196
Tools of the Trade / Re: Converting PDF Files Back To Word or Excel
« on: Feb 25, 2010, 01:39 pm »
It can, provided you know the password used in encryption (or if only keyed - have the correct keys)
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197
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: When to take the blame
« on: Feb 22, 2010, 04:11 am »
One of the best tricks I ever learnt was how to accept blame that does not truely fit on your shoulders.
Phrases like "I appologise, we obviously had a communication error and I will work with the team to ensure we clear up any issues relating with clearance calls. I will also follow up with the carpenters to see how long it will take to get the correct brackets made so that we will be sure this does not happen again."
In the one acceptence of blame you acknowledge that you take responsibility, where the issues were and the steps you will take to solve it. A trifecta.
Phrases like "I appologise, we obviously had a communication error and I will work with the team to ensure we clear up any issues relating with clearance calls. I will also follow up with the carpenters to see how long it will take to get the correct brackets made so that we will be sure this does not happen again."
In the one acceptence of blame you acknowledge that you take responsibility, where the issues were and the steps you will take to solve it. A trifecta.
198
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Costumes: Trans-species changes for Jackson tribute
« on: Feb 20, 2010, 09:14 pm »
I would use an additional actor as the werewolf. Some creative lighting, to get the actor change, then enough time to re-dress actor 1 in time for the zombie section.
199
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COMMUNICATION: Tannoy etiquette?
« on: Feb 16, 2010, 11:17 pm »
I was taught to follow the following:
Ladies before Gentlemen, Age after Beauty.
So girls->ladies->boys->gents
Ladies before Gentlemen, Age after Beauty.
So girls->ladies->boys->gents
200
The Green Room / Re: Olympic-sized technical difficulties
« on: Feb 14, 2010, 09:26 pm »
My favorite large technical fail was on the Independence of the Seas.
Top of "Invitation to Dance" - based off of one of those "So you think you can dance" type shows in England which included guest participation based on a dance competition earlier in the cruise. Anyway, one of the presenters from the show had done a bunch of videos for this event, and it was decided to change the format slightly, so we had her on board to re-record them. So the show day comes, she gets up on stage and mentions how proud she was of this show, and about the collaborative works between her and RCCL, the Cruise Director warms the crowd up and the lights dim for show. The automation system completely cacks itself. The main is stuck at half mast, the orchestra is playing away the dancers don't know what to do. 10 seconds later, call to stop the show comes through, CD comes out on stage in a followspot, and he says:
"Sorry folks, the hampster has fallen off of his wheel, our technicians are now behind the curtain trying to get him back up and running. So I am going to stand here for 10 minutes, let him catch his breath and we will get on with the show".
8 minutes later we had declared the automtion system cactus, and the Cruise Director handed me a PPT slide, showing some images of a hampster, he got on stage and said:
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with a heavy heart that I announce Hammy the Hampster passed away. Unfortunately our cast and crew are too distraught to continue with tonights show, however we will be docking tomorrow, and will find a new hampster and try again tomorrow."
The audience left chuckling, and everyone was happy. I guess with any disaster, it it how you handle it.
Top of "Invitation to Dance" - based off of one of those "So you think you can dance" type shows in England which included guest participation based on a dance competition earlier in the cruise. Anyway, one of the presenters from the show had done a bunch of videos for this event, and it was decided to change the format slightly, so we had her on board to re-record them. So the show day comes, she gets up on stage and mentions how proud she was of this show, and about the collaborative works between her and RCCL, the Cruise Director warms the crowd up and the lights dim for show. The automation system completely cacks itself. The main is stuck at half mast, the orchestra is playing away the dancers don't know what to do. 10 seconds later, call to stop the show comes through, CD comes out on stage in a followspot, and he says:
"Sorry folks, the hampster has fallen off of his wheel, our technicians are now behind the curtain trying to get him back up and running. So I am going to stand here for 10 minutes, let him catch his breath and we will get on with the show".
8 minutes later we had declared the automtion system cactus, and the Cruise Director handed me a PPT slide, showing some images of a hampster, he got on stage and said:
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with a heavy heart that I announce Hammy the Hampster passed away. Unfortunately our cast and crew are too distraught to continue with tonights show, however we will be docking tomorrow, and will find a new hampster and try again tomorrow."
The audience left chuckling, and everyone was happy. I guess with any disaster, it it how you handle it.
201
Tools of the Trade / Re: Kit: Box vs. Bag
« on: Jan 31, 2010, 02:02 am »
It all depends on your circumstances. A soft-walled bag may fit into your car better, but you may work in theatres where you take your stuff in once, and then don't need to worry about it again, so a box may suite you better. Maybe you take public transport, so a milk create on wheels or a roller bag may be what you need. There is no single best solution.
202
Tools of the Trade / Re: iPad: What do you think?
« on: Jan 28, 2010, 01:55 am »
I see its absolute biggest fault being that it cannot currently run multiple applications simultaneously.
My collegues and I spent about 2 hours today chatting about it and what it could mean for AV - for example, its size and basic feature set would be almost perfect for a remote running something similar to Studio Manager for our digital desks, as well as for accessing out Rental system on the floor, interfacing with our AMX and house lighting systems etc - but the fact that there is no stylus, no haptic feedback, no multitasking, the inability to truely develop private applications etc all makes it unsuitable. The entry level price point is great, but I do worry that the "10 hr battery life" might be like the 10hrs on the iPhone - that is 10 hrs if you don't use it.
I am very dissapointed that this device seems to have come about by someone just changing the scale on their cad program and going "There we go, 10" iPod Touch... lets find a noun and put an i behind it."
My collegues and I spent about 2 hours today chatting about it and what it could mean for AV - for example, its size and basic feature set would be almost perfect for a remote running something similar to Studio Manager for our digital desks, as well as for accessing out Rental system on the floor, interfacing with our AMX and house lighting systems etc - but the fact that there is no stylus, no haptic feedback, no multitasking, the inability to truely develop private applications etc all makes it unsuitable. The entry level price point is great, but I do worry that the "10 hr battery life" might be like the 10hrs on the iPhone - that is 10 hrs if you don't use it.
I am very dissapointed that this device seems to have come about by someone just changing the scale on their cad program and going "There we go, 10" iPod Touch... lets find a noun and put an i behind it."
203
Tools of the Trade / Re: Software find
« on: Jan 26, 2010, 06:34 am »
I have no issue with self promotion of a legit piece of relevant software, but if the OP is involved in this software project, I would like to see this re-posted by the OP without mis-representation as a user. If it truely is a user, I would be interested to know what sort of efficiency improvements you noticed in using the software - and what you found actually took more time (if anything).
204
Tools of the Trade / Re: Securing your gear
« on: Jan 23, 2010, 10:53 pm »
Most of the venues I have worked at have had lockers of some description on site. What I usually do is provide my own padlock, and I have 4 keys for it. One I keep on me, one at my house, one I give to my ASM and one I leave in a sealed envelope attached to the bottom of my desk. Most modern envelopes have the tamper-tears in them which will rip when you try to open the envelope, so it is the poor mans equivalent of a "Break glass for key" box. Prompt book, contact book and production notes book all live in there. In case of emergency, the ASM has a key, and in cases where the ASM is also un-available, a phone call to me will reveal the location of the key under my desk...
Now that I have an office job, I use the same principal - I have a spare key to the employee filing cabinet in the top drawer of my desk, and I lock my desk each night, and I have a spare desk drawer key taped in an out of the way location that would be difficult to guess. It is security through obscurity - a determined person could open the cabinet, but it is too much effort for someone to search just to have a quick snoop.
Now that I have an office job, I use the same principal - I have a spare key to the employee filing cabinet in the top drawer of my desk, and I lock my desk each night, and I have a spare desk drawer key taped in an out of the way location that would be difficult to guess. It is security through obscurity - a determined person could open the cabinet, but it is too much effort for someone to search just to have a quick snoop.
205
Tools of the Trade / Re: Running Shoesy
« on: Jan 19, 2010, 12:22 am »
Black steel cap dress shoes with air cell soles. Found them at a safety shop - I have spent 28 hours on my feet in these things without being completely crippled at the end of the day.
206
The Green Room / Re: 10 things actors can do to get off to a good start with a stage manager
« on: Jan 14, 2010, 05:48 am »
10) Remember that when the SM says "Could you please do xyz now please" they don't really mean "could you please", but rather "go and do this now. Thanks"... Could you please is just our way of being polite.
Number 5 is my pet issue - Especially as I am currently doing crew scheduling. A call time of 10:25 means that you are to be onsite and in position ready to start at 10:25... It does not mean walk through the door at 10:25 in your casual clothes, get change, make a cup of coffee, have a quick chat and think about getting ready some time soon.
Number 5 is my pet issue - Especially as I am currently doing crew scheduling. A call time of 10:25 means that you are to be onsite and in position ready to start at 10:25... It does not mean walk through the door at 10:25 in your casual clothes, get change, make a cup of coffee, have a quick chat and think about getting ready some time soon.
207
Tools of the Trade / Re: Laptop Recommendations ?
« on: Jan 06, 2010, 08:08 pm »
These threads come up all to often and technology changes very quickly... but stage management is not that processor or memory intesive.
90% of laptops you see in the high street shops will work for 90% of the population (where 90% of the stage managers fit). To this group, choice comes down to feel, comfort, size and weight, and your pricepoint generally defines build quality - all except the last are things that are hard to get advice on in a forum - especialy a forum with maybe 4000 laptops of various ages (based on the number of members we have) - if you want to use it in specialty applications, (using specialty software like WYSIWYG etc) then a decent place to ask, but if you are after general laptop advise, a computer forum might be a better resource.
90% of laptops you see in the high street shops will work for 90% of the population (where 90% of the stage managers fit). To this group, choice comes down to feel, comfort, size and weight, and your pricepoint generally defines build quality - all except the last are things that are hard to get advice on in a forum - especialy a forum with maybe 4000 laptops of various ages (based on the number of members we have) - if you want to use it in specialty applications, (using specialty software like WYSIWYG etc) then a decent place to ask, but if you are after general laptop advise, a computer forum might be a better resource.
208
The Green Room / Re: Road Life Advice
« on: Dec 28, 2009, 04:23 pm »
Make sure that before you leave you have dealt with EVERYTHING at home - checklists are good. Nothing ruins a tour more than worrying about things at home - did you turn off your gas main and electricity? empty the house of things that could go off? arrange for your mail to be either re-directed or for someone to collect and forward it? Have you organised for someone to look after your yard (if you have one)? Do all of your friends and family know you are on tour and how to contact you? Do businesses who frequently contact you know you will be on tour?
When you know that everything is good back where you live, you can sleep so much better at night.
Also - make sure you take some alone time or a way to "get away" regularly on the tour. If you don't, you will probably want to kill someone sooner or later, or they will want to kill you. Tours can cause you to focus on nothing more than work for a number of weeks, and if you get too involved and don't take some you time, you will go mad.
When you know that everything is good back where you live, you can sleep so much better at night.
Also - make sure you take some alone time or a way to "get away" regularly on the tour. If you don't, you will probably want to kill someone sooner or later, or they will want to kill you. Tours can cause you to focus on nothing more than work for a number of weeks, and if you get too involved and don't take some you time, you will go mad.
209
The Green Room / Re: SM gifts!
« on: Dec 26, 2009, 10:56 pm »
I got a hammer a roll of gaff tape and a can of WD40 in a small tool box with a tag saying "Universal Repair Kit", which I thought was pretty cool.
210
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How do you do your reports?
« on: Dec 19, 2009, 04:53 am »
I always keep a pencil in hand and post-it notes near by. I then write a couple of key words and stick it to the page in question, so that when I flip through my prompt book that night to write my report I have both text and chronological clues to my observations. Like you though, my writing is not neat so the chronological clue is essential. I do the same with corporate jobs on the run sheets.
As for emailing, I always do "dd/mm/yyyy - Show Name, Venue - Show Report"
As for emailing, I always do "dd/mm/yyyy - Show Name, Venue - Show Report"