Author Topic: RUNNING: Cueing people not on headsets  (Read 2880 times)

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SMeustace

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RUNNING: Cueing people not on headsets
« on: Jun 18, 2014, 03:29 am »
Sometimes, there may not be enough beltpacks and headsets to go around or may be unreasonable to give everyone a wired beltpack. 
 
How does one create run sheets and/or cue sheets to reflect this?

 

Edited to add topic tag. - Maribeth
« Last Edit: Jun 18, 2014, 12:32 pm by Maribeth »
"On the first day the lord said....Light cue 1, GO! Then there was light".

Maribeth

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Re: Cueing people not on headsets
« Reply #1 on: Jun 18, 2014, 11:22 am »
In a column on the runsheet- "ASM cues" or "on blue Q light" or "on Sally: "I'm done!" (or whatever the cue line is).

MatthewShiner

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Re: Cueing people not on headsets
« Reply #2 on: Jun 18, 2014, 12:27 pm »
cue lights
visual cues (someone on belt pack giving a visual)
actor cue lines
light cue (black out)
verbal cue (someone on belt pack saying GO!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

bex

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Re: RUNNING: Cueing people not on headsets
« Reply #3 on: Jun 18, 2014, 07:16 pm »
I ALWAYS have a "cue" column on my run sheet, even if everyone on the crew has a headset. It says what Maribeth & Matthew said in the above comments, but for every. single. thing. on the run sheet.
The SM does not and can not cue every single thing that happens backstage- that's part of being a good ASM. Sometimes the SM is cuing things but can't say "Sound, Lights, Projections, Rail, and Actors GO" fast enough, so even though you have a headset you might take a cue off a cue light. And because of that, if you get hit by a bus, whoever takes your place needs to know when everything happens, including the things that the audience never sees.
 
If you can only cross from SR to SL when the rear projectors aren't on, you have to specify that in your run sheet.
If you need to track a prop to it's next entrance, but can't strike it from the stage because of sight lines and have to wait until a character closes the door halfway through the scene, you need to note that on your run sheet.
If you need to preset a piece of furniture onto a wagon for it to come out in the next scene change, but the scene onstage is really quiet and you need to wait until the overture starts to cover the sound, you need to note that on your run sheet.


How I would phrase my made-up run sheet based on the examples above:

                      TASK                                                      CUE
Cue JOHN NT @ SR door (verbal "GO")                           SM "GO"
Cross over to SL                                                          Sarah "I love you"
Page SL curtain for SARAH XT                                       DS cue light
Reset CHAIR to blue spike in USL alcove                        John closes USL door


You will have to sing for your supper & your mortgage, your dental coverage & your children's shoes, over & over again while people in desk jobs roll their eyes the minute you start to complain. So it's a good thing you like to sing.