Best way to indicate a pause before a sound cue?

[sandall]

Another vote for [WAIT 1 and 2 and 3 and] - more precise than counting beats (some ops seem to beat very fast)

[TomHoward]

Agreed, a "theatrical beat" is the term you're looking for, often seen in old scripts...

I definitely wouldn't put a silence at the top of a track as that's just going to cause panic.

 

Something like

 

Vader: "Luke.... use the forks"

**A dramatic pause, then SFX 7 Go**

 

is probably how I would mark it.

Secondly you could also direct an action if it helps make it clearer - ie:

 

Vader: "Luke.... use the forks"

**Wait for Luke to bring his hands to his mouth, then SFX 7 Go**

 

but this doesn't help for a pause. Most ops should be able to follow a dramatic pause instruction though.

Edited May 11, 2021 by TomHoward

[Watson]

I've seen "beat" marked in the script to mean about a second, so 2 beats about 2 seconds, etc.

Yes, and - as others have just said but I've only just noticed - "beat" is much used as an actor's direction in play- and film scripts. So for a tech script, presumably "Wait 3 beats..." would be appropriate. And as with "1-and-2-and-3-and" it has the advantage of leaving the fine-tuning of the pause to the operator.

 

Thanks for the thought.

 

Vader: "Luke.... use the forks"

**A dramatic pause, then SFX 7 Go**

 

is probably how I would mark it.

I like that (and the thought of Lucas's epic saga revolving entirely around the deployment of silverware) so many thanks.

 

As well as conventional dialogue cues, I do have instances where a physical action is the trigger, but it was the best way to cue something in a moment of stillness and silence which puzzled me. I'm grateful for everyone's help.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Watson

[TomHoward]

For long runs I always mark cues with notes like "longer pause than you think!" if you want it to really hold. They tend to be a hand-written mess by the end.

 

Although it's not covered here it's always good to know what SFX 7 would do in this context. Either detailed in the script, or in the cue description in Qlab.

You've also got the Notes section for the top of each cue where you can either replicate the info in the script or expand with "longer pause than you think!", like the handwritten notes that accumulate.

[Watson]

Although it's not covered here it's always good to know what SFX 7 would do in this context. Either detailed in the script, or in the cue description in Qlab.

You've also got the Notes section for the top of each cue where you can either replicate the info in the script or expand with "longer pause than you think!", like the handwritten notes that accumulate.

I was actually planning to ask about recommended ways to put the cues in a script, how much detail, layout, and so on, so I'm glad you mentioned it. Also about the best use of the descriptive panel in QLab. I have to stop now for tonight but tomorrow I'll post what I've been doing and ask for suggestions for improvements.

 

Good night for now.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Watson

[gareth]

Keep it simple - go with your first option. If you want three seconds of silence at the end of a spoken line and then have the cue fire, write down that that's what you want to happen. I mean, you *could* be a little more vague and specify that you just want a couple of beats of silence before the cue - which would probably be better when the op is someone who knows the show. But for the best chance of getting what you want, be specific. If the sound op is someone who can't comprehend a simple instruction like "count three seconds at the end of this line then press 'go'", then the answer is to find a new sound op.

[Watson]

Gareth, thanks; clearly, that's excellent advice: you confirm what others have said.

 

I just tried to upload an image of the first page of my script to ask for comments. But unfortunately, though I tried with both a JPG and a PNG scan, I'm getting an error message: You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board.

Ah: I just found a thread on this very problem. Trying again...

If this works, any and all comments, criticisms or whatever will be very welcome. Thanks.

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Watson

[sandall]

Looks good. Personally I would use "SND" rather than "SFX", reserving "SFX" for any Special Fx, like smoke or pyros.

[Watson]

Looks good.

Thanks very much. Does placing a sound cue and a lighting cue on separate lines make it sufficiently clear that they're to happen simultaneously?

 

Personally I would use "SND" rather than "SFX", reserving "SFX" for any Special Fx, like smoke or pyros.

That's interesting; is it the industry standard? When I was searching around online for examples of how to script cues, I found SFX for sound in almost every instance. I don't recall ever seeing SND, but differentiating sound and Special Effects does make good sense..

[Junior8]

Looks good. Personally I would use "SND" rather than "SFX", reserving "SFX" for any Special Fx, like smoke or pyros.

 

Grams/Spot etc would still for me! But as I have not had to mark up a script for over 20 years what do I know? I always preferred to have the cues on the right hand page opposite the script on the left and linked with lines as it meant there was plenty of room to make notes where needed. Laid out in columns it is then perfectly clear which things have to happen simultaneously.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Junior8

[Watson]

Grams/Spot etc would still for me!

 

I'm very familiar with those terms, having done both jobs at the BBC's radio drama department. Do you have the same background?

 

 

I always preferred to have the cues on the right hand page page opposite the script and linked with lines as it meant there was plenty of room to make notes where needed.

 

Yes, I saw something similar when I was searching round, though those examples were on a single page using a two-column layout. My admittedly limited experience of control booths in small venues has been that space is at a premium and and working from an A4 script opened so two pages were visible could be tricky,

 

I tried to reproduce that single page idea but the result seemed to me to be rather messy and unsatisfactory. Your point about giving the operator space to add notes is a very good one though, thanks.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Watson

[Junior8]

Grams/Spot etc would still for me!

I'm very familiar with those terms, having done both jobs at the BBC's radio drama department. Do you have the same background?

 

No - my closest to that dept is research into the Beeb's history of Rattigan productions. I think using such terms has something to do with age. I am old enough (67) to have used the term Panotrope in anger but not quite in the sere and yellow to recall marking a groove on a Conroy or Paxton and dropping the needle on cue!

 

 

 

[Watson]

...not quite in the sere and yellow to recall marking a groove on a Conroy or Paxton and dropping the needle on cue!

I missed the 78 era but worked with people who'd used them - and on live broadcasts too, which must have been nerve-wracking. "You don't know you've been born with your 45rpm EPs and your slipmats," one of them said to me...

Edited May 12, 2021 by Watson

[alistermorton]

I remember seeing "grams" on the scripts when I was working on the Saturday afternoon results show at ITV Sport.

[Gerry]

Looks good. Personally I would use "SND" rather than "SFX", reserving "SFX" for any Special Fx, like smoke or pyros.

 

Never seen/heard SND used for sound effects.

 

Have seen/heard/used the following:-

 

LX for lighting cues

SFX four sound cues

FX for special effects

 

Cheers

Gerry