Terminology: "drop color"?

[derekleffew]

When working with conventionals, "drop color" means to insert it, i.e. "We'll drop color tomorrow after the hang, but before focus."
With followspots, "drop your color" means to go to "open white," (ignoring anything taped to the front).

This arose recently when a Lighting Director told a Followspot Operator to "Drop frame 4." Operator replied "Frame 4 isn't in." Confusion ensued. LD meant "Add frame 4."

Does anyone else find this peculiar, or is it just me?

On most followspots, the color frames "not in" the beam are kept down by gravity, and raised UP into the beam. Strong Gladiators, carbon-arc Supers, and Lycian 129x (others?) are the opposite, held up above the beam with springs, and lowered down into the beam. The show in question had a mix of xenon Glads and Supers, but the LD was talking to a Super Trouper operator at the time. Besides, the LD shouldn't/needn't change his vernacular depending on the exact model of the spotlight. But now that I think about it, "bone back" always makes the light dimmer (less bright), except on the Super Trouper II where the reverse is true. Never quite understood that one; another reason not to like STII s.
As long as I'm spouting absolutes, Frame 1 is always closest to the operator/lamp, frame 6 the farthest away. Anyone who thinks differently deserves to be slapped.
One thinks about these things while sitting on a followspot with little to do for 12-16 hours a day several days in a row.

 

[SteveB]

"Drop Color" for loading conventional instruments with framed color makes sense as you are dropping/lowering the color frame into the color frame holder on the unit.

"Drop Frame 4" is ambiguous as it could mean the same as "drop what you are doing" and is thus construed as removing that color form the beam. I can think of any number of phrases the LD could have used to want frame 4 in the beam, "Go to frame 4", and/or to be used to go from no color to frame 4. Or if you are in a different frame, "roll to frame 4". "Can I have frame 4" is another I've heard.

And yes, frame 1 is towards the rear of the unit, 6 towards the front. Always.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I'm not cool enough to get the followspot gigs. But I do fondly remember keeping a finger on whatever color frame was currently in as I slowly doused or added diffusion to the Lycian Midget's we had in college. Automatic color drop, what a *wonderful* feature.

But I will ask, @derekleffew, whens the last time you used the chopper or spreader on a followspot?

 

[derekleffew]

...But I will ask, @derekleffew, whens the last time you used the chopper or spreader on a followspot?

Chopper (aka Horizontal Masking Control) ? Yesterday. And in fact, Vertical "choppers" (like on Lycian 1295, and some Juliats) would have been desirable.
Spread lens? Last time I ran a spot equipped with a spread lens was probably twenty-five years ago, and I didn't use it then. I can't recall ever having used or needing it.

... Automatic color drop, what a *wonderful* feature. ...

"Self-cancelling color boomerang" certainly can be beneficial, when bumping through colors in a rockshow. For theatre, not so much. Still I'd rather have it than not have it. Some lights (looking at Robert-Juliat) seem to require three hands for common operations.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Chopper (aka Horizontal Masking Control) ? Yesterday. And in fact, Vertical "choppers" (like on Lycian 1295, and some Juliats) would have been desirable.
Spread lens? Last time I ran a spot equipped with a spread lens was probably twenty-five years ago, and I didn't use it then. I can't recall ever having used or needing it.

Never used a spot with vertical choppers.

I had spot ops use the spreaders in a production of Guys 'n' Dolls I lit in high school. A large marching band came down the side isles and the spreader lenses lit them rather nicely. Didn't have the power/time/equipment/experience to try a different solution. Other than that, never.

 

[techieman33]

The only time drop color should be used is loading color into a spot, otherwise it has the potential to confuse the spot ops. I've only used the chopper once, that was when the dowser broke during a festival. The LD was screaming mad. His big blackout was ruined when my spot failed to douse and stayed on for a second or two while I was getting to the chopper and getting it closed.

 

[SteveB]

Techieman, the horse has left the barn.

All my crew uses the drop color phrase and they all know, when we are working the on-deck electrics, that we are loading color to conventionals. I don't think I'll be trying to get them to change the phrase as they all use it elsewhere as well.


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[lghtingguy]

There is a certain level of proficiency that is assumed on a big show like that. Proficiency meaning - if the guy asks you to put a scoobie snack in front of your light you might have to ask clarification once. But not twice.

The spot opts there always been solid - and it is noticed all up and down the organization. All I'm saying is - I wouldn't worry about it. Lighting Directors say whatever falls out of their mouth's in the heat of battle - it's our gig to interpret it properly. Sometimes it just doesn't work out the first time.

 

[danTt]

Had a spot op scare everyone on headset once when they said during a show "The front light fell into the audience". "No, I don't mean it fell, it just dropped"

A scary word with lots of meaning. In reality the light had just tipped down, which was clear to us lighting people, but to everyone else it sounded like a much bigger deal

 

[rochem]

Interesting point. Like everyone else, "dropping color" into a conventional unit is fairly widespread, and pretty much everyone knows what you mean.

When I run a spot (98% of the time for theatre and not event/concert work), I usually just hear "Change to Frames 1 and 4" or "Change to only Frame 1". Thinking logically, if I'm operating a Lycian or a Super and currently have frames 1 and 4 in the light, if the LD wants me to remove frame 4 (go to only frame 1), calling "Drop Frame 4" wouldn't make any sense at all - since my action to execute that command would be to press on the (already depressed) Frame 1 lever WITHOUT touching the Frame 4 lever. If I heard "Drop Frame 4", my first instinct would probably be to press on the Frame 4 lever, thus changing to ONLY frame 4 instead of removing it from the beam.

Also, while I completely concur with the Frame 1 / Frame 6 placement, I had a touring Electrician (who also ran one of the three spots) on a show a few weeks ago who INSISTED on it being the other way. We argued it for a bit before finally realizing that it really didn't matter - as long as the Operator knows what order his frames are in, he can number from the middle and work outwards for all I care.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I myself would expect "lose" as the one syllable verb there.

Drop is clearly horribly ambiguous ...

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[TheaterEd]

The only time drop color should be used is loading color into a spot, otherwise it has the potential to confuse the spot ops. I've only used the chopper once, that was when the dowser broke during a festival. The LD was screaming mad. His big blackout was ruined when my spot failed to douse and stayed on for a second or two while I was getting to the chopper and getting it closed.

I can't help but picture a large muscular LD shouting "Get to da Choppa!"

 

[StradivariusBone]

I can't help but picture a large muscular LD shouting "Get to da Choppa!"

I'm so glad that wasn't just me.