Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.10) with PIPE id 21130350; Sun, 20 Mar 2005 03:02:11 -0800 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 #335 Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 03:01:58 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Status: No, score=-5.1 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, URIBL_SBL autolearn=ham version=3.0.2 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 (2004-11-16) on prxy.net X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #335 1. florida pyro - fire fly by IAEG [at] aol.com 2. Re: gmail by Sean Evans 3. Re: Peter Sellars Glyndebourne Magic Flute '90 by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 4. Re: Costumers by Sunil Rajan 5. Re: Costumers by Sunil Rajan 6. Re: Air Compressors by "Jon Ares" 7. New AutoPlotVW, Blatant Plug by Samuel Jones 8. Re: Air Compressors by "Mt. Angel Performing Arts" 9. Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan by 10. Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 11. Stage Expo by Jerry Durand 12. Direct Boxes by CB 13. Re: Rose Brand Problems by CB 14. Children's Museum Light Board by CB 15. Re: gmail by CB 16. Re: Rechargeables by "Gerry G." 17. Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan by Greg Persinger 18. Re: gmail by Brian Munroe 19. Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan by "Chris Warner" 20. Re: gmail by "Chris Warner" *** 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1e9.383a0013.2f6d8194 [at] aol.com> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 08:22:28 EST Subject: florida pyro - fire fly anyone with knowledge / reference to a Pyro company in Florida that has or has access to "Fire Flies" or any similar remotely triggered propane fueled flame generators ? if so, , please contact me off list, thanks in advance, very best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ Message-ID: <35e1805a05031906041a88cb47 [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 08:04:11 -0600 From: Sean Evans Reply-To: Sean Evans Subject: Re: gmail In-Reply-To: References: I subscribe to a few fairly high-volume mailing lists, and have them go to my google account. It keeps my main mailbox a little more tidy. As far as the "spam" issue, I don't think sharing Gmail invites counts as there is no kind of reward for getting people to sign up. I figure that the mailing lists are publicly archived anyway, so the privacy issue is not a big one. Finally, it's a GB of space that I can keep mail in and search, that's not on my drives. All the more useful if you have limited space due to corporate or academic server limits. Let me know if you want an account. ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <83.23bebaf1.2f6dc0e5 [at] aol.com> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:52:37 EST Subject: Re: Peter Sellars Glyndebourne Magic Flute '90 In a message dated 19/03/05 01:45:17 GMT Standard Time, willhill [at] globalnet.co.uk writes: > Just for the record I believe it was Jim Ingalls who lit Flute at > Glyndebourne. Using a bit more than a dozen work lights!! One of the nicest > guys you could work with. Knew everyone, and I mean everyone, by their first > name and remembered them all a year later. Respect for the memory and the > courtesy. Not the Peter Sellars one. That was in the old theatre, and, as I remember, sometime in the 1980s. There has been a new production, in the new house, which I missed. Frank Wood ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <967F5C14-98A0-11D9-B99A-000A95BD64AC [at] earthlink.net> From: Sunil Rajan Subject: Re: Costumers Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:59:07 -0500 On Mar 19, 2005, at 6:01 AM, Stagecraft wrote: > It would be interested if soemone (with more time than me) went > through, > say, backstagejobs.com and made a spreadsheet of the various positions > and > pay scale offered. Unfortunately, this level of pay seems all too > common. > I would love to know, and may actually undertake such a task, just to show to producers or management! I have always wanted to get paperwork and "real world" costs for a design package versus what the producers ACTUALLY pay! It's no wonder most rental shops are trying to do less and less theatre; when you can rent out gear for a no brainer corporate event that will actually PAY what the gear/labor is worth, versus about 1/10th of that for a theatrical rental, which would YOU choose?! my 2 grumpy cents yet again... Sunil Rajan Freelance Audio Mercenary ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <30B36780-98A1-11D9-B99A-000A95BD64AC [at] earthlink.net> From: Sunil Rajan Subject: Re: Costumers Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 13:03:25 -0500 On Mar 19, 2005, at 6:01 AM, Stagecraft wrote: >> Could you survive on $150 a week outside the >> theatre? Would you accept a >> job that paid less than $4.00 an hour -- and doesn't >> pay overtime if the >> work-week goes long? That's less than >> burger-flippers and garbage-can >> haulers make, and theatre is considered _skilled_ >> labor. If you actually do the breakdown from "Great Tour Pay", to the fact that you are essentially working 24/7, it breaks down to less than minimum wage! Cheers, Sunil Rajan Freelance Audio Mercenary ------------------------------ Message-ID: <000f01c52cae$ba38e670$0600000a [at] BRUTUS> From: "Jon Ares" References: Subject: Re: Air Compressors Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 10:09:00 -0800 > Probable manufacturer's website: http://www.knw-series.com/Index.htm > Yes, I do believe this is the manufacturer/distributor site (I found this myself the other day) but I can't find any info on the Rogers BG Series, and the school doesn't seem to know where/who/what on any of this. The district office has failed to get back to me, and they may have the actual manuals, etc. Does anyone know what sort of noise these make, compared to a 'standard' compressor motor? -- Jon Ares Program Director, West Linn HS Theatre Arts www.hevanet.com/acreative www.wlhstheatre.org ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <7083CB84-98B0-11D9-85E8-00039313C6D2 [at] ucla.edu> From: Samuel Jones Subject: New AutoPlotVW, Blatant Plug Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 11:52:35 -0800 I apologize for the band width, but 25% of the emails I sent out announcing a new version of AutoPlotVW were returned as undeliverable. If you are a registered user of AutoPlotVW or AutoPlot Tools for SpotLight please send me an e-mail so I can log your new address. Thanx, Sam Samuel L. Jones Developer of AutoPlotVW and AutoPlot Tools for SpotLight sjones [at] arts.ucla.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: <016501c52cc1$2d8fb470$650fa8c0 [at] veronica> From: "Mt. Angel Performing Arts" References: Subject: Re: Air Compressors Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:21:02 -0800 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Ares" To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2005 10:09 AM Subject: Re: Air Compressors > Does anyone know what sort of noise these make, compared to a 'standard' > compressor motor? > The general rule is that cylinder compressors are sort of a 'pocketa pocketa' sound and screw compressors emit more of a high pitched whine. Since you're in Oregon somewhere, you can pop over to your local Les Schwab tire center and listen - most of their stores now use screw compressors.. Carla ------------------------------ Message-ID: <002401c52cd9$9608ed60$0200a8c0 [at] lpt> From: References: Subject: Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:15:46 -0600 Organization: Minnesota Ballet I have a Metor Ellipscan and just love using it. I have found out that at the end of a week run, I do have to tweak the pre-programmed focus points. It does tend to drift after a while. Why does it do this? Ken Pogin Production Manager /Lighting Designer Minnesota Ballet ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1aa.342fb11b.2f6e166e [at] aol.com> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 18:57:34 EST Subject: Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan In a message dated 19/03/05 23:16:51 GMT Standard Time, productionmanager [at] minnesotaballet.org writes: > I have a Metor Ellipscan and just love using it. I have found out that at > the end of a week run, I do have to tweak the pre-programmed focus points. > It does tend to drift after a while. Why does it do this? At a first guess, I should say that it is mechanical problems. Check that all the various locking screws are tight in the mechanical connections between the stepper motors and the shafts, and between the shafts and the position sensors. I don't know in detail how this one, or indeed any other, works. But I see only two roads. Either you use stepper motors, which respond to the control pulses they are sent. "Turn so far in this direction", and so on, or position sensors. "Where am I now, and where should I be next?". As an engineer, I find the latter a more satisfactory solution, even if it makes the control more elaborate. You can even do sums about 'How far away am I from where I am going?',, and slow down before you get there. Elementary computers have made this sort of thing a lot easier than it was in the days when I was trying to do it with analogue circuits. But the principles are the same. One of them is accurate reporting of positional information. Make sure that your sensors are clean. If they have developed fuzzy edges, the information may not be totally accurate, and theatres are dirty places. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.1.2.0.20050319200758.02867ce0 [at] localhost> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:12:27 -0500 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Stage Expo We had a lot of traffic at our booth with a lot of good questions, thanks to all who stopped by. We have a few Stagecraft stickers left, if anyone as a souvenir, send me an e-mail with your mailing address and I'll get it out when we get back to California. Also, anyone who wants one of our paper flyers, has other questions, etc., please e-mail, call, or fax. I'll post a copy of the Stagecraft Group photo to our server on Monday or so. ---------- 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 ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20050319203932.00b68528 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:39:32 From: CB Subject: Direct Boxes >I know they are probably mostly the same but I need to purchase some new >direct boxes. Countryman makes the industry standard, and are well worth whatever you pay for them. Stewart's ADB-1 is a good second, Behringer is too be avoided at all costs. I've used another (can't remember the brand off hand, cerebral flatulence) that was good but had issues with button location. Eventually, I took all the buttons off and had to make pad adjustments and the like with a pen. I'll come up with the brand eventually and I'll post when I do Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound OTR Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20050318144706.00b68528 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 14:47:06 From: CB Subject: Re: Rose Brand Problems >It falls into the category of "venting" I suppose, but in the end it makes >the person look foolish and does nothing to help resolve the problem. To >turn things around, let's say I hired a graduate of St. Josephs University >where Rob works, and I was unhappy with his performance. Should I then >send a message to the list saying "I want to advise everyone to avoid >hiring graduates of St. Josephs if at all possible?" Yeah, it may have not been the best way to deal with it, but we tend to learn about the person posting, and have the ability to consider the source. In this case, we learned that he was incredibly frustrated, and very apologetic once his outburst was noticed. Yeah, we all understand where he was, and yeah, at least I'll admit doing it once myself. I'm not saying that this is the best way to post a grievance, but I'll learn from both sides of the conversation. ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20050320043740.016fdc00 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 04:37:40 From: CB Subject: Children's Museum Light Board >I was thinking of doing 3 or 4 channels FOH (Warm, Cool, Clear, ?) that >are 2 fixtures each. >4 channels on the LX for the drops (R, B, G, A) again two fixtures each. I have jsut come across just the right system for you. Sixteen Par 38's with lamps, gel, and frames (various gel scraps made into gel for these), four four channel dmx dimmers, and a 'Stagesetter 8' DMX console. Its all 'American DJ' stuff, and I was going to of it to a broker, but I could be cajoled into getting rid of it fairly inexpensively, although I think that shipping the stuff might be the deal-killer. I'll hold on to it for a minute if you're interested. Keep in mind, I'll be making more money from the broker for the stuff, and it'd be a LOT easier for me to get it to him, so this isn't really a commercial post. Or, if it is, forget I said anything... 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: <3.0.6.32.20050320045111.016fdc00 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 04:51:11 From: CB Subject: Re: gmail >Besides, google is not the only email provider that scans messages. >If your isp has any type of spam filters, they are scanning your >email. If my ISP scans my e-mail for spam, its to reduce it, not encourage it. SPAM costs you and I and my ISP (ergo the you and I part) much money. They keep the SPAM down, they can keep the prices down. It has been suggested that SPAM makes up over 60% of what an ISP handles on a daily basis, and we all get to pay for it. It'd be like the Post Office charging a buck a letter to pay for all the flyers and ads that you receive in your mailbox. Somehow I don't get the feeling that the fine folk at Google are as concerned about how I feel about SPAM as my ISP is... "But, I don't like SPAM!" 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... ------------------------------ From: "Gerry G." Subject: RE: Rechargeables Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 22:57:29 -0500 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: OK has anyone had any experience with Ansmann rechargeable 9V or AA? They're cut sheet sounds like they're wonderful, real world experiences would be nice though... http://www.ansmann.de/en/index.htm?view=list&pr2id=32 Gerry G. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 23:50:42 -0600 Subject: Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan From: Greg Persinger Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > I have a Metor Ellipscan and just love using it. I have found out that at > the end of a week run, I do have to tweak the pre-programmed focus points. > It does tend to drift after a while. Why does it do this? Ken, Welcome to the wonderful world of moving lights. I personally have not used the Meteor Ellipscan but it works just like any other moving light I have ever worked with. Basically the mirror is moved with a stepper motor as mentioned by Frank Wood, but where Frank missed it is by assuming there are position sensors. Instead when the fixture homes it beats against a hard stop a certain number of steps which guarantees that the mirror is at it's 0,0 position. (does this for both axis) Once it is at 0,0 the CPU knows how many steps take it to 50, 50 and 100,100 or any place in between 0,0 and 100,100. There are several things that can throw the mirror off. Sometimes if you make a fast move the inertia of the mirror will cause it to overshoot by a step or two. Over time this adds up to noticeable errors. High End has dampers on their moving mirror fixtures to help combat this problem. Some cheaper fixtures don't have the best smoothing algorithms and will drop information and not move the mirror a step because of the DMX having a different resolution then the stepper motors. These dropped bits slowly add into the position error over time. Temperature plays a role in some fixtures. As the electronics get hot they lose a bit of accuracy as they miss a pulse. A dying driver chip can do this as well. Stepper motors get old and worn which can effect accuracy as they skip steps or hang at a rough spot in the motor. It may have been your fixture wasn't properly homed when you programmed and has been reset since the start of the run of your show and now it is moving correctly but you had "bad" presets to begin with. Also we are assuming that you have a DMX accurate console that outputs the same DMX value repeatedly for each cue. There used to be a time when this was not so true. In this type of fixture because there is no absolute position sensors, the CPU is counting steps and relying on the stepper motors to respond correctly, if the mirror gets off there is no way for the CPU to know or make corrections. With this kind of fixture I feel you are always best to home the fixture before you program and then home it before every show and check all of the focuses. Even then you will have issues from time to time. Some fixtures that don't have position sensors but use hard stops for "homing" can be reset in the middle of the show by taking pan and tilt from 0,0 to 100, 100 and back three or four times. This bangs the mirror on the hard stops and puts the mirror/stepper motor back into the proper relation with the CPU. I had a Cyberlight that would lose it's position sometimes after a big ballyhoo. I just wrote a macro that faded it out and then slammed on pan and tilt a couple of times before releasing the fixture. Fixed it every time. I agree with Frank that positioning sensors are the way to go, at least in theory, but this also means that your fixtures have twice the electronics in them to keep them running and need more CPU processing power. When it all works the accuracy is great, when it doesn't work it pretty much shuts down the light because the CPU can't figure out where the function is at. Also if you are trying to get high amounts of accuracy a direct drive DC motor is better than a stepper motor but requires a position sensor to know where it is. Frank's suggestions of checking that everything is clean and tight is good advice, but I suspect that this is just the nature of the fixture and one that you will just have to learn to deal with. As mentioned before try resetting each show and see what happens. Good luck! Greg Persinger Vivid Illumination Greg [at] Vividillumination.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 01:33:40 -0500 From: Brian Munroe Reply-To: Brian Munroe Subject: Re: gmail In-Reply-To: References: On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 04:51:11, CB wrote: > If my ISP scans my e-mail for spam, its to reduce it, not encourage it. I don't think that Gmail is encouraging spam. > Somehow I don't get the feeling that the fine folk at Google are as > concerned about how I feel about SPAM as my ISP is... Probably not. Jon said "Non-Gmail users who send email to a Gmail account will have the privilege of having the contents of that email scoured by Google." I was just trying to point out the Google is not the only email provider that scans your email, for whatever reason. The fact is, unless you are encrypting your email, it is not very secure. Just ask Paris Hilton. Also, many employers reserve the right to read your email sent and received from company addresses. Brian Munroe brian [at] themunroes.com bpmunroe [at] gmail.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <033301c52d29$23e2c3a0$6401a8c0 [at] chris> From: "Chris Warner" References: Subject: Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 00:45:16 -0800 Funny thing, I have played with this from time to time, but have never, actually BUILT anything that would actually work. Wonder if you could use 2 RC servos? Hmm, perhaps the next big thing just got thought! May have to try this out when I have time... Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Persinger" To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:50 PM Subject: Re: Moving lights - Ellipscan > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > > I have a Metor Ellipscan and just love using it. I have found out that at > > the end of a week run, I do have to tweak the pre-programmed focus points. > > It does tend to drift after a while. Why does it do this? > > Ken, > > Welcome to the wonderful world of moving lights. I personally have not used > the Meteor Ellipscan but it works just like any other moving light I have > ever worked with. > > Basically the mirror is moved with a stepper motor as mentioned by Frank > Wood, but where Frank missed it is by assuming there are position sensors. > Instead when the fixture homes it beats against a hard stop a certain number > of steps which guarantees that the mirror is at it's 0,0 position. (does > this for both axis) Once it is at 0,0 the CPU knows how many steps take it > to 50, 50 and 100,100 or any place in between 0,0 and 100,100. > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.4 - Release Date: 3/18/2005 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <036b01c52d2a$007aa080$6401a8c0 [at] chris> From: "Chris Warner" References: Subject: Re: gmail Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 00:51:26 -0800 One way to cut down on spam is to make sure that your ISP has spam scanning, on the account, COX communications does this and gives you the option to either recieve the messages marked as SPAM or to delete them before you download them. Another choice is to get an account with spam cop. Misconception is that ISP's are scanning your email for your information, most of it is done at the mail exchanger level anyone who has watched a log file for these machines will know that hte information is rather mundance, basically recieved from hosts, and where hte message is headed. Sorry my 3 years as an ISP administrator are coming out. Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "CB" To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 4:51 AM Subject: Re: gmail > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > >Besides, google is not the only email provider that scans messages. > >If your isp has any type of spam filters, they are scanning your > >email. > > If my ISP scans my e-mail for spam, its to reduce it, not encourage it. > SPAM costs you and I and my ISP (ergo the you and I part) much money. They > keep the SPAM down, they can keep the prices down. It has been suggested > that SPAM makes up over 60% of what an ISP handles on a daily basis, and we > all get to pay for it. It'd be like the Post Office charging a buck a > letter to pay for all the flyers and ads that you receive in your mailbox. > Somehow I don't get the feeling that the fine folk at Google are as > concerned about how I feel about SPAM as my ISP is... > "But, I don't like SPAM!" > 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... > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.4 - Release Date: 3/18/2005 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.4 - Release Date: 3/18/2005 ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #335 *****************************