How do you call fly system cues?

[gafftaper]

I just had a new member PM me asking for advice on how to call cues for drops going in and out. Sounds like she has been told several different ways to do it. This seemed like a great topic for general discussion. So here's my answer. Feel free to add to it...

So first off remember I work in high school and college theater so my answer might be a little different than a pro would do. Since my crews are fairly new, I want them to hear a lot of details and hear those details repeated. Calling linesets in and out is done essentially the same way I train students to call a set change. I have the SM give all the details of exactly what is going to happen in the warning and standby calls then just a brief summary in the actual "go" call.

-Warning: Line set 22 "Candy Cane Lane" drop in and Lineset 24 "the cave of evil" drop out.
-Standby: Line set 22 "Candy Cane Lane" drop in and Lineset 24 "the cave of evil" drop out.
-Lineset 22 in and 24 out... GO

You keep the final go brief so that your combined call (when you add set, sound, lights, and fly cues) doesn't take forever. It'll sound something like this... Light Cue 47, Sound cue M, Strike doctor's office, bring on the pirate ship, Lineset 34 in and 35 out... GO.

Finally There should be a scene by scene chart on the wall at the fly rail for the flyman to be able to refer to throughout the show. For example:
End of Act 2 Scene two: Close Grand, Fly in Lineset 33 "Care Bear of Despair"
Mid Act 2 Scene three: Open Grand
End Act 2 Scene three: Close Grand, fly out lineset 33 "Care Bear of Despair", fly in lineset 35 "happy funball".

 

[CrazyTechie]

This is exactly how we did it back in my high school and it is the way I would do it if I were calling the cue s. I feel as though this is how we do it at my college as well although I've not had much experience with it, just by hearing things from people who were on the fly for one of our shows this past season.

The only thing I might add would be to number the fly cues however that may be more of a problem than a solution with too many numbers being called at once. Maybe using letters instead of numbers might help alleviate this problem of many numbers being called at once. Anyway it would go something like this with the numbers:

-Warning: Fly cue 5: Line set 22 "Candy Cane Lane" drop in and Lineset 24 "the cave of evil" drop out.
-Standby: Fly cue 5: Line set 22 "Candy Cane Lane" drop in and Lineset 24 "the cave of evil" drop out.
-Fly cue 5... GO

I would also give the fly rail a chart with descriptions of the cues as well as the cue numbers. However it will depend on what the preference of the SM is and the crew as to whether or not they find this (the number system) easier or not.

 

[derekleffew]

...I want them to hear a lot of details and hear those details repeated. Calling linesets in and out is done essentially the same way I train students to call a set change. ...

So for set changes you have the Stage Manager call:
"Warning: Upstage traveller opening, Center wagon moving upstage, Stage right wagon moving onstage, Upstage traveller closing when center wagon is clear?"
"Stand by: all that crap."
"Shift change: GO."

I'd train my Stage Managers to call the whole thing "Shift A", and each crew member would have a cue track sheet telling them what they do for "Shift A." Likewise with flyrail cues. (That's how I was trained in college, after riding my dinosaur to the theatre.) Both trust and personal responsibility need to be taught early. If not in high school, then certainly college students need to be exposed to the "professional" way (stopping short of not calling anything at all and just having everybody do what they're supposed to--that which they have done 8-10 times a week for the past however many years).

The SM doesn't (usually) call electrics cues by saying "Warning: Channels one thru ten fading down 20% on a five count, group two coming up to 50 on a three count, ..."

Or call sound playback: "Warning: Start Deck A with volume at minus thirty, then fade out Deck B to infinity. Once it's out, stop deck B and prepare for the next cue it up by putting the splice between the leader and the tape at the record head. Then turn pans for both channels of deck B all the way to 'L'."

-Warning: Line set 22 "Candy Cane Lane" drop in and Lineset 24 "the cave of evil" drop out.
-Standby: Line set 22 "Candy Cane Lane" drop in and Lineset 24 "the cave of evil" drop out.
-Lineset 22 in and 24 out... GO

At would speed would you like those two pieces to move?

If it's a one-nighter with no rehearsal, that's one thing; but if it's a multi-performance show with a week of rehearsals, it's quite another.

 

[MarshallPope]

I have done/seen it done several different ways. My favorite is what we worked out for our most recent musical. I was ASM for flyrail and SL shifts. I was the only person on headset on my side, as none of my guys wanted to drag a cable around behind them. Since I had my cue chart in front of me the whole time, there wasn't really a need for our SM to call specifics for each cue. I simply had her call "standby rail cue 27b" "rail cue 27b go." Before each cue, I would confirm with each of my guys what they would be doing, so I could then relay the calls via hand signal. I also had a copy of the cue chart taped in a gap between two linesets and spike mark cheat sheets taped either to the lock rail for linesets or to the floor for traveler hand lines where the piece has several different positions.

Note - I suggest using "rail cue" rather than "fly cue." "fly cue" sounds very close to "light cue," as we (Ok, I) horribly discovered during one change. In the middle of one scene, the back wall flew out. This wouldn't have been as disastrous if the person flying it out hadn't accidentally pulled the wrong line, causing it to begin to lay over. After a few choice words and frantic signaling, he realized his mistake and began to fly it out. Of course, it was now swinging too much to clear trim, so the wall had to hang over the stage, in full view, for what seemed like an eternity before it could finally go out. Moral of the story: Pick a term that can't be easily confused with another. And annunciate. And listen. Carefully.

 

[erosing]

If it's called, it's like derekleffew said, just Rail Cue X instead of Shift X, and I've always had my cue sheet on the rail. When there were multiple lines going in/out it wasn't called by the SMs, it was up to the rail to get it right safely and timely on our own (except for act curtains which were called).

However, it's been a while since I've worked a rail during a show, but it was always one of those ways when I have. Personally, I prefer the latter, no need to worry about tripping over headset cables, worrying about it falling off, etc. But I'm a little biased here since I did manage to get caught up in a brake once, and nearly tripped more than a few times. But it was also always very well rehearsed and planned out with the ground crews so that the best tracking order for everyone was established and there was usually a dedicated spotter to help ensure safety.

 

[gafftaper]

So for set changes you have the Stage Manager call:
"Warning: Upstage traveller opening, Center wagon moving upstage, Stage right wagon moving onstage, Upstage traveller closing when center wagon is clear?"
"Stand by: all that crap."
"Shift change: GO."
I'd train my Stage Managers to call the whole thing "Shift A", and each crew member would have a cue track sheet telling them what they do for "Shift A." Likewise with flyrail cues.

I kept that a little over simplified to try stay on the original question about fly cues. No, I wouldn't give EVERY detail. However, with high school and beginning college students (like I often work with). I don't simplify to just "shift A" either. Where I work if you simplify that far you'll have part of the crew go, "uhhh what is shift A"? Instead I like to give each scene a logical nickname and call out any specific details that might set it apart (i.e. Standby to change back to the kitchen with one chair missing. Or Change back to the kitchen with the chairs on blue spike tape marks). Also if there is a set piece or prop that has a habit of not showing up or not getting in exactly the right place, as a SM I make sure I have a little reminder in the call until it gets consistent (i.e. Standby to change back to the kitchen with one chair missing and don't forget to leave the upstage door about half way open).

Second I like to make scene by scene simple ground plan sketches with brief notes which are posted back place. Notes should say something like, remove the chairs, rotate the main set unit, place the couch on the green spike marks. Post them all somewhere close to the stage but located in a way that the crew can gather around and discuss the next change.

The point of all this is you need to create a system that you can loose your best crew person and someone else can walk in, learn the system and do the show flawlessly. Depending on the level of skill of your crew the information needed will vary, which leads to the next point.

If it's a one-nighter with no rehearsal, that's one thing; but if it's a multi-performance show with a week of rehearsals, it's quite another.

Length of run, rehearsal time, and the skill level of your crew are critical points here. I work mostly with high school students, community college students, and parent volunteers. I would say on average, about 1/4 of my crew people have never been backstage before and are suddenly thrust into being a key part of the crew. Most high school and community college productions are 4 to 6 performances long. The first performance (or two) are often more like a final final dress rehearsal. The crew has probably only had about 4 chances to run the full set changes before opening night and many cases they have only seen one full run through before tech. I know this sounds like a nightmare to some of you but it's not at all uncommon, especially in situations where there is no real adult tech expert on staff. I have more than once run into situations where a few days before tech, I'm standing up in front of the cast saying, "I still need two more crew people backstage, do any of you have a Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Sibling, Parent, or friend who might be willing to help?" At my community college we have periodically had crazy situations where students who know nothing about tech somehow get signed up for credit to be on crew. I've never met them they have no idea what they are doing. They (maybe) show up to watch one run through and then suddenly there they are on tech day to be my crew.

So I guess the real point in all this debate is that as an SM you have to know your crew and know what level of detail they need to get the job done.

At would speed would you like those two pieces to move?

Oops forgot that important detail.

 

[rochem]

I'm surprised no one's yet mentioned cue lights for rail operators. I'm a young guy, and I never really lived in a world without radios and headset communication, but I love using cue lights to synchronize rail cues, especially on a larger show. If you have 4 flymen, all on headset, all listening to the endless cueing of a SM, it's very possible that they could miss a call. I like to have the Head Flyman (or someone in charge) on headset, listening to the cues from the SM, then when he hears the Warning, he tells the flymen and they all crowd around the cue sheet to see what's next. They all go off to their separate lines and wait for the Standby, indicated by the colored cue light. Then when it turns off, they go. Simple as that. The head flyman is there on headset to confirm that everyone has heard the warning/standby, and it basically provides another level of redundancy. This also makes it much easier to call sequences that require specific timings, like pieces that need to fly out before others, or things that need to come out and immediately back in.

When I've done this, I group each sequence under one "Rail Cue A" or similar, which contains everything that needs to fly in that period of time. This could often include the same piece flying out and back in. On the Cue Sheet, under the Rail Cue A designation is an indication of what all needs to happen and what colored cue lights they will respond to - never using the same color more than once in a cue. For one big show, I had to run four different colors of cue lights to the rail, just so the SM could reliably call each cue without any confusion. I ask my SMs that they call out the whole list with the Warning - something like "Warning Rail Cue A, DS Blackout out, Show Scrim out, #1 Header in, Door piece to in trim" and so on, so the Head Flyman can confirm this and make sure nothing's wrong. The SM would call the standby over com while turning on the cue light, then when the cue was actually supposed to go, she'd just hit the cue light - in this case, the Blackout was on Red, the Scrim was on Green, and the Header and Doorway were on Yellow, and all this happened in a span of about 15 seconds. Works great, and it's one less thing for the SM to say over com.

 

[jstandfast]

"Works great, and it's one less thing for the SM to say over com.

Which can make all the difference if you're calling some war horse like Nutcracker, with really complicated transitions. Having the facility to "switch" rail moves rather than "say" them is a tremendous asset to sanity about midway through Act I. The switching rather than saying seems to make it easier to cue in the music as well but that could just be me........

 

[BillESC]

Perhaps the best stage crew in the world, the guys and gals at RCMH, provide each department with a numerical que sheet starting a Cue #1. If your department has a task in the cue that task is detailed, if your department has no task the sheet would indicate Cue # 1 - NA.

Timed moves are accomplished with a letter designation, i.e., Cue # 34, # 34A, #34B, etc. It is the only sensible way to achieve harmony when you can have six flymen, a dozen hands, props crew, elevator operator, contour operator, sound, electrics, projection and carpenters all moving at once on a stage measuring around 30,000 square feet.

 

[MPowers]

Just WAY TMI! Most shows I been with would have gone through 10 changes by the time the SM had red the first Q. Simple is better, especially on headset. Que lights are a good thing. There is no real "right" way to call and there many good methods. Short and to the point would be the common thread. Some SM's like to number departments Q's independently, so lights, sound, floor and rail might have different #'s for the exact same moment. Other SM's like to number The Show, so, for example, Q 5 might be the fifth cue for lights and sound, the first cue for the rail and the floor still has a dozen cues to go before their first move.

If the crew needs every detail of a cue described to them in a warning, they have had too little rehearsal, their cue sheets are not adequate and the SM is trying to micro manage the stage.

 

[tjrobb]

Our Q's are short and sweet: lighting is numbered (mostly odd, the even numbers are used for late add-ins), flies are letters (and have an on-deck cue sheet so they know what happens when; most flymen memorize the shifts by the end of first week), and sound does its own thing (they are rarely on coms, but have a set we page when we need them). The fun starts when a fly cue gets added late and you end up with J.5 or other strangeness. (EDIT: Some shows the SM will double-load a light Q - if a fly and light Q run together the light cue number is used and the fly ends up numbered. Keeps the flymen on their toes but is less trouble for the SM to call)

 

[kiwitechgirl]

Fly cues are numbered and when the standby is called (warnings don't really exist in this part of the world, unless there's been a massive break between cues - but even then usually I'd just write "wake flyman up" in my script!) detail is given - "standby LX29 and fly Q3, which is the white gauze in, forest cloth out and forest border out to its second dead, all over ten seconds" and then "LX29 and fly Q3 GO". Cue lights are nice if you have them - not all venues I work in have them, but if they do I'll generally give the flys a cue light as well. Head flyman is on coms, other flymen take their cue from the head flyman.

I worked on a show a couple of years back where five lighting bars started in at deck height with a row of dancers behind each bar; one single dancer started the show in front of the DS bar, and then each bar began to fly out slowly in sequence - and it had to happen EXACTLY right, as each row of dancers began to move at a certain point in the music and obviously the bar had to be clear of them before they could do the choreo! It was a touring show, and they only travelled with the head flyman; the four local flymen had two rehearsals before it went in front of an audience. They pretty much told the guys how many counts they had to get the bar to its dead, had the head flyman counting loud enough that he could be heard (the audience couldn't, due to the banging soundtrack!) and it was perfect every time. I've never seen such a good display of precision flying. (And yes, we're talking single purchase counterweights - it'd have been easy with automated flys!)

 

[PaulyWally]

Lots of great information in these replies. At the end of the day, I say you call as much as you need. No more, no less. And that is going to depend on the show, and your fly person.

If your crew member on the flies requires a lot of information to do it right, then that's what you give them. If you can give him/her one or two words for the fly cue, then that's what you give them.

Some people on flies keep their own paperwork. Some don't. Some don't know how to. Some don't need to. Every situation is different. And being a great SM requires you to adapt to every situation.

 

[jamienz]

In our theatre, when working fly floor you were expected to have a cue sheet with you. The DSM would call Flyfloor Standby Q 12 with which you would refer to your cue sheet (if you didn't know the cues already) and standby, and then Flyfloor Q 12 GO.

Things like speed, what was moving and so on would be written on cue sheets and were our responsibility to know and keep track of. Each cue might consist of 8 things flying all over the place, but as far as the DSM was concerned, all they would tell you was that Q 12 needed to go, and it needed to go NOW!

It just meant that each department took on a little more of their own responsibility, and the DSM would be able to get the cues out - especially in a lot of the more complicated shows we did.

Jamie.

 

[chausman]

What do you mean by DSM, jamienz?

Feel free to post over in the New Members Forum for a proper introduction!

 

[MrsFooter]

When I have SM'd, first thing I did was write up a run sheet for the rail. This included the q number, exactly what was happening, and an approximate time in the show it would be occurring. (The time was accompanied with a verbal warning that the time was not hard and fast, but merely an idea of when in the show they needed to be near the rail and paying attention.) When I called it during the show, they received a warning about two minutes out, during which I reminded them exactly what would be happening during the move. This was their signal to stand up and start heading towards the ropes. Then ten seconds or so out they got a standby with number only and the G-O was number only as well.

I called it this way for a Local One crew, and they took every q perfectly with no complaints to how I called it. However, I would like to point out that the shows I called were fairly simple shows, maybe 12 rail q's and no deck moves, so it may not work for a more complicated show.

 

[Chris15]

DSM = Deputy Stage Manager, the 2IC to the SM.

 

[Mercedes]

I usually use "Standby Linset 22" or "Standby scene shift into Dining Hall." I usually do not have enough to time to detail each cue because of stacks. I almost always have a shift change sheet backstage on BOTH sides, and my ASM also always has them. These detail every change for the show, how long it should take, and who does what.

 

[jamienz]

What do you mean by DSM, jamienz?

Hey chausman,

Thanks Will write up a short intro in a minute or two.

Yeah, as chris15, DSM is Deputy Stage Manager. I think the term is a British/New Zealand/Australian thing.

In our theatre, the DSM was typically responsible for calling the shows cues. They were normally hidden away FOH or somewhere upstairs, with a video feed and a script, and were responsible for q-ing everything via comms.

The SM was in charge of backstage and the show in total. They would be looking after stage hands, actors, props, scenery and so on and making sure everything ran smoothly, but would work off the DSMs cues.

Jam.

 

[nobl13]

Typically, our Stage Manager tends to call fly standbys by the name of the scenic peice. She'll occasionally tag on the actual move.

SM: Transition Warning
SM: Standby: Chandelier out.
SM: Flies go.

In a more complex show, with two or more flymen, the head flyman wears coms and relays cues to the others either vocally or with hand signals. Typically, in these shows, we carry cue sheets and there are more posted around the backstage, so everyone knows what the upcoming moves are. Generally, there is also a deck crew chief who has all the moves drilled in his head as well who can tell you what your next move is. In these more complex shows, the SM usually just gives a standby and a "Flies GO" with no other embellishment.

Very rarely does our SM spoon feed every cue to the deck.