Messages

1

Job Postings / Re: SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK PRODUCTION INTERNS

« on: Jan 25, 2014, 07:50 pm »

I was an intern in the park in the summer of 2012 it was one of the best summers of my life.  We were an army of 9 and came from all different backgrounds.

2

Tools of the Trade / Re: Email Best Practices for Teams

« on: Apr 02, 2013, 11:39 am »

My biggest pet peeve is people that use SMS talk in email.  "u" "r" "wif"

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!  Am I the last person on the planet to still use complete sentences?

People actually do that?! I abbreviate a lot socially, in my texts and with social media but never professionally. That's horrible.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Apr 02, 2013, 11:35 am »

UPDATE:

This is a project that is going to take me a very long time. I decided to create this while learning the coding language, which has posed some difficulties. Apple has been making a lot of changes so there are very few tutorials.  I started this as an independent study. I'm hoping to have the very basic text editor functions working and then continue implementing the shapes and stage manager specific aspects later.

Thank you so much for your input, please keep it coming! I really appreciate your ideas and sample scripts.

Thanks!
Miriam

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPad apps

« on: Feb 18, 2013, 06:34 pm »

the new Gmail app.  It isn't perfect.  I doesn't let you send out group emails the way the full gmail.com does but I have really enjoyed using it for just my show email.  That way I can keep my show email and my personal email separate.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Feb 08, 2013, 02:42 pm »

Ok, so this is the stage I'm at.  Here's my first sketch of what the main editor screen might look like.

Once again, please any witty name ideas would be great!

The toolbar from left to right is: New Document, Open Document, Save, Print | Font, Size, Bold, Italics, Underline, Alignment, Zoom | New Act (Tab), New Scene (Tab), Cue boxes, Bubbles, Lines, General Shapes, Custom Shapes (no image there, I just added it but it is in the space), Inspector.

Scenes can be jumped to down the side, and the rules are next to that. 

I'm thinking a Wizard for when you first start up the application that would let you set which side the cues lie on, how to format margins for whole punches, spacing, and location of page numbers.  These can be set first and then updated in the Page Setup menu.

I have very big ideas.  It makes the coding part quite difficult. 

What do you think?  I've attached my sketch. (I am in no way an artist.)
Post Merge: Jan 28, 2013, 11:23 pmAnd I've also drew out the inspector that will pop out from the "i" icon.

I would love to hear what you all think of these drawings. The drawings are attached to the quoted post on page 1.  Do the images make sense? Does it seem like it would be a comfortable layout to use?

Thanks!
Miriam

6

Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 08:51 pm »

Ok, so this is the stage I'm at.  Here's my first sketch of what the main editor screen might look like.

Once again, please any witty name ideas would be great!

The toolbar from left to right is: New Document, Open Document, Save, Print | Font, Size, Bold, Italics, Underline, Alignment, Zoom | New Act (Tab), New Scene (Tab), Cue boxes, Bubbles, Lines, General Shapes, Custom Shapes (no image there, I just added it but it is in the space), Inspector.

Scenes can be jumped to down the side, and the rules are next to that. 

I'm thinking a Wizard for when you first start up the application that would let you set which side the cues lie on, how to format margins for whole punches, spacing, and location of page numbers.  These can be set first and then updated in the Page Setup menu.

I have very big ideas.  It makes the coding part quite difficult. 

What do you think?  I've attached my sketch. (I am in no way an artist.)
Post Merge: Jan 28, 2013, 11:23 pmAnd I've also drew out the inspector that will pop out from the "i" icon.

7

Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 06:52 pm »

I'm a little confused by some of your questions. It may just be a US/UK thing, so apologies if my replies don't make a huge amount of sense!

1. What are your general preferences are when creating a call script?
Scene tabs on the right edge of the page, 5 minute tabs along the bottom. EVERYTHING on Post-its until after opening night. Easily mark-able and change-able cuts and re-workings. Ability to import scores or scripts from Sibelius, PDF or Word, with a template added for the other side.

2. Do you keep your book on the left side or right side?
Left half of left page - blocking - top section (approx. 10%) as section for props movements
Right half of left page - cues/calls - half of tope 10% for current cues (i.e., what LXQ is current as I turn the page)
Spine
Right page - score/script, with either lines from cues on left page, or cues remarked above the correct note/beat/word

4. How do you notate your page numbers?
However they are on the score/script.....

5. What shapes you like to use (any images are welcome)?
Rectangles, arrows, clouds

Does that make sense to you guys?

C

Totally makes sense!  Is there anything you can think of that a DSM might want that we may not use in the US?  I did a work placement at Wicked when studied abroad last year and US/UK differences are definitely something I want to take into consideration.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 05:07 pm »

I hope this application will be available to use on PCs as well as Macs.

I was waiting for that.  I'm actually going to create this in Apple's Cocoa language (I understand that means nothing to most of you) but it does mean that this will start out, only for mac.  I'm not that great of a programmer, I'm really just a stage manager with really big ideas.  But it will one day be a thing.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 04:35 pm »

2. Do you keep your book on the left side or right side?
Right. (But I'm a lefty, so my book is always the reverse of most peoples'.  )

I'm a lefty too! That's why I asked the general questions. 

I really like the tabbed scene idea.  I'm going to add it to the list of features.

Thank you so much for all the responses.  I'm going to do some drawings and post them for critiques.

10

The Green Room / Re: Weirdest Item In Your Kit

« on: Jan 27, 2013, 09:51 pm »

Embroidery thread.  I make friendship bracelets during holds in tech.  I like to give them out as gifts, or if it's table work and my attention span is shot I can work on a bracelet and still listen to what is going on.  I've been making them for years, I like to write the show, or names inside them or just very complex patterns.

I had a crack pipe at one point from a production of Bug by Tracy Letts because it was small and glass and I didn't want to lose it.  But I don't have it in there anymore.

11

Tools of the Trade / Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 27, 2013, 09:46 pm »

Moderator note: pursuant to our community standards the following request from one of our members has been previously approved by the staff of SMNetwork; please consider helping as you're able.  -kmc307

Hello Everyone,

I am attempting the impossible.  I'm starting the process of building a call script word processor (no title yet all ideas are welcome).  The ultimate goal is to make a Mac application that is specifically geared towards making digital call scripts where text seamlessly interacts with cue/boxes, where layouts and margins are easily adjusted, and page numbers can be quickly manipulated.

I would love to get as much feedback as possible.

Here are some of my questions:

1. What are your general preferences are when creating a call script?
2. Do you keep your book on the left side or right side?
3. Do you like the cues on the left or right side of the text?
4. How do you notate your page numbers?
5. What shapes you like to use (any images are welcome)?

Any other ideas are welcome.  Also, if anyone happens to have a background in Objective-C Cocoa and Xcode I am learning the language as a go and would love the help.

I'm currently doing this project as a Theatre Project (aka independent study) but I plan on working on the post graduation, which is in May.

Thank you so much!

Miriam

12

Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies

« on: Dec 21, 2012, 09:39 pm »

In my liberal arts college, I stumbled into a computer science minor and I just got a project approved for my last semester to create a Word Processor specifically for creating Call Scripts.  I'm going to be working on it both within the theatre department and the computer science department.  So a lot of things that people like are the OCR abilities and text boxes/comment boxes. 

In Word I struggled with the fact that every time I put objects on the page it would jump to the top of the document.  Has anyone else had this problem? 

I also got bogged down with how complicated it was to change the header/footer in Microsoft Word.  Does anyone else find that frustrating?

Thanks!
Miriam

13

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: The Executive Decision

« on: Dec 21, 2012, 01:12 pm »

Thank you so much! It's actually hard for me to give a good example. Your answers are exactly what I was looking for!  I'm going to ask that question at first director meetings.

- Miriam

14

Students and Novice Stage Managers / The Executive Decision

« on: Dec 19, 2012, 03:46 pm »

Hello,  please point me in the right direction if this has already been addressed. 

When do you, as the stage manager, get to make the executive decision?  Or, what are the questions that you should always ask a director, designer, or superior of some kind, before making a call?

I find that I am afraid of being wrong or saying the wrong thing so I am always asking for clarification or permission before doing the smallest of tasks.  It either makes meetings take longer than people want them to or it frustrates people that I don't just get things done.

Thanks!

Miriam

15

Self-Promotion / Re: AS YOU LIKE IT

« on: Jun 17, 2012, 04:19 pm »

I highly recommend seeing this!

With love,

Miriam, the production intern who spent tech sitting behind Matthew.