Control Room Etiquette

[stebee]

HI all

 

here's a question,

how do you go about getting op's to stop eating and drinking in the booth?

the posted notices dont seem to work, removing bins just creates more trash and asking them to leave the building is not really an option as the show still has to go on.

Polite reminders seem to be a waste of time so do I need to start getting medievil?

 

and just how can someone eat 48 twix's in a two week run?

 

ta

ste

[Thirdtap]

'Lo

What about 'creating' a fault with a piece of equipment? During the repair it is found that food has got into the faders for example. Then mention to the op that due to them being responsible for the fault they are liable for the cost of repair?

 

Or just ask them to sign an agreement that if they undertake to carry on eating in the control room they will assume any costs involved in repairing equipment. Once you mention the costs of repair and hiring equipment they might think again.

 

I must admit to eating some sweets whilst op ing a show once in a while. But very rarely having a cup of tea anywhere near the box. It does seem that people who behave like this would not do this in their own venue or home studio.

 

Good luck

[Guest lightnix]

Are they ops from visiting / touring productions, freelancers / casuals or your own regular staff ?

[Neil Frazer]

Why not just let them eat?

 

It gets very boring oping some shows.

 

Neil

[ace]

Well I think there is a difference between someone who:

 

a) plonks their full cup of tea on the sloping bit of your nice strand desk and has to stedy it to stop it falling!

 

or

 

B) has a bar of chocholate on the adjacent desk in the room and turns around to eat it during a dull bit when he is still listening to the show?

 

I have always been known to have a drink, and occasionally some sweets in whatever control box I have been working in, but they have always been placed sensibly away from equipment!

[Peter Russell]

I think the answer to your problems is amputation, after all you only need one finger to press the go button!!!!! :D :D :D Severe but practical, Peter

[Angelic]

Very practical!

 

I myself, am very partial to the odd pack of polos during a show - small, not sticky, and easily found if lost - the more practical of the sweetie varieties!

 

However (sorry for posting this here!) when I was on the stage crew (many moons ago ** laughs out loud **!) I had a pack of polos backstage - in a production of Medea. I'll never forget being in the SR wings and offering someone a polo - she took one and the pack fell to pieces! Polos everywhere - rolling on stage, behind the stage, to the dressing rooms - everywhere! I wouldn't have minded but that was right in the middle of a mid-monologue dramatic pause!!! :D whoops!

 

Regards,

 

Rich.

[owen_mcauley]

Always found a smallish wide based tub/luchbox very good for those munchies during the show, empty out of packet and no horrible rustling sounds and when taped to props table/any other available space, very hard to knock over!

 

On the note about drinks in control rooms etc, anyone found with fizzy drinks near any of my kit is liable to have their throat ripped out to prevent it happening again!!!!

 

Owen

[Guest lightnix]

Maybe it's age creeping in, but when I started hanging around Manchester theatres back at the end of '70s these things were simply NOT done, end of story.

 

No ifs or buts - you just simply did not eat, drink, smoke, read, do crosswords or anything else other than the show while in the control room. It wasn't just about the sensitivity of the equipment or tidiness of the room, it was seen more as a matter of basic professionalism and self control. After all, we're only talking about a couple of hours max here, with an interval and you are usually out before closing.

 

If it's your control room and if you are in charge then you make the rules. It's not your job to be popular and if you don't want eating, smoking and drinking in there, then do what it takes to make it happen or don't. If you have done all you can as Mr. Reasonable, then either give up or hand out a couple of written warnings to wipe the smug grins off their faces.

 

Hope this doesn't sound like an old git ranting, but I know what I'd do... :D

[Angelic]

You're an old git ranting :D !

 

Not at all - if I find ANY drinks near my own desk I tend to get a bit nasty. Today is the age where professionalism is incredibly lax - and I, for one, miss it. I actually work for my extra pennies as a DJ - I'm fully PAT tested and have PLI, I'm a member of Equity etc., but the amount of people who don't actually know what Public Liability is - well, it's astonishing!

 

Of course my eating/drinking days are over now - too much expensive kit to look after!

 

Rich.

[stebee]

Are they ops from visiting / touring productions, freelancers / casuals or your own regular staff ?

 

they are generally touring staff, as we are a recieving house.

but I guess the point has been made and needs to be reinforced that it is just not done.

perhaps a note in the contract that anyone (company) found to be disregarding the rules will be liable for a full service of the equipment and the cost of hiring a replacement for the duration of the service.

 

And surely any production manager worth thier salt will realise that and if they dont it is not necessarily unprofessional, just lazy. or is that two sides of the same coin?

 

Thanks for the replies, mostly reiterating what I thought. thanks again,

 

Stephen

[NickLee]

I'm not a pro - so there is a difference - but even in am theatre, the equipment costs good money, and the same basic requirements are asked of you in terms of attitude + professionalism.

 

I do drink coffee whilst in the box - but I drink it in a way that I wouldn't be near the desk so to spill said coffee on it. And when you have an act with a half dozen Qs at either end, 45 minutes becomes a looong time. So, yes, I'll read a magazine, or the paper, with half an eye on the script, half an eye on the stage, half an ear to cans, half an ear to the stage monitor.

There's no risk of you losing a cue, because by this point you know the show inside out. Doing this doesn't worry me in the slightest, and I don't consider it unprofessional behaviour.

Why subject yourself to repeated periods of absolute boredom if you don't need to?

 

Having said this, I was once appalled by a chap who ran a show with a pint of lager in one hand, a pack of crips on top of the monitor, and his other hand on the manual masters.

 

N.

[ace]

Having said this, I was once appalled by a chap who ran a show with a pint of lager in one hand, a pack of crips on top of the monitor, and his other hand on the manual masters.

 

Pure class. :D

[Chris M]

Surely a form of compromise is the best option. Say they can only take a botle of water into the control room, and that they may only drink it away from the equiptment, and the lid must be on when they are not drinking from it. And why not if there enough space, make a small space for them to place a book to read. I am usually cued from a DSM, and when its a 3 hours show, with 2 intervals, I dont see why you shouldn't be able to read a book. If you are cueing yourself from a script you should be paying full attention. But when I'm getting cued by a DSM I read a book, when they give me a standby I put the book down, and pay full attention until the cue is complete and then pick the book up again and continue to read until the next standby from the DSM.

[Angelic]

Having said this, I was once appalled by a chap who ran a show with a pint of lager in one hand, a pack of crips on top of the monitor, and his other hand on the manual masters.

 

Pure class. :D

I agree! Niiiiiiice!

 

I agree with Chris though, keeping all eating and drinking to one corner as far away as possible - it does entail having a large booth though. If I ever drink, (rarely) I drink water with a sports top - unless you physically squirt the water by squeezing, its impossible to spill any!