Messages

466

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: The blind leading the blind

« on: Mar 10, 2007, 06:33 pm »

Usually the first thing to delegate are props.

Working props should be sourced by the ASM, and the ASM should do pre-rehearsal checks to make sure all props are ready for the scenes being rehearsed that day.

When it comes to the show, the ASM should manage the props table - ie make sure everything is preset and ensure that everything is returned at the end of the run.

Next, I would get the ASM to help with any understudy rehearsals.

Third, I would ask her/him/it to attend any meetings you have with LX/Sound/Set/Whatever - even though those meetings may not effect her/him/it directly, it is good to have someone else who is kept in the loop.

I think the key to keeping an ASM keen is to define a few jobs that are theirs alone - so it may be a matter of sitting down with them and discussing your duties and what areas you think they can look after, then asking if there is a certain area they would like to focus on. If your ASM wants to move to an SM sometime in the near future, you may want to arrange that they maintain their own blocking script and you can compare notes after rehearsals, or maybe give them the job of prompting - leaving you free to focus on blocking and other issues.

During the run, apart from managing props, maybe give them the task of ensuring all actors are in position for their entrances. If she is new to ASMing - as far as paperwork goes, entrance/exit charts are a good 'toe dipping' exercise. Add to that that the ASM should either lead the deck crew or if you have a deck master - should be assisting, I think you will find that more than enough to keep him/her/it busy during the run.

467

Employment / Re: Too Old

« on: Mar 10, 2007, 12:43 am »

Frankly, I think that age discrimination is down right stupid, no matter how young the cast. Lit JC:S with a cast who's average age was about 19 - the oldest member of crew apart from the stage manager was 21. The stage manager was 48. No issues arose out of it - she went to the pub with us after shows, she held the after party (which was quite a good one) and she treated everyone as equals, and got the same treatment in return. After about the age of 18, age tends to mean a lot less to people.

468

SMNetwork Archives / Re: God mic system

« on: Mar 09, 2007, 04:46 pm »

Most cans systems with a "Master Station" - as opposed to those that just have a power pack (single channel, cheap jobbies) will have a PA circuit which can go straight into a PA amplifier input, or into the sound desk - so using existing PA infrastructure, or be plugged into your shows sound system.

The most common way to wire up a cans system to provide front and back stage paging is to dedicate one circuit to Backstage paging, one circuit to all of the crew and one to the biobox/booth (ie the booth has two circuits, one for coms between booth and SM and one for all crew). If you have a PA circuit, that is taken to the in house PA or to the sound desk, and that's that. If you do not have a PA circuit, you can get interface boxes for Canford and Techpro systems that give a HiZ output (which can be jacked into any desk or PA)

The drawback of the dedicated circuit for FOH Paging is that it is no longer Push To Talk - so you have to remember to de-select the circuit before continuing.

469

SMNetwork Archives / Re: A different eletronic script thread

« on: Mar 09, 2007, 04:32 pm »

The latest. 7.something.something.

I found out how to change the formatting and everything shortly after posting (and playing around for a while).

I did like it enough to buy a license, because even if I don't end up using it much, I have a friend that will. Looks like a bit of a learning curve, and it does not seem to have a way to put cues in (A fella can dream can't he) but not a bad piece of (rather expensive) software

470

SMNetwork Archives / Re: A different eletronic script thread

« on: Mar 09, 2007, 01:53 am »

I am afraid that MS Word will be the most common tool used. You could try some screenwriting software like FinalDraft

(I just tried it, and appart from not liking the formatting of scripts (See sample attatched), it is a great program - just set "Lock pages" and bobs your uncle)

471

Tools of the Trade / Re: New Tallescope ruling in UK

« on: Mar 05, 2007, 03:03 am »

A Genie is NOT a motorised Tallescope. Genie is a shortened brand name for Genie Lift, a company that manufactures Motorised Elevated Work Platforms.

Tallescope is a ladder with a base and a basket at the top, as illustrated - their closest comparison would be a scaff tower.

UK OH&S tends to revolve arround everyones favorite piece of paper - the Risk Assessment. There is very little that is "Banned" however they do put forth recomendations and standards. What some people in the UK are trying to do is 'prove' that moving someone in a tallescope is bad practice - so that in a court, if littigation were to ensue, companies encouraging (or rather, not discouraging) this action would be liable. A good example is the use of a ladder - According to UK legislation, a ladder would not be considered an Elevated Work Platform. Therefore, the only situation where use of a ladder should be considered is when accessing a suitable platform, or when all other alternatives are exhausted. There is no law that says "You will not work up ladders" - but rather legislation that defines which work platform should be used for a job - which puts ladders at the bottom.

There are two main schools of thought around moving in the tallescope basket - One school is that the tallescope being moved whilst someone is in the basket could cause the tallescope to overballance, yadda yadda yadda. The other school of thought is that the most dangerous part of Tallescope use is climbing into the basket. I am firmly in the later group. I hate climbing in and out of tallescope baskets.

For those interested:

SCHEDULE 3Regulation 8(b)


REQUIREMENTS FOR WORKING PLATFORMS



PART 1
REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL WORKING PLATFORMS
Interpretation
     1. In this Schedule, "supporting structure" means any structure used for the purpose of supporting a working platform and includes any plant used for that purpose.

Condition of surfaces
     2. Any surface upon which any supporting structure rests shall be stable, of sufficient strength and of suitable composition safely to support the supporting structure, the working platform and any loading intended to be placed on the working platform.

Stability of supporting structure
     3. Any supporting structure shall -

(a) be suitable and of sufficient strength and rigidity for the purpose for which it is being used;

(b) in the case of a wheeled structure, be prevented by appropriate devices from moving inadvertently during work at height;

(c) in other cases, be prevented from slipping by secure attachment to the bearing surface or to another structure, provision of an effective anti-slip device or by other means of equivalent effectiveness;

(d) be stable while being erected, used and dismantled; and

(e) when altered or modified, be so altered or modified as to ensure that it remains stable.

Stability of working platforms
     4. A working platform shall -


(a) be suitable and of sufficient strength and rigidity for the purpose or purposes for which it is intended to be used or is being used;

(b) be so erected and used as to ensure that its components do not become accidentally displaced so as to endanger any person;

(c) when altered or modified, be so altered or modified as to ensure that it remains stable; and

(d) be dismantled in such a way as to prevent accidental displacement.

Safety on working platforms
     5. A working platform shall -


(a) be of sufficient dimensions to permit the safe passage of persons and the safe use of any plant or materials required to be used and to provide a safe working area having regard to the work being carried out there;

(b) possess a suitable surface and, in particular, be so constructed that the surface of the working platform has no gap -

(i) through which a person could fall;

(ii) through which any material or object could fall and injure a person; or

(iii) giving rise to other risk of injury to any person, unless measures have been taken to protect persons against such risk; and

(c) be so erected and used, and maintained in such condition, as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable -


(i) the risk of slipping or tripping; or

(ii) any person being caught between the working platform and any adjacent structure.


Loading
     6. A working platform and any supporting structure shall not be loaded so as to give rise to a risk of collapse or to any deformation which could affect its safe use.

472

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Injured during tech?

« on: Mar 05, 2007, 01:57 am »

I have been knocked into the orchestra pit on a bump-in before (lowered to performance height - the sound tech was carrying a speaker, tripped and knocked me) - I ended up spraining an ankle and having a pretty sore head. I spent the rest of the bump-in in Prompt corner yelling directions. Sure, you feel a bit useless, but there is not much you can do.

473

Employment / Re: Confidentiality Question

« on: Mar 03, 2007, 05:59 pm »

I would just print off a blank contact form. One does not need to see a filled in contact form to know how it is used.

If you really want to have a filled out form, create one for a John Doe or Mary Major.

474

Tools of the Trade / Re: What is Gaffer Tape?

« on: Mar 03, 2007, 02:47 pm »

I agree, the courtesy tab is unnecessary. Gaffer tape is pretty good, because it is thick, and the underside is white, so finding the edge is a matter of looking for a thin white line, and picking at it for a second - and if all else fails, whip out the leatherman and use that to lever up an edge (This is from a chronic nail biter who never has nails to assist with things like tape and opening softdrink cans)

475

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: advice on lighting dilema

« on: Mar 02, 2007, 02:24 am »

What fixtures do you have available. It is no good us recommending fixtures, as chances are you will not have the budget to hire S4s or anything of the sort.

As a general rule, when working in the round I would divide the stage into 4 sections. Special in the middle of all four sections, and a special in the middle of the stage (specials being spotlights for monologues or highlighting charactors).

Then I would have 3 washes - Open white, hot colour and cool colour. Light each quarter on their own dimmer channel - since you have limited dimmer channels, pair the open whites, so that each half is on it's own channel. That gives you one channel spare for something fun.

That said, 16 channels seems to be a very weird number. Dimmer numbers are almost always a multiple of 3 (as they are usually powered from a three phase supply)... I would check that one out, as you may have 18, or even 24 channels. They could have told you 16 because they want two for houselights or something - if so, ask if they can possibly reduce it to 1 channel.

476

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

« on: Mar 01, 2007, 04:44 am »

if you have one, a digital camera can be even better

I am a bit of a photography enthusiast, but I just bought a cheap Point and Shoot camera for the reasons you mentioned - my dSLR cammera is too big to carry arround, but I bought an unbranded P&S for about AU$100 - 4 megapixels, came with a 256mb SD Card and conveniently has a belt holster. Whilst it is no good for show photos, it is great to be able to pull it out to photograph props etc. My phone does not have a camera (I spent yonks looking for one without a camera, as I am starting to see "No Camera Phones" signs at quite a few venues) - so this was an excellent (and affordable) solution.

477

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Backstage Etiquette

« on: Feb 28, 2007, 08:02 pm »

PDA's are rude in 99% of cases. No one wants to see someones tongue down another persons throat. A chaste kiss before the person walks out onto the stage or a hug, or lying down on a couch together, thats fine. Any form of fluid exchange or over-the-top cutesy displays, keep them for at home.

Just try to make whatever you say light and humorous - ie "Tonsil Hockey is not a spectator sport, so get a room guys!". If they keep behaving inappropriately, talk to the SM. Tell her that it makes you uncomfortable and that whilst you have been putting up with it, you are getting to the end of your tether.

478

Employment / Re: How many pages?

« on: Feb 27, 2007, 07:11 am »

No, there are a lot of free ones out there:
CutePDF is one - and google turns up hundreds more.

479

Employment / Re: How many pages?

« on: Feb 26, 2007, 02:25 pm »

I don't include references on my "Hey look, I am out here if ever you need a stage manager/LD/SD/Event Coordinator/Whatever, keep me on your books" resume - however if applying for a specific position, I always try to find one that is most applicable and include a note that further references available by request.

I think that making them call you for a reference when you have a specific position in mind is a tad rude - I know when employing people I like to check up on them as much as I can, and basically avoid personal contact with them unless they are a shoe-in for an interview. A phone call to the applicant gives some form of hope that there will be an interview involved - so if everyone omitted references, then about 60% would be dissapointed in a weeks time (in my experiance), when a Dear John arrives in the mail.

As for length - for an SM, 1 page. It is a cut throat industry - and a single glance is often used to cull through the resumes.

Distribution - Email where possible. A couple of things though about email:

1) Cover letter should be in the body of the email, NOT AN ATTACHMENT!!!!!!

2) Resume should be in a format that is accessible to anyone - that means PDF is the best way. Formatting changes across Office versions, however most PC's have Acrobat - even 10-15 year old PC's.

3) Try not to send from l00k_at_my_1337_kool_email_address@hotmail.com (or johnnyboy_87@hotmail.com or whatever). Most ISP's give you an email account, or you can sign up with a decent name - preferable something that closely resembles your own - at somewhere like hotmail, gmail, yahoo mail, mail.com etc.

480

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: 1 or 2 Scripts?

« on: Feb 26, 2007, 04:14 am »

I usually make quite a few copies of the script anyway (It is just as easy to make 4 or 5 copies as it is to make 1). Book layout is (in my opinion) largely show dependant. What is good for show A is not necessarily good for show B - and what is good for SM 1 in show A is not necessarily good for SM 2 who is also doing show A.

Since calling and blocking occur during different stages of the show, you have a bit of leeway - until tech starts really. If you don't think you can fit it all in one copy, then go for the twin-script. It is always a good idea to have a spare copy of the script accessible anyway (for when the actors forget theirs)

On a different note however: Long runs where you are expected to do show maintenance - 2 scripts is always a good idea - a "Bible" and a maintenance guide (ie blocking, directors notes etc). My last long run's maintenance script was about 2 times the size of the normal script because the director gave me complete notes on how they wanted everything - down to "James NEEDS to put his left hand on his hip at about belt level and waggle his right index finger about a foot from Triss' nose. It has to be a stereo typical 'camp' (gay) scolding. His 180 degree turn MUST be snappy, and a good huff given before he marches off" - that occured between two lines in a script. It was great for me, because I did not have to interpret directorial intention. But the main point - it would be impossible to keep the sort of notes needed to properly maintain a show in your bible if a strict adherance to directorial intention was required.