Messages

121

The Green Room / Happy New Year SM Network

« on: Dec 31, 2011, 11:25 am »

Happy New Year all -

So what is your resolution for this coming year?

Mine is to get to the point where I can do some things I have always wanted to do, but never been able.

122

The Green Room / Re: Picture Wars!

« on: Dec 31, 2011, 11:23 am »

123

The Green Room / Re: Picture Wars!

« on: Dec 29, 2011, 09:53 am »

124

Tools of the Trade / Re: Stage Write - an iPad app for idiots, by idiots

« on: Dec 28, 2011, 07:29 pm »

I am waiting for the day they integrate something like CAST BlackTrax (URL) before believing in computerised blocking... The ability to take actual snapshots and record complete sections would be awesome.

It would be interesting to put an SM with a pencil against an SM with StageWrite and get them to take the same blocking, see which is quicker. My money is on the pencil. It may not be as neat and fancy looking, but it would be functional.

This tool looks to be great for the final show bible for long running shows - I can see it being used at places like Disney World, on cruise ships etc where the show are long running and the choreographers want to hand over the show to the dance captains/stage managers to maintain.

125

The Green Room / Re: Picture Wars!

« on: Dec 24, 2011, 07:37 pm »

The best race at calming sheep

126

Tools of the Trade / Re: So our theatre is poor, but I'm trying to make a cue light system.

« on: Nov 30, 2011, 05:45 pm »

X10 is probably a bit too slow for cue lights - at times there can be a good 3 second lag on it before the light will come on.

Most theatres have XLR patching to pretty much everywhere. You can use a switch, power supply and small lightbulb to make a really basic cue light system - just wire one side of the switch to pin 2 on an XLR, pin 3 to the negative side of the power supply. Then join the possitive to the other side of the switch. At the other end, join pin 2 to the + on the bulb, 3 to the -'ve. Bobs your uncle.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Getting Angry

« on: Oct 28, 2011, 07:45 pm »

Honestly, depends on the day 

128

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Getting Angry

« on: Oct 28, 2011, 12:20 pm »

I do loose my temper. Usually when people do stupid things, or unsafe things.

Most things I am really laid back about - but safety and common sense are big issues for me.

I have blown up a few times - I once dressed a a pair of performers down to the point they were in tears - One idiot was jumping up and hanging on the fly lines for fun, the other stood there cheering him on - I still maintain they deserve every word. I did get a number of looks from the cast that let me know they thought I had gone too far. When that sort of thing happens, you either have to tackle it by the end of rehearsal, or just move on and pretend it never happened. In this particular case, I sat the entire cast down, appologised for loosing my temper then explained WHY I lost my temper. (I also arranged a demonstration of the dangers involved in scenic flying in this instance). Other times when people keep doing stupid things repeatedly I get annoyed and quite terse, but at some point you need to recognise that there are immature people out there, and you just have to grin and bare it.

129

Tools of the Trade / Re: 5 fingers

« on: Oct 10, 2011, 08:58 am »

I would not be comfortable with a crew member working a show without safety caps - steel or other. It comes purely from a risk assessment standpoint - lifting and moving of heavy items - safety shoes required. Most of the talent interact with pre-placed heavy objects - the risk is low and hazard moderately low - all good for them to wear their twirly shoes... Stage hands and even SM's, the risk is significantly higher and the hazard rating also a tad higher - my steps for minimising the hazard are to insist on caps - among other things.

Same sort of reasons I insist on high-vis for the bump-in and outs, hard hats when people are working at height and bollarding off the pit when it is down pre-doors. Most of the time, the theatre is a construction zone. It's a dangerous place. The only difference between us and a building site is that we have opening hours.

130

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Projections...how do you call it?

« on: Sep 24, 2011, 01:05 pm »

VT for me - a throw back to television production in corporate work - VT standing for Video Tape. Imag cues called with "take" - ie "Stand by Cam 2, Cam 2.. Take".

The best way to decide how you are calling it is to discuss it with your operators. If you do not yet have a preference, ask the operators what theirs is.

131

The Green Room / Re: audience callbacks- the ones you want, the ones you don't

« on: Sep 04, 2011, 03:51 am »

Not a callback - but I cracked up anyway. I was "guest" SM for a musical a couple of weeks ago - long story involving a sick SM and an ASM with no desire to ever call a show... any way... It was Cabaret, I know it well enough, so all good.

Standard pros arch venue, pit with orchestra, 3 monitors on the balcony rail for conductor cam and a kid sitting front row center. Kid figures out that the camera he can see goes to the monitors on the rail. He has a bit of fun making hand shapes and waving at the camera - I can see from my feed on the SM desk and I figure that once the show starts, he will forget about it.

Kid gets bored by half way through act one. Our Hitler Youth takes to center stage, he had been instructed to look straight at the monitor center balcony rail as a focus point. Kid makes bunny ears and hand signs behind the conductor. Hitler Youth chokes back a laugh and tries vainly to continue. Kid starts to pull faces. Hitler Youth chokes back another. Song ends, Hitler Youth power walks off stage and cracks up in the wings. Guest Stage Manager looses it shortly after.

132

Tools of the Trade / Re: Software-packing a truck

« on: Sep 02, 2011, 10:55 pm »

I use a scale rule and square-ruled paper. Whilst I have pretty much every cad package known to man, I find it easier to just scribble on paper. That said, most of my items are cubic in nature - so it tends to be fairly easy to guesstimate. I generally only need to scribble out something when I need to know whether I can fit x cases across in which orientation etc. Once I have a decent spacial reference, I eyeball the rest.

I play a lot of tetris too... That helps I think

133

The Green Room / Re: Finish this sentence: "If all the world's a stage..."

« on: Aug 30, 2011, 02:04 am »

Automated flys. Unless you have a riggers access pass, no access to the motor galley. If they weren't automated, Sunrise and Sunset would get out of kilter.

If all the worlds a stage, the LD needs to look at using something other than a 5600K front/top wash and practicals for lighting. It gets boring.

134

Employment / Re: to QR or not to QR?

« on: Aug 29, 2011, 07:13 am »

I would not put QR code on my resume. I do however have it on my business card. The QR code is a vcard with my contact details. Generated using this Site - any QR reading phone can import all my contact details in seconds - including who I am, how to contact me (email, fax and mobile) what my website is, who I work for and a host of other details.  Half the battle is getting into their phone book.

135

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Business Cards For Students

« on: Aug 14, 2011, 06:47 am »

I have a set of business cards which contain my name and contact details. That's it. I got them made with a plain back, which I use to write notes on.

As far as whether to put Stage Manager on, it depends if you are confident you can stage manage. I would not put student stage manager.