safety points. "Warn Mech, drape out" was a warning to the floaters to check that outside the drape line, no one was standing on the drapes, etc.

So warnings: not just for the departments. Also a good way to cue safety checks by spotters etc.

BalletPSM

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #43 on: Oct 03, 2007, 11:02 am »
I have one warning during Nutcracker that is called specifically like this:  "Randy, this is your long warning on clock and cannon pyro." 

It's not so necessary now, but was created several years ago when our pyro technician (also our head carpenter) was lolligagging in the production office and totally missed his pyro cues.  So now there is a warning specifically with his name on it in the Nutcracker Bible.  It's awesome. the first time I called the show and came across that I called with an upwards intonation in my voice -- like, "do I really need to say this?" But I do!  Now its just kept in there purely for fun.  =)

In general I only call warnings on rail and deck Qs (since I don't give verbal standby's or gos; it always goes off of a light) and I'll give sound/lx warnings if we've had a long break between Qs. 

Stage managing is getting to do everything your mom told you not to do - read in the dark, sit too close to the TV, and play with the light switches!

stagemonkey

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Re: Calling a warning for a cue
« Reply #44 on: Oct 05, 2007, 11:55 am »
Like everyone has been saying there is a time and place for warnings.  I find I only use them in a few situations. 

1.) If there is a long break and the crew might doze off and loose focus (ie 20 pages with out a cue) and even then the comment is more like "ok everyone we're coming up on the end of the scene" and everyone jumps back into work mode.

2.)  When working with a crew that hasn't had much or any time to learn the scene shifts.  I remember one show I did I didn't always have the same crew people each night and others were some of hte actors who didnt always remember the shifts.  So prior to a scene shift I would warn the crew like "this is the warning for the scene change, when the lights go out the house wagon comes off, the city drop flys in, and we set the benches on the blue spikes."  Granted if I had a competent ASM for that show I wouldn't have to say so much but a lot of the time it was said for him to remember.

3.) when there is some sort of pyro effect involved.  A warning gives the pyro operator the chance to make sure the blast area is empty and put up some kind of warning to others in the area to stand clear.  Then the standby he arms the effect and on the go he activates it.

4.) When there is a complicated scenic element that is not able to be fully set until just prior to the event on stage.  This could include having an actor fly in for an entrance.  It would be like "warning Bob entrance" which tells the crew to strap him in his harness, "standby bob" cues them into fly him into entrance position, and of course "bob go" has them fly him in. 

Now in any of these cases I may not specifically say "This is a Warning for ......" or "Warning ......." I find most of the time the warning comes off more as something like saying "this is your friendly reminder that this event is coming up so please make sure you're ready"