Messages

376

Tools of the Trade / Re: Sound Software

« on: Jul 27, 2007, 07:08 am »

QLab - it's free, and it is great.

I am going to lock this thread - as it is more of a sound design question than related to Stage Management - and there are other more appropriate places on the web for this sort of question.

--Further Explanation-- TotT has the potential to stray miles out of the Stage Management arena, and I want to avoid that - this post is basically my line in the sand - whilst SM's are often oping Sound, actually designing and creating playlists is a sound design question and is more appropriate for back stage 'techie' boards.

377

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: theatre romance

« on: Jul 25, 2007, 08:45 pm »

If you can guarantee that it will in no way effect the dynamic of the show, nor cloud your judgement in any way - AND if you can guarantee that if things don't work out whilst you are still working together that you can continue working together, then fine. However, I doubt many people could guarantee that. Instead, I would ask him/her/it if you continue the show as friends, and try to progress your relationship AFTER the show closes - that whilst you believe there is chemistry between you, you do not want to be accused of favoratism etc.

I remember another really long thread about this same issue - however I cannot remember where it is.

378

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: thoughts on hanging out with the cast after shows

« on: Jul 25, 2007, 08:27 pm »

Rules to live your life by:

1. Never drink at work
2. When drinking, never talk about work.

If you are going out - then make sure that it is not seen to be 'favouring' part of the cast. IE: If there is a certain group that goes out after rehearsals/shows every day, and you ALWAYS join them, it may impene on your integrity.

I would suggest that instead of going out to drink, see if you can find an all night coffee shop (preferably not a 'starbucks' type place, but a propper coffee shop) - the all nighters are (in my experiance) often licensed. It puts everyone in an environment where they can have a few drinks but where getting drunk is clearly unacceptable. There is also less preassure on the non-drinkers to feel like they will HAVE to drink if they go out with you.

379

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Questions to Ask a Venue

« on: Jul 23, 2007, 11:26 pm »

The main ones are covered in that check list, however find out if the venue will be supplying a Technician On Duty aka Venue Tech. If not (which IMO is rare) then you will want to be told the location of things like patch points/tie lines/access equiptment/dimmer land etc.

I would find out if the venue has pneumatics plumbed to the stage (a pneumatic ratchet and nail gun can make the bump in so much faster), where hard power (non dimmed) can be found and just ask the general "Are there any tips you can give me for the venue?" question.

380

Employment / Re: Team player vs. "undermining" SM - discussion...?

« on: Jul 20, 2007, 08:02 pm »

Mac, looking at the last set of comments in your post, it reads like you're stepping away from a more traditional (or more sports-oriented :-) ) use of the word, and toward a more corporate use. Am I misinterpreting what you said? I'd love some clarification, particularly here:
Thanks.

Yes and no. Sports teams still have a defined structure - with the coach up the top, then the captain, and then god knows what underneath (sports are not my "thing") and if the captain or coach give instructions, then they expect them to be followed. That combined with a reliance on most members of the team pulling their weight to complete the job.

Re your quote: Teamwork is one working environment - there are a multitude of other types of environment you can work in to complete a job, although their level of effectiveness are obviously different, and setting the right tone for a company/team etc depends on the work that needs doing, yadda yadda yadda.

Teamwork is (at it's core) an environment that requires communication between all parties (hence the "method of ensuring communication" bit).

Basically, to relate it to sports - it is possible for them not to 'work as a team' - so they do not communicate between themselves, except to do what (for example) a coach screams from the side lines. It would work - the ball could end up down at the goals, and goals could be shot, HOWEVER, a sports team that has a very team oriented approach is more effective, which is obviously why teamwork is encouraged on sporting teams.

So really, no matter what definition of team work you use, I believe my comments apply - however I was basing my comments on the more corporate style team.

381

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Headset Etiquette

« on: Jul 19, 2007, 05:42 pm »

That is why many of the new master stations have the ability to do a "Remote Mute" on all microphones. If you are worried that your crew will miss the cue as they are too busy gabbing, hit that button, their mic's switch off, and you can call your cue - and after that, you can tell them that whilst conversation is fine, they need to stay alert.

382

Employment / Re: Team player vs. "undermining" SM - discussion...?

« on: Jul 19, 2007, 08:59 am »

Here is "The thing" as I see it.

So many people think that "A team" means everyones input has the same weight. That could not be more wrong.

Teams are still composed of an authority structure - however "Working as a team" means that you do collaborate, however the person at the top's word, in the end, is the one that matters.

A commedian who I am quite fond of has a great line "We work as a team, and we do it my way". Slightly over the top, but never the less true.

As Stage Manager, as far as the team goes, on certain issues, your word is law - just as directorial word is law on artistic matters. That does not mean that other 'team members' cannot make suggestions, or even request that the issue be talked about together - just that in the end, if you say XYZ - then XYZ is done.

The authority structure and the team 'working environment' are too separate things - no 'teamwork' overrides the fact that as far as authority goes (which is often proportional to responsibility) there is a person at the top, and verious levels below that. Working as a team does not mean that everyone gets one vote on an issue, or even that everyone gets X votes based on their 'rank'. It is purely an environment, and a method of ensuring communication.

383

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Bows

« on: Jul 19, 2007, 06:07 am »

I know that quite a few Aussie shows have casts who do a crew clap (to prompt side), but I know equally as many who didn't clap the crew.

384

Employment / Re: Freelancers

« on: Jul 18, 2007, 12:53 am »

I am a business (however I am in Australia, and our laws are different to those in the US).

There are pro's and con's. Every job I apply for (which is willing to employ me as a contractor, and not as an employee) requires careful contracting to cover both of our backsides. There is also stuff like OH&S to consider, as well as insurance (Personal liability insurance is nice to have, although I admit to being a bit slack with it, and not organising it for most jobs)

Australia has a 10% Goods and Services Tax which is pretty much a blanket tax and makes my invoicing and tax really easy. I quote prices as Rate + GST, and just add the tax at the end of the invoice. Then I put that 10% into a separate account (an account which has minimal fees - whilst it means low interest, it doesn't matter). Since I am considered "Low income" I file a quarterly Business Activity Statement, which details my income (and expenses), and because it is lodged online, it tells me exactly what sized cheque I need to send right away - which is always less than the balance of the bank account - so appart from the paperwork, I don't really notice tax that much, as I pass it all on to my clients.

That said - whatever you do, make sure you sit down with an accountant before you start registering yourself a business.

385

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: calling cues

« on: Jul 17, 2007, 09:55 am »

Lettered sound... works fine, as mentioned, until you run out of letters (I would say 25, not 26, as you should avoid Q IMO - and AA etc is messy). There is also another issue. Automation. More and more shows these days use computerised playback - and most number cues (I have tried most of them - so trust me on this).

I have always used numbers for every cue. I give a department code before my cues, so why should I need to differentiate between different departments by doing different cue numberings.

A further issue is with the popularity of Vision in theatre these days - some shows can end up with vision ops which need cueing as well. So it seems a bit silly to separate one department from all the rest.

It all boils down to personal (and crew) preferences.

386

Tools of the Trade / Re: What goes inside a SM Kit?

« on: Jul 14, 2007, 05:27 am »

Charging for replacement kit - for me that is simple - I contract myself to companies (So a company (me) is contracted to Stage Manage a production, instead of a company employing a stage manager. The only difference really is the lack of union 'stuff' and Tax) - so one of the items I quote/invoice for is "Consumables" - usually a flat fee of AU$50 unless there is something I have to buy specifically.

Anyway - make sure you clarify 'kit replacement' proceedure prior to signing onto a job.

387

Employment / Re: advice on interviewing

« on: Jul 11, 2007, 07:56 pm »

Some people like notepads and pens - others don't.

If you do take a notepad/pen in, make sure it is in a nice folder (ie a leather compendium) and your pen is a decent "business" pen (you know, the ones that cost about AU$20, are usually either black with gold trim or silver). Your compendium is also a good place to store an extra couple of copies of your resume.

For a stage manager to come with a notepad and pen to an interview always gives me a good vibe though - as I know when stage managing that keeping a notepad and pen on you makes your life so much easier.

388

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Executing both light and sound cues?

« on: Jul 11, 2007, 05:44 am »

It all depends on your setup - if it is well set up to be run on skeleton crew then it is easy, if it is not, then it can be a pain in the rear end.

Some basic tips:
* If you are running off of a 2 scene preset desk - check to see if it has a grab master. That will allow you to preset 2 scenes in advance - it takes a while to get the hang of it, but it basically works like this (I call the presets red and yellow, so bare with me). Set Red for LX1, Set Yellow for LX2. Red master up on LX1, hit the record button for the grab master, bring it up, bring down red, set red for LX3. On LX2, bring down Grab master whilst bringing up yellow master, hit the grab master record, and bring the Grab master up, then drop the yellow master and set yellow for LX4. Some desks come with two grab masters - I usually just use Grab Master 2 for a houselight preset for emergencies etc.

* Try to preset sound as much as possible. Many desks have Mute Groups which is great when a lot of your sound cues are for mics - so basically if in scene 1, actors 1->4 are on stage, whilst 5->10 are off stage, then scene 2, actors 1,2,4,6,8 are on stage the rest off etc, you set up the mute groups accordingly, then it takes one button press to change between mics 1->4 on to 1,2,4,6,8 on only.

* If you have lots of audio - make sure it has been mastered correctly - if not, see if you can get it remastered. Basically, you want to be able to hit play for each cue instead of hit play as well as ride the faders.

* Set up your work area well. I learnt that really quickly when I did my first few corporate gigs - where you often have 2+ laptops, 2 DVD players, cue monitors and a switcher for vision, plus sound desk, LX desk and a prompt script, along with odd things like voting interfaces or autocue controls, and usually only one operator.

389

Employment / Re: First Aid/Fire Guard

« on: Jul 05, 2007, 08:15 pm »

First aid can be the difference between Job/No Job. In fact, more and more PD's I am seeing these days specifically ask for First Aid.

390

Tools of the Trade / Re: Fire but without Fire

« on: Jul 05, 2007, 08:03 pm »

You can buy silk flame torches, which look really cool if you are over about 10 feet away from it. They are basically a flame coloured bit of silk with a small fan which blows it upright, as well as a light to illuminate the silk, and the people arround it. The fan makes the silk flap arround which gives you the flicker of flames.

I just did a quick google, and found an (admittedly dodgey looking) silk flame torch for around $25 at a halloween shop - URL

I am sure they can be found for a lot cheaper, and a lot nicer looking.

However as you only have a few hours - I would just make fake torches out of paper/fabric etc - and either omit the flame, or make a paper one out of tissue papper, then do most of the 'fire lighting' using a few parcans on H-stands at the sides/front of stage. Basically you gel them red/yellow/orange/white and create a flickering chase - keep them all at about 25% for example, then create lots of steps where you bring one or two colours up a bit, or some channels down. The more steps you make, the better it looks (I have one in my effects library which is 1340 steps long which I used for a caveman scene).