Which crew member would you rather have?

[Dagger]

Which crew member woud you rather invest time in to show the ropes?

One can move quickly but talks alot , comments a lot or the other who doesnt move as quickly but is quiet, listens more than talk. Both of them show wilingness to learn.

 

[CraigV]

Why not teach one to be attentive, and the other to act efficiently?

In this industry, whoever wants to learn and do a good job should be coachable. You never know how long someone's going to stick it out, so the only bad option is to rely too heavily on a single person.

 

[gafftaper]

Anyone willing to listen to you is worth teaching.

That said, if we are talking about two people applying for the same job. I would say that the person who listens will almost always get hired over the person who talks a lot and comments about others work. Fast work isn't necessarily good work. Slow work can be a sign of meticulous skill and attention to detail. I find that one of the worst things you can do in this industry is be a know it all who doesn't listen, doesn't take direction, and doesn't know when to shut up. These people are not only annoying, they can be dangerous to themselves, others, and the gear.

I have a few friends in this industry who truly do know everything there is to know about their specialty branch of the industry. If you ask any of them, they will all say, "I DON'T know it all" and they will tell you they are always eager to learn new things. All of them are listeners. They listen for new ideas, new ways to keep others safe, new ways to improve the industry, new ways of doing things faster and more efficiently. A true master gets that way because they are always trying to learn more... even the riggers!

The talker will get hired and then yes it's great if you can try to teach them. But if they don't listen, they will be the first out the door when a better option comes along. Cirque, Disney, Tait, ZFX, ETC, PRG... none of the biggest names in the industry are eagerly searching for people who won't listen and won't take direction.

 

[egilson1]

even the riggers!

Hey, I resemble that comment!

 

[Crisp image]

I had a student LD for a show that was in one of the venues I work at. She was also programming the console. Every time I asked her a question about "do you know about this feature?" the response was "yes- I know!" in a rude abrupt sort of way. This is not the person I want working with or for me. I don't mind talkers as long as they are not know it alls. If they can take direction and stop to ask questions then good. I had another highschool kid come in and think he owned the place. I asked him what I have in my rig and he named it all. Then I asked if he knew our channel numbers which he replied yes most of them- I have worked here before! My answer is well you don't know the numbers because we changed them last week (which we did) and I continued to program. This kid had a reputation in the local theatres of being a know it all. While programming to some music I said the timing was out for aa chase for tap timed it. He asked how I did that? What you don't know how to do that? you know it all don't you. He got the point and I showed him (part of our job is to foster new techs). the local techs agree that if he pulled his head out of his behind and took direction he would be a fine tech but he has to do that.
So give them both a trial. You will know in the first hour (or day) what they will be like over the long term.
That is why we have a probationary period at the start of any employment so we can see if they fit in the organisation and for them to see if we are the right employer for them.
Have a great day.
Geoff

 

[gafftaper]

Hey, I resemble that comment!

And Yes, I was actually talking about you Ethan when I said that. You resemble my entire statement, not just the cheap shot. You are someone who truly is a master of your craft. You have earned the right to say, "Alright, I know everything I need to know and from here on I will just tell others how to do things". But instead you ALWAYS are asking questions, seeking new things to learn, looking for new ways of doing things, always looking to improve. I love walking a trade show floor with you talking about random rigging gear that has appeared. You look at an unknown product and start breaking it down into what it's potential benefits and hazards are. It's really fun to watch you learn about something new, analyze it on a deeper level, and then come up with a list of scenarios where the product could be either a god send, a disaster, or both.

It's the desire to continue learning that truly makes a person a master of the craft. As soon as someone decides "I'm done learning" they shut themself off and start to lose relevance because technology keeps moving with our without you.

 

[gafftaper]

I had a student LD for a show that was in one of the venues I work at. She was also programming the console. Every time I asked her a question about "do you know about this feature?" the response was "yes- I know!" in a rude abrupt sort of way. This is not the person I want working with or for me. I don't mind talkers as long as they are not know it alls. If they can take direction and stop to ask questions then good. I had another highschool kid come in and think he owned the place. I asked him what I have in my rig and he named it all. Then I asked if he knew our channel numbers which he replied yes most of them- I have worked here before! My answer is well you don't know the numbers because we changed them last week (which we did) and I continued to program. This kid had a reputation in the local theatres of being a know it all. While programming to some music I said the timing was out for aa chase for tap timed it. He asked how I did that? What you don't know how to do that? you know it all don't you. He got the point and I showed him (part of our job is to foster new techs). the local techs agree that if he pulled his head out of his behind and took direction he would be a fine tech but he has to do that.
So give them both a trial. You will know in the first hour (or day) what they will be like over the long term.
That is why we have a probationary period at the start of any employment so we can see if they fit in the organisation and for them to see if we are the right employer for them.
Have a great day.
Geoff

I tell my new high school techs there are two correct answers to "Do you know how to______?"
1) "I don't know"
2) "I know how I would do that in other spaces, is there anything I should be aware of about how you do it here?"

 

[egilson1]

And Yes, I was actually talking about you Ethan when I said that. You resemble my entire statement, not just the cheap shot. You are someone who truly is a master of your craft. You have earned the right to say, "Alright, I know everything I need to know and from here on I will just tell others how to do things". But instead you ALWAYS are asking questions, seeking new things to learn, looking for new ways of doing things, always looking to improve. I love walking a trade show floor with you talking about random rigging gear that has appeared. You look at an unknown product and start breaking it down into what it's potential benefits and hazards are. It's really fun to watch you learn about something new, analyze it on a deeper level, and then come up with a list of scenarios where the product could be either a god send, a disaster, or both.

It's the desire to continue learning that truly makes a person a master of the craft. As soon as someone decides "I'm done learning" they shut themself off and start to lose relevance because technology keeps moving with our without you.

I appreciate your kind words.