Not my theater, thankfully, but I saw this and had to share.
- Thread startermarshmolly123
- Start date
epimetheus
Well-Known Member
This made it on Letterman last night. I forget the specifics of the joke though.
edmedmoped
Active Member
It's only on the second time when I realised quite how bad the followspotting is...
Folks, While I will agree that there's humor here, This video is exactly what we here at CB are trying put an end to. The folks in this should be glad nobody died.
Instead of pointing out the hilarity of bad followspot operation, let's try concentrating on; WTH happened, How it could have been avoided, Who should be responsible for these issues. I realize the Wil E Coyote factor, nobody seemed to be seriously hurt, but you don't see me strapping rocket skates to my feet do you ?
Alright I'm done yellin'
Instead of pointing out the hilarity of bad followspot operation, let's try concentrating on; WTH happened, How it could have been avoided, Who should be responsible for these issues. I realize the Wil E Coyote factor, nobody seemed to be seriously hurt, but you don't see me strapping rocket skates to my feet do you ?
Alright I'm done yellin'
Sometimes it is a very fine line between being on Funniest Home Videos and being the lead disaster story on the news. And that difference is often simply chance. This could have quite easily been a very different outcome. So while it is okay to enjoy the humor, it is also important to learn from it as the next time it may be you and the outcome may not be as humorous.
What if someone was in front of that wall when it came crashing down?
What if that girl who comes flying on ran into something solid?
The video IS funny, but only because no one got hurt. When you are done laughing, consider it a lesson about what happens when you don't secure set pieces correctly and when flying is not done by Pros.
TheLightmaster
Member
So I watched this video on here when it was first posted and I just shook my head in disgrace at this school for allowing it to happen. Then I saw it in this past Friday's newspaper discussing how this video has become a "smash hit" on YouTube. Turns out it was a high school that's in my county about 30 miles from me (just to clarify, I have no connection to this school district). I figured I'd attach the article. I'm still pretty speechless...
theatre4jc
Active Member
Wow that article....Student and Adult volunteers flying people?!?!?!?! Oh my! I was only stupid enough to fly someone one time and that was in college under extremely close professional supervision and was only allowed as a learning experience. After the show I decided, never again will I be responsible for flying someone. And we had no issues. I was just freaked out by it.
But seeing this was volunteers that only pulled the wrong line leads me to assume it was just pulleys in the ceiling as I doubt there was a fly system. That the school allowed that is scary all get out. Why do people think anything that involves the words volunteers and flying would be a good, safe idea??
But seeing this was volunteers that only pulled the wrong line leads me to assume it was just pulleys in the ceiling as I doubt there was a fly system. That the school allowed that is scary all get out. Why do people think anything that involves the words volunteers and flying would be a good, safe idea??
Ugh... now it's being highlighted on ABCnews.com:
HS Play Sends Kids Literally Flying - ABC News
I'm really afraid that all the publicity is going to turn into "Hey, look what they did! They had a good idea but poor execution. I bet we could do it better..."
I pray that people aren't that stupid though...
HS Play Sends Kids Literally Flying - ABC News
I'm really afraid that all the publicity is going to turn into "Hey, look what they did! They had a good idea but poor execution. I bet we could do it better..."
I pray that people aren't that stupid though...
GrayeKnight
Member
"Members of the production said mistakes happen and are probably trying to laugh it off. Kids probably had a good time though."
I can't believe that's what the reporter said. Crazy.
I can't believe that's what the reporter said. Crazy.
shiben
Well-Known Member
Think about it though. you know what can happen, but your average person does not. they see the entire thing as a fun adventure. same with cars, someone with the NTSB sees even a high speed road as a super huge safety risk, but most of us dont see going 20 over as even an issue, and travel on them every day, usually going well over the speed limit. Its still wrong and still dangerous, but its definitely not something we think about daily, and even something we do without even thinking. I feel like flying in theatre can be similar. the flying sequence in Wicked got me into technical theatre, and im sure a lot of other people see that and go, well, that looks fairly easy to replicate, and would be sweet for our next HS production. Also, as a younger person, I tend to feel like close calls are "fun" rather than "holy s*** must avoid that at all costs". Its the same feeling i get while doing a 150' free rappel at high speed, or riding a roller coster. The problem comes when we fail to control risk (in this case, controlling risk is hiring FOY or another reputable rigger to do this type of thing), but for a kid, its exciting.
masterelectrician2112
Active Member
Honestly, I don't think that the volunteers are the problem. The problem is that they decided that they couldn't afford or didn't need pros and attempted this by themselves. The effect can be executed by volunteers with proper training and equipment from Foy, ZFX, or another company. When my outdoor community theater did Peter Pan, we hired ZFX to set up the equipment and train volunteers in the use of it. Also, the failure of the set is the result of a lack of someone who knows how to build a set, not the volunteers. Some of those students/volunteers probably had never built a set in their lives. Volunteers are what keeps high school and community theatre running. I believe that this catastrophe was not caused by volunteers, but it should serve as a warning to everyone who thinks that they can replicate that sequence.
Tex
Active Member
I have to disagree. The failure of the set is the result of someone not paying attention to basic, everyday physics. That set is top heavy and simply needed a few screws into the floor or a couple hundred pounds of stage weights. It's not rocket science, or even scene design for that matter...
What Rigger?
I'm so fly....I Neverland.
I'll second what masterelectrician just said. Having spent the last eight years rigging, flying, choreographing and advising on flying effects- this is the sort of thing that we in the flying business fear the most. 99% of all operators on these type of systems ARE volunteers! What you've got here is, in my opinion, a rare event. People (operators) who DON'T pay attention to what line flies which performer can set this sort of thing off. That's why lines are labelled, if your flying director has done his job. Before you pull that rope attached to that cable, make sure you've got the right one. As in ALL aspects of rigging and flying- a moments lapse in concentration is all it takes.
I take what I do for a living as serious as a heart attack, but...and there's always a 'but'...if I leave after 3 to 5 days of training and rehearsal, and the volunteer or the professional stagehand on that line doesn't take it seriously, and lets themselves get distracted- you get what you see here.
Many of us in the industry have been hip to this video for a few months now, and have been discussing it ad naseum. I even have a pretty good idea which company provided the flying gear for this debacle. But no, I'm not gonna name names without proof. I don't need to go to court.
This sort of thing, from what my experience tells me, and what the video shows, can all be traced back to the crew operating the flying gear and NOT absolutely KNOWING what was supposed to happen when. THIS is what I'm talking about when I harsh on people for cavalier attitudes about rigging and flying around here. "A few feet up can't hurt you" to paraphrase anothe CB poster. This video proves that line of thinking to be flawed, severely. This girl COULD HAVE DIED as a result of this unknown, unrehearsed, unprepared and unplanned flight(s). Think I'm kidding? I'm gonna have to dig up the newspaper articles AND X-rays I have of the Peter Pan from Nor Cal who had a flight go wrong and compound fractured her arm in two places when she slammed, uncontrolled, into the mast of the pirate ship set.
The smart and correct response is to be disgusted, because luckily these folks all went home under their own power- but it could have just as easily been in a body bag.
masterelectrician2112
Active Member
Tex, I got into technical theatre about a year and a half ago. I wouldn't have known that a year and a half ago. We as technicians speak about the matter as if it's obvious to everyone and it's 'not rocket science'. You are right. It isn't rocket science to us, but to some inexperienced high schoolers, it could be. You also have to remember that a lot of high schoolers don't exactly think about these kinds of things. Most of them probably see the experience of building the set as a fun time to play with power tools. This is certainly not true for all high school volunteers, but you get my point.
Thanks Whatrigger?. Thank you for giving the experienced insight of a rigger.
Thanks Whatrigger?. Thank you for giving the experienced insight of a rigger.
renegadeblack
Active Member
My two experiences with flight:
1) I'm in the auditorium while a fellow student walks in asking how weight the FOH bar can hold, knowing exactly what he was thinking, I said, "You aren't flying." This made its way all the way up to the superintendent said no. I was truly alarmed with the number of people he went through who said yes, including the director who hired Foy for a musical of ours. The rationale for why this was safe was because he had a gym teacher from the middle school who is an avid climber planing to help him setup a rig.
2) I was volunteering with a local theatre company where we were doing Willy Wonka. Foy came in and setup the rig and trained us for 8 hours on how exactly to operate the system. Absolutely no problem having volunteers operating the system, as long as they're properly trained.
