Messages

766

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers

« on: Mar 20, 2008, 03:43 am »

The convention of using letters for sound cues is something that came about many years ago when sound was bulky and all analog.  There were rarely any more than 15 or 20 sound cues, so using the alphabet made sense as a way to distinguish.  Now that we are in the digital age using letters can actually be a lot more inconvenient - if you wind up with 50 or 100 sound cues you're going to start getting into sound cue AB, AC, AD, etc...

I've had situations where the lighting designer will start his/her cues at 100 and go to 200 or 300 and the sound designer will start at 500 and go up to 550 or 600, etc...  This has seemed to work well in my experience.

There really is no hard and fast rule here.  In the grand scheme of things there are much bigger fish to fry than the cue numbering system, and nobody is going to win if you both dig your heels in and fight it out.  My advice is to be flexible and do your best to adapt or reach a compromise.

767

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Colleges in the South

« on: Mar 19, 2008, 03:27 am »

really bad city. really heavy with crime.
My mother would kill me off rather than have me live there.

Oh come now, Miami isn't so bad.  I've lived here for about a year and a half and I've never had a problem with crime - it's no worse than any other big city.  It was bad in the 80s and early 90s but it's cleaned up a bit, especially in the area of UM - and other colleges around the area are in quite nice neighborhoods.  I've gotta say, I hated it when I moved here, but it has really grown on me.  PM me if you'd like to know more about Miami. 

768

Tools of the Trade / Re: Overhead Mics

« on: Mar 13, 2008, 10:30 pm »

Just make sure it's not coming in contact with the heatsink or cap of any lighting fixture where it may melt onto a specific fixture.  As said by Phil and Matt, you should be more than okay.

769

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Peter Pan

« on: Mar 11, 2008, 11:45 am »

It may be possible to negotiate long-term leases of Foy or ZFX.  Speaking from experience, many of our ships have "permanent" (permanent is a loose term, and for the purpose of this thread my definition is a rig installed for the length of the lease) Foy rigs installed in the theatres and ice rinks.  I'm not sure how often you'd be looking to use your rig, a "permanent" install is fairly costly and most times is something you'd install only for long running shows.  One potential challenge, aside from cost, with a "permanent" install is that your operators and performers will need to be properly trained and certified.  Also, a rep from these companies will need to come out to do periodic inspections on the rig.  All of this increases your cost and as BalletSPM mentioned below if you're doing one relatively short production then a one time use deal is probably the best. 

770

Tools of the Trade / Re: Wireless Headset

« on: Mar 08, 2008, 04:03 pm »

Could borrow or rent one from a nearby theatre?  Sounds like you only need it for the short term, so buying one wouldn't make much sense, and you're not going to find a good cheap wireless system.

771

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: USITT in Houston

« on: Mar 02, 2008, 02:37 am »

I'll be manning the booth for Royal Caribbean Cruises

772

Employment / Re: Dear Abby Post: Can I hold on accepting an offer?

« on: Feb 29, 2008, 04:34 pm »

Another option would be to speak with the folks at theatre X where you have applied and explain that you are currently evaluating your options and need a bit of time to think things over.  You don't have to tell them you're waiting for other offers or provide any details, it's perfectly acceptable to take some time to weigh your options.  Ask them when they need a response to their offer.  This way everything is on the up and up and both parties are clear on the expectations, and most importantly they won't be left hanging and become frustrated wtih you if you decline the offer.

773

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Cast Gifts/Thank Yous?

« on: Feb 27, 2008, 01:00 pm »

It's always been my experience that last thing I have time to do prior to opening is worry about individual gifts for the cast.  Also, it's important to remember that if you're going to give gifts to the cast, you should also include the crew, musicians, etc... as to not show favor to one element of the company. 

A simple and elegant alternative that I've used in the past is to provide something like a fruit/veggie tray in the green room for the entire company to enjoy.  This shows the company you're thankful for their work, includes everyone involved, and also requires very little time and effort on your part.

774

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Meeting Minutes [part venting]

« on: Feb 22, 2008, 01:37 am »

>>Meetings:  None of us is as dumb as all of us.

Meetings are a way of wasting far more time as a group than you could possibly do individually.

This is where the SM comes in - have an agenda and keep the meeting moving forward.  If you let people go off on tangents yes it will be a waste of time.

775

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Caling the show...

« on: Feb 11, 2008, 08:55 pm »

I think it depends a lot on the style of show.  If I'm doing a simple play with 4 or 5 cast members, then FOH is my preference (provided I have a trustworthy assistant for eyes and ears backstage).  If it's a large show that has a lot of fly cues, moving scenery, bigger cast, etc.. I prefer to call from backstage.  It's much easier to see the depth of the stage when you're looking at it from the side.  Also, you're much closer to the action backstage if anything happens.

776

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Helium Tank Onstage

« on: Jan 30, 2008, 02:08 pm »

If you haven't yet found a place to get your cylinder you may want to check with a company called Unitor.  They supply ships with tons of supplies and operate in pretty much every shipping or passenger port in the world.  I saw in your profile your location is Chicago/Houston.  I'd imagine they'd service both of these places (Galveston being the closest seaport).  I know I used to get all my CO2 for fog machines from them.  May be worth checking out for helium as well.  Not sure if they will have the correct fittings and all that, as they supply for industrial purposes.  Just a thought!

Perhaps a novelty or amusement company may be a better fit for your purposes, but Unitor would probably be cheaper if money is an issue.

http://wilhelmsen.com/Pages/wwhome.aspx

777

Tools of the Trade / Re: Fire extinguishers on the catwalks

« on: Jan 30, 2008, 12:32 pm »

Copping a gob full of it, wiil leave you crook [ill] for some time.

Yes indeed!  Fortunately most of the newer ones have a nice big cone towards the nozzle that can prevent the extinguisher from getting frozen to your person.  

An anecdote about that - during fire training we were being taught about CO2 extinguishers and how to properly use them, we were told a story of a very petite person who was trying to put out an electrical fire.  The person wasn't big enough to handle the extinguisher with both hands so they squeezed the extinguisher between their legs and used their hands to operate the hose and trigger.  They put out the fire but the extinguisher was frozen to their body - had to be taken to the hospital to have it removed, pretty serious damage as I recall.

778

Tools of the Trade / Re: Fire extinguishers on the catwalks

« on: Jan 30, 2008, 10:26 am »

Fire extinguishers on catwalks would be as ussless as boobs on a bull anyway & have the potential to cause more problems, than they could ever solve. I have never ever seen any installed here on catwalks. Only at the entrance of acess ways or enclosed areas, as they are only purely a first aid appliance of limited application.

How do you figure?  CO2 extinguishers are perfect for this type of application where you're likely to encounter an electrical fire if anything.  Be careful when using CO2 extinguishers though as they put out the fire by suffocating it of oxygen; as such they take the oxygen away from you as well. 

779

Tools of the Trade / Re: Fire extinguishers on the catwalks

« on: Jan 29, 2008, 07:47 pm »

I think you're on the right direction that any kind of restraint would hinder an effort to put out the fire.  If you're in a situation where the extinguisher needs to be used, people will hear it and look up and see someone above them. 

780

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Cheap Rigging-ish

« on: Jan 28, 2008, 03:35 pm »

Based on the fact that you seem to be operating in the short term I think the periactoi suggestion is excellent, and probably the most pratical and cost effective (proof that theatre history is a great course!). 

With these you could build it so you have interchangeable faces on each side of the rotating flats, which would give you more than two looks.  This way as one side is facing the audience, your crew can change out the other side, rinse and repeat as necessary.  You could also build these in sections, this way they're able to move around the stage and give a bit more variety than a stationary wall upstage.

Depending on your budget you could investigate some proper rigging, but if there isn't a grid or anything permanently installed this is going to get very expensive very quickly.  Be careful with "cheap" rigging, as it can very easily wind up on the ground.  One idea is to hang some small static pieces to give your set the added dimension you get with flying drops.  Once you've got the static pieces hung you can use lighting effects to hide them from the audience.