Large Console Videos

[TheDonkey]

Hey,

I'm just wondering if you guys could help me find videos (Youtube type-stuff) of people using large/advanced Lighting consoles (MA, Any of the bigger Avolites, Strand 300/500, Express, Obsession, etc).

I'm currently in a school environment, so I'm trained/practiced on two-scene and simple cue stacks/chases, but I'd like to watch and see how it's done on a big board with hundreds of channels and all sorts of different lights.

Ideally I'd love to see a video of a professional programmer going through and just doing what he does to prepare for a show, but annotating the process ("Setting up focus points now") and so on.

Whenever you guys post a name/model of a more advanced board, I go through and look at the pictures/features of it, but I can never find any video on it.

It this an impossible task?

 

[Footer]

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However, if those don't work out for ya, this will: Amazon.com: The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook (9780240806020): Brad Schiller: Books

Besides that, Chamsys and HogIII manuals both do a decent job of moving you through a show on their consoles.

 

[TheDonkey]

Would love to get my hands on that book, but sadly it's not available at any local libraries, not even any of the local chain bookstores. (With online lookups)

Bit too expensive to just go out and buy though.

Thanks for the videos, and I'll check out the manuals in a bit.

 

[Jby007]

Not exactly what you are looking for but this may help.

Consoletrainer.com: Training and Resources for Wholehog and Grandma Consoles

 

[TheDonkey]

Not exactly what you are looking for but this may help.

Consoletrainer.com: Training and Resources for Wholehog and Grandma Consoles

Yeah, I'm looking more for videos that feature real-time use, tutorials tend to go into a single topic in depth.

That being said, I spent a good hour on that site watching all the MA2 videos. pretty enlightening, makes me really sad that as a student it's highly unlikely I'll be able to come anywhere near one of these consoles, let alone when it's hooked up to a rig for some time to come.

Thanks!

 

[bharrell]

Some good info here too...

LightingTrainer.COM Consoles Page

 

[BryceKastor]

You're correct in your thought that you aren't likely to get behind a board like the Hog or GrandMa any time soon (unless you school has some coin to drop on a show due to the moving lights that these boards usually control). but some of the others you mentioned you could likely see sooner rather than later.

The Theatre boards (expression, ion, strand varieties) are all found in high school and community oriented theatres (yes, theatre, I am Canadian) around the continent.

If you really want to get in front of a board here's my 2cents:
1) Join a community theatre group, get in with their techs (or the venue techs), introduce yourself and indicate your interest. Unless your in a stressful cue to cue time, most of us old timers like showing off our shiny pretty toys... oh I mean equipment. There's a good chance you would even get sit down time. I would suggest going in with a good attitude, be willing to learn, know when to and when to not ask questions. In groups like these you would be surprised to find how quickly you can become the board guy.

2) Find your local rental house and try to get a job in the shop. Will it be glamerous... no, will it be hard work, most likely. Will you be around a lot of equipment and guys how know that equipment VERY well. YES. Entry jobs in shops can be miserable (being honest here) as you get the fun jobs, like cleaning cable, sorting items, moving items, etc. But you will be around a great bunch of guys and in the down times most of the shops will let you play with some of the gear to get to know it. I can say this, you'll probably see your first real (not counting ADJ) moving instruments up close here. and heh.. you'll get paid too.

Sorry for the way off base tangent from the video request.

 

[bishopthomas]

2) Find your local rental house and try to get a job in the shop. Will it be glamerous... no, will it be hard work, most likely. Will you be around a lot of equipment and guys how know that equipment VERY well. YES. Entry jobs in shops can be miserable (being honest here) as you get the fun jobs, like cleaning cable, sorting items, moving items, etc. But you will be around a great bunch of guys and in the down times most of the shops will let you play with some of the gear to get to know it. I can say this, you'll probably see your first real (not counting ADJ) moving instruments up close here. and heh.. you'll get paid too.

Sorry for the way off base tangent from the video request.

I don't think you're off base at all, and number 2 was exactly what I was going to suggest for some real life learning.

 

[TheDonkey]

I don't think you're off base at all, and number 2 was exactly what I was going to suggest for some real life learning.

I've been considering doing exactly that, actually. The one problem is that the two major rental shops I know around here and fairly far away. (35-40 minute/bus commute). But I'm looking for a job already and it'll sure beat retail.

How would one go about trying to get in with one of these places? Just come by the shop, introduce myself and ask if they;re looking for extra hands?

 

[bishopthomas]

How would one go about trying to get in with one of these places? Just come by the shop, introduce myself and ask if they;re looking for extra hands?

Pretty much... You may want to throw out the term"internship" as it implies little to no pay and bottom rung work. Unfortunately that's where you'll have to start, but you'll learn a ton and be preparing for a "real" position either with that company or another.

 

[TheDonkey]

Pretty much... You may want to throw out the term"internship" as it implies little to no pay and bottom rung work. Unfortunately that's where you'll have to start, but you'll learn a ton and be preparing for a "real" position either with that company or another.

I don't really mind the dirty work, i already do it for free at our school's theatre.

Any idea what pay-wage for something like this would be? Even at the bottom rung this seems like a slightly specialized field so something above minimum wage? ($8/hour here)

 

[natebish]

1) Join a community theatre group, get in with their techs (or the venue techs), introduce yourself and indicate your interest. Unless your in a stressful cue to cue time, most of us old timers like showing off our shiny pretty toys... oh I mean equipment. There's a good chance you would even get sit down time. I would suggest going in with a good attitude, be willing to learn, know when to and when to not ask questions. In groups like these you would be surprised to find how quickly you can become the board guy.

and when enough people from the community theatre scene know you and like your work ethic then your name starts to come up in profesional cricles. that's what is happening to me, a guy that i volunteer with at a community theatre just called me in for a job (not at the community theatre) for which we brought in alot of the fancier toys...er equipment... such as a hog1000 and a dozen mac 550's.
moral: it's not only what you know but who you know and that they know you know what you know

 

[LXPlot]

Just an off-topic note, but I can say that I have learned tons by downloading manuals for those big boards and then using an offline editor on a computer while reading the manual. I have come into a few gigs not ever having used the board before but knowing how to do it some times better than the guy who is supposed to be in charge of it.

 

[shiben]

I don't know if you can follow whats going on, but here ya go....
Not responsible for content... possibly NSFW

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However, if those don't work out for ya, this will: Amazon.com: The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook (9780240806020): Brad Schiller: Books

Besides that, Chamsys and HogIII manuals both do a decent job of moving you through a show on their consoles.

I have to note that it appears the console lights are redundant, possibly in case of stage power failure?

On a more serious note, the working with a pro rental shop seems like the best way to go. Get ready to sweep a lot of floors!

 

[TimMiller]

Here is some reading material for you http://www.flyingpig.com/support/documents/manuals.shtml

I need to look through my old hog stuff Highend used to have training videos on their website back when the hog2 was big.

Also now days most consoles can be setup different ways just depending upon the user so if you see a video on a guy setting up and programming his rig may be completely different from the next guy using the same console.