@seanandkate Perhaps Kate can speak to this query
? @StageManagerChris The Kate half of
@seanandkate spent much of her career as an Equity
Stage Manager in Canada's Stratford Shakespearean Festival. In my era, Stratford operated three venues cross-cast in rep' spread across the city of Stratford. I believe they're up to five venues presently.
I'm long retired from the
IATSE.
In Actors' Equity, in addition to actors, there are (from highest to lowest)
PSM's Production
Stage Managers
SM's
Stage Managers
ASM's Assistant
Stage Managers
and
PA's Production Assistants.
Kate can fill in more detail for you, from memory, once a company has three SM's, I believe they have to hire a PSM to supervise the SM office but, as I said, I'm retired IA and have never been an Equity member thus I trust Kate can fill in details for you.
Equity covers
stage acting, straight plays and musicals.
Once you get into TV, I believe the talent belong to ACTRA but, again, I'm talking far beyond my experience.
One thing I can tell you: In Equity, a PA Production Assistant, is the bottom of the ladder.
In television, a PA is still a Production Assistant but in television a PA is a much higher, more responsible, highly respected and better paid position.
In television, the PA is the person on the
headset speaking NON STOP along the lines of:
"Standing by camera 3 in a 2 shot in 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Take! Standing by camera 1 in a 3 shot in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Take! Standing by camera 5 in a 3 shot in 4, 3, 2, 1, Take!" From the time they either
roll tape or go to air, a television PA NEVER stops talking.
I'll give you a little more background but only from my perspective as an IA lighting operator.
Camera's are numbered from 1 to as many as they have on a shoot. Three would be minimum number on a typical TV show, whatever "typical" is.
Each camera will have a number of standard shots as decreed by the director.
For example: Their 1 shot could be a close up on the host.
Their 2 shot could be a half body shot on the host.
Their 3 shot could be full body shot on the host.
Their 4 shot could be a shot of the host and primary guest while both are seated.
Their 5 shot could be a full body shot of the host and the primary guest once they stand.
Basically, each camera's shots could be whatever the director has forecast her / his needs to be.
Often one camera will be essentially locked on a seated host, a second essentially locked on the primary guest chair. The third camera will be covering the overall set.
Camera's often have devices called 'shot boxes' which adjust the settings of lenses for
zoom and aperture settings as
preset during rehearsals.
On a basic late night TV show, you may have a camera basically assigned to the host, a second camera assigned to the primary guest's chair, a third camera set for a
cover shot covering both the host and the primary guest then you may have fourth camera covering the music director / band / entrances and exits / utility.
If some of your guests are a trampoline act, or team of jugglers, or a decent sized choir. you'll likely have another camera or two further away in the studio where these larger groups can be
preset, pre-positioned and pre-lit.
I'm far out of my league, hopefully others will have read and replied by now.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
