One of the trickiest things to do when running a show is keeping time to music when you are trying to not only run cues, but also call spots.  The biggest problem is that not only are you listening to music, you are trying to anticipate the cues as you either call them or hit go on the console.  This can be even more difficult when there are no lyrics to go by.

While nothing can replace rehearsal, here are a few tips in tightening up your timing

1 – Take a video of the rehearsal.  Watch the video over and over again till the music is stuck in you head.  Practice hitting go and calling your spots in time with the music.  This will greatly help you in getting your timing better.

2 – Get the sheet music.  If you are working with a band, they will have the music charts available.  Get a copy and mark it up with the cues.  Write in where the cues go and follow the music.  Even if you can’t read music, this can be helpful since the timing of the music is written in the charts.  If you are lucky, you will be working with a musical director that will be willing to help you out with this.

3. When you write the cues, put them in places where they make sense.  Try to make your cues match to drops in the music and movement on the stage.  By doing this, you will be building musical and movement cues to go on.  This will make it easier to memorize the locations of your cues and when to hit go.

4. Practice, practice, practice.  Make the most of of rehearsal.  Listen to the music.  Make the cues make sense.  Since the cues should be motivated by what is happening on stage, weather it is musically or physically motivated, locating the cues should make sense.

Running shows like this takes patients.  There can be a lot of frustration surrounding the design and execution of shows like this.  Try to stay above the Frey by remaining prepared and rehearsed.

Information Technology for the Lighting Professional

I saw a really cool ad from Verizon that shows a great explanation for how bandwidth works. It shows a bunch of people sitting in a room. They are supposed to represent data. Then a door shows up on a wall. This is supposed to represent band width on the network. Since the door is small, only so much data gets through. In the ad, Verizon is trying to say that with their network, you get a much wider door that will allow more data to get through.

I honestly could care less what network you use to get internet on, so this is not a push for Verizon, but it does play to a point when dealing with networks in lighting rigs. We spend thousands of dollars on consoles and fixtures. We want to build the best possible control system for our TCP/IP network to operate on, so we spend the money where it counts most, right? Not always. Take a look at your network routers and switches. This is where the Verizon ad statement comes in. If you grab an off the shelf network switch or router from the big box store on the corner, you are going to give yourself a small door. Even if it is a gigabite switch, it may not be what you are looking for. For lighting networks where every frame of data needs to get from the console to the fixtures in your rig, you need to make sure that the throughput is high enough to allow this to happen properly. Throughput is the rate of production or the rate at which data can be processed. Your console creates a ton of data that goes down your TCP/IP lines. This is especially true when doing pixel mapping and running several universes of data. Finding the correct network management devices is extremely important.

When purchasing network switches or routers for your lighting system, make sure that the throughput is optimized for maximum band width.

A millisecond early, a millisecond late, you hit GO at the wrong time. You know it, the performer on stage knows it, and unfortunately, so does the sound guy. Inevitably, you get the cold sweat feeling on your back and the knot in the pit of your stomach is growing. You are already anticipating the conversation at the end of the show between you and whomever and you are not looking forward to it.

If you can identify with the above, relax, you are completely human and we have all been there. The key is how to recover. You have to let go of the bad energy as quickly as it came up. You have to remember that this is live and there is no going back, so deal with the present. Move on and keep going. Don’t let one bad cue wreck the rest of your otherwise excellent show.

I am not sure why, but people in our line of work tend to be perfectionists. We accept nothing but the best and are down on ourselves when we deliver anything but. The mark of a true professional is not the mistake that happened, but how we deal with it. There is saying that I have heard often and it goes something like this, “I have messed up way more important shows than this!” The point of this saying is not to belittle the show you are working on, but to give yourself perspective.

So, go forth and produce amazing light shows. Do your best to hit GO at the right time, but don’t be too hard on yourself when you miss it by a millisecond or two.

Monday Morning Zen – Design Block

Design block happens to us all. Knowing how to get past it is really important, especially when the show you are programming is going to happen with or without your amazing light show. For me, this is something that typically happens when I am exhausted, stressed out, or have simply just hit the wall. But instead of talking about the causes, let’s talk about some work around ideas that might help you out when you feel most blocked.

Take a walk – Sometimes it is a matter of getting up from behind the desk and taking a walk. Go outside and get some fresh air. When I was programming on cruise ships I found it really helpful to get up and go outside once in a while and take a break. I found this especially important when we were programming production shows. Taking breaks is good, but leaving the room for a while is even better. This helps you to remember that there is a world outside of the room you are working in. Getting fresh air back in your body and letting your eyes see something besides the desk and your rig can make a world of difference in helping you get past the rough spots.

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Eat something – When you are programming for long stretches, you can forget to do things like eating. Lack of energy can really do a number on your mental state. Go and grab a snack. However, I strongly recommend not eating at the desk. Force yourself to get up and move. Take a look at the previous point. Sitting at the desk and eating only allows you to grab a quick snack. Taking a snack break away from the desk allows you to re-focus on something completely different from the show you are programming. I like apples because they don’t need to be kept cool, they are easy for your body to break down and you get the energy quickly.

Change the subject – It often helps to let your mind wander and focus on something else because it is easy for our brains to get locked into a loop and block you from getting your ideas out. In these situations, I might check my Facebook to see what else is going on in the world or what is new on the CHAUVET Professional page, or I might listen to music that has nothing to do with the show I am programming. Sometimes it is just a matter of focusing on something different for a while and letting your brain reset to allow the good ideas to come back.

Get some rest – If you are on a longer programming gig, sometimes you just have to save your show and go get some sleep. After 10 to 12 hours of programming, it all starts to look and sound the same. This is a cue that sleep is in order. If you are doing one of those dreaded shows where you load in the day before, program all night, and then have the show the following day, sleep seems like something that you dreamed about last week. I know that last sentence made no sense, but trust me, when you are that tired, it will. Being awake and running for 15 to 20 hours (or more) is not uncommon in our industry. In those situations, I highly recommend cat naps. Find a quiet place and crash for 20 minutes. It does not replace a full night’s sleep, but it is better than nothing. Keep in mind that caffeine and energy drinks do not replace sleep. As a matter of fact, they can make design block even worse.

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Plow through it – Sometimes, there is no choice but to plow through. No one likes it, but it is a necessary evil and a skill you need to have. In this situation, when you are totally blocked up, but you have to finish, go back to the basics of design. Make sure that your act is lit well with your three point lighting, and hit the dynamics of the music you are designing to. It may not be your most inspired work, but at least the portion of the show you are working on will be done and you can always touch up later. On top of that, sometimes when you are using this method, the elements start to fall into place and your brain will come back to life.

Design block is all in your mind, but since your mind is what is designing the show, you have to find a way to get past it. There are a lot of different ways to do this, but the above are the ones that work for me. I hope it works for you too. If you have some things that work for you, share them with us! We would love to hear from you!