Return-Path: X-Scanned-By: RAE MPP/Clamd http://raeinternet.com/mpp X-Scanned-By: This message was scanned by MPP Lite Edition (www.messagepartners.com)! X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.10) with PIPE id 36949464; Tue, 24 Oct 2006 03:01:16 -0700 X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.6 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_50,EMPTY_MESSAGE, NO_RECEIVED,NO_RELAYS autolearn=no version=3.1.5 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.5 (2006-08-29) on localhost X-Spam-Level: X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.10 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #995 Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 03:00:51 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #995 1. Re: Flaming Dessert by Stephen Rees 2. LDI (was Re: Areas of interest) by "Andy Leviss" 3. Re: Flaming Dessert by Stuart Wheaton 4. Re: Areas of interest by Ron Cargile 5. Re: Areas of interest by "Michael Finney" 6. Re: Off topic posts by CB 7. Re: oil foggers by CB 8. Re: Areas of interest by Bill Sapsis 9. Re: Digital electronics by CB 10. Apology for Controversial issues by CB 11. Re: Off topic posts by CB 12. Re: MON AZ by CB 13. Sound discussion stuff (was: Re: a political stance) by CB 14. Sound discussion stuff by CB 15. Re: Off topic posts by Stuart Wheaton 16. Re: Flaming Dessert by clindau 17. Re: Areas of interest by "Joe Saint" 18. Re: Areas of interest by gregg hillmar 19. Re: Areas of interest by John McKernon 20. Re: Areas of interest by gregg hillmar 21. Re: Areas of interest by "Joe Saint" 22. Re: Roll Drop by "Bill Nelson" 23. Re: Flaming Dessert by "Bill Nelson" 24. Re: Stage Crew Blacks by "Joel Harari" *** 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 20:24:36 -0400 Subject: Re: Flaming Dessert From: Stephen Rees Message-ID: In-Reply-To: If you use a Bundt cake form to bake the dessert and then place Sterno in the center area, you will not harm the eatability of the cake but will still have a flame. The flame can be made more visible by adding a bit of salt to the Sterno. It will flame slightly yellow - sodium, ya know. HTH. Steve Rees SUNY-Fredonia On 10/23/06 8:28 PM, "Stuart Wheaton" wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Thomas Grabowski wrote: > >> Our next production calls for a flaming dessert to be brought >> onstage, lit and consumed onstage. I am trying to get the director to >> consider another type of spectacular dessert that doesn't involve flame >> due to NFPA 160. With the proximity of the audience to the effect >> (15'), I don't think that faking the flame would look very good. Any >> suggestions? And no, I can't shoot the playwright. > > > My experience with flamed Plum Puddings suggests that the alcohol flame > will be hard to see unless the light levels are very low. In the event > you can basically do a "turn down the lights" cue, then a sleight of > hand substitution might work, use a silk flame device of some sort. > These can be quite believable. Rig some kind of controls so the flame > can dim out, and then swap back to the real dessert before the lights > come back on. > > Maybe some sort of compressed air or CO2 powered volcano type effect? > You could build a cake tower around a central spike that 'erupted' > chocolate or strawberry lava out the top and down the sides of the cake. > At least the R&D would be fun and tasty! > > Stuart ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1599.24.90.225.6.1161650293.squirrel [at] webmail.ducksechosound.com> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 20:38:13 -0400 (EDT) Subject: LDI (was Re: Areas of interest) From: "Andy Leviss" Re: a lack of interest in the recently ended LDI conference puzzled about by Bill Sapsis, Charlie Richmond wrote: > I think that might be a result of this being yet a smaller show than ever > IMO. --snip-- > I'm quite dismayed after finally > deciding > to come back to LDI after being away for a long time... Overall, I agree with Charlie, the show was mostly a letdown, although as a sound guy I knew I was going to be on the fringe of things for the most part. The "ET Live" event was a great object lesson in how NOT to do a shootout. Multiple stages of different shapes and sizes arranged loosely in a ring, pointing inwards. Each stage was using not only a different speaker system, but a different console, driven by a different engineer and fed by a different band. So you couldn't accurately compare either the consoles or the systems. Oops. Come on, guys, if you're going to do a gear showcase, call it that, don't try to sell a showcase as a shootout. Both have their value, but they are VERY different beasts. And let's not get into the excessive SPLs. If you want to blast your audiences with annoying and dangerous levels, that's bad enough, but to subject fellow sound engineers, whose livelihoods depend on their hearing to it, that's just inexcusable. And it doesn't even make the systems sound their best! It was very cool meeting a lot of new and old friends...Charlie, Bill, Herrick, Susan, Ken Romaine, and everybody else who came out to Benihana's (after more shots of sake than I can count and most of a Sapporo, I'm not even going to try to keep track of who was from here and who wasn't, LOL). It was nice to get my paws on both the Soundcraft Vi6 and the Midas XL8, both of which had some strenghts and some weaknesses, but showed promise. Until I actually saw it, I had no idea what the Vistonics panels on the Soundcraft entailed, and seeing it, it's pretty cool, although I still haven't decided if I like it or not as far as real world use goes. For those not familiar, the Soundcraft has four touchpanels (10" or so? 11"?) along the "bridge". The bottom 3" of each panel is divided into a grid with two rows of 4 cells (total of 8). Each cell has an actual physical pushbutton and a rotary encoder embedded in it--as in, sticking through holes in the display. So you end up with actual physical controls that have full color indexes for their current function and setting...be they EQ knobs, sends, pan, gain, etc. The XL8 was pretty sweet, LOTS of actual buttons is really nice. The only downside I found was the LCD scribble strips. While the custom color coding of these is super frickin' awesome(TM), the contrast sucks the big one. Standing in front of the VCA section, I was unable to make out the labels on the first 6-12 channels on each row. I'd be really curious to see how these LCDs fare in sunlight, as well. I pointed this out and asked if the contrast was adjustable, and was told that not only wasn't it, but that this likely wouldn't be a feasible addition in a future update. The suggested solution the rep gave me? "Well, you don't really need to use those faders over there, you can just pull those channels over to the center [VCA] section." Um, no, but thanks for playing. Seriously, how does Midas do so much right on this top dollar console, and drop the ball on something as basic and silly as the LCDs on the scribble strips?! Anyway, other than that, there wasn't too much exciting. A company called Phoebus was showing some dirt cheap (comparatively) Surefire LED flashlight clones (designwise, anyway--they did add some new toys like kits that let the same head work with different battery/lens combinations, FWIW). But when the most exciting new product is a self-fusing cold seal tape (Rescue Tape, a rebranding of a waterproof, heatproof, coldproof, etc., etc. tape), it's a pretty sad convention. (Mind you, as tapes go, the stuff is pretty neat--good for permanent bundles, waterproofing electrical/sound connections, etc.) Actually, there was a cool water-jet projection screen thing that I got some pretty pictures of, LOL, but that's all that stood out for me. For the video types among us, TMB had a bench mount uber-tester for video cable that included any video cable I've ever run across, including triax! My few cents worth, Andy http://OneFromTheRoad.com Tools, Toys, and Tales for Theatrical Technicians ------------------------------ Message-ID: <453D63BC.7000007 [at] fuse.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 20:52:12 -0400 From: Stuart Wheaton Reply-To: sdwheaton [at] fuse.net Subject: Re: Flaming Dessert References: In-Reply-To: Stephen Rees wrote: > The flame can be made more visible by adding a bit of salt to > the Sterno. It will flame slightly yellow - sodium, ya know. Too true! Actually, depending on how bizarre the burning dessert needs to be, many salts will produce different colors. Salt substitutes like KCl (grocery store salt substitute) or CaCl (ice melter) and other common grocery chemicals (meat tenderizers) and so forth (Pickling salts) will also change the flame colors. They could either be sprinkled into the flame or delivered as a water solution by a hidden syringe and tubing. Experimentation will yield useful info, read labels to avoid toxic substances. If you are university affiliated, visit the chemistry folks for some good ideas and advice about toxicity. Stuart ------------------------------ Message-Id: <7.0.0.16.2.20061023175200.0215bbb8 [at] uci.edu> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:57:49 -0700 From: Ron Cargile Subject: Re: Areas of interest Bill said: "Hmmmm. Haven't had a beard for about 7 years now. " That's about how long I've been working for UCI. I wonder if there is a correlation. I must be burning thru brain cells faster than I thought. I wonder if the kind of odd layout of the show affected its apparent size. I've been to LDI more on than off since 1991, and this one seemed to be neither the largest nor the smallest. I seemed to get more out of the exhibit hall this time than in recent times (I can only go to the ones that are in LV since 1999) ....Ron ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Areas of interest Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:17:57 -0700 Message-ID: <44FC1DD5E9E93D4F9D4C289DF28F7C3F1A2FC6 [at] thinkwellsbs.ThinkWell.corp> From: "Michael Finney" Herrick Goldman wrote: <> <> <> Herrick, would you believe that Bill and I not only laid eyes on OCCY, but spoke with him (OK - we have no room to brag about our hunting skills - he came up and introduced himself at the ETCP booth)? Bill - I wasn't hallucinating, was I? Nothing that really knocked my socks off on the floor this year. LOVE Fisher's Navigator system, and really liked the new Clancy motorized lineset (for want of a better description). Other than that, Martin's new TH moving light looks like it's going to have a couple of good applications for me in the next few months. Oh, yeah - and I'm glad to see GLECC reappearing in the market with a more solid development and distribution plan. Liked the product when it first showed up, but the distribution approach was a little odd (you could rent from Scharff/Weisberg, but not buy it through their contracting division (now owned by Electrosonic)...you could buy it from TMB, but they didn't usually have demo product around)(tough to push it to a client that way). ...Herrick, Herrick, Herrick - I'm sure it wasn't my fault that those bars kept closing around me....I fell in with bad companions.... (BTW: as I told Herrick in Vegas: it is *not* safe to go beer tasting with Germans. I'm just sayin'.....) Good to see folks at the show. DBA sounds like a fine, fine idea once my liver returns from the cleaners..... Michael Finney Thinkwell Design & Production mfinney [at] thinkwelldesign.com www.thinkwelldesign.com=20 ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023174956.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:49:56 From: CB Subject: RE: Off topic posts >whilst we may go off-topic at times, it's usually due to a side-trip from a >stagecraft related theme - this one just blazed straight into the heated end >of things without so much as a by-your-leave to theatre. Well, as I said, if we are to give the Original Poster the benefit of the doubt, cool machines are an interest to theatre gearheads in general, and guns are one of the ones that many on this list have expressed an interest in. It is still possible that the OP thought that he was doing us a great favor by warning us. In the interest of keeping things civil, this is the theory that I choose to operate with. >I've suggested (at least twice now) that we drop it, because it's in danger >of causing real rifts between some of the listers, but so far we've >succeeded in keeping the flames fanned..... Actually, I think that there are many of us that have succeded in cooling off the hotter heads amongst us, and steering this towards a more civil discussion of an interesting, if charged, topic. Some of us have even brought it around full circle an related it directly to Stagecraft. I've changed two responses from the original thread subject to at least one that relates directly. OTOH, FW gets what he tends to troll for. As the related posts on electronics and digitla audio confirm, Frank has a long and devorated history of posting blatant falsehoods as gospel, and having two or three contradicting URL's showing that he is absolutely wrong. He does this on other topics that cannot easily be disproven as well, so he sorta invites this sort of response. I have a sneaking suspicion that he may do this when he is bored. In any case, he also has a long history of not responding to facts that contradict his point of view, and 'ignoring' the information from industry participants, as well as industry leaders. Until Frank kerbs these tendencies, he will reap similar responses. Frank, don't make me get out the old posts, just smile smugly when you read this one. Do not misunderstand me. I thouroughly enjoy my littel battles of wit with Mr. Wood, and did, in fact, miss them terribly when he was on hiatus from this list. Quite possibly, my enjoyment stemmed from the constant sense of victory. ; > Frank Wood is a spice that this list needs. It needs it, however, in measure doses. Too much, and the palates of those that are bit more sensitive tend to react badly. 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... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023175315.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:53:15 From: CB Subject: Re: oil foggers >Curious though... to get a quart of baby oil, how many babies do you have to >squeeze? If you squeeze them, ou get some other kinda stuff. They have to be pressed to get the oil. Depending on the size of the baby, you get about a halfa quart each. 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... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 21:29:15 -0400 Subject: Re: Areas of interest From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: On 10/23/06 9:17 PM, "Michael Finney" wrote: > Herrick, would you believe that Bill and I not only laid eyes on OCCY, > but spoke with him (OK - we have no room to brag about our hunting > skills - he came up and introduced himself at the ETCP booth)? > > Bill - I wasn't hallucinating, was I? Nope. I was there and so were you and so was OCCY. So now we know his real name. (ain't telling) And I hear DBA calling my name...... Bill S ETCP Certified Rigger - Theatre ETCP Council Member www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 267.278.4561 mobile ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023181315.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:13:15 From: CB Subject: Re: Digital electronics > Well, this site refers to a perfectly normal analogue microphone, with the >ADC built in to it at a very early stage. You gave up too early. These folk have a ton of stuff. Do your tests and get back to me... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023181654.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:16:54 From: CB Subject: Apology for Controversial issues >Does that mean this is a good time to get something going about the >need for and required mode of baptism? Sure. Our present method is that you are dipped in the blood of a hundred virgins while proclaiming your allegiance to Beelzebub. What changes might you propose? Or do you just have a better supplier of virgins? Apology accepted, but not required. This list was starting to get a bit boring anyways... ; > 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... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023182025.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:20:25 From: CB Subject: Re: Off topic posts >It is even doubly off topic, having drifted into digital >sound systems. Now that there is the prime example of why Frank catches more'n his share of crap from some of the listers. In what possible world does the subject of digital sound count as doubly off-topic for a stagecraft discussion when compared to guns? Ya know, other than Frank's, that is. This is trolling at it's basest, Frank. 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... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023182815.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:28:15 From: CB Subject: Re: MON AZ >Silk underwear and thinsulate have made the snowman look passe. Don't even >need layers of down anymore. That's almost as cute as the Wisonson-ites that show up here and complain about the heat in March. ; > 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... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023183423.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:34:23 From: CB Subject: Sound discussion stuff (was: Re: a political stance) > Try a third, if the notes you quote are accurate. You're right, Frank, I did mean to say 'minor sixth'. ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20061023183744.00c520a0 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:37:44 From: CB Subject: Sound discussion stuff >Bzzt! Thanks for playing...E-C is a minor sixth. Dang! Not only did you catch it (eight semi-tones, what was I thinking) but you caught me out on sound! AND beat me to being able to correct Frank Wood! 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... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <453D828D.1040306 [at] fuse.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:03:41 -0400 From: Stuart Wheaton Reply-To: sdwheaton [at] fuse.net Subject: Re: Off topic posts References: In-Reply-To: Tony Deeming wrote: > I can see clearly what was intended by the attempted comparison with a > digi-camera & a PC, but it was a flawed argument, considering that cameras > were not designed for porn of any kind. They may not have been exclusively developed for porn, but, there is a general understanding that Pornography has driven many of the developments in digital image handling. At least the porno people are early adopters and heavy users of this technology. I know I read that the first or possibly second digital image ever sent over the internet was a naked woman. The development was not really the important part anyhow. The theory I was opposed to was that those of us who have guns (which are capable of killing) pose a threat to everybody else. If so, anyone with a digital camera poses a similar threat. > I would have perhaps been happier if > that posters had chosen a more relevant and appropriate counter-thrust I needed something that was available to almost everybody, well understood, and easily misused to cause the greatest harm possible. The fact that the person who would use it in such a way would be stigmatised by all of polite society was also a plus. Furthermore, a camera, like a firearm, requires human interaction to do anything. I can't think of a better analogy, but if you have one, I'd love to hear it. > or > indeed had in fact read what had been written instead of over-reacting as I > feel they did. Well, you might think this is an over-reaction, but you have already lost the right I am defending. As such, it might mean more to me. Do you realise that your own Olympic pistol team has to leave your country to train? They are still trying to figure out how the London Olympics will deal with the shooting events. Stuart --My shooting has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's driving. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <453D80BF.1070703 [at] mninter.net> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 21:55:59 -0500 From: clindau Subject: Re: Flaming Dessert References: Tom wrote: Our next production calls for a flaming dessert to be brought onstage, lit and consumed onstage. I am trying to get the director to consider another type of spectacular dessert that doesn't involve flame due to NFPA 160. With the proximity of the audience to the effect (15'), I don't think that faking the flame would look very good. Any suggestions? And no, I can't shoot the playwright.=20 -------------------------------------- For our production of Christmas Carol, the Cratchit's pudding has a small square of flameproof fabric (the name of which escapes me at the moment) attached on top to which a little lamp oil is applied and lit just before Mrs. C brings it onstage. It's then snuffed with its cover and the scene goes on. They don't eat it. This doesn't solve the problem of how to eat the dessert, but that's how we do a small easily extinguishable flame (for this production at least). Hope this helps. Cindy Lindau Guthrie Theater ------------------------------ From: "Joe Saint" Subject: RE: Areas of interest Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:27:05 -0400 Message-ID: <001a01c6f71c$47d368a0$640fa8c0 [at] D3G47461> In-Reply-To: Was there ever any planned Stagecraft assembling that I missed? Or did people just cluster to Herrick's like flies to . . . well, . . . stuff. My highlights for the trip -- and count me among the underwhelmed in total -- were: the Selecon 2.5kw HMI Followspot, the ETC HDLT's the ETC 14 degree barrel the Martin versions of the Synchrolite the ColorKinetics ColorPlay 3.0 and iPLayer3 the Boulder Creek golf course the waitresses at the 4Wall party Joe Saint President IMCD Lighting 646-415-7588 www.imcdlighting.com -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Bill Sapsis Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:29 PM To: Stagecraft Subject: Re: Areas of interest For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- On 10/23/06 9:17 PM, "Michael Finney" wrote: > Herrick, would you believe that Bill and I not only laid eyes on OCCY, > but spoke with him (OK - we have no room to brag about our hunting > skills - he came up and introduced himself at the ETCP booth)? > > Bill - I wasn't hallucinating, was I? Nope. I was there and so were you and so was OCCY. So now we know his real name. (ain't telling) And I hear DBA calling my name...... Bill S ETCP Certified Rigger - Theatre ETCP Council Member www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 267.278.4561 mobile ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: From: gregg hillmar Subject: Re: Areas of interest Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:47:41 -0400 oye... and the long hours demoing at the Vectorworks booth... g. _____________________ gregg hillmar scenic & lighting design portfolio & life as we know it: http://www.hillmardesign.com "Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like no one's watching." Satchel Paige On Oct 23, 2006, at 8:07 AM, Herrick Goldman wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see stagecraft.theprices.net/> > --------------------------------------------------- > > Yes OCCY but we still have no idea who you are! You're an Enigma. > > It's not like it was hard to find Bill (with a mic in his hand next > to a > Harley), or myself speaking on a panel, or Ken Romaine standing in > Barco, Or > Sarah Claussen in The ETC demo room, Never mind Sam Jones and Mike > Finney > walking the floor. (unless Finney was closing a bar). We even got > to hang > with Andy Leviss. Oh yeah and Michael Eddy practically runs the joint. > > Anyway, a bunch of folks had a lot of fun. I just landed on the red > eye and > have to drive 6 hours to Cape Cod today. I'll try to do a report on > fun toys > later in the week. > > It was good to see all of you. > > Bill and I want to do an NYC DBA gathering In November sometime. > > _Herrick > > > On 10/23/06 2:44 AM, "Occy" wrote: > >> For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > stagecraft.theprices.net/> >> --------------------------------------------------- >> >> I WAS there Bill! >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- > > > -- > Herrick Goldman > Lighting Designer, NYC > www.HGLightingDesign.com > 917-797-3624 > "To the scores of silent alchemists who wreak their joy in darkness > and in > light bringing magic to life, we bow most humbly. "-CDS > > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:55:33 -0400 Subject: Re: Areas of interest From: John McKernon Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > My highlights for the trip Actually, I think the best thing I saw was City Theatrical's stackable top hats. They're made so they don't get stuck together, can rotate (useful for half hats), are made of aluminum so they're light, and they're flocked on the inside. My only question was why we didn't have them 30 years ago...;) Other than that, my general impression was that there were way too many LED light curtains... - John ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: From: gregg hillmar Subject: Re: Areas of interest Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:08:34 -0400 On Oct 23, 2006, at 11:27 PM, Joe Saint wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see stagecraft.theprices.net/> > --------------------------------------------------- > > Was there ever any planned Stagecraft assembling that I missed? Or > did > people just cluster to Herrick's like flies to . . . well, . . . > stuff. I never heard of such a gathering, and am sorry- I would have enjoyed such a gathering. I, like everyone else, was not overly impressed this year... g. _____________________ gregg hillmar scenic & lighting design portfolio & life as we know it: http://www.hillmardesign.com "Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like no one's watching." Satchel Paige ------------------------------ From: "Joe Saint" Subject: RE: Areas of interest Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:09:44 -0400 Message-ID: <002501c6f722$3d27b900$640fa8c0 [at] D3G47461> In-Reply-To: Other than that, my general impression was that there were way too many LED light curtains... - John There were? I didn't notice. I decided a couple LDI's ago that I was gong to simply stop paying attention to every new LED thingamabob that came out. Joe Saint President IMCD Lighting 646-415-7588 www.imcdlighting.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1150.205.215.254.250.1161670989.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References:

Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:23:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Roll Drop From: "Bill Nelson" > Not that it does Moe much good, but to answer Jason's question, the tube in > the bottom of both of our oleo drops is a custom fabricated unit that > separates into, I think, three pieces. Although it looks pretty good from > the house, the tube is anything but straight and the drop is extremely > squeaky when the tent is quiet. When you have multiple section, you have to make sure that there cannot be any shifting at all at the joins. Straight bolts through tight fitting holes will not do it. Think automobile hubs/rims. They self center and, when properly tightened, do not shift. The same type of connections could be used for rolls. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1205.205.215.254.250.1161673445.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:04:05 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Flaming Dessert From: "Bill Nelson" > Our next production calls for a flaming dessert to be brought > onstage, lit and consumed onstage. I am trying to get the director to > consider another type of spectacular dessert that doesn't involve flame > due to NFPA 160. With the proximity of the audience to the effect > (15'), I don't think that faking the flame would look very good. Any > suggestions? And no, I can't shoot the playwright. If your local Fire Marshal will agree, using drinkable ethanol might be the best choice. Hopefully the desert will contain enough impurities to give some color to the flame. Even then, reduced lighting would probably be necessary. I am assuming it is some sort of cake that will absorb liquid. The idea would be to use a minimum of alcohol, just enough to produce flame for the length of time needed. This means that there is no pool of alcohol to spread flames if the dessert were dropped. And the alcohol can easily be extinguished with water. An option would be a metal cup hidden in the top center of the dessert. In the cup would be a short length of kerosene lantern wick. Enough wick would be used to hold the required amount of kerosene without dripping out of the wick. This would require that a chemical fire extinguisher be present in the wings. A few years back, we presented Magdelena. In one scene, the peasant are revolting and needed to carry burning torches. We made them by wrapping lantern wick around the wooden sticks, then spiral wrapped the wick with wire. Before use, the torches were dipped in kerosene and the excess was shaken out. They were lit about 30 seconds before going on stage and taken outdoors and quenched in a bucket of water immediately after the actors exited. The fire marshal quizzed us on their construction and how they would be used. We demonstrated one for him and he gave us permission to use them in an early dress rehearsal, which he attended and watched the whole process from the wings. After the rehearsal, he gave us permission to use them for the final dress plus the public performances. But either I or my assistant had to be present to prepare/light and douse the torches. Others may not be as lucky as I am. I have built up a good relationship with the local fire department over the last 20 years or so. Bill ------------------------------ From: "Joel Harari" Cc: Lamplighter [at] tcon.net ('Frank E. Merrill') Subject: RE: Stage Crew Blacks Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 02:46:18 -0700 Message-ID: <000001c6f751$41ab8810$6601a8c0 [at] Tigger> In-Reply-To: Cool, but how many of us can become 2 dimensional? Okay the door is open... Joel -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Frank E. Merrill Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 12:14 PM To: Stagecraft Subject: Stage Crew Blacks For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Howdy ! Did you see this story about a real, honestagosh invisibility cloak? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/20/ap/tech/mainD8KS6M800.shtml Maybe we don't need to buy black jeans and tee shirts for the stage crew after all! Who knows? Maybe we can have the prompter wear an invisibility cloak and walk around stage to aid forgetful actors without obstructing the view from the expensive seats in the front row of the house! Best regards, Frank E. Merrill MERRILL STAGE EQUIPMENT Indianapolis Established 1946 www.merrillstage.com This email is a natural hand made product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty, and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects. Running THE BAT! Natural e-mail system v.3.85.03 mailto:Lamplighter [at] tcon.net ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #995 *****************************