POTO Russia backstage (X)
wooooow
Stunning

Kaledo Art

PR's Tumblrdome
No title available
Sweet Seals For You, Always
tumblr dot com
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
NASA

roma★
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
will byers stan first human second
dirt enthusiast

JBB: An Artblog!
TVSTRANGERTHINGS

ellievsbear
Claire Keane

blake kathryn
Game of Thrones Daily

Janaina Medeiros
styofa doing anything
Today's Document
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Morocco
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia

seen from Jordan
seen from Jordan

seen from Brazil

seen from United States
seen from Austria

seen from Canada
seen from Iraq

seen from United States
seen from Albania
seen from Argentina
@technically-delightful
POTO Russia backstage (X)
wooooow
Stunning
The first production photos have been released from Hartford Stage’s premiere staging of Anastasia!
Stunning. I can’t wait to see the Broadway production
Experimenting with the camera on my new phone at work today
Props storage aesthetic
One of my favorite little backstage things is when people recognize someone else’s job as more important than their own and move the fuck out of the way.
Anticipated or not, we’ve all been there. You’ll be meandering back to the dressing rooms to rest your feet before the next scene when you see the prop runner bolting toward you. Turning, you instinctively hug the wall just as they fly past. You go on your way.
Or you have just descended the stairs when, “Fuck!” Before you know it you’ve turned around and every actor ascending to make their entrance pins themselves to the rail while you pound up the stairs. You accidentally bump into a guy on the way, but you both forget the encounter.
Or that moment every show when you step to the side with your arms out. Seconds later, an actress drops her prop in your hands as she dashes to her quick change.
It’s (usually) wordless, instead relying on bounding feet and focused eyes to communicate that their job is more important than yours in that moment. Knowing theatre is full of mishaps, we rarely follow up or know what it was about, but trust that it was all to serve the show.
“Allegiance”
Donyale Werle
Stunning show. I wish it had a longer run
I just find projection grids to be really beautiful
one of my friends found radiooooo which is a site that streams music from any country from any decade (well, most countries/decade combos work) and we’ve been digging going on a quest to find what is rad
so far the following is good
50s/60s/70s/80s russia
70s cambodia
20s japan
80s ethiopia
80s india
let’s add 70s armenia and 70s japan to this list
actually im willing to bet 70s *any country will be amazing, it’s all been really good so far
and if you go for 90s india fast music you might get hit in the face with tunak tunak tun right away so get your meme groove on
one of my moms recommended 70s east germany and this proves true, this is weird and amazing in a good way
also set the mood to “weird” for maximum fun, it enhances literally every station
Shit this is nice. Can’t wait to find even more 70′s African funk gems.
y'all
I’ve reblogged this before but. Again
i forgot about this until i googled my url
ooooh!
Sound Designers! Research!
Gig Tip: Setting up the Basic Audio Channel
Working sound for a show, and still aren’t even sure on the basics? It is your first mainstage production? Or perhaps a buddy has wrangled you into doing sound for their band at a party, and you have *some* experience, but are still not clear on why things are done a certain way? Well, the easiest way to get a grip on microphones is to start with the basic Signal Chain. Follow a basic signal chain map, and rarely will you have a problem getting the sound you want!
Getting sound out of the console to the mains the way you want it is pretty simple as well, but there is a particular way you want to do it. Some engineers have different ways, but the basics of “Signal Flow” are the same. Here’s a quick and easy way on how we do it here. Now, you won’t find discussion about preamps, time-base processors or matrix management here. You need to know the basics about how sound works in a signal flow to make use of any other advanced processing.
What is the “Signal Chain”?
The signal chain is the path a signal travels from the source (such as a mic) through the audio system and out the speakers or on to disk for recording. A signal flow chart can be as lengthy as several pages in 9 point type, single spaced on front to back pages! But, the usual key to great sound is to keep the signal chain simple, and only add stuff when you MUST! The more you add, the more “noise”, or permanent alteration to the original sound, you create. Once you alter a signal, it is VERY difficult if not impossible to restore it 100%. So, to start with a simple, clean patch is always ideal. EVERY engineer starts with this basic signal flow chart. From the bedroom producer to Dave Rat, the basics don’t change:
Source (Singer/instrument) -> Transducer (microphone, DI, D/A interface, etc) -> Input transformer-> Preamp-> Gain -> Primary Send-> Equalization -> Channel Fader -> Secondary Send -> Master Fader-> Output Transformer
Now, that may seem a bit confusing at first, but let’s walk through a basic channel setup and you can start to see where these bits come into play. In setting up a basic channel, you won’t have to bother with input or output transformer since 99% of the consoles on the market don’t require you to do anything with that. But, as you gain more education and experience you will soon start to consider what *types* of preamps and transformers are in the consoles you are using when determining what tools to use for what gig.
But, let’s start with the basics that everyone needs to know:
**ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE CHANNEL IS “MUTED”. MAKE SURE THERE IS A RED LIGHT ON NEXT TO THE MUTE BUTTON ON EVERY CHANNEL JUST ABOVE THE SLIDER. IF IT IS NOT MUTED, DO SO NOW!**
-Select a microphone to use. Once you have the stand placed, run a cable to the “Snake”. Select what number channel you want to use by plugging the male end of the cable into the snake. Remember the number that you plugged your mic into! This will be important later.
**A Snake is a box much like a power strip, but it has points, or “channels” where you can plug in microphones and speakers. But, instead of electrical power to run appliances, it deals in sound signal. They consist of lines going INTO the board, like microphones and instruments) signals and lines coming OUT of the board for speakers or recorders. **
-Once your cable is plugged in, THEN plug in your microphone or instrument using the female end. Once you have your mic or instrument plugged in to the sanke, THEN attach the mic to the cable with the mic on the stand.
-After you have the mic hooked into the system, head to the sound console and let’s get that signal through the board into the speakers!
1) Press the “Solo” button (Located just above the fader, next to the mute button) to see the level of the microphone on the meter (located on the far upper right on a Mackie 24.4.4 for example, or in the center of the Yamaha MC32/12)
Have the artist or another tech go to the microphone to sound check the microphone. Just have them speak or sing at the level they will do so during a performance. NEVER Blow into or Tap on the mic!!!! This can damage the diaphragm and the coils within the mic and can cause feedback and power surges into the sound system. This is a bad thing.
2) Then, we *slowly* turn the Gain knob (the very first rotary knob at the top of the channel strip) to the right. This controls the amount of raw signal we are getting from the microphone to the console. As you turn up the signal while someone is singing or playing into the microphone, you will see the level on the meter increase. You want to keep the maximum level just within the “Green” section. This gives you a lot of signal to work with, but it keeps it from “clipping”, or distorting the sound. If it goes into the Yellow or the Red, you are clipping and need to turn the gain down.
3) Then, you want to select where you want that signal to go. We can send a signal to either the “Main Mix” (sometimes labeled as “L/R” mix) or to a number of “Aux Sends”. You will find the Aux Send knobs just below the Gain/trim knob and just above the Equalizer section on the channel strip. Simply turn those knobs to the right until the desired level is reached. Aux Sends simply send sound from the console DIRECTLY to another source, such as a monitor speaker or lobby speakers.
4) After that, now we can set the Main Output. This is the slider on the far right that controls the actual volume of the main speakers. Bring this one up to “U” as well.
What does “U” mean? It stands for “Unity”, or the point where an audio signal can pass through a board unaffected. It is neither being attenuated (Being turned down in volume) or amplified (being boosted artificially in volume). You always want to work as close to unity as possible to provide the cleanest sound with as little unneeded extra circuitry between the source and the final destination: The ears of the listener.
Now we have a full, uninterrupted signal going through the board!!! Now let’s make some sound happen!
1) Un-mute the channel by pushing the Mute button on the channel you are working with. The red light next to the mute button should go off. This means you are ready to send signal to that channel.
Once you have your gain level set, turn up the fader at the bottom of the channel to send signal to the main speakers.
You can now use the equalizer, or “EQ” to set your Highs, Mids and Lows. Just like an Equalizer on your home or car stereo, this allows you to make certain frequencies louder or softer in a particular signal. For example, you may want to have more “mids”, or the group of notes that are above 120Hz (or just below C3) on an upright bass, so you would turn up the lower two knobs until you reach a desired sound. At the same time you may want to bring out certain parts of sound that cause trouble. Such as someone who has a low bass voice may cause “pop” and distortion when talking into a mic. You can avoid this by turning down the low end knobs until the pop and distortion goes away.
If you need a signal louder (if you set the gain properly) you can now just bring the slider up without worry about the sound quality changing. If you don’t need that particular mic during a show, all you need to do is bring that slider down to bring it out. If you don’t want to hear ANYTHING from that mic, just hit the Mute button above the slider of whatever channel you don’t want to hear. That blocks out that mic entirely from sending signal to the board (just don’t forget that mute button when you actually need it)
Wow this is quality learning right here. Educate your selves friends.
Cable tray game strong.
A short documentary about female stagehands in the IATSE Local 16 Stagehands Union in San Francisco, CA. Produced and directed by Shena van Spronsen.
A short-doc about female stagehands in San Francisco.
Ambient sounds for writers
Find the right place to write your novel…
Nature
Arctic ocean
Blizzard in village
Blizzard in pine forest
Blizzard from cave
Blizzard in road
Beach
Cave
Ocean storm
Ocean rocks with rain
River campfire
Forest in the morning
Forest at night
Forest creek
Rainforest creek
Rain on roof window
Rain on tarp tent
Rain on metal roof
Rain on window
Rain on pool
Rain on car at night
Seaside storm
Swamp at night
Sandstorm
Thunderstorm
Underwater
Wasteland
Winter creek
Winter wind
Winter wind in forest
Howling wind
Places
Barn with rain
Coffee shop
Restaurant with costumers
Restaurant with few costumers
Factory
Highway
Garden
Garden with pond and waterfall
Fireplace in log living room
Office
Call center
Street market
Study room from victorian house with rain
Trailer with rain
Tent with rain
Jacuzzi with rain
Temple
Temple in afternoon
Server room
Fishing dock
Windmill
War
Fictional places
Chloe’s room (Life is Strange)
Blackwell dorm (Life is Strange)
Two Whales Diner (Life is Strange)
Star Wars apartment (Star Wars)
Star Wars penthouse (Star Wars)
Tatooine (Star Wars)
Coruscant with rain (Star Wars)
Yoda’s hut with rain ( Star Wars)
Luke’s home (Star Wars)
Death Star hangar (Star wars)
Blade Runner city (Blade Runner)
Askaban prison (Harry Potter)
Hogwarts library with rain (Harry Potter)
Ravenclaw tower (Harry Potter)
Hufflepuff common room (Harry Potter)
Slytherin common room (Harry Potter)
Gryffindor common room (Harry Potter)
Hagrid’s hut (Harry Potter)
Hobbit-hole house (The Hobbit)
Diamond City (Fallout 4)
Cloud City beach (Bioshock)
Founding Fathers Garden (Bioshock)
Things
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Fireplace
Transportation
Boat engine room
Cruising boat
Train ride
Train ride in the rain
Train station
Plane trip
Private jet cabin
Airplane cabin
Airport lobby
First class jet
Sailboat
Submarine
Historical
Fireplace in medieval tavern
Medieval town
Medieval docks
Medieval city
Pirate ship in tropical port
Ship on rough sea
Ship cabin
Ship sleeping quarter
Titanic first class dining room
Old west saloon
Sci-fi
Spaceship bedroom
Space station
Cyberpunk tearoom
Cyberpunk street with rain
Futuristic server room
Futuristic apartment with typing
Futuristic rooftop garden
Steampunk balcony rain
Post-apocalyptic
Harbor with rain
City with rain
City ruins turned swamp
Rusty sewers
Train station
Lighthouse
Horror
Haunted mansion
Haunted road to tavern
Halloween
Stormy night
Asylum
Creepy forest
Cornfield
World
New York
Paris
Paris bistro
Tokyo street
Chinese hotel lobby
Asian street at nightfall
Asian night market
Cantonese restaurant
Coffee shop in Japan
Coffee shop in Paris
Coffee shop in Korea
British library
Trips, rides and walkings
Trondheim - Bodø
Amsterdam - Brussels
Glasgow - Edinburgh
Oxford - Marylebone
Seoul - Busan
Gangneung - Yeongju
Hiroshima
Tokyo metro
Osaka - Kyoto
Osaka - Kobe
London
São Paulo
Seoul
Tokyo
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Alps
New York
Hong Kong
Taipei
Beautiful
@icanneverbesatisfied @maybe-mikala I HAVE FOUND THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE
I LOVE YOU FOR THIS
HONESTLY I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW
PSA for young ASMs:
PUT YOUR FUCKING PHONE DOWN.
I realize that at the ripe old age of 28, I am older than most of the folks on this great website, but shocking as it may be, I too am a Millenial. I also obsessively check my social media, prefer texts to phone calls, and wear my iPhone like an appendage.
But when you’re backstage on a show, especially a show with a lot of actors over the age of 40, you have to learn when it’s appropriate to have your phone out.
Are you in a standby? Or even a warning for a cue? Put your fucking phone down.
Are you waiting to page a door or curtain, hand off a prop, or assist with a quick-change? Put your fucking phone down.
Is an actor talking to you about literally anything even tangentially related to the show? Put your fucking phone down.
I am not saying you should never have your phone on you backstage. Personally I see no difference between reading a book backstage and checking your twitter, although a lot of folks a generation ahead of us associate “glowing screen” with “not paying attention,” where they wouldn’t if you were knitting or reading a magazine- I’m not saying that’s fair, because it isn’t. And we’ve all had those shows that were 90 minutes of killing time backstage, or even 5 minutes of work every 30 or so minutes- we all need something to do to keep us from falling asleep in the dark backstage. Of course, the first time somebody’s phone makes a noise or someone misses a cue because they’re distracted, then phone privileges are gone for everyone, but until then- whatever keeps you on your toes, dudes.
But for the love of god, when there are actors around, at least try to make it look like doing your job is more important to you than whatever is on your phone.
I will be the first to admit that I am on my phone backstage pretty often, maybe more than I should be. But I have never, in the 6 years of my career as a professional SM, had an actor complain that I was on my phone too much or not paying attention backstage, and you know why? Because I put my fucking phone down when they’re talking to me. I put it down when I’m waiting in the wings to page a curtain for them, even if it’s an absurdly long standby. I put it down when I’m waiting on a hand-off. Because I have a goddamn job to do, and I’m there to do it, and whoever I’m texting can wait 5 fucking minutes for me to reply after I’ve finished the damn scene change.
This isn’t hard, guys. I can’t tell you how much actors appreciate feeling like they’re being taken care of, and one of the fastest ways to destroy that feeling for them is for the ASM and/or the crew to look like they would rather be anywhere but where they are. It’s really not hard to make it look like you care- even if you hate the show, even if the actors are obnoxious, even if you’re bored to tears because you only do one scene change in the whole 2 hour show.
Just put your fucking phone down.
Fucking PREACH!
Do you know what props is short for? It’s property. If it doesn’t belong to you, don’t fuckin touch it.
Actor quote of the day (via mondays-off)
not to get mad nerdy but I just discovered tabletopaudio.com and I’m fuckin losing it
this person (people?) goes about making 10 minute long loopable ambient noise tracks for every imaginable setting (docks, taverns, forests, airships, spaceships, office buildings, sewers, EVERYTHING) and has over a hundred tracks to offer, and on top of that if none of them suit you there’s a huge feature called soundpad where you can mix and match from their set of hundreds of individual sound effects and music clips to make your own ambient background track
holy shit dudes
I did a little further reading on his about and the guy running this is just a dad with two kids who like playing tabletops with him and he had the composition and musical training to start making soundtracks for his games then decided to spread that to the world for absolutely free, he even welcomes you to use his tracks in your works (podcasts, videos etc) and is open to being hired for custom tracks
I love him
what’s the difference between ninjas and stage crew?
ninjas move silently around walls, stage crew moves walls around silently.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IS SO GREAT
The depiction of ninjas as dressed all in black comes from traditional Japanese theatre. Actual historical ninjas didn’t dress in black because it’s conspicuous as hell in the daytime and even at night in the dark a person dressed in solid black tends to stand out; dark grey or blue is better for hiding in shadows. Usually they just wore ordinary, like, people clothes which are far better for blending into your surroundings in than a specialised professional costume.
BUT YOU KNOW WHO DID DRESS ALL IN BLACK LIKE THAT
the stage crew in a theatre
and it was a generally accepted convention that the black-clad stagehands were invisible, so they could be on stage at the same time as the actors and move things around and the audience would just mentally CG them out
but then one day because a director was a GENIUS, during an otherwise normal performance of a play, suddenly a stagehand stepped forward, assassinated one of the main characters and then melted back into the background
THEY WERE A NINJA
AND THE AUDIENCE LOST THEIR MINDS BECAUSE IT WAS AMAZING
and eventually it lost its mind-blow value because after a while everyone had seen a play like that, so although the “stagehands wear black and are invisible” convention continued, the new “ninjas wear black and are invisible until they choose to strike” convention became established, and from then on fictional ninjas have just worn black because it looks so cool.
So in fact the answer to “What’s the difference between ninjas and stage crew?” is “You will never know until they stab you.”
Okay this is the first time I have heard the second half of this information and it’s so much better now.
As a theatre carpenter and welder, I must frustrate the portion of the older generation that is both “anti-arts” and “pro-kids these days should learn to work with their hands”.