Author Topic: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....  (Read 12456 times)

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kallulah

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Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« on: Aug 13, 2008, 03:52 pm »
I have actually never seen an entrance and exit flow chart.  Some definitions say it is a list, but then why call it a chart.  Can anyone give me any insight as to what it looks like.  I've only ever half made one of these as a write in on the corner of the script. Very unprofessional on my part, but then again, I never even knew.  Thanks in advance.

Mac Calder

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #1 on: Aug 13, 2008, 05:01 pm »
Well, I guess it would look something like this - cast along the side, time (subdivisions of scenes) along the bottom.

kallulah

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #2 on: Aug 13, 2008, 07:11 pm »
thank you Mac.  How exactly do I label everything?  what is a circle compared to a square?

Mac Calder

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #3 on: Aug 13, 2008, 07:25 pm »
A circle and square are just two shapes I used to indicate entrances and exits.

That is not a real chart of anything - I made it up in 3 minutes in turbocad, because that is what I had open at the time - square and circle are the only two shapes that only require two clicks to draw on the grid. I have done proper ones before, where the line extends before the entrance for things like getting actors into special locations (ie inside a prop piece), so I have always indicated the moment the actor actually appears as well as the time when they are 'needed'. As for labels, names written down the side, and times down the bottom. I divide by act/scene/10 - so 10 cells within a scene (so I can easily offset the actors entrances). If I need to write anything, I would just put text over the line (ie if an actor plays multiple characters, I may put a label over the line).

You could just use excel and shade rows of cells, whatever works for you.
« Last Edit: Aug 13, 2008, 07:30 pm by Mac Calder »

kallulah

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #4 on: Aug 13, 2008, 07:42 pm »
thanks very much.

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #5 on: Aug 14, 2008, 02:37 am »
You do not have to make every single piece of paperwork ever created for every show.  In the case of entrances and exits, if you're doing a piece where there are very few French scenes then it's probably never been necessary.  Just because you've never done a wild and crazy show with 2 billion costume changes does not make you unprofessional.

If you've got lots of doubling or multiple costume changes or actors doubling as crew, then you might need a flow chart.  Or, if your deck chiefs are more visual learners and can pick things up more quickly using diagrams over lists, then it might be good.

Sometimes a list is all that's needed.  Paperwork is a tool to aid in the job, not the sole purpose of the job.

sarahbear42

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #6 on: Aug 14, 2008, 10:28 am »
What I generally do is a chart in word or excel that has page ranges or scene indications (or whatever is appropriate to the show) down the side, character names across the top. Then I shade cells where the actor is onstage, and put any cue notation in the first and last cells.

I always keep a copy of this on my clipboard during rehearsals-- it gets a lot of use in setting calls, etc. Right now the shows I'm doing are fairly low-tech, so they don't get much use aside from that.

hbelden

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #7 on: Aug 14, 2008, 11:42 am »
I certainly don't mean to say that sarahbear should change the way she does things.  However, I wanted to point out for those of us who have not yet created our own systems that one standard in reading charts is that time flows from left to right.  If you look on financial graphs or scientific studies you'll see this everywhere.  I've found that putting the character names on the side (reading from top to bottom) and scenes/timings on the top (reading from left to right) helps others to understand my charts better. 

I have had wardrobe departments sing my praises upon getting a full entrance/exit chart.  They have blown it up to poster size and posted it in the laundry room to help decide which dresser needs to be where at what time during tech.  If you can add quick change notes to your chart, it's like a paper tech for wardrobe that you don't have to be at.
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Scott

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #8 on: Aug 14, 2008, 01:49 pm »
However, I wanted to point out for those of us who have not yet created our own systems that one standard in reading charts is that time flows from left to right.

Flowcharts in general (developed for industrial engineering and used a great deal in software development) have the standard that time flows from top to bottom.

So do production/rehearsal schedules -- and even more closely aligned to the purpose of the charts above as I understand them -- so does the Production Analysis chart advocated in Kelly's Backstage Guide to Stage Management.


Sarah

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #9 on: Aug 14, 2008, 02:46 pm »
Here are examples of E&E charts, one horizontal and one vertical. I think it's just personal preference as to how the information is formatted; a lot of wardrobe folks like my version of the vertical breakdown because it's easier to manipulate into a document that is better suited to their needs, especially if actors are playing more than one role.

sarahbear42

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #10 on: Aug 14, 2008, 04:34 pm »
I've always formatted top to bottom because it works more naturally for me, and that way it's portrait-oriented rather than landscape, which makes it easier to read from a clipboard/in my book.

kallulah

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #11 on: Aug 14, 2008, 05:15 pm »
you guys are unbelievably helpful.  thank you very much for your input.

Ellen

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #12 on: Sep 30, 2010, 09:13 pm »
This info, although from 2008, really helped a novice like myself develop a flow chart that is Killer! I went with the scenes along the top and characters and and actors on the left. I think it will really help the kids and my costuming crew organize. We are doing Oliver Twist, adapted by Neil Barlett. There fast noisy scene changes done by a small cast with a lot of characters! Thank you, all.

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Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....
« Reply #13 on: Jul 07, 2011, 07:45 pm »
I've always done mine in Excel. I have one mini-chart for every scene, with the information running left to right (character name, whether it's an entrance or exit, what wing is being used, and then the cue line for the en/ex.)