Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.4) with PIPE id 4682288; Wed, 13 Oct 2004 03:01:10 -0700 X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.4 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #161 Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 03:00:57 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.0-pre4 (2004-08-04) on prxy.net X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.9 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, MAILTO_TO_SPAM_ADDR autolearn=ham version=3.0.0-pre4 X-Spam-Level: X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4a3 For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #161 1. Re: HMI vs Daylight by Jason Tollefson 2. Re: HMI vs Daylight by Andy Ciddor 3. Dracula followup by "Dougherty, Jim" 4. Re: Dracula followup by Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions 5. Re: Dracula FX by Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions 6. Re: West Coasting - Was State of the Art for Drop Folding by "Ehrenberg, Steven" 7. Re: Dracula followup by Richard Niederberg 8. Re: Dracula FX by Stephen Litterst 9. Knuckle busters? by Michael Powers 10. Re: West Coasting - Was State of the Art for Drop Folding by "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" 11. Cell phone jamming by Tony Miller 12. Re: An academic question by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 13. Re: HMI vs Daylight by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 14. Re: Light storage by Jerry Durand 15. Re: An academic question by "Paul Schreiner" 16. Re: Basics of film lighting by Jerry Durand 17. Re: An academic question (Long) by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 18. Re: An academic question by "Scott Boyle" 19. Re: An academic question by Sunil Rajan 20. Re: Wireless batteries by Sunil Rajan 21. Re: Dry Ice Storage. by StevevETTrn [at] aol.com 22. Re: Light storage by StevevETTrn [at] aol.com 23. Basics of film lighting by CB *** Please update the subject line of your reply to use the subject *** line of the message you are replying to! Please only reply to *** one message subject in each reply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20041012121247.51908.qmail [at] web50309.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 05:12:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Jason Tollefson Subject: Re: HMI vs Daylight In-Reply-To: > HMI is no more daylight balanced than my Maglite. That it's less far away is > the best that can be said. > > > Frank Wood I'm a little worried to open this can of worms but... Frank exactly what criteria are you using as the basis for this conclusion? According to Osram their 575w HMI, product number: 54063 has a color temperature of 6000k which seems to compare quite well to daylight at between 5500-6500k. Jason Tollefson LD-at-Large Orlando, FL ------------------------------ Message-Id: <4.3.2.7.2.20041012233348.037d1a30 [at] pop3.kilowatt.com.au> Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:30 +1000 From: Andy Ciddor Subject: Re: HMI vs Daylight In-Reply-To: References: At 22:12 12.10.2004, Jason Tollefson wrote: >According to Osram their 575w HMI, product number: 54063 has a >color temperature of 6000k which seems to compare quite well to daylight >at between 5500-6500k. That would be a CORRELATED colour temperature of 6000K. Frank is referring (perhaps too wildly) to the incontrovertible fact that HMI is not a blackbody light source, and thus has a distinctly different spectral distribution to that of sunlight. Correlated colour temperature is an approximation to a point on the black body locus, however if you look at the chromaticity coordinates of most HMI sources, they do not lie on the locus. Under many conditions a discharge source may pass as for a match to daylight, but as it doesn't contain the entire spectrum in the same proportions as a blackbody radiator it will fail to render some colours correctly. This may or may not be critical to your pictures. If human skintones or your client's product don't look the way you need them to, it's definitely a critical issue :-) The Colour Rendering Index (CRI) of a light source is a measure of how accurately a light source shows colours, although it doesn't tell you which colours don't get rendered correctly. By definition blackbody light sources such as candles and incandescent lamps have a CRI of 100. Some really good metal halide discharge sources have a CRI in the mid 90s, although this is usually achieved at the cost of luminous efficiency. The Osram 54063 has a CRI of 90, which is merely adequate for many applications. As soon as we use something other than hot, glowing objects for our light sources, a whole new can of coloured worms is set loose. Andy ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:05:25 -0400 Subject: Dracula followup From: "Dougherty, Jim" Message-ID: For the production of Dracula (different script) we did here a number of years ago, we used slightly different solutions. For the transfusion, we used opaque tubing so the visible flow wasn't an issue. A bladder with a fitting and valve on or near the actor's arm would be the way I'd go if the blood had to drip from the tube, but if it didn't I'd go to some lengths to avoid having that much stage blood around a costume that was supposed to appear clean immediately afterward. A blood capsule in Dracula's mouth might give the impression the blood came from the severed tubing. I'm curious how the bitten tubing is handled; most tubing is tough, so actually biting it might not work so well, but a pre-made weak spot might leak if real fluid is used. For our bats, we went with a stylized version. We made bats from fabric, suspended from black rods via thin monofilament, and actors on stage moved them. Renfield palmed feathers and coughed through his hand to show he'd eaten a bird. We also included a trepanning scene, which looked gruesome but was all suggestion. On a barely related note: We're doing a production of Shelagh Stephenson's _An Experiment with an Air Pump_, which has a similar prop/fx issue, as well as a few others, and I'd love any feedback/past history people would like to share. It goes up in January, so time is on my side, although the small budget isn't. We're also in the early stages of production and many of the decisions still need to be made, so please forgive a lack of details below. The opening moment of the play is a tableau, based on the Joseph Wright painting _An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump_. In the scene, a bird is in a glass globe, connected to an air pump; all the actors are gathered around to see if it lives or dies. It must appear immobile until released from the globe, then it must give signs of life - motion, flying away, dancing a jig - not resolved yet, but likely the first. This is the Dracula connection - the living bird. There is another piece, a hat designed to incorporate a functioning chimney. I'm looking into model railroad smoke generators, but other ideas are welcome. I'm assuming I need to be able to start and stop the smoke on command. Next, the play is set in two time periods, 1799 and 1999. The set dressing for 1799 will consist in part of a variety of taxidermy and preserved specimens, much of it flown. Any leads on folks with an available collection would be welcome, as we won't be able to build it all ourselves. Fortunately there are taxidermists in the area who may be willing to work with us. At the end of the play, a character hangs herself. We plan on using outside professional assistance for that part. - Jim Dougherty ATD, Middlebury College Theatre Department ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.0.0.25.2.20041012102632.01823160 [at] 212.86.129.164> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:31:45 -0400 From: Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions Subject: Re: Dracula followup In-Reply-To: At 10:05 AM 10/12/2004 -0400, you wrote: >There is another piece, a hat designed to incorporate a functioning chimney. >I'm looking into model railroad smoke generators, but other ideas are >welcome. I'm assuming I need to be able to start and stop the smoke on >command. The cheapest way to do it is using model railroad technology. The easiest way to do it is using a Tiny Fogger (www.fogspecs.com). Another possibility, depending on how often you need it to smoke, and whether it can be reloaded between scenes, is to burn a chunk of smoke cookie: http://www.theatrefx.com/store/commerce.cgi?product=smoke_powder_and_related Hope this helps, Nathan ------------------------------------------------------------ Look Solutions USA, Ltd. 114 W. Third St., Waynesboro, PA 17268 Phone: 1-800-426-4189 Fax: 1-717-762-7366 Email: usa [at] looksolutions.com Web: www.looksolutions.com ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.0.0.25.2.20041012103200.01854480 [at] 212.86.129.164> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:40:10 -0400 From: Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions Subject: Re: Dracula FX In-Reply-To: >The blood transfusion. >For those unfamiliar, it is scripted that two >transfusions occur onstage. For both, we would like to >see the blood moving through the tube from one person >to the other. In my mind, the way to demonstrate fluid movement through a tube is to incorporate air bubbles. The air bubbles are what you'd see moving. How to incorporate them, and also make it read for an audience, I don't know. I'd start at a fishtank shop . . . >The Rats. >Any good ideas on how to make a rat that looks alive >and can be put into an actors mouth? I'd explore haunted house suppliers and magicians suppliers. Hope this helps, Nathan ------------------------------------------------------------ Look Solutions USA, Ltd. 114 W. Third St., Waynesboro, PA 17268 Phone: 1-800-426-4189 Fax: 1-717-762-7366 Email: usa [at] looksolutions.com Web: www.looksolutions.com ------------------------------ Subject: RE: West Coasting - Was State of the Art for Drop Folding Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 09:46:03 -0500 Message-ID: <95E1F758C14A0248B42D6FC9D67C7C327B9BCC [at] CCUMAIL14.usa.ccu.clearchannel.com> From: "Ehrenberg, Steven" Snip - To do a "west coast" you let the drop pile up in a straight line underneath the pipe or truss as the hang position was lowered in. You then untied the drop and let the ties fall on top of the pile. You then went through and tied every fourth tie or so to make a drape "tube" which then got coiled into a hamper, or better yet a hard road case, like a piece of cable.- end snip This is a great description, additionally to West coast a drop for quick storage- usually unpainted, Muslin, Scrims, etc. - don't forget, painted drops do not hold up well to this treatment. Line up the entire deck crew at the bottom of the drop, after removing the bottom pipe, and have them gather the drop into their arms as the pipe is flown in. Once the drop is in their arms, they can reach around and tie the drop into the tube described above while it is still tied to the pipe. Put the bag, hamper, case or other storage container at center stage and untie the drop from the ends and bring the ends to center and into the Bag first finishing with the center tie into the bag last. AT the next stop reach in grab the center tie and Reverse the process. The drop has never touched the ground. I have always found this the quickest most effective way to deal with drops on the road. Lately, I have been ordering a west coasting bag with these type of drops a muslin piece as long as the drop and about 2' wide with ties about every 4'. This is laid on the floor under the drop and then the west coasting is performed as described in the snip above, helps keep the drops from snagging, etc. and adds to their life. When using west coasting to double up pipes in case of line set shortage, I have always found it best to use a series of wide muslin straps to hold the drop up to the pipe, rather then using the drops own ties to west coast, you can leave the bottom pipe in place this way and make the switch more quickly and easily, it is a great way to get more bang for your batten. Steven Steven Ehrenberg Director of Technical Supervision Clear Channel Entertainment - Theatrical Office 917 421 5461 Mobile 917 331 0207 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 07:46:02 -0700 Subject: Re: Dracula followup Message-ID: <20041012.074611.2616.1.ladesigners [at] juno.com> From: Richard Niederberg We had a marionette built by a moonlighting employee from the Stan Winston shop. Very Scary, with no pneumatics or animatronics required. /s/ Richard > For our bats, we went with a stylized version. We made bats from > fabric, suspended from black rods via thin monofilament, and actors on stage > moved them. > - Jim Dougherty ________________________________________________________________ Speed up your surfing with Juno SpeedBand. Now includes pop-up blocker! Only $14.95/ month - visit http://www.juno.com/surf to sign up today! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:55:47 -0400 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Dracula FX Message-id: <416BF073.C77ABE75 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions wrote: > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > >The blood transfusion. > >For those unfamiliar, it is scripted that two > >transfusions occur onstage. For both, we would like to > >see the blood moving through the tube from one person > >to the other. > > In my mind, the way to demonstrate fluid movement through a tube is to > incorporate air bubbles. The air bubbles are what you'd see moving. How > to incorporate them, and also make it read for an audience, I don't > know. I'd start at a fishtank shop . . . A little bit of glitter in the blood will pick up light and show movement. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 11:31:57 -0400 From: Michael Powers Subject: Knuckle busters? Message-id: <416BF8ED.7040707 [at] theater.umass.edu> Quoting Mike Rock : >> Knuckle busters? I haven't heard that one, what is one and what is it used >> for? >> > Mike, Andy's definition is good. For a picture look at page 72 in the Backstage Hand book. Michael Michael Powers, Technical Director UMass Amherst 112 FAC West Amherst, Ma. 01003 413-545-6821 Voice 413-577-0025 Fax mfpowers [at] theater.umass.edu mptecdir [at] aol.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <886EF25AF8BEF64EB89A820EF84064FF095A599C [at] UCMAIL4> From: "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" Subject: RE: West Coasting - Was State of the Art for Drop Folding Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 14:13:32 -0400 We have had "furling" bags made for this purpose. I very often have to store a scrim or cyc gathered to the pipe (either it is too long to hide behind a border or another unit is going on that batten but we do not want to completely remove the other goods). The Furling bag is 2' or 3' wide and as long as the pipe. It is made of heavy weight black muslin or canvas or some such fabric. It has straps with snap hooks and rings. The crew lines up under the pipe with the furling bag in their arms. The goods are lowered into the arms of the waiting crew who then take the straps, wrap them around the batten and hook them back to themselves. The piece is now wrapped up safe and clean and we have not changed the weight of the pipe. Steve Waxler Technical Director College Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati When using west coasting to double up pipes in case of line set shortage, I have always found it best to use a series of wide muslin straps to hold the drop up to the pipe, rather then using the drops own ties to west coast, you can leave the bottom pipe in place this way and make the switch more quickly and easily, it is a great way to get more bang for your batten. Steven Steven Ehrenberg Director of Technical Supervision Clear Channel Entertainment - Theatrical Office 917 421 5461 Mobile 917 331 0207 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 19:41:32 +0100 Subject: Cell phone jamming From: Tony Miller Message-ID: To revive a thread which has been going on intermittently for the past couple of years take a look at http://www.guardian.co.uk/mobile/article/0,2763,1325314,00.html France has allowed the use of cell phone jammers in theatres and cinemas with only emergency calls able to override them. Apparently this follows recent legislation in Israel and Japan. If it is possible for France to change the law then anyone can do it. Cheers Tony Miller. ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <6a.473701b5.2e9d80da [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 14:47:54 EDT Subject: Re: An academic question In a message dated 12/10/04 04:00:52 GMT Daylight Time, psyd [at] cox.net writes: > I dunno, if you show the student how to do it for four years, he learns > that that is the way to do it. He leaves with that attitude whether he has > been taught well OR poorly. I was suggesting that he be taught correctly > before I meet him. > Some things learned in an ameteur environment will translate to a pro > environment, some will hinder that segue. That's a tough one. Amateur companies tend to have fewer facilities, making up for this with more bodies sometimes. On the other hand, they tend to be more experimental and adventurous than pro houses. In such an environment, originality thrives. As taught, "this is the way to do it" may not always be the best answer to a problem, although it often is. But, if you're not careful, this may lead to the perpetuation of archaic methods and customs. I occasionally (OK, frequently) post on this sort of thing. Sometimes, you can't adopt the classic solutions. Take flying as an example. The theatre in which I work has eight feet between the top of the pros and the roof of the building, and no counterweight sets at all. Any flying is put in on an 'ad hoc' basis, by people of known competence. Yet we did John Whiting's "Penny for a Song", which involves a character making an appearance from a hot air balloon, and descending into a well. Unless there is interest, I shan't describe how we did it, but it shows what can be done. It's really a question of problem solving. In a well equipped receiving house, traditional solutions will work, most of the time. In other spaces, you really need to understand what you are doing, and not just blindly follow the rules you have been taught. Always, of course, with safety in mind. Most traditional answers are safe, having been proved so. This does not absolve you from checking that all the cable clips are properly fastened. Hazard analysis has come to stay, and it is right that it should. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <64.4636a2d5.2e9d852f [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 15:06:23 EDT Subject: Re: HMI vs Daylight In a message dated 12/10/04 13:13:28 GMT Daylight Time, jason [at] tollefsondesigns.com writes: > I'm a little worried to open this can of worms but... Frank exactly what > criteria are you using as > the basis for this conclusion? According to Osram their 575w HMI, product > number: 54063 has a > color temperature of 6000k which seems to compare quite well to daylight at > between 5500-6500k. I agree with you that colour temperature is a can of worms. The Osram lamp you quote probably has the colour temperature you say. But, like any other discharge lamp, it will have discontinuities in its spectral output. Take an ordinary fluorscent tube. Inside it, there is a mercury vapour discharge, with a strong output in the gren and blue. However clever the phosphors, these will still come through. The concept of colour temperature is based on a smooth and continuous emission spectrum. Tungsten lamps have this, including those which use the halogen cycle. OK, a tungsten filament is not a perfect black body, but it's close enough. A better measure is the Colour Rendering Index. While I know of it, I don't know how it is derived. TV is double complicated. You start off with the RGB phosphors in the display tube, and then work back to the camera. Straightforward, it's not. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.1.2.0.0.20041012122152.0291b510 [at] localhost> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 12:24:48 -0700 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: Light storage In-Reply-To: References: At 10:19 AM 10/8/2004, you wrote: >As for work-lights, why not by a DMX dongle that basically runs all >channels 0-100%. It just plugs in in place of the board We've got some places using our DMX box for things like this. The switch inputs give them several lighting options. You can also hook it to a Crestron or other architectural system (as long as it can spit out RS-232 text strings). ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com pgp: 45A2 0A52 1D56 70C2 B865 9D5C 83F2 2112 04CE 2B54 ------------------------------ Subject: RE: An academic question Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 16:31:38 -0400 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A74AD00 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > > I dunno, if you show the student how to do it for four years, he=20 > > learns that that is the way to do it. He leaves with that=20 > attitude=20 > > whether he has been taught well OR poorly. I was=20 > suggesting that he=20 > > be taught correctly before I meet him. Some things learned in an=20 > > ameteur environment will translate to a pro environment, some will=20 > > hinder that segue. >=20 > That's a tough one. Amateur companies tend to have fewer=20 > facilities, making=20 > up for this with more bodies sometimes. On the other hand,=20 > they tend to be more=20 > experimental and adventurous than pro houses. In such an environment,=20 > originality thrives. As taught, "this is the way to do it"=20 > may not always be the best=20 > answer to a problem, although it often is. But, if you're not=20 > careful, this=20 > may lead to the perpetuation of archaic methods and customs.=20 > I occasionally=20 > (OK, frequently) post on this sort of thing. Sometimes, you=20 > can't adopt the=20 > classic solutions. >=20 > It's really a question of problem solving. In a well equipped=20 > receiving=20 > house, traditional solutions will work, most of the time. In=20 > other spaces, you=20 > really need to understand what you are doing, and not just=20 > blindly follow the=20 > rules you have been taught. I apologize in advance for the conservative snippage, but the above points bear repeating IMO. All of this is part of the problem that those of us in education are facing. I don't think I'd be stepping on anyone's toes if I took an opportunity to claim to speak for a group, but for the most part there's a lot of thought and anguish over striking the correct balance...especially when you're only given four years to do it. How much time do I spend teaching the fundamentals? How much time teaching "the way it's almost always been done" so that the students have a sound grasp of those fundamental concepts? How do I go about teaching a stricter approach to fundamentals when the budgets I'm given and the requirements of our own designs mean that I have to draw on all of my experience to modify those fundamentals in such a way as to almost be unrecognizable, yet get the job done within the boundaries and within acceptable safety limits? AND do all that with student labor that doesn't yet have a clear grasp of the fundamentals? And best of all, how do I do all that and then teach those very same problem-solving skills of which you speak--and of which I have found in the past few years are (generally speaking, for those of my students who are reading this as part of their class assignment) still somewhat undeveloped in this generation? Personally, I'm finding that if I want to have the time and the materials to show hands-on construction techniques, that I have to talk about (and occasionally pull examples from stock of) the fundamental pieces...and then explain on a case-by-case basis what considerations have led me, in the course of realizing the current design, to modify those techniques. But talking about it isn't the same as seeing it in action, and for people who aren't well-versed in the language and don't have the experience, I sometimes feel like there's been some short-changing going on. OTOH, if I don't go through all of that, then what sort of innovations and problem-solving skills will I be hampering? FWIW, most of these questions are, for this forum at least, rhetorical. I think we're all in some sort of agreement that in a perfect world we'd have students and graduates who were all thoroughly skilled in the fundamentals and in the way-it's-always-been-done aspects, and also have the well-developed problem-solving skills to apply all that, and also know how to emulate MacGyver on a daily basis (mullets optional). And have the confidence in themselves to do all that. If anyone can offer suggestions on how to do that in four years when you MIGHT have these students in class for a couple of semesters at best, I'm all ears. But from my experience, it's only those who show enough zest for the game to show up on their own time, time after time after time, and put into practice all those things that they learned in class and on assigned crews...they're the only ones who are going to "get it" to this sort of degree. So then the question becomes more a matter of how to make what we do attractive enough to foster that interest and that devotion... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.1.2.0.0.20041012143348.00b20e00 [at] localhost> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 14:36:30 -0700 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: Basics of film lighting In-Reply-To: References: At 10:55 AM 10/11/2004, you wrote: >Two things. First, contrast control. Film cannot handle high contrast ratios >between light and dark. The lighting neds to be much flatter than you would >use on stage. And film is MUCH more forgiving than video. Film can be processed to correct for some lighting errors, video can't. >Second, colour temperature. All the light sources must have the same colour >temperature. If you're using all artificial light, or all daylight, there >is no >problem. It's whn you mix the two that you get trouble. There is only one >answer: make them match. Either cover the windows with an orangey gel, or >fit all >the artificial lights with a blueish one. Tables will tell you which one, if >you look in the 'colour correction' area. There's another problem with the color temp. Film doesn't adapt to the color temp of the source, video cameras have "white balance" that adjusts the camera to the ambient light. Make sure you have MANUAL white balance, otherwise you'll never get two scenes that look the same. ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com pgp: 45A2 0A52 1D56 70C2 B865 9D5C 83F2 2112 04CE 2B54 ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <7a.6333a562.2e9dbd58 [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 19:06:00 EDT Subject: Re: An academic question (Long) In a message dated 12/10/04 21:32:42 GMT Daylight Time, pschreiner [at] rmwc.edu writes: > I apologize in advance for the conservative snippage, but the above > points bear repeating IMO. It's now a rather long post, but I can see why. > > All of this is part of the problem that those of us in education are > facing. I don't think I'd be stepping on anyone's toes if I took an > opportunity to claim to speak for a group, but for the most part there's > a lot of thought and anguish over striking the correct > balance...especially when you're only given four years to do it. > > How much time do I spend teaching the fundamentals? How much time > teaching "the way it's almost always been done" so that the students > have a sound grasp of those fundamental concepts? > > How do I go about teaching a stricter approach to fundamentals when the > budgets I'm given and the requirements of our own designs mean that I > have to draw on all of my experience to modify those fundamentals in > such a way as to almost be unrecognizable, yet get the job done within > the boundaries and within acceptable safety limits? AND do all that > with student labor that doesn't yet have a clear grasp of the > fundamentals? I think that you have to take a tighter approach to what is fundamental. Correct termination of wire ropes, rigidity and strength in structures, and electrical safety are not to be compromised at all. How to keep the budget under control is probably, when seen from the management's point of view, the most important one. Compared with these, how to keep the book, and how to cue the show are trivial, if you have responsible staff. Such staff will do what needs to be done, when it needs done. This is where your teaching should be directed. Do not under-emphasise proper documentation. Nothing should be left to memory. If the entire stage team should be killed in a coach accident, I should still expect the curtain to go up the following night. Not as smoothly run as should have been, maybe. > > And best of all, how do I do all that and then teach those very same > problem-solving skills of which you speak--and of which I have found in > the past few years are (generally speaking, for those of my students who > are reading this as part of their class assignment) still somewhat > undeveloped in this generation? Teach them the most basic elements of their trade, most particurlarly the safety ones. After that, let them learn from their mistakes. Over the last fifty years or so, I have learned a lot more from doing it wrong than from doing it right! > But talking about it isn't the same as seeing it in > action, and for people who aren't well-versed in the language and don't > have the experience, I sometimes feel like there's been some > short-changing going on. OTOH, if I don't go through all of that, then > what sort of innovations and problem-solving skills will I be hampering? Who can tell? > > FWIW, most of these questions are, for this forum at least, rhetorical. > I think we're all in some sort of agreement that in a perfect world we'd > have students and graduates who were all thoroughly skilled in the > fundamentals and in the way-it's-always-been-done aspects, and also have > the well-developed problem-solving skills to apply all that, and also > know how to emulate MacGyver on a daily basis (mullets optional). And > have the confidence in themselves to do all that. I just saw a pig fly past! > If anyone can offer > suggestions on how to do that in four years when you MIGHT have these > students in class for a couple of semesters at best, I'm all ears. > But from my experience, it's only those who show enough zest for the > game to show up on their own time, time after time after time, and put > into practice all those things that they learned in class and on > assigned crews...they're the only ones who are going to "get it" to this > sort of degree. So then the question becomes more a matter of how to > make what we do attractive enough to foster that interest and that > devotion... By doing new, or interesting theatre, and by making demands on your team. Set them difficult problems to solve. Even straightforward ones set difficulties. All three scenes of this are set in the same room, at the same time of day. This needs to be absolutely right, all the time. Easy enough in the thirties, with floodlighting: difficuld nowadays with spotlighting. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: "Scott Boyle" Subject: RE: An academic question Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 18:26:43 -0500 Organization: Carroll College Message-ID: <002d01c4b0b2$ef0e5e20$73db688c [at] cc.edu> In-Reply-To: Paul wrote: >>All of this is part of the problem that those of us in education are >>facing. I don't think I'd be stepping on anyone's toes if I took an >>opportunity to claim to speak for a group, but for the most part there's >>a lot of thought and anguish over striking the correct >>balance...especially when you're only given four years to do it. >Major snippage of a lot of good stuff< >>But from my experience, it's only those who show enough zest for the >>game to show up on their own time, time after time after time, and put >>into practice all those things that they learned in class and on >>assigned crews...they're the only ones who are going to "get it" to this >>sort of degree. So then the question becomes more a matter of how to >>make what we do attractive enough to foster that interest and that >>devotion... Amen! This is something I've wrestled with since I got into education. (Note since I'm not forwarding any advice, I haven't come up with any really brilliant ideas.) Especially in smaller schools where the faculty of the theatre department is comprised of two or three people, just defining and getting through "the basics" (and having it stick) is a real challenge. It drives me crazy. But like you said, the ones who have this as their passion will be the ones to put in the extra effort in the shop, light lab, recording studio, et al and learn what you aren't teaching the rest in class. ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <8A011998-1CB6-11D9-8335-000A95BD64AC [at] earthlink.net> From: Sunil Rajan Subject: Re: An academic question Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 18:23:50 -0700 > From: Wood Chip-P26398 > Subject: RE: An academic question > > Now that sounds like a concept for the next Broadway smash hit. If > they can do it for hairspray and urine (paying for pissing), why not > spitting? Anybody want to back this? Well... years ago, I was the sound designer for the NYC off-Broadway production of BatBoy: The Musical (about the National Enquirer's "Bat Child Found in Cave!"). When at the Edinburgh Fringe a few years later I saw a hilarious student musical titled, KEBAB!: The Musical. I'm currently working on a production of The 10 Commandments: The Musical. Go figure... Cheers, Sunil Rajan Freelance Audio Mercenary ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: From: Sunil Rajan Subject: Re: Wireless batteries Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 18:33:00 -0700 On Oct 12, 2004, at 3:00 AM, Stagecraft wrote: > If Jonathan has battery monitoring software with his wireless mic > package, then rechargeable are the way to go! Professionally and personally I wouldn't trust RF mic battery monitors with my life, let alone a mic on a show! One of the first pieces of advice I was given with the new Sennheiser 3032 receivers, was to "pay no attention to the battery level meters, they're useless!". > If not, I wouldn't take the chance personally. RF mics are too > important to chance a failure > otherwise. The Broadway production of Fosse used the rechargeable Sennheiser SK-50 sleds with no real problems. It was primarily a money issue and not the first choice for the designers or crew. As always, YMMV, but for critical RF mics, I would steer towards standard batts. my 2 cents, Sunil Rajan Freelance Audio Mercenary > ------------------------------ From: StevevETTrn [at] aol.com Message-ID: <196.30e51ed2.2e9e10df [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 01:02:23 EDT Subject: Re: Dry Ice Storage. dhoberg writes: >Try to find or make an air tight box..... and >An air tight lid..... Somehow this does not sound quite right. Recall the post about the soda bottle exploding? Instead of air tight, be sure to provide a vent for the pressure to be released as the CO2 sublimates into a gas. SteveV Orl, FL ------------------------------ From: StevevETTrn [at] aol.com Message-ID: <45.186fdd2c.2e9e10f8 [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 01:02:48 EDT Subject: Re: Light storage Mark writes: >As for work-lights, why not by a DMX dongle that basically runs all >channels 0-100%. It just plugs in in place of the board Sounds like an application for Fleenor's "Apathy" console. One fader controls all 512 DMX channels. SteveV Orl, FL ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20041012223129.01976d68 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 22:31:29 From: CB Subject: Basics of film lighting >this will be >the first movie I will work on. I am in charge of the lighting. OK, here's the problem. NEVER have the FNG do important stuff on his maiden voyage. >He's >gettign me a DVD about lighting for DV. But I need to find out more. >What advice could you give or books you could point me to to find out >more. I'll be using a crew unfamiliar film, film in locations >indoors(day and night) and outdoors (morning, afternoon and dawn). DVD's and books are nice, but experience in film lighting (both stills and movies) is going to go a lot farther. Is a "crew unfamiliar film" referring to the rest of the crew being ungfamiliar with the film-making process? Been there, done that, no good can come of it. >Also, does anyone know of some filming happening near me(Near Roanoke >VA) that I could go to observe and ask questions? Ah, now there's an idea that'll work to some degree. Volunteer to work with a gaffer or key grip and trade sweat equity for skills. My suggestion is to hire trined personell as dept heads, pace the shooting schedule to reflect the skill level of the crew (or expect to go without sleep, showers, and real food. Not like hell week, like hell week on coke), and expect the result to be less than what a professional crew woild turn out. Either that, or do three or four projects that you don't really care about. This gives you the opportunity to see what works and what doesn't, and what takes how long. Not knowing either of these things will absolutely screw you. Absolutley. Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound MON AZ Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #161 *****************************