looking for hypothetical tech advice

[Ellyn]

I've done a little of a lot of theatre jobs, most recently (but not within the last couple years) directing in nonunion semipro, community, and academic theatre and before that also stage managing at similar levels. My tech experience is mostly running light or sound boards or helping to strike sets or lights.

Right now I'm working on writing a novel with a backstage setting and I'm looking for some specific ideas, particularly about how competent tech director and beginning lighting designer might annoy or endanger each other.

Would it be appropriate to post a thread in the Lighting and Electrics forum? Or could posters who'd like to help contact me privately?

 

[SteveB]

I have a gig at the end of January, a Russian musical of some sort. The LD sent the attached light plot. It was our rep. plot colored in, in some fashion and when we e-mailed (thru our technical theater person-who-speaks/writes/reads Russian) a suggestion that perhaps actual Lee or Rosco gel numbers might be appropriate, we were told to make our own choices.

We have 8 hrs. to load in the set, focus, and cue, with 5 Studio Spots and 5 MAC700 Profiles added to the mix. The LD does not speak english.

Thus our Production Manager and the visiting LD are going to be in exactly the scenario you envision and I welcome you to come and watch.

It's in Brooklyn, NY BTW

 

[mstaylor]

Wow Steve.

 

[Van]

Ellyn, you mean how, Hypothetically a Competent Technical director might mess with a beginning Lighting designer by Hypothetically re-patching the light board or clearing the patch, to see if the noob had remembered to back up the night before?

Actually a lot less of that kind of stuff happens in our business than a lot of folks might think. Although there ARE a ton of easy ways to screw with each other we 'mostly' don't 'cause onstage it's our real job and screwing around 'can' be real dangerous.

 

[Ellyn]

Ellyn, you mean how, Hypothetically a Competent Technical director might mess with a beginning Lighting designer by Hypothetically re-patching the light board or clearing the patch, to see if the noob had remembered to back up the night before?

Possibly...

Or what the designer might do out of pettiness to annoy the TD who's making her look bad

Or do unintentionally through incompetence or through not realizing the danger to harm or risk harm to the TD

I want to get him good and fed up with her so he'll be motivated to take another sort of action against her in another area of the plot

 

[derekleffew]

Not that this has actually happened or anything, but...
How about the LD telling the TD that she cannot possibly focus the lighting without EVERY light in the place off (thus preventing the TD from doing any work on the set). Then the LD complaining that the painters, who are now painting via flashlights, are making too much noise.

EDIT: See also this post. Substitute Technical Director for Board Operator.

In the professional hierarchy, the Lighting Designer is above the Technical Director, although I've yet to meet a TD who will admit to that.

 

[Van]

...In the professional hierarchy, the Lighting Designer is above the Technical Director, although I've yet to meet a TD who will admit to that.

Hogwash !
; >

 

[derekleffew]

Hogwash !
; >

quod erat demonstrandum

 

[Van]

Non Corrubundum Illegitimii

 

[cprted]

I have a gig at the end of January, a Russian musical of some sort. The LD sent the attached light plot. It was our rep. plot colored in, in some fashion and when we e-mailed (thru our technical theater person-who-speaks/writes/reads Russian) a suggestion that perhaps actual Lee or Rosco gel numbers might be appropriate, we were told to make our own choices.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had to advance shows like that. Here's to best of luck and lots of patience!

 

[chausman]

quod erat demonstrandum

Non Corrubundum Illegitimii

Translation please... On second thought, I don't really want to know.

And SteveB. He at least knows what colors he wants. To a certain extent. now you just have to try to understand what he wants, without him.. Have Fun!!!

 

[Van]

Quod erat Demonstrandom or Q.E.D., as it is often reduced to, basically means 'Prove it' Quod = What, Erat =future perfect < I think> of 'Is' or Will be , and Denmonstrandum = future perfect of Shown or demonstrated.

Non Carborundum illegitemi < I check my spelling cause I can't spell in English OR Latin > 'Mean's Don't let the Bastards grind you down'.
Non = don't or no, Carborundum = they grind < ever hear of the abrasive Carborundum ? > Illegitemi = Illegitimate children or bastards.

 

[chausman]

OK...Back to the original topic

 

[MPowers]

Ellyn,

A scenario that I lived through once, long ago and far away [ but in this galaxy ], involved an LD who had excellent design skills (in the sense that she had a good eye for light/shadow/direction/intensity/contrast) and good color sense, but very little if any technical knowledge or experience in or out of theatre. She had very little comprehension of how a lighting unit got to where she wanted it and how electricity got there. She wanted lights mounted FOH where there were no hanging positions and was incensed when she was told it couldn't be done. She got into a tiff with the Scenic Designer when she wanted some units mounted in an alcove on the set and they were too large to mask so she wanted the designer to alter his design to create adequate masking, no ideas or thought on how from her, "just get it done!". There were other similar incidents and in the end she went to the artistic director/producer and complained that the entire resident staff was refusing to work with her and they were all rude and inconsiderate. The end result was the scenic demanded his name be removed from the program and any record of the show, and left saying "She can do anything she bloody well wants!, The Design is in her name now!". The ME on the show was let go, the TD got a reprimand put in his file that cost him a raise. Don't know what pull or relationship the LD had with the PTB, but it was obviously big. It wasn't big enough though, the TD, Scenic and ME, stayed in touch and were all elated when they discovered a couple years later that the particular LD had never worked in theatre again and was in fact completely out of the business. Oh Yeah! The show was a reasonable success, reviews mentioned the script, acting, costumes, but pointedly not the set or lighting.

As I said it was long ago, most of the people involved are retired or passed away, so I will not mention names, show titles or theatre companies. However, I hope this will perhaps give you some ideas to ponder on.

Questions or thoughts? Feel free to contact me directly off list or PM. [email protected]

 

[LXPlot]

I had a friend recount a tale of his work where a young new lights guy and an old TD duked it out. The TD was a guy who had been at the company for quite a while, but nobody really liked because he was one of those people who was really negative and just mean to everybody who he didn't think was more talented than him. The kid on lights was working his first gig designing lights, and since it was a small theatre he would probably be doing the responsibilities of the ME, Operator and Rigging crew as well. He was also a very nice person in general and everyone liked him, with the exception of the TD.

Basically, when the kid brought in his design, it seemed to work nicely, although the TD noticed a small inconsistency (he had mixed up ETC S4 26 Degree with the nonexistent 25 Degree.) It wasn't a huge problem as everyone knew what he meant, but the TD took it and started yelling about how the kid was worthless, and how the director expected him to work with such a fool and such... Anyway, things escalated when the kid called out the TD on something he did wrong, until they were both slandering each other incessantly and physically doing things to make the other look bad, such as unfocusing a bunch of lights to make the kid look lazy.

The general consensus was that the kid had more potential and was liked more than the TD, so the man was jealous and thought he deserved to be more liked than some newbie.

In the end, the show went up, but the TD had quit, giving my friend the job, which hadn't really been started, with a week until the show. The LD put on a decent design, but it was considerably less exciting then his original design.

I just thought that this was a decent example of what you wanted, youth and motivation against experience and knowledge.

Oh, and my friend was the TD at that theatre for another year until he quit (that's another story.) And though I wrote this in such a way suggesting that everyone is a male, I'm not revealing their genders or names to protect their reputation.

Fun, fun, fun.