BenHowitt Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Hi all,Basically, the situation is this: we're doing Les Mis for our school musical this year, and were hoping to rig up some flies for key scenes (that is, the bridge, and the barricade). We've had some small flies before now, but only to the extent of gauze etc.Effectively, have any of you had any experience with rigging flies? And would you be able to give me any info about which systems to use and anything we'll ahve to keep in mind while rigging?Sorry to be vague guys,Thanks in advance,Ben Howitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 As students... DON'T do it.Teachers... DON'T do it. If you want to start hanging stuff over your stage the best bet is to get experienced stage techs, or preferably professionals in to do the work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Wow. So much clarification needed. Does your school have a flying system at all, and you're not sure of the best way to rig the bridge etc to the existing system, or do you have no existing ability to fly and want to put something in? If it's the former, then it's achievable, with some competent and capable riggers to assist you; if it's the latter, you're probably out of luck - at the very least you'll need a structural engineer to tell you if the building is capable of holding up any decent weight and professionals to design and install anything you want to put up. I've done Les Mis twice; the first was a full-scale pro-am production (we can get amateur rights to the show here in NZ) in a "real" theatre and even then the bridge was so heavy it had to be flown across three sets of lines (yes, we did it properly and safely!), the second a school production in a school hall, with some ability to fly on handlines, where they very wisely decided not to attempt flying the bridge. Instead, they had scaffolding gantries running down the hall out from either side of the stage, and got a local rigger to put in a system where Javert could jump off the gantry and "fall" to the floor. Obviously this system was installed by someone competent to do so - it wasn't something that the school's physics teacher had dreamed up. My advice to you is a) give us more information and b) get professional help in. And what do you want to fly in the barricade scenes anyway? Both times I did the show the barricades came on from the wings and nothing flew anywhere near that sequence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHowitt Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Fair enough.Guess that answers the question - we won't be flying, in all likelihood.Sorry to waste your time,Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojc123 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Ynot's is the only answer you need. Get in the professionals. It's too risky for do-it-yourself. I doubt your school's/authority's insurance would cover any but a professionaly installed system. Ours doesn't. Hope it goes well. It's a fantastic show which I can't stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Just as an add-on: The recommended minimum height for a fly tower is 2.5 times the height of the proscenium arch (not that everybody sticks to it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutwo Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 We have very limited space also, what we did was fly a fake bridge, as in the side view only. It was lightweight and only took up around 5ft of height, as Javert steps "off the bridge" it flew up behind him to give the impression he fell. With some low fog, good lighting and a lot of practice it worked really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 When I was part of the crew for an offical licensed schools production Les Mis, we did an alternative Javert death scene in the sewers to avoid the flying. AFAIK, this was written into the proper licensed script. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHowitt Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Stutwo - I think just flying a side view would probably be what we would be doing. I was just trying to work out how to nexplain what I meant due to my uselessness with the english language :(. Moving on then. Does anybody have any advice on which system (that is, counterweight/hemp/something else) to use? In terms of which is easiest to set up and then ease of use?Thanks again,Ben Howitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w/robe Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Ben I'm afraid you are going to get all of these types of answers again. As students... DON'T do it.Teachers... DON'T do it. If you want to start hanging stuff over your stage the best bet is to get experienced stage techs, or preferably professionals in to do the work. A 4' x 12' bit of framed out hardboard is going to hurt if it hits someone edge on from 25' up. Having said that did we all do these things when we were at school, yes. In fact the house in the Wizard of Oz not only flew but swung out over the orchestra pit. But times, and the perseption of risk, change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHowitt Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Okay. Thanks anyways. Is a shame, but such is life. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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