What is the term you yell if you (God forbid) drop something from the catwalk?

What do you call as a safety word for things falling?

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CrisCole

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I'm curious. Some theatre's call "Heads!" when they drop something (God forbid) from the catwalk. Others I've heard call "Timber!" other odd words. Generally whatever the word, it is a safety word that everyone who enters the theatre knows, and knows the meaning of.

At my theatre, we call "Fore!" like one would in golf. It's a word that means look out below, because something is falling, and get out of the way!

We dropped a stage weight once, and the tech called, "Moby Dick!" and everyone looked up.

Later, he got fired. :D

What do you all say?
 
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"Heads!" is the only one that I've heard, I've come to understand that it's standard in our industry based on what I've heard.
 
I'm sorry. Fore. I'm not a golfer...

I've heard "Heads" used more than anything, but when I started working at this theatre, they all called "Fore".

I just haven't bothered to change it, because everyone knows the meaning.
 
In every theatre I've worked in, if you say "Heads!" people know something is about to hit the floor, if it's something lightweight from 20' off of the ground (like a loose screw falling from a light fixture) or really heavy from 40' (like a brick falling from the weight floor). If you call "fore" or "timber" or "moby dick", I may glance over for no other reason than someone is yelling something, but not with the sense of urgency I would if I heard someone calling "heads".

"Fore" could be too easily confused if someone mishears someone yelling "Circuit 4" or something like that across the theatre.

"Look out below" takes too long to roll off of the tongue. Depending on what's falling, people may have only a split second to figure out which way they have to run (or if they have to run at all), so the faster they can recognize the urgency of what's going on based on what I've said and what might be going on and the faster they can figure out what it means to them, the better.

Another problem with "Look out below." If people don't immediately feel a sense of danger (which they may/may not from that statement), they might waste critical time they should be spending getting out of the way just looking up and trying to figure out what's going on.

It's a fight or flight situation -- a person in harm's way has to as quickly as possible figure out what kind of danger they're in, suck a breath in, and choose which direction to run.
 
In our theater if you hear heads you drop whatever your doing and run to the nearest wall while covering your head. There is too much noise to hear really anything else. That said its hilarious to see our LD book it for the wall (he has a bad knee and normally only walks slow, with a slight hobble.)
 
We always use heads. The only time I use anything else is when a chain runs, I will yell chain.
 
"Heads!" has a lot more punch than "hey-you-in-the-blue-I-just-dropped-a-screwdriver-so-look-out!" There's no question between those two.
 
I tend to call "Loud Noise" fairly often, usually during strike if we are floating flats and such.

The two times I have been in a theatre when a weight was dropped, the loader was not really even able to yell heads... both times in two different venues it went something like this....

*Half delete expletive* *delete expletive* *delete expletive* (weight hits the mid rail) HEADS!
Click to expand...

If something is falling that is really going to do damage, odds are they aren't actually going to get anything real out because they will be in shock themselves, something to think about....
 
The way I've been trained, both here at school and working professionally, is that "Heads" is the proper term to use when you drop something unexpectedly. It actually takes a lot of training to NOT look up when someone shouts "heads" and to react right away, and it also takes training to be able to shout "heads" instead of muttering a few expletives. It's always good practice to be aware of what's happening around you. Any time I hear "heads," I'm burying my head into my chest and, depending on what's happening around me, either running up/down stage or hitting the deck.

If I'm dropping something intentionally (happened the other day when routing a rigged set piece on a ladder 15 feet off the deck), I'll call "Falling (object)" and/or "Noise" before the thing falls, then check the area around. If someone then gets near the path of the object, I'll then shout heads. One of the places I worked at treated "heads" in the same way as "Go" on coms - it should never be said (loudly) unless people need to take cover right then.
 
I've gotten to the point that if I drop something, I can usually fit 'head's' into my expletive choices
 
What, no one yells "gardyloo" ?

Just kidding. "Heads" is an emergency only term. Anything else on a controlled descent is " (object) coming in (location) ".
 
Having spent two summers as a human target, I mean working on a golf course grounds crew, you yell "fore" and I'm looking up to try to see and avoid whatever is coming rather than waiting to be hit.

Just a hint, you may think it's fun to aim at the guys on the big mowers on the course but have you ever seen what a gang mower can do to a golf ball? Better bring a few extra balls if you try it.
 
rochem said:
...If I'm dropping something intentionally ... I'll call "Falling (object)" and/or "Noise" before the thing falls, then check the area around. ...
Click to expand...
Other common courtesy phrases (during set-up/strike/rehearsal) are:

  • "Going to black" before extinguishing all stage lights
  • "Strobe" before firing strobe lights
  • "Hot stab" before hot-plugging a stage light. Usually heard on TV/movie shoots where they often do not use dimmers, to warn someone that the fixture they're looking directly into may come on.
  • "Fire in the hole" before a pyro discharge.
  • "Behind you": A polite way of saying "Get the F- out of my way; I have to work where you're standing." Usually when carrying something heavy, or running or taping down cables.

Others?
 
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derekleffew said:
"Hot stab" before hot-plugging a stage light. Usually heard on TV/movie shoots where they often do not use dimmers, to warn someone that the fixture they're looking directly into may come on.
Others?
Click to expand...

Similar to "Striking", another term more common on TV/movie shoots. Used to warm people nearby that a light is about to be turned on.

(Bonus points to anyone who can explain why they would use the term "striking")
 
Heads or Rock, which harkens back to SAR/rock climbing days.

BTW, 'Fore' spelled Fore because it is a shortened form of "Down A'fore", which was an old military command given to infantry so they would not get thier heads blown off by the cannons firing from behind them.

I do sugesst, however that if you are working under me and I curse extremely loudly, you should skitter away or cover your head. < Skittering is usually best.>
 
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