dfinn Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 hi, I have currently never done any sound or light work for stages etc but I am a young mobile dj and I understand the basics of DMX lighting and how to set up an audio system. I was just wondering if there were any vital tips that you people could give me when I start the work. I have my first meeting on tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 What job is it you're doing exactly? If you tell us that, we can probably give you more specific information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfinn Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 erm, well there are 4 of us including me who do the sound and light work now 1 is the main guy, he is dead good at it,2 and 3 are 2 that joined recently and I am the newbie. I have been told that at the first meeting I will be talkied throught the sound equipment and then the lights, they run 2 DMX deskscontrollingn 8 colourchangers, 4 atm's floods and spots etc I am just going to be settin g up and running the sound and light, we all muck in and do a bit of everything really, I dont think there are any specific sound or light people. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P. Funk Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 yes, but what for? what venue, hwat kinda productions, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfinn Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 sorry, it's at my high school well, I am a musician as well so the musical concerts I wont do light and sound work but our school now has performing arts status so we will have drama show and productions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I suppose the main thing to do is just be enthusiastic and willing to learn. If you don't know something, ask, but use your brain too. Get that right and everything else will come naturally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Foster Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 If your helping or working for people, don't get dissapointed and give up if you start out with jobs like pulling staples out of the old flats. You will still learn alot and progress to better jobs when people have seen that you have the right atitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeG Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Hey, I started out in the 'technician' team at my secondary school a couple of years back. I had little more knowledge than you do (the principals of DMX and colour use etc) and now I'm preparing for our centenary production of Jesus Christ Superstar as chief electrician! We're using an ambitious lighting rig including intelligent moving lights and this has all stemmed from a spark of enthusiasm about the technical side of theatre that I picked up from my older cousin. A couple of years may sound like a lot, but we put on a maximum of five shows a year and only one of those is a major one. It's surprising how your confidence grows over such a short time as far as techniques and knowledge is concerned. Even now I'm learning loads (ask Peter; I've been bothering him on MSN for weeks asking questions about the more advanced light fixtures)! Just keep askin' and askin' and then enjoy eventually answering other people's questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfinn Posted January 10, 2004 Author Share Posted January 10, 2004 yeh, our school runs intelligent colourchangers and atm lights but we dont have moving heads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P. Funk Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 my school is applying for performing arts status, and if all goes to schedule, we will have a brand new fully equipped auditorium the YEAR AFTER I LEAVE (sept 2005). I am now chief sparkie at school.. and we have next to nothing (a school hall with a stage, 24 patchable DMX system). I am gradually draining the drama budget though, and I am going to make a point of the fatfrog and movers we hire in for a production in 2 weeks time being 'extremely useful' for me. oh yeah.. does anyone know what kind of lamps this would be: used in generic 5/6" fresnels and PCs, 500/650W? its a very common lamp - I just dont have/cant remember the ref code and need to put an order of stuff together for monday. got a load of 5 - 15 amp adapters to make as well :blink: . the clever install people decided to put 5 amp roundpin plugs on rather than 15 amp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 oh yeah.. does anyone know what kind of lamps this would be: used in generic 5/6" fresnels and PCs, 500/650W? its a very common lamp - I just dont have/cant remember the ref code and need to put an order of stuff together for monday. got a load of 5 - 15 amp adapters to make as well . the clever install people decided to put 5 amp roundpin plugs on rather than 15 amp...Depends a bit on which fresnels. Patt 123 will take a T1 or a T17 or 24(halogen). More recent 500s are likely to be teh bi-pin T18 or 25. 650w version of the T18 is a T21 or 12. AFAIK the T18 is fully interchangable with the T21 etc. I don't know what the difference is, I'm sure someone out there will tell us!! :blink: 5A was the standard in many schools and small installations due to the use of 1kW dimmers. Please get someone to check your work. I don't want to seem rude, but there is no way I'd trust the students here to make cables!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 ...and we have next to nothing (a school hall with a stage, 24 patchable DMX system). I am gradually draining the drama budget though, and I am going to make a point of the fatfrog and movers we hire in for a production in 2 weeks time being 'extremely useful' for me.One of the best things you can learn to do is to light a show with limited resources. Many small scale tours end up in venues with little equipment and it is an art to still make the show look good. I'd go as far as suggesting that it is more difficult to light a show with 12 lanterns than with 200. One of the best examples is Reid's suggestions for lighting a show with first 1, then 2 and so on until he finishes with just 12 units covering a stage. Whilst it is always fun to play with moving lights, using them doesn't make the show look any better. A mover rigged in the wrong place is just as useless as a conventional in the wong place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 650w version of the T18 is a T21 or 12.Do you mean T28 (650w lamp)? Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 One of the best things you can learn to do is to light a show with limited resources. [snip]Whilst it is always fun to play with moving lights, using them doesn't make the show look any better. A mover rigged in the wrong place is just as useless as a conventional in the wong place.I couldn't agree more Brian.I've seen too many people hire in masses of intelligents and use extensive rigs, and doing no better a job (and in some cases worse), than a rig half the price. As a general rule, if there is any fixture that you wouldn't notice had failed, scrap it from the design.If you're the only person that would notice, consider whether you could use the resources elsewhere to greater effect. The only excuse for moving lights I justify (when it's not rock'n'roll anyway), is to replace a set of generic fixtures that either cost more than the mover or wouldn't fit on the rig.Rock'n'roll's a different kettle of fish, but you can do a lot with parcans from unexpected directions. Consider what you could do with more dimmer channels and generics - in most cases a large stock of generics will save you more hire money than a small stock of movers. Remember that a mover costs at least 5 times more than a generic profile or fresnel and takes a LOT more maintenance.Wouldn't you rather have those profiles than a single cheap mover? When you really need them, they will complement your generic rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 I worked the circuit and then went off to college and learnt a lot. However, once I started working in the industry a chief gave me his two rules. These 2 rules have been more important to me, and my success than many of the things I was taught. Rule 1. If you don't know what your doing, ask someone.Rule 2. If you mess up, put your hand in the air and admit to it. Well... he might have used a slighltly different word to 'mess', but the jist is exactly the same. they've both served me very well. Good luck dfinn! mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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