james141 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 HiWas wondering if anyone has/is using and iPad or tablet for scripts in theatre shows? Mainly for a sound desk. But I guess why not any other desk. What apps? Simple pdf reader? Specific app?Or do you still use paper coppies?ThaanksJames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossmck Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Personally, paper any day.. I've tried using the iPad a couple of times but nothing beats traditional paper, especially if you note anything on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I've used on-screen scripts for some years now, and on a recent show the stage manager used a tablet. She liked the instant updatability of it. I run shows from PCStage it it has a script viewer built into it, which displays a script in HTML format. I've built a whole workflow that can take a text (or OCR'd) script, and turns it into HTML, and into TEX to produce a pseudo-typeset printable version. So one marked up input gives HTML and printed output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I use ForScore as a script reader on my iPad. It uses standard PDF documents and allows you to annotate pages, put in cuts (called links and designed for repeats as it's a music program.) And best of all it wasn't stupidly expensive either. ForScore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Edwards Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I've been thinking about this recently and wondered about using an midi expression pedal to advance the text to keep both hands free. The pedal could be linked to speed and perhaps one that rocks back (Wah?) rather than an straight organ pedal to allow going back if you over cook it. I have a few other ideas swimming around too but at this stage do not want to completely give them away on an open forum. Obviously advancing 'plain' text is pretty straight forward but I was thinking about it having some sort of intelligence when it came to cues. Not so much linking the cues to the respective equipment, more of a highlighting. I haven't found anything like it...yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I also use my iPad as my bass music 'pad' for the big band I play in. I use a bluetooth page turner from a company called Airturn, which uses two footswitches to page forward and page back(the one I have will support up to 4 pedals if you want...) Not particularly cheap but has been extemely reliable and if you're feeling rich you can buy them with pedals already. Airturn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 The iOs.7 has built in motion capture gesture controls (movements of the head or hands not touching the device but within range of the camera) which can be assigned to commands or shortcuts - somewhere there's got to be a way of combining this with a simple reader program so that the pages turn with an appropriate shake of the head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 The iOs.7 has built in motion capture gesture controls (movements of the head or hands not touching the device but within range of the camera) which can be assigned to commands or shortcuts - somewhere there's got to be a way of combining this with a simple reader program so that the pages turn with an appropriate shake of the head? The world is becoming more and more like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... just hope you don't have to say no to anyone during the show or you'll skip 3 pages of the script... "For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive—you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same programme." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Paper any day of the week. I'll challenge any of you iPad or computer users to thumb ahead to check Cue 37 (or whatever) then back to real time in the script as fast as I can with A4 pages in a ring binder. I've been playing with technology for all my life...but technology for technology's sake is a pointless exercise. Don't fix what isn't broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjadingle Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Paper. Batteries don't run out! And I can leave it in situ so if I have to be replaced anyone else can pick it up and use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Can any of the electronic solutions do what you can do if your prepare your paper copy properly? ie your printed script is on the left-hand of the two visible pages leaving the right-hand one free to scribble notes and draw pictures? Or, if you are left-handed, swap them over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james141 Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 Thanks for the replies. One of the thoughts for using a tablet was a quick flick would turn the page, and no extra lamp is needed to illuminate the page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I turned up to a rehearsal with the script for a different show a few weeks back After 5 minutes of trying to follow a pdf version on my iPad & make notes on bits of paper, I gave up & went home to get my paper copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossmck Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Can any of the electronic solutions do what you can do if your prepare your paper copy properly? ie your printed script is on the left-hand of the two visible pages leaving the right-hand one free to scribble notes and draw pictures? Or, if you are left-handed, swap them over? I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this - it used to be very common but more and more I get odd looks (maybe that's just me rather than my scripts ;)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Can any of the electronic solutions do what you can do if your prepare your paper copy properly? ie your printed script is on the left-hand of the two visible pages leaving the right-hand one free to scribble notes and draw pictures? Or, if you are left-handed, swap them over? I'm right handed but I do it the opposite way to you...script on right, my notes etc. on the left. Except for mic numbers. They go on the script itself. As for "a quick flick to turn a page" I'm sure I can flick paper just as fast--but that flick can be one page or half way through the script as required. Just call me luddite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.