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Messages - Branden

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1
I'll vote for plaster as well.

Score them where you want them to break, and then a bit of plasti-dip should make it break evenly.

2
Job Postings / Re: Dubai Gigs
« on: Oct 16, 2016, 04:17 am »
Thanks for sharing!

3
Introductions / Re: A Quick Introduction
« on: Oct 16, 2016, 04:16 am »
Nice to meet you!

4
Tools of the Trade / Re: Google Docs.
« on: Jun 04, 2016, 10:00 pm »
If anyone has done a show 100% on cloud-based docs, please speak up.

We did!

You can download drive onto your computer like dropbox, and you can save excel/word docs that way. Just make sure to password protect them, or they can be accidentally converted into a google document.

5
I had a friend who did this show, and they had a great solution; at the end when she 'flew', they simply had her on top of an 8 foot wagon, painted black, that rolled across the stage in front of a blackout traveler.

Lit correctly, you could hardly see the platform, and as Kay said, though it wasn't the most realistic, the different level on the stage did make it look really cool.

6
If at all possible, fake it.

If not, I've seen people use shaving cream on stage. It looks the same, but it is not as sweet, so it won't get sticky and attract bugs, and washes off easily.

If you do have to use real food, just make sure to clean everything really well after!

7
Hello!

That saying drives me crazy!! I worked at a place where everyone in the SM office would say that.


8
Tools of the Trade / Re: Is Office.com Valuable or a Gimmick?
« on: Apr 19, 2015, 09:03 pm »
It seems like not enough people even use Office.com to make it worth the thread.

Just my two cents;
If project harmony for dropbox is released to the general public soon, it will kill office.com. I'd rather use Dropbox anyway...

9
Tools of the Trade / Re: TOOLS: GaffGun
« on: Apr 19, 2015, 09:02 pm »
Most of the reviews I hear are mixed. People either love them or hate them.

I played with one for a bit, and I could see it being useful for like one-off concerts and events, but not really for theatre, where you lay stuff down once and maybe re-tape it a few times.

I just don't think it's worth the upfront cost. I'd rather pay an PA with the money I spend on one to do it and be able to do other things as well.

10
The Green Room / Re: Keeping Focus avoiding burn out
« on: Apr 19, 2015, 09:00 pm »
Burning out can be dangerous. For some people, they burn out and end up walking away from theatre entirely.

Some folks say that you should take breaks inbetween your contracts; I disagree.
I think the biggest thing you can do to avoid burning out is to be aware during each contract that it's just theatre, and to take breaks and not stress out during the contracts as opposed to in between. Set an 'off the clock' time for yourself, if you need to.

Also, side projects really help keep me motivated. When I get too consumed with theatre, or the production, I'll take a break and work on a side project, like a blog, or a video, so that I feel like I have an escape.

11
I know a lot of folks who will use there skills as a SM to settle down as a receptionist. I've even picked up a few 'front desk' type jobs myself.

Lots of folks stay in Stage Management for their entire career. Lots of folks also shift into a role as a Producer, Business Manager, or Production Manager too. Just depends on the person.

12
I think it's important to note everything that happens that day; even things that may not be directly talked about. For example, a director may have an actor stand on a rehearsal cube that is standing in for a desk; I would note in the report that the desk should be strong enough to be stood on. That's a kind of note that you may not discuss, but may influnced what the scenery folks buy or build.

If we're not sure on an add or change, I'll note it as a possiblity. For example I may note: We are adding three bar stools to 1:10, all of which will be stood upon. We MAY also add a chair; decision will be made tomorrow.

Even if you don't put it in the report, it's important to contact the person that would recieve that note so they're aware of what's being thought about. If they have an add in the back of their mind, they'll be able to plan for it in the budget, or have solutions if we do want to add something.

13
Seconded; it depends when I'm brought on board.

Sometimes, as the PSM, the General Manager will tell me when opening night is, and how many previews I am allowed, and I work backwards from there. Other times, a PM has already laid out a general schedule and I only do the day-to-day scheduling and adjustments.

I prefer to have made the schedule myself, but we can't have our cake and eat it too. :D

14
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager say no?
« on: Mar 22, 2015, 08:26 pm »
Ususally, I find most directors are understanding when it comes to fire.

I also find that I like to be firm in my stance as far as open flame effects onstage, so I'll often tell the director a flat "No, sorry we can't do any fire effects," and follow it with a suggestion of haze, fog, LEDs, or something else.


15
Tools of the Trade / Is Office.com Valuable or a Gimmick?
« on: Feb 05, 2015, 08:21 pm »
Hey all!

So, I've been playing around on Office.com, using my Outlook.com email I created for fun.

As I'm looking around and uploading test documents, I'm curious if anyone has made this work for them in SM world.

I have worked corporate contracts, where there's a big old shared server and everyone is editing excel documents in the application together, and I love the functionality of this. I've been obsessed for the past 14 months or so with figuring out how to get this high form functionality into freelance theatre.

I don't mind Google Sheets, but the formatting options are limited; and I can't make sortable tables, which is my bread and butter. And in Dropbox, excel files that are edited frequently end up with conflicted copies.

I know Dropbox is releasing a more collaborative in-application system, but until that comes I need a high functional way for multiple users to edit one document at the same time.

Has anyone had success with Office.com? Or is it glitchy and gimmicky?

(Sorry for the rambly post)

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