Messages

556

The Green Room / Re: A thief caught by F. Murray Abraham

« on: Jan 26, 2010, 11:52 pm »

I think the "heroic intervention" garbage is a bit much for what is a relatively minor crime, but glad to see that justice was served.  Certainly a case study of what can happen if valuables aren't kept in a secure location.  

557

Tools of the Trade / Re: Software find

« on: Jan 26, 2010, 08:40 am »

Is the "software" anything more than a set of filemaker templates?  Are any of the forms customizable by the end user?

Just curious what the benefits of this would be. 

558

The Hardline / Re: Legal Issues

« on: Jan 18, 2010, 01:53 pm »

If you are currently or will be on the board of directors or in a senior management position once the company is formed there is the potential for increased liability as well.  How is the company being registered?  If it's going in as a non-profit certain provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley will apply, though the bulk of this legislation applies only to public companies.  Again I doubt anyone here is an expert in that, and I certainly don't know if any of the relevant SarbOx provisions would apply to you or not.

It may be prudent to seek independent advice.  It seems your creative director is wearing blinders and focused solely on the performances.  Sometimes people wearing blinders can distort or omit information that may prevent or inhibit reaching their goal.

559

The Hardline / Re: Legal Issues

« on: Jan 18, 2010, 12:05 pm »

If they're not "official" as you put it, I doubt they have any sort of liability insurance.  And I doubt they are paying payroll taxes or paying into any sort of Workers' Compensation plan (these vary by State).  Liability is a tricky subject in normal circumstances, and this specific situation is quite murky.  I doubt anyone who posts here has experience in liability or tort law (if you do, please specify).  Be wary about legal advice you receive anywhere on the web as even if the person is an expert, tort law varies by State. 

If you're concerned about your personal liability in the event of an accident I'd recommend you consult an attorney.

560

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Anyone else using Google Sites?

« on: Jan 14, 2010, 11:00 am »

I might have to double-check, but I believe that when the actors get their email they have the ability to say that they get updates whenever anything on the site changes or is updated. Again I'll have to double check.
The site is also in addition to sending the usual emails. Since it's the guinea pig project for the production I'm using it in addition to the usual routine. I'll be asking for feedback during and after the show closes.

I suspect as long as you continue to send emails nobody will check the site.  If people continue to receive the information in the manner to which they're accustomed they have no reason/motivation to change their behavior.  This was my experience when first doing a digital callboard of sorts.  Let us know how it goes, people will start using these technologies more and more and your feedback will be useful to others who decide to take on this sort of project!

561

The Green Room / Re: how to deal with the a biology major turn into a SM

« on: Jan 14, 2010, 08:42 am »

To be frank I think you'd benefit from an attitude adjustment.  If you're going into rehearsals/performances with even a hint of the underlying tone of this post it's not surprising there's tension.  As others have said, she is the SM.  It's a tough situation when you don't like your boss but unfortunately you've just got to deal with it, work out your differences, or quit.  Missliz's suggestion of having a discussion in private may be a good way to find some common ground.  I bet you'll be surprised by the amount of similarities you have.

Good luck, let us know how things turn out.

562

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Anyone else using Google Sites?

« on: Jan 13, 2010, 08:39 am »

throw some ideas around, message me with your email address and I'll add you.

Is this to say your website is protected from the general public?  Always a good idea. 

563

Tools of the Trade / Re: EDITING: Progam to edit sound effects?

« on: Jan 11, 2010, 08:24 am »

SM19, perhaps you could clarify what type of machine will use this software?  This will help narrow the recommendations to only those that will actually work for you!

564

Tools of the Trade / Re: Laptop Recommendations ?

« on: Jan 06, 2010, 06:15 pm »

If you're doing a lot of jostling and moving about, I definitely recommend considering a solid state drive.  They're more resistant to shocks and bumps.

Second this one.  In addition to Kay's points above you'll also get more life out of your battery.  Since solid state disks have no moving parts they consume far less power. 

565

Tools of the Trade / Re: Laptop Recommendations ?

« on: Jan 06, 2010, 06:09 pm »

Hi folks - let's steer clear of recommending or discussing MACs.  The original poster has clearly stated she is looking strictly at PCs

Carry on! 

566

Tools of the Trade / Re: Mac or PC?

« on: Jan 06, 2010, 08:35 am »

Well this is the age old question and one that will never be answered.

To answer your first question - yes.  Everyone has a preference.  And honestly, this one is entirely personal preference and there is no right or wrong answer.

My advice is to try them both and figure out which one you like and be done with it. 

This is like debating if ketchup or mustard is a better condiment.  There is no benefit to be gained from discussing this. 

567

The Green Room / Re: "How to get a job as a stage manager"

« on: Dec 22, 2009, 03:27 pm »

My favorite part of the article is:

Things You'll Need:
"Backstage" (a trade newspaper)
Large binder
Access to a copy machine
Office supplies
First-aid kit
Email account

Unfortunately I only have a medium sized binder, I guess I can't be an SM... 

568

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CALLING: Musical number where I can't hear....countdown software?

« on: Nov 30, 2009, 04:31 pm »

I've been a fan of Multitrack Stopwatch as a stopwatch application in the past; I'm not sure I understand the exact software you're looking for.  This program has 10 independent stopwatches and each can count up or down from pre-specified time.  Calling from a stopwatch with live music is risky, if they're slighty ahead of or slightly behind tempo your stopwatch is useless.

I'm glad you've found SMNet usefull in the past - I encourage you to make visits during times other than when you need our help, maybe you can share the wealth!

569

Tools of the Trade / Re: Cue lights and monitors- very small budget

« on: Nov 27, 2009, 09:50 pm »

Cue light systems are most often used for rail cues or deck cues.  If we've established that you have no flyspace and very little wing space, it seems unlikely that you'd be doing the scene shifts on the scale that would require cue lights.  Is a cue light system really necessary?

As far as a camera, there are loads of options.  If you're on a tight budget I'd recommend something like the two cameras below.  They are in the "pro-sumer" range - not quite commercial grade so they are more affordable, but not your radio shack piece of garbage that will fall apart in two months.


If you absolutely need something day/night this Elmo camera should be a viable option.  I do not believe this is actually IR as these cameras get more expensive.

This other Elmo camera has better zoom range and is a higher resolution but is not a day/night camera.

570

Tools of the Trade / Re: Random, household things, you use/keep on stage.

« on: Nov 27, 2009, 01:48 am »

Going to go ahead and toss up non-lubricated condoms to get it out of the way, we all know what they're for 

Great topic, let's see what comes up!