Help! School lighting system

[jakefraser]

Can anyone tell me what an ICT teacher is, BTW? It's a good many years since I was involved in education

 

ICT is Information and Communications Technology - basically computer-related jiggery-pokery. It seems an odd combination of ICT and LX, but then again one of the staff at my school is a maths teacher.

 

Samuel, I'd definitely try to get support from the teacher you've got - it is unfortunate but you tend to be ignored in a school environment if you're a student (until you are able to bypass that teacher and work with the site manager and production staff directly like I did 2 years ago :** laughs out loud **:)

 

Good luck mate

[JamieR]

It is unfortunate but you tend to be ignored in a school environment if you're a student (until you are able to bypass that teacher and work with the site manager and production staff directly like I did 2 years ago :** laughs out loud **:)

 

That is very true indeed, although being the only person in my school who is really involved with the technical side of theatre here is an advantage to me! It is an advantage also having worked at my school as an IT Technician, as I'm fortunate to know where everything is, how everything works etc and who I need to chat up to get what I want!

 

The biggest worry that I have, is although it's great that Sam is young and enthuiastic, the health and safety laws etc really do apply to someone of that age. I'm not allowed up ladders until I'm 18 and been on a WAH course.

 

And when you think about it, it might seem like a bit of a strange combination, an ICT Teacher being involved with LX, but the technological side of the theatre is becoming more and more interlinked with the IT world nowadays.

 

Best of luck Sam

 

Jamie.

[nicemms]

It can be hard as a student. But like Jamie, I am also an ICT techncian at school, student and chief student lighting techncian! Our school has let under 18s go up ladders! Even I've been up ladders!

 

You've just got to get talk to people, show enthusiasm and never give up.

[JamieR]

It can be hard as a student. But like Jamie, I am also an ICT techncian at school, student and chief student lighting techncian! Our school has let under 18s go up ladders! Even I've been up ladders!

 

You've just got to get talk to people, show enthusiasm and never give up.

 

I used to be allowed up ladders on the sly, then I think my college decided to toughen up on the H&S. I've been looking through old threads on the BR to try and gain some info into WAH training - regs etc. One poster in a thread said he'd been on a course when he was 16 (ladder training etc which I need) with SLX, so I've contacted them for some more info. I actually got one thing wrong in my earlier post - I said that I had to be 18 *and* been on a WAH course before I was allowed back up ladders. I'm allowed to go up before I'm 18, as long as I've been on the right course. I rang one company up and asked for training and they said that I had to be 18, so I'm kinda confused.

 

I was hoping that my school (well high school + sixth form college, of which I'm in the upper year of sixth form) would supplement the cost of the WAH training, but the problem is that school budgets are really strict and are often really limited. Our school has little money in terms of performing arts. It's a far cry from my old school, which is a PA college...hmm, nice new Robes!

 

If your school is a state funded school and you're working part time as an IT tech (as I was), and you are/were receiving monthly pay slips from the council, then surely you're technically an employee of the council?

 

Going back to the matter in hand, in life you'll always get stuff and people which/who will get in your way, you just gotta over come this. Sam seems like a sensible lad for his age, and he has his head screwed on. He seems to have a lot of enthusiasm for what he does, which is good!

 

Sorry for kinda thread-jacking!

[samuelk001]

Hi,

I dont quite understand this

 

If your school is a state funded school and you're working part time as an IT tech (as I was), and you are/were receiving monthly pay slips from the council, then surely you're technically an employee of the council?

 

I am a student not an ict techer! if that is what you are saying

Dont mean to be rude

Samuel Kingdon

[light-man]

It can be hard as a student.

 

Tell me about it! I am the first one ever in our school to do my performing arts/drama GCSE in lighting and sound (more so lighting), and getting a plan drawn for the performance is all great and hunky doory, but when someone throws in the band's wine evening and the christmas show at the same time, you planning has to be so flexible. I am opting for some sort of bank of colours (mainly R/Y/G/B or R/B/G) as this will, I hope, create a colour wash feature.

 

I used to be allowed up ladders on the sly

 

Well, I am 15 and I am not supposed to go up ladders yet. It is ok for teachers in our school, because both Drama teachers know the ancient Strand Tempus system, and we have a Media Arts technichian, oh yeah, and me, who is now called 'performing arts technical director'.

 

Our school is a Media Arts collage, and I don't see Robes working thier way into our theatre! Then again, we do have quite a large infastructure, and we are haveing this new 96 channel desk, 8 LED cans and a Demux to convert the old Strand Tempus/Prelude stuff over so we can run both installed, but that is all out of the current budget.

 

Sam, could your teacher not bid for the Staff money thingy the school have up for grabbs?

 

Good Luck on your venture Sam!

[JamieR]

It can be hard as a student.

 

Tell me about it! I am the first one ever in our school to do my performing arts/drama GCSE in lighting and sound (more so lighting), and getting a plan drawn for the performance is all great and hunky doory, but when someone throws in the band's wine evening and the christmas show at the same time, you planning has to be so flexible. I am opting for some sort of bank of colours (mainly R/Y/G/B or R/B/G) as this will, I hope, create a colour wash feature.

 

Sounds like the best thing you can do really. Without the flexibility of movers you're pretty limited when you have shows one after each other etc. I've got a staff kareoke and Xmas show straight after each other, and I have little time to ammed the rig for the second production. I'll see what I can do though - I've mainly gotten into using more moving lights (well I say moving lights..I'll be honest, pretty standard DMX disco scanners) to create fairly basic but varied effects on stage, and over head when I can get them up there.

 

And in terms of H&S, although the rules are limiting, and annoying, the rules are there for a reason.

[light-man]

well I say moving lights..I'll be honest, pretty standard DMX disco scanners, to create fairly basic but varied effects on stage...

 

Funny you should mention this! I have a Blaze Club light (progects patterns onton a stage enviroment, but has no external moving parts) that I am (hopefully) going to use for a GCSE Mock Examination, where one group need a Club/Disco enviroment. The stupid thing is, the bulb sort of broke as I was about to demonstraight it! :)

 

I should look at these though, that's a wonderfull idea. I doubt I'll ever get it though.

[smalljoshua]

I have got one such disco scanner (Mojo Scan I) that I bring in every time the school needs a profile Spot because it is Quicker to get this PATed and rigged on my T-Bar than is is to move a Profile in the Rig (We only have 2 and 1 s perminately focused where the principal stands for open evenings.

 

Josh

 

Edit: Spelling

[schooltechie]

just thought I'd say well done sam.

I started at my school when I was just 11 with an ancient strand system where most of the lamps were broken.

now 5 years on I have left and am still working there with an official title and a pay from the school. I agree work with the teacher and bid to the school for money to build on your system once you have got what you have working. also be dedicated people take you more seriously, 2 years ago we managed to get the school to buy a jester lighting desk and last year they upgraded our lamps to quartets and gave us a hire budget on top of our original budget. so we now have a stack of patt 123's and some other old strand spots. also we have a old analogue strand desk which I could with some time get the powers that be to let you have. once again well done sam and PM me and let anyone of the other very helpful people on here help you along the way.

Alex

well done