School Technical Budget

[DSA]

Hi,

 

Currently we have no real budget for any technical items at school, and I think I might just send a letter to the head.....

 

I was just wondering what you people think would be a sensible ball park figure to ask for ...

 

1) perhaps you are in a school with one (in which case how much do you get and how does it operate)

 

2) if not, what would be a reasonable figure from your experience.

 

Currently we lie somewhere between the physics and drama depts. - but now the teacher that looked after us has left (he was in physics) - so they dont let us have batteries or gaffa etc.

 

...so its just the drama dept. left - and they're fine for their productions for a bit of gel etc., but for anything else - forget it! At the moment it is just rediculous.

 

In my 4 years in the 'job' I have only seen 2 new bits of kit - a radio mic and a MD deck! (both invaluable of course!)

 

Thanks for any assistance,

David

[dominicgross]

At my old school I encountered a simular problem, I took me 2 hard years of fighting for the school to create a seperate account and budget. In the end we had the 'drama' budget and the 'production' budget.

 

I found it usefull NOT to ask the head in advanced. When we did cabaret we had £1000 to spend, and we ment deliberatly way over budget: the 'production fund was thus formed'.

 

We also had a policy (as did all the departments) or use it or loose it. so at the end of each financial year, we would go out on a shopping sprea: hense how we ended up with a frogbox. Not cause we needed it, it just looked fun.

[Joshwah]

At my school we get around £200 three times a year I think roughly that we use that for bulbs and consumables, gels and stuff I often get for them for free.

 

We have an extensive lighting stock but the sound is pretty poor up till now we often hire in extra kit to supplement what we have, but people have started to realise we do need a new sound rig as I have been saying for the past 6 years.

 

We are just in the prosses in purchasing a new Martin Hill powercube rig we are spending around 10 grand on stuff in total which is good.

 

At the end of the day if you really need certain pieces of kit to carry out jobs your expected to be able to, then tell them this and bid for the money. I would say whatever happens tho a working theartes need money for consumables and bulbs and so you need some kind of budget. Also if its a safety issue for example you don't have enough safety bonds then that certainly should be raised we were short on a few altho we don't generally hang all the lanterns at once so we purchased 20 new ones because at the end of the day safety should not be put second place to anything.

 

The irony with my situation is I'm leaving in three weeks as I'm off to uni next year and I've just speced and purchased them a nice new rig I cant use it now!

[James]

Why have you decide to go with Powercubes?

 

(Sorry for curiosity but just spent a week working a gig with Malcolm Hill on FOH, on a Hill desk and Hill Powercube PA...)

 

James

[the kid]

I'm not sure of out budget but we get sponsered by local shops etc.

 

and thats all the help I can offer at the moment I'll get back when I've seen the teacher in charge of light's ah well ohly 1 hour till lunch. :P

[Joshwah]

We've gone for power cubes because firstly, we wanted a powered system so that there was no need for amps, secondly they are a quite compact box and don't way lots considering they have amp built in, also its good that when you add an extra cube your effectively adding an extra amp.

I've worked with them before and was impressed with the sound quality and high spl's they are capable of. I personally haven't worked with any other powered speaker as good other than meyer upa's which are far superior but have the price tag to match.

 

What was your opinion of them for are situation they seemed the best speaker for the job and the guys at sound foundation have been great to deal with.

[P. Funk]

at my school I just blaf off anyone who'll listen. generally speaking we buy stuff before every major productio (every 6 months or so) and so we have an alright-ish rig. as it is just about the beginning of the financial year though, and our school Parents Association I think has some money, I'm going to try and get us a few more profiles and a ZR12 :P

[robloxley]

Not sure that asking for a large (or not-so-large) pot of money would be the right approach, or how likely you are to get an ongoing open-ended capital expenditure budget.

 

If there's a deficiency in the theatre equipment-wise, identify it, cost how much it would cost to rectify it (maybe there are a number of options), think of what benefits it would bring (contributions to A-Level and GCSE teaching?) then write a specific application based on that, for the relevant capital funding.

 

As for ongoing expenditure, estimate how much gel and lamps and other consumables you get through each year; also add a reasonable amount for other 'maintenance' costs - PAT testing, spares for lamps, new cables to replace ones that get damaged etc. and put that forward as a maintenance budget request.

[Guest lightnix]

Would it be possible to do a deal for "educational rates" with a local hire company (if you have one nearby) ? That way you could minimise the maintenance and spares costs, while always getting nicely prepped and looked after kit.

 

As time went by you might be able to argue that it's cheaper in the long term to buy, rather than rent and wangle yourself a basic rig that way :P

[kalmatthew]

PAT testing,

all scholls have all the equipment PAT tested in each long holiday break so just ask to have yours done at the same time for free , and ask for the budget to do it with :P.

[DSA]

Yes, all equipment is PAT tested when due (usually during Summer hols) and in fact SE come in each year to 'service' the betapacks and installation (quite what they actually 'do' I have yet to see!)

 

I seem to be very good at leaving my lamp/phone charger/.............(insert a piece of my electrical equipment here) at school over the summer holidays.

 

Funny that.

 

David

[P. Funk]

there's now a 'jons random LX' cupboard in the music room :P

[Techno_Monkey]

perhaps you are in a school with one (in which case how much do you get and how does it operate)

 

Just made me think what we have just bought in the past 24 months, and the list is quite scary!

 

1x Avolites Pearl 2004

1x Allen and Heath 40ch Mixer

20x MAC 250

1x Stage Hazer

12x Cantata Fresnels

4x SL Profiles

8?x Parcans

1x brand new school with new 5k+ PA, new tabs, legs, cyc IWB's, 5k projector, hydraulic thrust. 2 Fat Frog's etc etc

 

The list is no doubt longer, but I'm too tired to think right now! :P

[DSA]

aaaaaaaargh

you lucky b'@"&*d

 

If only......

 

David

[Jon T]

Hey. in the last 9 months at skool we have had a £12k upgrade to DMX including new LX bars, Z88 fat frog, demux, rainbow scrollers, 2x betapak 2's. 2 weeks ago skool bought a high end studio spot for £3k. At the moment the drama dept seem to be getting all the money.hehe.