technician School for young people

[workie2209]

HI

 

I am currently running a training programme for a local am dram group that will train young people up with the skill needed to run a live preformance. I am looking for ideas on what topics I should cover with them in the following areas

 

SOUND

LIGHTS

AV

STAGE MANAGEMENT

 

I would like to keep it basic and not confuse them for the first few months then we can move it on abit to the more complicated stuff.

 

 

 

Thanks Gary

[nothingatall666]

SOUND:

 

Types of mics.

How to coil a cable.

Speakers & amps. (these two could become quite complex pretty fast)

How to use a sound desk.

How to mix (could start with just one mic, then build up to band/group)

 

might post again if I think of anymore..

[smalljoshua]

How to coil a cable.

Make sure this is a priority of the highest order. I have come across people who work backstage and still coil cables around their elbow. In fact in the last production I lit I ended up coiling all of the cables myself as no other person could do it properly.

 

Lighting. Again the basics. Don't even think about moving heads until people are lighting shows well without them. Too many people my age seem to think throwing a few movers at a show will make it better.

 

Josh

[iamchristuffin]

I'm assuming this is a theatrical group, or is it more musical based?

 

Soundwise, I can't really think of anything to add except how a system goes together (Input=>Mixer=>Amps=>Speakers), and the different forms an Input source could take.

 

Lighting, I'd definitely include power calcs, even if it's so they just know what to do, and how important it is! As you said run a live performance, I wouldn't bother with different types of lantern, or what each lantern does. Save that until one of them needs to design, unless they ask!

 

I'm sure I'll come back with other stuff, but I'm not really thinking straight at the moment!

 

How to coil a cable.

Make sure this is a priority of the highest order.

 

Agreed. It's become the first thing I teach anyone now, as I've seen so many different ways of coiling (wrongly) that iteach anyone how to coil, and I still seem to get annoyed with people who can't coil!!

 

Too many people my age seem to think throwing a few movers at a show will make it better.

 

Couldn't have put it better myself!

[Aaron-Hill07]

LIGHTING:

 

Types of lantern

Basic DMX

Types of cable? IEC, XLR etc.

Angles of light (Sidelighting, uplighting etc.)

How to safely hang lanterns

Types of lighting control

 

thats just a few things

[Rob_Beech]

Surely the safety aspect has to be top of the list with all of them.

 

Rob

[paulears]

"Today people we are going to learn how to coil a cable" - seems certain to guarantee a fascinating session!

 

Seriously, you've misunderstood what's going on. The people who are going to be trained have chosen to do backstage, not been made to - so if you are going to really engage them, you've got to come up with interesting topics for the sessions that will inspire them. You've go to take into account what you need them to learn, and what they'll be self-motivated enough to want to learn. Using the things mentioned above, some will want to learn about movers, some won't understand the basic concepts between Fresnels and profiles. With these groups you have to find ways to make it interesting at beginners and more skilled levels - and that's difficult.

 

I'd suggest that each session has some kind of aim - this is what you tell them they'll be doing next session, and then you craftily introduce the things they need to know or be able to do to get there. So I'd probably set the aim as making sure everyone can, for example, select the right bits to get a small sound system going. So give them a mic, a CD player, a small mixer, and amp and a pair of speakers, and have all the correct leads. BUT - you make sure the leads are a mess. So they start to uncoil/untwist them and get frustrated. This is when you show them how to coil a cable - they will see how not doing it properly makes life difficult next time, and will understand the reason you all think it important. With great respect, many people are going to be insulted by just being shown how to coil a cable, and won't realise how critical a skill it is. They will just think "He's showing me how to what?????"

 

Education is a journey people have to take for themselves. Show them the relevance and it will sink in.

 

So tonight's topic 'is making a small PA system work' - NOT 'how to coil a cable'. If you are crafty and plan properly, they all have a fairly complex aim, learn loads doing it (not TALKING about it) and cover the basic stuff on the way without it becoming a big deal.

 

The other trick in sessions like these is to find out who already can do things and get them to show others - this gets their respect and keeps them busy. So if you have too many uncoiled cables laying around, ask who knows how to coil them properly, and get them to show others while you keep the really green ones with you.

 

Make a list of all the things they need to be able to do, work out how many sessions you have and for how long, and then do your best to make them interesting and above all, fun! People in their own time who've been busy at work do this kind of thing for fun - if it's dull they won't stay. Analyse your audience, find fun ways of doing stuff and off you go. Please - don't even try running a cable coiling session. It's a brain switch off from the first moment.

Paul

[dbuckley]

Got an email today from my favorite stage manageress, suggesting we run some courses to pass this stuff on, and on her random and non-exclusive list were: SM duties, what's expected during rehearsals, packing in, marking stage, marking scripts, calling shows, allocating crew moves etc etc.

[w/robe]

All good stuff from Paul.

 

I would add that if any of your classes can relate to, or even be useful for, a show that your group is doing then hopefully people will be more motivated. Even if it takes you all night to rig a bar with your assistants if they can then come to the show, see their name in the programme and look at how their 2 lanterns fit in to the design it may be more motivating then 'tonight we'll learn how to rig a lantern and then take it back down again in an hours time'.

[adamski1010]

I agree that you have to try and keep your lessons interesting and I doubt that having a whole lesson dedicated to cable coiling is a great idea, however the more "boring" aspects of working in production (eg Cable Coiling) are still very necessary skills and must be taught to young people who wish to progress in this industry.

 

Maybe check out this thread on PSW regarding "High School Audio Mini-Course's"

http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php?...9391&19512/

(hope this doesn't violate any regs)

 

Hope This Helps

Adam

[timtheenchanteruk]

have a quick look at the edexcel website, the BTEC in technical theatre will give you some good pointers.

[paulears]

Well - it will if you just select the right bits - remember, though - that it is NOT intended for delivery as a short course - even bits of it. The idea is that lots of bits work together to create a kind of jigsaw - there are important bits missing from some areas, covered elsewhere, and you need to be pretty crafty to work out the overall picture.

[andy_s]

My ex-colleague tells us that on his first day on the stage management course at Central (in the early eighties) they had a whole session on "sweeping the stage".

 

A must for any stimulating stage management training session.

[Andrew C]

If you do want to sort out the cable coiling, how about making a race of it? Speed test +marks for style!

[mr_towers]

"RYA Instructor beanie on :( "

 

Session one for us is always safety, then joyride. So on a short course I'd translate that into having some fun with a lighting desk and pre prepared rig and some followspots or something along those lines.

 

Competitions do not always work. If you're working with young people, or a mix of mainly young people then generation game styley works. Some people can see it as patronising, it's only coiling a cable after all! In these cases, teach is as a seminar but get it over quickly. I've personally taught cable coiling (which incidentally is on the same level as flaking sails) in about 3 minutes tops. Do it, move onto something else that's more exciting.

 

"swaps hat"