Author Topic: Beauty Pageants  (Read 4731 times)

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fuzzy_7

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Beauty Pageants
« on: Oct 16, 2006, 11:37 am »
I SMed my first beauty pageant about a week and a half ago. I hated it. The contestants weren't the bad part. It was the coordinators and producers. I was just wanting know, has this been others experience or has anybody completely oppossite experiences.
Derek A. Fuzzell

centaura

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Re: Beauty Pageants
« Reply #1 on: Oct 19, 2006, 03:30 pm »
My gut reaction would be it was probably the combo of those individuals.  While I have not done a pageant before, I know from the promoters that we work with here at my roadhouse it varies from individual to individual.  We have one promoter who drives us all nuts and then there are ones who make the event a breeze.  The exact same type of event, but how the day goes and feels is colored by how the promoter acts.

I'm sorry to hear that your first one wasn't very much fun.  I hope that if another one comes your way that you will have better folks with which to work it with.

-Centaura

Mac Calder

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Re: Beauty Pageants
« Reply #2 on: Oct 19, 2006, 04:47 pm »
I have done 5 or so in various capactities. The worst are the children ones, because in a childrens pageant, you have parents. And parents are a pain in the rear.

True story: Childrens Pageant. a year ago. I am sound designer/operator. We run dress on the talent segment, and a put out a Sure SM58 for the kid doing singing - basically the standard microphone for vocals, used by everyone. The mother threw the biggest hissy fit because her daughter only sang with X mic - which happened to be a $2,000 microphone used for STUDIO RECORDING - and I had to try and explain why A) we were not going to buy a  $2,000 microphone just for her, and B) why even if we did have one in stock, we could not use it on stage. The kid was great though, about 8 or 9 and kept rolling her eyes and making funny faces behind her mums back...

Anectdote #2: Stage manager. 18 months ago. Childrens Pageant once again. Cueing entrances of contestants prior to the judging as well as telling the dome operators where they can pick up the entrants from with their spots (because we were running without tech or dress and this order had been decided on 5 minutes before we started). I had a group of parents constantly bitching with me through the entire segmant that I a) gave that girl far too much time out there in the audience's focus or b) did not give their child enough time or c) that I should get the spots to change colour to highlight their daughters dress (etc).

I have always found the younger contenstants are great, but have always hated the parents. Older pageants, you get your divas, and you get your good ones, just like any show. And co-ordiantors are as a general rule always a pain in the rear - it is part of their job description I am sure.

ljh007

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Re: Beauty Pageants
« Reply #3 on: Nov 14, 2006, 08:27 am »
I have been on the edges of pageant productions, and have worked a few tours heavy with promoters and producers. My general take on these people is that they are just full of kiss-kiss "you look FAAbulous" bull - and most of the performers eat it up. Unfortunately, the only way they know how to get anywhere is through the alternate use of flattery and hissy fits. And while this can persuade a diva to perform her best, it will not persuade the TD to ignore the fact that there isn't a tech rider. I had to tell a PM that his full stage drop (ordered last minute by them and shipped FedEx straight to the theatre) was actually a 10x20 piece-o-junk. He just gushed about how beautiful the fabric color was. And then we cut it from the show. These are people who might be quite talented (in the performance sense, not the business sense) and really love what they do. But as a  big, general rule of thumb, they tend to be ignorant of most of the actual work that goes into getting a show onstage. So they will never come close to appreciating what you do, and since they'll never understand your needs (a script? a rehearsal schedule? why do you need those?), you'll have to fend entirely for yourself. But, if you can hang on for the ride, working under such superficial chaos can be kinda fun. Maybe once a year or so.