Techies?

passinthru · 04-04-2002, 07:15 PM

I noticed in the plays/musicals you;ve been in thread that there are a number of techies here...soooo

this is for you guys...post your worst nightmares...the way that nothing ever seems to work and the way that you are underappreciated....just try to be kind to the actors as best you can

the little sister of the former tech head at her high school (and I've done tech stuff myself for drama classes so I do know what I'm talking about alittle bit)
KT+

Lightinthedark · 04-04-2002, 08:55 PM

In our play I have a stereo that I play sound effects on. I also have a microphone right next to me because I have to do manual sound FX. The other night, several people didn't show up for rehearsal. The director decided that I shoud just read the parts into my mic. Some of these characters have dialogues onstage where it's just them. We were timing it so I had to read every line. I had one hand on the stereo, on hand holding the script, a flashlight in the crook of my neck, and I had to reach over to reach the mic. And no, the equipment never works right and yes, we are underappreciated. Actors are whiny, well some of them are. It hasn't been that bad because tonight we were passing out best acting awards, and I got a special appreciation award. It meant alot to me.

Lilole`me · 04-05-2002, 12:01 AM

I could tell stories just about stuff that has happened while doing sound...not even for plays!

But anyway, back to plays.

One year at my church's presentation at Halloween I was doing the lights. I did it with this guy who would talk alot and stuff. But anyway, I was wearing a headset so the stage manager could communicate to us. (the guy wasn't allowed to have it b/c he'd ask too many questions.).

So after the play my pastor does an altar call, but he still needs a spotlight on him for video purposes and such. (My sister happened to be doing that.) So I'm just chillin, and the stage manager told me through my headset to go put the set on my sister. So I walked over and did. He wasnted her to change the color of it from white to a light blue. She couldn't stop what she was doing so she told me to push down the certain levers that make the colors. Now if you've ever worked with a spotlight you'd know that you can push down two at once and it'll mix.

Well, I definitely pushed down the wrong one, and let the white one release; turning my Pastor into a lovely shade of Smurf blue. As he is glaring, and my sis is saying "Wrong one!!", I quickly tried to fix my mistake. Once again I pressed down the wrong one and turned my Pastor green. I finally did get it right, but it was embarrassing, and it is definitely on the video that the church sold!

:kduh:

God's best,
Melissa

Pseudoname · 04-29-2002, 04:51 PM

Seriously? I took part in one of the worst techie mistakes ever...or at least it felt like forever...

Just to start off, normally actors are a little whiny, I tend to be a little less harsh about light cue mistakes only because the character I was playing ONLY came in on light cues (to signify his being in the main character's mind). But the techs we got this year were cool so I didn't even make a thing out of it, until the next to last performance (or last, whichever it was).

At my school, we do three nights, 50% of our audience the last two nights are there for the food and to see their kids students for the 2nd and 3rd time...

Well there's this one scene where I'm trying to coach the main character into kissing his best friend's wife (now his friend also). After my coaxing, he is supposed to be at the brink of kissing her when the phone is supposed to ring. Now this year we had problems with the phone so we were just going to cue up a sound clip of a phone and have that do. This is how the scene went:

----
Linda: oh, that drink is going right to my head, I feel like I'm floating.
Alan: (agreeing) hm...
Bogart (me): go ahead, kiss her
Alan: please!
Bogart: she's ready
Alan: how do you know?
Bogart: believe me, I know
Alan: she'll pull back, I feel it
Bogart: she's sitting and waiting, don't screw up
Alan: OK, but if she pulls back I'll pretend it was a joke
Bogart: hurry...
(alan slowly advances on linda, phone is silent)
(all three actors stay in character, though it takes the best to be able to hide the anticipation of the phone ring that should have taken place -10 seconds ago-)
(alan, staying in character like a pro, concocts a dialogue improv line off the TOP OF HIS HEAD)
Alan: I'm scared, this is not right
Bogart (same): just relax and take your-
(phone ring, incredibly loud, startling the crowd)
(play resumes)
----

That was the only tech mistake save for a light cue that came in half a beat late. The scariest 10 decades I EVER spent on stage!

SmokeyBear · 06-13-2002, 04:35 PM

I had to do lights for a play that my church was putting on, and I had to wait until all the prop guys (there were three) were off the stage before we could do the heaven scene. Well, the heaven music had already started playing for like 20- 30 seconds, and I couldn't see them anymore. I turned on the lights, and all three of them were on the steps of the altar, struggling with a big table. I was extremely embarrassed (and I got chewed out for catching them in the lights).

:kstare:

Skled · 06-13-2002, 07:14 PM

alright let's see....I was running sound for a school play about some little girl who's lost and some snobby newsreporter that finds her. Some of the actors wear lavalieres (I think that's how to spell that....those lapel mics). There was one part where the little girl falls and hits her head on a doorstep. The lavaliere channel was right next to the newswoman's mic, and I accidentally muted the wrong one, turning hers off and leaving a backstage mic on. Just when the little girlis lying on the floor unconcious and the woman runs offstage crying, instead of hearing her sobs, you hear (from an actor undressing and taking off makeup backstage for a costume change) a woman saying "It's about time!! I couldn't wait to get rid of that one! Good grief, what a nuisance!" It was pretty bad.

Raphael · 06-14-2002, 01:01 AM

MY two worst moments.

One hour before opening night of a school production we had the
main channel for the roving spots go kabluey

Then another time we were setting up sound for an all night praise
session, and spent an interresting 10 minutes watching our main
amp put on a nice little fire works display for us.

pinkangelkitty · 06-20-2002, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skled
alright let's see....I was running sound for a school play about some little girl who's lost and some snobby newsreporter that finds her. Some of the actors wear lavalieres (I think that's how to spell that....those lapel mics). There was one part where the little girl falls and hits her head on a doorstep. The lavaliere channel was right next to the newswoman's mic, and I accidentally muted the wrong one, turning hers off and leaving a backstage mic on. Just when the little girlis lying on the floor unconcious and the woman runs offstage crying, instead of hearing her sobs, you hear (from an actor undressing and taking off makeup backstage for a costume change) a woman saying "It's about time!! I couldn't wait to get rid of that one! Good grief, what a nuisance!" It was pretty bad.

that was bad.

Michael · 08-01-2002, 08:29 PM

i was working with kids, and one kid really liked the microphone and told everyone what to do with them, she thought she knew everything and then turned off her mic during the middle of the play, forgetting to turn it back on and then told everybody, it was terrible

maadio · 09-21-2002, 07:28 AM

OOOH! I'm a lights guy! I love to do lights. Only I'm sorry guys, but I've gone to the dark side. I accidentally got myself cast in a show and now I have to do this wierd thing called acting! It's horrible! I mean, there I am, on the stage, and there are people in the audience, and the LIGHTS ARE ON! My entire thatre career I've been trained to be like a roach and run from the light, but now, I have to let the audience see me. Simply horrible.

-Andy