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See in the Dark

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PSMKay:
Ever wish you could see in a blackout?  Here's a cheap way to do it!I remember thinking how incredibly cool it was to have an infared video monitor in the booth when I worked on this one commercial show.  And I always though that, since that was an Off-Broadway show, that it would be very rare for me to come across a theatre with enough money to have a system like that again.  But it's not true anymore...
The company I work recently found a very inexpensive baby monitor system - with a little video monitor and capability to automatically switch from regular to infared for only $99.  You can also get a dual monitor set-up for $149.  We found it on Amazon.com, and we're excited to say - it works, and it didn't break the bank.

Jessie_K:
Most camcorders have a night-vision feature and you can hook it up to feed directly to your TV.  I have used this to see in blackouts before.

avkid:
Or you could get a starlite scope mounted on a helmet.

talk about "combat" theatre.

zayit shachor:
I saw this when I shadowed an SM at a big regional theater near me.  It's amazing!

J:
Many regional theatres will have a video feed for the show and chances are they will have a night vision camera.

One helpful bit of advice if your company is having trouble with the night vision. (I know this only because the theatre I'm at just had issues with theirs and I was left without it for 2 weeks---which was tough since I called things during blackouts while shifts were underway): For some reason, some night vision cameras stop working if infored listening device systems are turned off or repositioned. If your company suddenly finds their night vision doesn't work, see if they've done anything new with the listening device system.

My theatre had moved to a new space, put up the night vision, put up the listening device system, and all was well. The new listening device headphones hadn't arrived, so they turned off the control for the listening devices.  Night vision stopped working.  I asked them to restore anything they had done or undone to see if it worked again, and sure enough, it came back!

Just a tip to help you all avoid having to guess what's going on during your blackouts!

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