#u2bc3

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Monday 2/12/13

I started by helping Jack sort out the flying harnesses checking the mayons and other checks for any splits or default in the harnesses. We also check other flying equipment like the traverse line and some of the stropes. I then went to costume to discuss who was flying, and how they would be flying. For example some people would be flying from stingers one clipped to each side near the hips. Another way would but from the lower back; costume could then make the costumes suiting each actors flying needs. I then helped Tom with prop making, we was told that in the first scene the singers would be carrying lanterns so me and Tom went and found some round poles suitable as lantern sticks. Our next challenge was to attach the lanterns to the poles. At first we put screws into the pole and the lanterns hung fine. It was then discovered that it was to easy for the lanterns to fall off of the screw and fall a smash. We then swapped the screws for cup hooks which were more secure and the lantern could not fall off. Just before I went home I helped construction take apart a bike. One member of the construction team wanted to grind everything off where as I know a little bike maintenance so I thought it would be easier to take it apart rather than chop certain bits off unnecessary. With the tools available we stripped most of it down apart from one last bit which you needed a special tool for.

Positive- Completed flying checks

Negative- Before I started working on the bike they cut a lot off already

what I learnt-Learnt how to check for defaults in a flying harness

What skills I used- Listening skills to learn about flying

Thinking and creative skills to make the poles for the lanterns

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Friday 29/11/13

Started hanging black tabs above the curtain between the dock and the main stage. Then moved on to swapping stropes from blue and purple to black stropes. This had the effect of the strope not being seen as easy and to give a more professional look. After lunch I had a fitting from costume to talk about what I would be doing so I could have a costume suitable. Alex from aircraft came in and gave us more training on the cranes. With alex we made adjustments to the cranes to make them easier to move and lift.

Positives- Crane training made it a lot easier compared to previous lifts

Negative- I was told I had to have a costume

What I learnt- Learnt how to put strope in the rigg effectivly

Skills - Listening, communication, speaking.

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Wednesday 27/11/13

9 o'clock start,  My job was to tidy the theatre up before the actors came in to view the set. In order to do this I had to help harry and dean focus the lights. Once this was done there was one final check to make sure there was no risk to the actors. As a whole company of technicians we reveled the set and air ship to the actors successfully. Alex from the flying company came in and gave some ASM's training on the cranes. After the training we had a few conversations concerning little problems or enquirers. After lunch we de-rigged the center point wire along with the bar what it was attached to, the bar was made up of three scaff poles clamped together. Alex then returned for the training of the cranes part two. This then changed to how to use the traverse line and how to fit a harness correctly, we then practice the flying and gave the actors a chance to swap. In the evening Alex left and the only job left was to re-rigg the center fly point we had great difficulty because we had to consider different knots and which would be best. We ran through different methods. Eventually we got the bar up to discover it could not be secured. So the hour we spent trying to get the bar up was wasted in the ten minutes it took to take down.

Positives- Enjoyed the flying and the rigging

Negative- The use of ladders in and out all the time as we could not leave the ladders inside, this made each job longer.

Learnt-  I learnt what a mayon was. (Triangle carabiner) 

skills-  listening skills was used to understand the flying process. communications skills was needed to work in teams to get the jobs done.

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Monday 11/11/13

We were called for a one o’clock start, after the meeting we had a stage management meeting. This was to discuss the props list previously made last Friday. As a group we went through the list and wrote the list on the white board into sections. The sections were buy, make, and find, next to the item we also made a note of which sub group would be getting each prop. As well as reading through the prop list we went through the character list which had their hobbies listed. We added these props to the list on the white board. My sub group had to get travel chess set, jet pack crayons, colouring book, note pad, adventure book, three colour threads, large sewing needles, fabric tap measure, magic beans and a cane. We then arranged all of our props into the three sections

Make: Can, jet pack, and colouring book, magic beans and the cane

Find/stock: note pad and pen, adventure book, and three colours of thread

Buy: Chess set, large sewing needles, fabric tape measure, and crayons

Positive: A positive was by making a list everyone and every group had something to do.

Negative: A negative was some props fell into two categories. For example the magic beans, we had to go and buy the beans (nuts) and then add the magic. (paint and pva)

What I learnt:  Today I learnt where the fashion department was, this was to go and collect some thread.

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Tags

Unit 2b

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Tags

Unit 2b

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Wednesday

On Wednesday we were called for normal time as it was the colleges open evening which started at 3pm and ended at 8pm. The plan for the day would be to set up in the theatre and be ready to open at 3pm. When we opened we also had to have a plan of what stage management would be doing. During the day we sent up in the theatre by putting steel deck up on legs to make tables, marked out the floor where people could and couldn't go. This was because we had silks and a trapeze set up so they would need a working area. We also hung a black across the seating bank to make it look more professional. This was done with a big single black and eight stage weights, we also got smaller blacks to put over the steel deck. Each department had their own little area so once the theatre was set up all of stage management got props from the props room and displayed them on our table to make a display.  At 3pm we opened and my sub group started coming up with ideas on how to make the jet packs from the research we had done. With the resources we had we started building the jet pack. As a group we changed little ideas and details throughout the building process.

Positives: We started out jet packs and we completed all the tasks before the opening time.

Negatives: Our display could have been better but not sure how. Maybe next time have less items but placed better on the table. I also feel that after I left my group did not really progress a lot with the jet pack.

Skills:

Team work skills – We all needed team work skills so we knew what each other was doing and each person could contribute to the theatre for the open day.

Personal motivation – Although everyone was working in a team everyone had to be motivated or nothing would have been achieved.

Creative – I had to use creative skills when designing and making the jet pack.    

[jamesdixonblogbook]

Tuesday

After the meeting on Monday it was discussed my group would be first to be in rehearsals. As a sub group we went to the morning meeting with everyone then went to the studio to set up the speakers and sound board. Jack gave me a crash course in sound and how the speakers worked; I learnt that speakers can have either a valve or a cone. The speakers in the studio where cones this meant they had to be warmed up or they could blow and damage the speakers. To warm the cones up we had to play music through the speakers quietly and slowly increase the volume during a period of 5-10 minutes because you could not rush them, this was done from the sound platform.  The other member of my group Alex was down in the studio making sure the actors start warming up either by a certain time or until a director or lecture took over. The actors should know there warm up so it was just to make sure this was completed. Once the DSM was finished in the production meeting she relived us because we were no longer needed. We then joined the rest of the stage management team to start some research on steam punk and jet packs. To do this we went to the library to use the computers. Not long after we started all technicians was called to the theatre and it was announced that there was not many tickets sold for the show. After the talk we pulled resources together to think of ways to sell more tickets. Most of us published it on social networking sites and rang up old schools to see if they would come. Whilst doing that we continued to research steam punk and jet packs. At lunch we were called by Louise to tell us to go home and sell tickets to as many people as we could. Louise also asked us to try and collect materials for the jet packs.

Positive: I learnt about the sound system in the studio and had a crash course on the sound board.

Negative: That we found out there was not many tickets sold for the show.

Skills used:                                                                             

Listening skills -learning how to use the sound board in the studio.

Research/computer skills – Researching steam punk and jet packs for ideas

P/R skills- Trying to sell tickets through different methods.