University Essasy

[Finny]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm currently writting my Dissertation for uni and wondered if anyone out there could help?

 

I'm doing it on "What is a movers place in a typical theatre show" or words to that effect.

 

I was just wondering if you could fill in my questionare, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes of your time.

 

Download Questionare (sorry for the bad formatting)

 

My email address is lwiseman@rsamd.ac.uk once you have filled it in.

 

Thank you

 

Finny

[gareth]

Why don't you tell us what *your* anwers would be to all those questions, and then we can discuss/debate them? Otherwise, it strikes me that all you'll do is take the most common answer(s) to each question and turn them into your essay - which I'm sure isn't what your tutors had in mind. Tell me what you think, and I'll tell you whether or not I agree, and if not what I think is the answer.

 

If this is your dissertation, I assume you're in your final year - surely you're now at the stage in your lighting design education where you have the knowledge and experience to enable you to come up with your own answers to those questions and then perhaps present them for discussion?

[boatman]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm currently writting my Dissertation for uni and wondered if anyone out there could help?

 

I'm doing it on "What is a movers place in a typical theatre show" or words to that effect.

 

I was just wondering if you could fill in my questionare, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes of your time.

 

Download Questionare (sorry for the bad formatting)

 

My email address is lwiseman@rsamd.ac.uk once you have filled it in.

 

Thank you

 

Finny

 

Firstly, we don't do your homework for you. Secondly, don't apologise for bad formatting in your questionnaire, but put it right otherwise people will just think you're lazier than the first point makes you look. Thirdly, a final year student should at least be able to spell the word essay. Finally, if you expect the busy professionals on here to give up 20 minutes of their valuable time, you need to at least make it look as though you've tried to do some of the work yourself.

[richardtank]

Are you at a UK university? Where's your ethics statement?

[gherriott]

I'm afraid that I am one of these people who cannot justify taking out 20 minutes of their time to fill in a questionnaire that has obviously not been proof read. You really do need to look at your grammar. At dissertation level surely this is second nature? I think there are a lot of repeated question; just phrased slightly differently. You talk about touring rigs, and yet in your initial brief before the first question you say that all the questions apply to a small box theatre. Sorry for being brash here, but it is really one of my pet hates; reading through questionnaires and spending time filling them in when the creator has spent less time creating it.

[Dj Dunc]

Are you at a UK university? Where's your ethics statement?

 

Richard, hes at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow (according to his email address and profile).

 

Ive just applied there, so I hope I wont see a lot of this there. :)

[Mr_Jules]

I really don't know where to begin with this one. Not only would it take about 2 hours to fill this form in by giving more than basic Yes/No answers, but it is so poorly conceived that I'd be surprised if anyone bothered. The wording of many of the questions show such a basic lack of understanding of intelligent lighting that it is hard to believe that they've come from a final year student at a highly regarded centre of training. Moreover, your email address and profile name don't seem to correlate, which suggests that you're trying to pull a stunt somewhere along the line.

[paulears]

This is a joke, right?

 

Many of us on here have actually been at the reading end of things like this, and ignoring the fact that you cannot spell the word questionnaire or essay - the questions you have directed at us, seem more likely to have been pointed at you to answer, and you've just deflected them straight to us to save work.

 

You have no idea of how to construct a questionnaire of this type so that you get back a quantity that is sufficient to be a representation of 'how things are'. You have only requested information from professionals or students. Why are you seeking the views of people who have no experience? If you want to ask students, ask your mates. We have plenty on here who are still at school and still learning, so in what way do their views become considered, bearing in mind their lack of experience? They can only comment on what they have found out so far?

 

In fact, asking amateurs would be a good idea. They now have budgets to be proud of, and have to select equipment to do a job, as they don't have it in stock. Professionals may well have tied suppliers, or have house equipment that gets used first, and you've not taken this into account.

 

Worst of all is that the formulation of the questions is faulty. You often ask closed questions, that encourage the answer yes or no. Adding "give details" rarely provide you with useful stuff. When you do use open questions, they require the person to write a large amount, and frankly - few will bother. The questionnaire is also anonymous making validation impossible, and as a result possibly worthless.

 

If this is final year material from your uni, then my faith in them as a quality educational provider is seriously compromised. I really suggest you scrap this as it is pointless.

 

I'd guess that some people have filled in the form without much thought, others will have lied, others will be telling you real facts - can you tell the difference?

 

 

I'd also suggest that in a dissertation questionnaire, it would be useful to put the subject in there somewhere - AND your full name and contact details. You want our time, so we want information - seems fair to me.

Paul

[Just Some Bloke]

6. Do you feel if movers are in the design that the designer does not need to research colour as much, therefore is doing less work - or is it still the same amount of work - just at a different time in the process - at the plot rather than design stage?

What? How can you possibly light a show without researching the colours you're going to use? Whatever unit you're using you need to know what colour(s) you're going to use it for: this is the same whether it's a gel-frame, a scroller or a CMY/RGB mix that's doing it. When the designer or director says to you "what colour are you intending to use in this scene?" you wouldn't answer "dunno, I've got Mac 600s so I'll just decide on the day". Not if you're actually a lighting designer rather than just playing with toys, anyway.

 

7. Do you feel that with the introduction to intelligent lighting that older generations of lighting designers may struggle to implement them into their design if need be and that this technology is more suited to the younger generation, who’ve had classes on them. Or do you feel they are easy to learn and anyone could use them?

Again, you've misunderstood the definition of 'lighting designer'. A designer says "I want that peron to be lit in 107 or equivalent from a DS shin position and with a 071 or equivalent backilight from LX4" - whether that's done with a 500w profile and a 2k fresnel or a Source 4 with a scroller on and a Mac2K really isn't that important. The programmer will sort out how to do things and the designer will design the look. That takes the same skills now as it always has.

 

9. Do you feel there is there any pressure in the industry to have intelligent lighting in the design to make it better?

Why on earth would intelligent lights automatically make a design better? :)

 

I gave up after that point as I had no trust that the question setter had any idea what they were going on about. Sorry. I could believe this of someone in a local college who's just starting to understand about lighting design, but final year in a university? Just not ready for a degree, for my money.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

Just spotted another one:

 

26. Do feel intelligent lighting has a place in a theatre lighting design or are they better suited to Dance, Rock N Roll, Musicals etc?

 

So where do dance and musicals take place then?

Did you, maybe, mean "drama" when you said "theatre"?

What subject are you studying FFS?

[Finny]

Ok, I've taken it off now. I was just wanting some general feed back. I know you've all kinda snapped at me - but thanks anyway. It shows I clearly was going in the wrong direction. I will now redo do it and I guess I won't be posting it up here. Sorry to annoy any of you.

[Pete McCrea]

We don't mind helping. As Long as it's with a properly conceived and thought through piece of work. SPaG goes a very long way to making that look so, as does properly thought out questions.

 

If you do edit the questionnaire, possibly trial it on a willing suspect before unleashing it. That way you can refine it prior to putting it out in the wild. Please bear in mind that there are people who do this for a living here, so really do know their shizzle. Getting the terminology wrong will annoy them.

[Mr_Jules]

I for one would be more than happy for you to repost this questionnaire once you have given it due thought. To be perfectly honest though, it's a bit of a dead subject as it currently stands. You need to be far more specific in your field of enquiry. It is clear that you don't understand the basics of the topic itself well enough to investigate and analyse the subject in any real depth, and certainly not to that required of a dissertation. It's a shame that you've had to learn the hard way, but what you asked for was not 'general feed back'. The reason you were 'snapped at' is that some of your questions were somewhat insulting, both to our intelligence and our professionalism. There are plenty of people here who would be prepared to help if you are clearer about your objectives. Just take a little more time in the future before blundering in.

[Bobbsy]

As the original poster has already said he's withdrawing his questionnaire, I'll close this topic for now.

 

However, I'd repeat what has been said by others that another topic with links to a better-considered and better-executed research document would be welcomed if the poster chooses to try again.