Marking up a plan

[the kid]

3rd time posting lucky

 

So students are marking up some plans at the moment and they are marking them up in area marks so DSR 1,2,3,4 DSC 5,6,7,8 DSL 9,10,11,12.

 

Now I have NEVER seen a plan marked like that, I have always worked L>R bottom to top (audiance nearest me) no matter what lighting areas.

Is there a "normal" or is it like in all situations up to you how you do it?

[Joe Bleasdale]

I do it left to right from where I am sitting when programming the show. When it gets more than 3/4 types of movers or media servers are involved I number things left to right but put the user numbers as memorable ones - Mac 500s starting at 501 for example. With channels, I start them at 1 and do it sequentially no matter where it is etc.

 

I guess everyone has their own way of doing things though. Thanks.

[mac.calder]

My user numbers take the form of ab01 where A is the area (on stage is 0, Stage Floor is 1, Audience 2 and divided further if necessary), then b based on the fixture type - 575 watt spot would be 5, 575 watt wash 6 etc. and then 01->99 as a fixture number, house left to right and always out from the proscenium - same way LX bars are generally numbered.

[Kingstech]

I know im a typical student.. but I find that having 2 plans, one with the lanterns one without... just a blank stage... I divide the areas in to the sections I need and number them up, I then mark on the lanterns the area they correspond to..

[paulears]

I must admit that I have always used letters, in any layout that makes sense for the job in hand. Looking at a stage plan view with audience to me, I'd probably start ABC, or ABCD across the front depending on the width - but I've been known to even work in a clockwise spiral if it makes sense for a particular show. I avoid numbers because on a composite plan, letters are easy to see under the other plan contents.

 

I'm not sure there really is a standard? Is there?

[mac.calder]

I must admit that I have always used letters, ... I avoid numbers because on a composite plan, letters are easy to see under the other plan contents.

 

The main advantage of numbers over letters is that desks tend to allow user numbers, but not alpha-numeric ID's (give them time ;)) - If you always refer to a fixture using a single ID, then your programmer and your designer will be on the same page all the time - you can grab your plot, point at a light and enter the number next to it onto your desk and away you go.

[LeeStoddart]

I'm not sure we are interpreting the OP question correctly.

 

I Think that perhaps what he is saying is that the student is assigning channel numbers in a way that makes the four lanterns focused on DSR as 1-4 and the four focused on DSC as 5-8 and the four focused on DSL as 9-12. If that is the case then I think it is "strange".

 

In terms of indicating the area of the stage (when necessary) I use the letters as described by Paulears. ABC the DS strip from SR to SL, DEF for the mid stage strip and GHI for the upstage strip (assuming a 3x3 grid.

 

For channel assignment, dealing mainly with conventionals, I group by function - usually something like cold cover 1-15, warm cover 31-45, blue wash 51-58, amber wash 61-68, red wash 71-78, purple wash 81-88, pink back 101-104, blue back 111-118, violet back 121-124 etc etc within each group of channels I assign by fixture position, starting at the bottom left of the plan, ending at top right (so FOH position furthest from the stage first, most upstage LX bar last)

 

I'm not sure I would call this a standard in anyway - but it's a method that works for me.

[dbuckley]

In terms of indicating the area of the stage (when necessary) I use the letters as described by Paulears.

Thirded. Theres enough numbers on a lighting plan already, so its nice to be able to use something non-competitive. On hand-drawns I often do the letters in highlighter pen, on computer its a transparent wide letter that looks a bit like it was drawn with a hilighter pen...

[the kid]

I'm not sure we are interpreting the OP question correctly.

 

I Think that perhaps what he is saying is that the student is assigning channel numbers in a way that makes the four lanterns focused on DSR as 1-4 and the four focused on DSC as 5-8 and the four focused on DSL as 9-12. If that is the case then I think it is "strange".

 

 

That's the one.

 

It was a time of "have I been doing it weird/wrong for ages". At the same time every year I have a fight about the best way to write a book.